SLD

I generally do not align myself with any party in particular,
because I like to think of myself as an independant. None of us are truly independant of our political surroundings, however. In life, I believe we have to work together or fall apart. All things rely upon this principle and nothing would be as it is without it.

Proof of the Pudding

"Quantity has a quality all of its own." German equipment and weaponry in WWII was far superior to Allied equipment and weaponry. The German Wehrmacht in the 1940s was the best equipped, best trained and, man for man, the most effective army that had ever existed up to that point in history.
This was actually a problem for them, however - the Allies could churn out huge quantities of their inferior equipment, whereas
the Germans had trouble maintaining parity of numbers with
their high quality, difficult to manufacture weaponry. Numbers
won in the end.

Propaganda Poster

"Stop this monster that stops at nothing... PRODUCE to the limit!" It means that the Axis would stop at nothing to destroy US and that to defeat the monster Americans needed to produce more armaments. The poster is funny. However, America was facing a serious problem at the time - it was trying to fight a World War, yet many of its workers were going on strike for more money.

Scandinavian

This color red is very common in sweden, especially in the countryside. The color is called
falun red. Falun is the center of
the Swedish province of Dalecarlia (Dallarna in Swedish). Historically Sweden was a center of iron mining and paint was made with iron oxide, which gave it that red color.

A revolution is not a picnic

The SN-RF alliance is also known as 'The United Popular Front'. The word 'popular' means 'of the people' or 'has the support of the people'. The cog is empty and part of the rifle is outside the cog itself, rather like the hammer in the Soviet hammer and sickle.

Political Compass

Potemkin is now a deputy leader of the SN-RF(unified Socialism Now and Revolutionary Front Parties), though it's largely an honorary position. HoniSoit is the current leader of the unified party. I guess I just seem to naturally gravitate towards the alpha males. PNL is on the extreme right, and will likely be unable to join any ruling coalition. Dave and Joey are probably destined for a long, frustrating career on the backbenches of Pofoland's parliament.

Pan-Nationalist League

The PNL is more like the GOP was early in the 20th century, but not to the extent the GOP was back then. It was a producerist party. A lot more protectionist than it is now, and more concerned with the national infrastructure. Nowadays every time a new infrastructure project is proposed the GOP screams PORK!

Philip II ?

He looks more like a Sephardi Jews than an English monarch. The portrait BBS showed couldn't be one of William the Conqueror - the costume is completely wrong, by hundreds of years. The costume is from the 15th or 16th century.

I Wish

"Despite theological differences, all great religions share common commitments that define our ideal secular relationships.
I am convinced that Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, and others can embrace each other in a common effort to alleviate human suffering and to espouse peace."

Aircraft Graffiti

During WWII there was a culture of "pin-up girls". And armies throughout history have had camp followers, prostitutes, etc. Armies don't have camp followers anymore that disappeared with modern warfare. During WWII there was also a tradition known as "nose art". Pilots would have paintings done on the nose of their aircraft, usually of pretty girls but not always.

Daovonnaex

"What we lack in length we make up for in excitement."
I have never read a single good book on all of american history,
most of the books that cover all of american history have some kind of biased theme. You might want to try reading David McCullough's books, he writes narrative histories, so they read like novels. He is one of America's most famous historians. Two great books by him are 1776 and Adams. 1776 is about the first year of the American Revolution, Adams is about the life of John Adams. Adams was made into a miniseries on HBO recently.

Passport

It's certainly long-winded and ornate.
"Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those to whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary."

Nostalgia

I now have the world at my finger tips and can see what is out
there. There is a big world just waiting for me to explore it.

Landmark decision

Roe v. Wade prohibits state governments from legislating against abortion, so it's legal across the United States. The thing is though Puerto Rico isn't a state. It's a commonwealth territory, so it has a little more autonomy.

Light gun shooter

The worst thing about Duck Hunt is that when you miss that damn dog laughs at you.

Bad hair day

Most of the higher mammals can get influenza.
Even birds can get it, and they're not even mammals.
There have been some suspected cases here,
but no confirmed cases so far.
Fingers crossed!

WWIII

The Europeans have a long and honourable tradition of hating each other. Take a look at European history some time - it's like the Warring States period of Chinese history, but lasting two thousand years rather than just a few hundred. It was the competition between the European nations which made European imperialism so aggressive and devastating in the 19th century and led to two world wars in the 20th century. World Wars I and II were nothing more than European civil wars amplified onto a global scale by European imperialism.

Made-in-China

"Great prices, terrible quality"...lol.
It's catchy, but it doesn't exactly attract customers.
Well, there have been numerous recalls already.

Gives a start

Michael has translated about a third of it so far.
I reckon he has to keep stopping and starting it and scribbling down what the German-type person has said, so it's taking some time. Anyway, he should have it finished before the end of today.
I believe him.

Drunk cat

The label says "Flag Pils". The 'F' is written using Gothic script, which is why it is difficult to read. In Germany, entire books are printed using Gothic script. Speaking of incomprehensible Germans, the video I sent is spoken by somebody who has a strong German accent, which makes it difficult to understand what he's saying.

Lax gun law

You can legally carry a handgun out in the open without a license.There's only 3 US states where that's allowed -- New Hampshire, Vermont and Montana.
Well, I think people're actually safer around an armed population because criminals usually always have guns and honest citizens having guns too means they can defend themselves and defend
you.

Federal welfare

It is the monetary assistance the US federal government gives to people who don't work. The government pays for their housing,
food and healthcare, and gives them some money for other things.
It's supposed to be for people who can't find work and need it, but
it ultimately ends up paying for people who don't wanna work.

Tis nigh

When marimba rhythms start to play
Dance with me, make me sway
Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore
Hold me close, sway me more

Like a flower bending in the breeze
Bend with me, sway with ease
When we dance you have a way with me
Stay with me, sway with me

Material World

Children are expensive to have, especially because healthcare and college aren't necessarily free like in most other Western countries. The birth rate is something like 2.2 per woman on average (various by class, race, etc.).

Czar Alexander III

Faberge eggs are famous. True pieces of art, I think.
They are all over a million dollars though. I love them.

St. Mary's Episcopal Church

"We will give most of them to the church for the Easter egg hunt, about one dozen we will keep for our children. I make egg salad for sandwiches for about two weeks after Easter. the boiled eggs stay
good in the shell for about one week. the egg salad stays good in the refrigerator for about another week." Humm, eggs cost about one dollar (plus sales taxes) per dozen, so why not splurge and buy
extras.

Spanish Inquisition

The 'test' involves him in a chair surrounded by engineering professors asking him questions about chemistry, calculus,
and physics.Whether he can go back to school at this point in his
life totally depends upon how well he does for these professors.
Good Luck, Huck.

Eggstravaganza

When two friends met on Easter Day, they would tap their eggs together and one would say, "Christ is risen!" And then the other would reply, "Christ is risen indeed!" They would then eat the
eggs together. ...OMG! You bastards, you killed Baby Jesus!

Gun

Just like every other tool in life:
It's better to have and not need, than need and not have.

No Clambing

It should be 'No Climbing'.
Although you may be interested to know that there's an English word 'clambering', which means a particular kind of climbing, in which you cling tightly to whatever
you are climbing and move quickly. It's usually used to describe the way in which children climb. BTW, it should read 'No sculpting or drawing'.

Qingming Festival

Pick a topic, any topic.

John Adams

Beginning is good then it becomes rather boring and depressing.
Much too deferential to these historical figures, some were turned
into borderline mythological figures, especially with regards to
George Washington.

Ling Shan

No phrase describes yesterday better than "a feast for the Buddhists".
The marvelous architecture -- Giant Buddha pleased everyone's eyes. And this laughing buddha's belly deserves a good rub.
Let's hope the Buddha can feel his belly being rubbed in Nirvana.

Sun Never Sets

Britain is just a small island off the coast of Europe. Most other nations are bigger than Britain. Britain has never really been integrated into Europe; they are partly in Europe and partly out of Europe.
In fact, the British Empire was a global rather than a European empire. This means that they have always traditionally looked beyond Europe, and did not really regard themselves as part of Europe. In fact, they were so small that other nations didn't take them seriously until it was too late and they had conquered the world.

Easy Virtue

We're all alone, no chaperone can get our number.
The world's aslumber, let's misbehave.
Timing is everything....

In Gold We Trust

It's a rather good pun in English.
There's a similar joke which goes:
"In God we trust. All others pay cash." ^_^

Gin War?

"The British wanted a way of financially exploiting the massive population of China. They chose opium to do so, because it is an addictive drug and could be manufactured in large quantities close
to the Chinese market. It was a product which created its own demand, and was therefore ideal for the purpose of exploiting the Chinese market for financial gain.
The social and moral consequences of creating many tens of millions
of drug addicts in China was irrelevant to them, of course. Like all good capitalists, the British held to the belief that "whatever makes money is moral; whatever loses money is immoral". If they didn't have opium to sell, they would have sold tobacco or alcohol or slaves, or something else. The British had excess capital from their industrialisation, which they needed to invest in new markets.
The Chinese market was just too big not to exploit - and opium was
the ideal product to use to exploit that market.
The Chinese nation was relatively backward and weak, so it could
not effectively resist that exploitation."

Racialism?

Mexico has some kind of comic book character for children which is black with red lips, a common representation of blacks in media.
In America that kind of representation is associated with minstrel,
a form of media meant to insult blacks in which whites put on black makeup and pretended to be black. In other countries (ie countries that don't have blacks) this kind of representation is innocent.
There are many traditional European toys which look similar,
such as golliwogs in Britain (which are now under attack in Britain
as being racist, since there are minorities in Britain now).
Mexico issued a commemorative postal stamp of this character,
and American blacks found out and complained.
Jesse Jackson went to Mexico specifically to complain to the Mexican President.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on."

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.

Public Service

Some offices have no salary. It depends on the position.
Elected officials in Dave's small town(Antigo, Wisconsin) earn no salary. Because they aren't professional politicians.
Most are employed in other jobs or retired. Other draw a salary,
and generally the more important the office the higher the salary. The President makes $400,000 a year (of course that doesn't include his benefits package, like a 747 to fly him anywhere he wants,
or living in the White House, etc.). As a rule of thumb any elected official at a reasonably high level can expect to earn far more money when he leaves office as a lobbyist.

"Brick"

Electronics are generally quite cheap.
The model of mp3 player I bought online costs about £20, which is about the average for a 2 Gb flash player. It looks quite stylish. ^_^

Podcasting

Overall we think Western European television news is good.
The BBC is the classic example, and both France and Germany
have similar English-language international news (France 24
and Deutsche Welle).

Congress

Well, you can call his office. Wether or not you'll speak to him is a different question. Dave's dad calls his Congressman all the time
to complain, but he never gets past the staffers. Then again, he is extremely mean and rude to people who work for the government.

Food For Thought

In the immortal words of Neil Armstrong,
that's one small step for McDonalds, one giant leap for China!

Insipid Commentary

CNN is considered "moderate", whereas Fox News is considered "conservative". Both are...relatively terrible.
There are some exceptions of course, Judge Napolitano's show
on Fox is good, and Lou Dobbs' show on CNN is decent.

Deconstructionist

Can I just feel bad enough to feel good?
Now I dont have a particular topic in mind.
I feel so bad I just feel so bad -- it is work-related.
I would write down how I feel and post it on PoFo.
It's kind of a self-therapy.

Hell is paved with good intentions

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153),
"Hell is full of good intentions or desires."

You should never be too impressed by people who with good manners,
They are the ones who will give a friendly wave,
even when they've stolen from you.

They are the type to sweetly welcome you,
Even as they try to uncover your secrets.

They are the kind to offer you coffee,
Even as they report you to the police.

And dont be too offended by someone who's openly rude,
Because they may be that way,
for the nicest of reasons.

Herz an Herz

The weight of these sad times we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.

Future Me

We have no way of knowing what lays ahead for us in the future.
All we can do is use the information at hand to make the best
decision possible. It's gonna be fine.
My whole life is gonna be fine.

Are you tired?

"I am awake
You are still sleeping
The sun will rise
Like yesterday..."
This is Vivian...Sigh...whatever...Does anyone ever feel like they're just...disappearing? I feel so much like giving up.

The Pursuit of Happyness

There is no "Y" in happiness, there is "I".
That's really a good film, I love it. It's rather too American for many people's taste, however. Even the title is a quote from the Declaration
of Independence.

Where the Wild Roses Grow

" The national flower of Scotland is the thistle, the national flower of Wales is the leek and the national flower of Ireland is the shamrock.
I dunno why England has the rose as its national flower, but there was a famous, long civil war in the Middle Ages called the 'Wars of the Roses'. It was so called because the two aristocratic families who fought each other were in control of the neighbouring counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, and the emblem of Lancashire was the red rose and the emblem of Yorkshire was the white rose. Marx believed it was the effects of the Wars of the Roses which led England to become the first nation in the world to create industrial capitalism, because the aristocracy were largely wiped out during the civil war leaving their lesser relatives to inherit their titles and estates. There lesser relatives of the aristocratic families were already involved in commerce and industry, whereas the aristocracy itself had been hostile to commerce and regarded it as demeaning and beneath them. This is why the British aristocracy were ready to forma class alliance with the bourgeoisie in the 18th and 19th centuries, whereas in most other nations (such as France) the bourgeoisie fought and destroyed the aristocratic class. It's why we still have a monarchy and aristocracy now, whereas most other developed nations are democratic republics."

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

The UK didn't exist at that time. England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland were still completely separate countries which had not joined the United Kingdom yet; that only happened in 1707. It was only England which was at war with the Spanish Empire. As to why England won, let's just say that there was a lack of co-ordination between the Spanish army and navy, a reluctance on the part of the Spanish King to cancel the invasion when logistical problems started becoming serious, and the tactical superiority of the English Navy during the battle itself. It was a great turning point in European history - it marked the beginning of the decline of Spain and the rise of England (and later the UK).

Western Civilisation

The modern world is actually derived from ancient Rome and Greece far more than it is from the Medieval world.
There's a discontinuity in the cultural and social history of Europe during the Renaissance -- they consciously rejected the values of the Medieval period and attempted to return to the values of the ancient world. The modern Western society which the West spread across the world during the 19th century - was based on ancient Rome.

Musical Treasure

What a Glorious Feeling ! Singin' in the Rain is a very good film,
one of Gene Kelly's best. And the fake stage sets and makeup are
part of the charm of these old films.

Seagull 1963

" The movement is high quality, but the exterior quality and fit and finish are poor, as is typical with Chinese watches. It still looks nice and is very unique though, so I am happy to have it in my collection. It's from the Seagull watch factory. "
I'm very interested to know that Dave owns a 1963 Chinese Air Force watch. He collects wristwatches and bought this from a German man in Hong Kong last summer.

Gun Ban

I disagree completely. Look at Chicago, murder capital of the US.
Since they enacted their (highly illegal) gun ban in the early 80's.
Violent crime has done nothing but go up.
Then let's look at Detroit. In 2002 Michigan passed concealed carry.
Violent crime in Detroit has fallen since.

Rainy Day

"Some bad news is that I think my BMW is shot. I have been noticing blue smoke between shifts, which is a sign that oil is leaking into the combustion chamber. There is probably something wrong with the valvetrain, which is a very expensive problem to fix." Well,well,well...I suppose that's what Dave gets for driving so aggressively. LOL~

Good point

"The British system is based on the medieval traditions rather than classical traditions. This is why classical architecture never really took off in Britain - it's Gothic all the way.
Even the 'Mother of Parliaments' is a Gothic building, a cathedral to bourgeois liberalism rather than a temple to republicanism.
Our political traditions are medieval rather than classical, enlightened despotism rather than classical republicanism.
We trace our liberties to the early medieval kings like Henry II or
King John rather than to Cicero or Demosthenes.
The problem was that medieval England was more liberal and more advanced than almost any other medieval European state (merrie olde England), so when feudalism was swept away everywhere else
in Europe during the 18th century, the archaic semi-feudal system
in Britain creaked and swayed a bit, but did not fall.
The Enlightenment failed to take hold in England, and our feudal system continued unbroken. We are now stuck with it.

The Founding Fathers were absolutely right to chuck out all that medieval rubbish and start again from first principles.
The Magna Carta was not a founding document of the American Republic, and it was deliberately excluded from the canon.
Rightly so. The Founding Fathers went back beyond the medieval feudal concept of rights and obligations and returned to the classical republican tradition. This is why public buildings in America all
look like classical temples. Public buildings in Britain look like Gothic cathedrals. That fact symbolises the political differences between our two countries."

Sage of the Seers

"From what I've experienced, I believe they are correct. Its active ingredient, salvinroin A, is the most powerful naturally-occurring hallucinogen." Well, Salvia Divinorum does indeed mean "diviners' sage". It is used by the Mazatec Indians of Mexico in their religious ceremonies. They believe it gives them access to the spirit world.
The herb itself is perfectly legal to smoke in Britain,
and is becoming increasingly popular.

Singin' in the Rain

It begins just after sunrise.
After a good night sleep, I leave home to go to work.
I do this so I can provide a better life for my families.
So I can afford to buy nice things and have a reason to get up in the morning. When the exhausting work is done, I come back home
again and begin counting the days...till my next vacation.

Long Time No See

Dear Blog, I'm sorry about neglecting you recently.
It's just that I had run out of things to say about McDonalds lunches.
Anyway, I'm obsessed with food. Food seems to have always been an important part of Chinese culture, unlike Britain. In fact, one of the main ways in which Chinese culture has influenced the West is through its food -- the West has embraced Chinese food in a big way; most towns in Britain have several Chinese restaurants and takeaways.

An early bird

While other siders are hitting the snooze button, I had a rude awakening when the rooster crowed at dawn this morning.
And I'm serving a week of hard time.

Misery Love Company

Positive thinking can change our life.
"You cannot put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get." In Phelps's cases, positive thinking produced an attitude of hopeful expectation and armed him with the necessary tools to make his dreams come true.
Dear Alex, it can do the same for us, too!

A Complete Idiot Way To Einstein

This is a very great book even with a very small title.
It's very easy to read with several cartoons on one page, this style is very suitable for me.
Also the length or the number of words on each page is all very short. And the way in which the author tried to show his opinions is also very diverse. Anyway, this would be a very good book for me to understand Einstein and Physics and History of Physics.

Devil in the Details

An ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is good to know no matter
where you live. Once needed, it is too late to learn such things
which prevent panic in an emergency.

AIAA JOURNAL

"The authors provide a very good description of their objectives, approach and results obtained. Their description of the wavelet
based neural network that was used in their analysis also very
good, as are the conclusions drawn from their results."
Alex's manuscript was sent out to 5 reviewers.
As of now 4 reviews have been completed.
He'll modify his manuscript in accordance with the reviewers'
comments and suggestion.

Valentine's Day

I havenot actually decided how to celebrate yet.
Perhaps I'll go out for a meal at a restaurant and eat alone.
I havenot talked to Alex lately because he has been so wrapped up
in preparations for his thesis.

Mississippi

William Faulkner was a famous author from Ole Miss. The State is named after the River.
It is located in the Gulf of Mexico directly adjacent to Alabama. It has a grand tradition of plantations and cotton fields. Mark Twain wrote about the river and the state.

A History of the American People

Volume two is beyond the Civil War to the present day.
That is just how the class is split up because the Civil War was such a pivotal moment in America's history, half of the semester is spent on that single topic and all of the battles and the differences between the two governments. Many are still fighting that war.
Reconstruction nearly permanently divided the country.
Some remnants of it are still on the books today.

Friends

American humour is based on slapstick - visual, physical humour. This makes it easy to understand for an international audience,
and is probably why American film comedies became so successful from the 1920s onwards.
British humour is based on irony and social discomfort,
which is difficult for a non-British audience to understand.

Free Talk

The media complex has a huge Jewish component. It has a huge Catholic component, too. But the biggest component is a giant Protestant one. Everyone has their own specialty.
The Jews, humor, production values, the "news" and marketing.
The Catholics, ancient superstition and vengeance.
The Protestants, crime, horror, God, money and twisted sex.
Altogether it spells American E-N-T-E-R-T-A-I-N-M-E-N-T!

A Real Concern

"We have a basic human rights stance that the government
should get involved before people starve to death."
Well, human rights always wins over greed. There are programs
for people living in certain conditions that will allow them to get a subsidy from the governmentto buy food.
The numbers are getting larger for people who need such assistance.

Financial Crisis

Now we are having much unemployment. 6 months ago the rate was 4%, now it is over 8%. In another six months it may be 25%.
That number is the rate of people who are receiving government unemployment benefits but doesnot include the people who have been out of work for more than six months.

HBO

'Rome' is one of the best historical series ever made.
It's violent and bloody because ancient Rome at that time was itself violent and bloody. And watching the series would actually be a
good way of learning about the history of that time.

Henry VIII

'Divorced, beheaded, dead; divorced, beheaded, survived.'
LOL, six wives! He was a busy man.

The Last Samurai

There were a series of violent crimes committed by thugs and hooligans using cheap imitation samurai swords which they purchased on the internet, so the government banned the sale
and ownership of those kinds of swords.
Real swords are still legally available.
After all, a thug is not likely to slash or stab somebody with a
sword that costs £2000, is he?
He's going to use an imitation sword that cost him £30 on eBay,
then throw it into a canal afterwards.

Abstinence-Only

Sex education has been dropped under George Bush because the Republicans think the best thing to teach kids about sex is "Dont!".
It seems common sense to teach about predators and condoms and sexually transmitted diseases, but they think it is best left alone.

Patriotism 101

Civics is the study of the responsibilities of being a citizen in the United States or in the particular state where the class is taught. Each state works differently, so all states may have different civics lessons and others may not have the class at all and expect it to be taught at home. It covers the government and how it works. Voting, civil rights, and taxes.

Mum's the word

The standard classes in an American classroom for elementary are handwriting,reading/grammar,civics,mathematics,health/science, and history. These are taught all the way through graduation.
Towards the end, civics is replaced by some other choice and the maths and sciences get more detailedlike biology/chemistry or algebra/geometry.
Grammar and Literature are split half of a year on each.In Britain they do not learn English grammar or syntax in primary school.
Children used to be taught grammar in the first few years of secondary school (at about the ages of 11-13), but in the 1960s that requirement was dropped. Teaching children 'correct' grammar was felt to be oppressive and restricting to their 'creativity'.
The idea was that children would learn grammar by exploring and using language itself.Needless to say, this idea didnot really work.
All that happened was that the use of syntax and grammaramong native speakers of English became sloppy and incorrect.

Big Cake

The UK is entering an economic recession at the moment, triggered
by the global 'credit crunch'. Some famous supermarkets have gone bankrupt in the past few months, for example Woolworths.
This means that UK supermarkets are contracting rather than expanding into new markets. I guess the UK will be unable to challenge Wal-Mart or Carrefour in China for the next few years at least.

Warm Heart

"We had a few days at 10 degrees F last week; that is -12 C.
I wonder if it is the same cold snap that travelled around the world.
I knew I should have sent you socks with that book!"
Yeah, the temperature here is about 15 degrees F.
Because of you, Huck, I feel warm in my heart.

Hunting Season

There is plenty of wild game in the states...no shortage at all.
Because people try to take the weakest and allow the strong to procreate.The hunting would be better in the spring,but people do not hunt while mother animals are raising their newborns during that time of year. Only in the fall and winter after they have been weaned and are out on their own will people kill and eat nature's bounty.Even then, the young are left to grow.

It is official!

The spirit of U.S. constitution is protection of the individual citizens' rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness against the government's ability to restrict those rights. It limits the powers of government in all areas and dictates how the states interact and govern, also. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president proclaimed
it a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
Obama is modeling his presidency after Lincoln's. I believe that President Obama will do what he can to get Americans back to
those principals.

Junk Food

I eat McDonald's about once or twice a week.
The high carbohydrate count and cholesterol are bad for anyone.
I got cholecystopathy, so the protein is bad for my gallbladder.
When I was in college, I walked from time to time.
I was in much better physical shape then than I am now.
That's why I am planning to begin a jogging program.

No Heat

It doesnot rise above 2 degrees C tonight.
I am frozen because the heater in my house has broken.
It has gotten frigid here, suddenly.
I am freezing to death. Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

Black Thursday

Everyone makes mistakes. There will always be good days and bad days in the restaurant business. Mistakes happen, and then I make good for it. The important thing to do when I make a mistake is to acknowledge it, fix it, and then make sure it doesnot happen again.

I Am Right

Honesty is the best policy. I never know when I am being watched.
In fact, many employers often deliberately leave money lying around to find out which of their workers are honest and which are dishonest. I passed the test!

Snail mail

"If necessary I can find the air mail receipt and check to this end." Hopefully he still has it. Next time Huck will use UPS and just pay the money to make sure it gets here quickly...neither of us is the world's most patient person. :)

Filled Bun

Those dumplings look delicious.
It is said they were invented in ancient Persia, and travelled West to become
'ravioli' in Italy and East to become 'baozi' in China. In fact, the Persian plateau has always been a link joining East and West, at least as important as the Silk Road. I feel hungry now.

Sugar Free

I never buy tea pre mixed...too much sugar. Americans have been putting sugar in the tea since the 1700's. It comes from the British heritage. I love green tea, but it must also be sweetened with nutrasweet or be unsweetened altogether.
So I buy the bags and make it myself on the stove. I like my
black tea with cream or milk. Hmm, I consider myself a good cook.

Commuter

It takes me 1 hour to travel to work and another 1 hour to get back. That's actually not too bad for a daily commute to work, otherwise
I would spend a lot of time online.
There was a short period I spent on the forum literally all day
every day. I literally wrote a tenth of the forum's posts.

Anti-fake

There is a lot of counterfeit currency in Britain.
The detection methods are very good, however, so the problem
is kept under control. Well, it's more difficult to detect in China.
Most shops often dont have ultraviolet lamps or other equipment
to detect fake money. And it seems harsh that cashiers have to
repay the fake money from their own salary.

Rooms for $8.88!

It has been a long time since rooms were that cheap.
Now it is more along the lines of 80 bucks per night in US. I think when they named the hotel they didnot allow for inflation! :) And the cost of hotels in China will continue to rise, as the economy improves. The same thing has happened in Russia -- Moscow is now one of the most expensive cities in which to stay in a hotel.
Soon,Shanghai will be the same.

Fashion Trends

I've never understood the fashion for very skinny women -- a woman should have curves. Skinny is overrated, but fat can be unhealthy. There is a middle ground that is just right.
In Britain they have a saying - "any more than a handful is a waste"!

McDonald's

Work is rough today.
I never realized I don't know jack shit about making hamburgers.
Anyway, I am making good progress.
Soon I'll be a Fast Food Dispensing Operative in no time!

Postcards

Britain and America are strange -- mailing address starts at the
house and then zoom out to the country; most other countries
start with the country and then zoom in to the house, which
seems much more logical, since this is the order in which it will actually be delivered.

Assault Rifle

Those look like replica Kalashnikov rifles. AK-47 to be exact. 7.62 x 39 soviet ammunition. Tough and effective, the most popular automatic military rifles in the world. But they are not guns, they're models. A real gold-plated Kalashnikov would be fucking cool.

English-influenced

I noticed every member of PoFo from Israel is very fluent in English. Well,Israel was long under British influence, and later on American influence. I agree Jews are adaptive by nature, and absorbed much
of the culture and language. English is taught from the third grade (used to be fourth). Movies and TV series are not dubbed like in other places, and instead have sub-titles.

Wu Zetian

Many of the greatest and most famous rulers of Britian have been women -- Boudicca, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria of England,
and Queen Margaret and Queen Mary of Scotland.
Margaret Thatcher is also one of the most famous Prime Ministers. There is no taboo against a woman becoming monarch or empress
of a nation in Europe.
I think women have a much higher social status in the West than
in China. The taboo against powerful female rulers in China is probably caused by the Confucian philosophy, which emphasises
the importance of the family structure.
Society as a whole is regarded as an extension of the family unit.

Year of the Rat

Alex will submit his thesis, and his viva voce is in March.
Only two monthes to go now! I wish you success, Alex.
And best of luck with the interview, Vivian.
The internet can become an addiction; it's probably better
if I develop a life outside it.
I should get out more, meet new people...

Military Hardware

Most old German Mauser rifles have cleaning rods,as do any military bolt action rifles. Mausers were made for every military power from 1889 to the present day. Huck told me the one he had was Japanese,
I guess it is actually Chinese. The characters look similar.
He'll trace the imperial markings and scan it to me.

Meal in a Glass

A half can of 3.4% abw alcohol got me drunk. lol...I am not able to hold my liquor.
Stouts are very popular in Britain.
They vary from dark brown to deep black;
Guinness is one of the best.
It's based on the porter style that originated
in London in the early 18th century.
Lagers originated in continental Europe and only bacame popular in Britain a few decades ago.