Forums > Living in Kunming > New Coronavirus Rivalry and competition is nature's way of inducing improvement and evolution. But if we are nothing more than a product of nature then why have laws, morality, and philosophy, just let our primal urges carry the day. And if we do not aspire to utilized all the gifts that the creator imbibed in us, even the more reason not pay attention to worldly concepts like viruses and disease and simply live in blissful ignorance.
I can only hope that one day, humanity can evolve beyond the pettiness of nationalism and ethnocentrism just as we are now, ever so slowly, moving beyond racism and male chauvinism.
Forums > Living in Kunming > New Coronavirus Humans are such irrational and emotional beings. When they see numbers creeping up paired with ominous warnings, they live in fear and when they see numbers go down, they become jubilant. But when asked, what has objectively changed? How many people you personally know, got infected during the waxing period and how many got better during the waning? No answer is forth coming other than state news said it is so.
When the numbers were going up, was it possible that they weren't going up as fast as other unreported diseases such as the flu, lung cancer, and cirrhosis? And when the numbers are going down, is it possible that people have stopped going to the hospital to get tested over very mild conditions or that institutions stopped testing every possible case as is the case in the US? I personally do not know the answers to these questions nor do I want to speculate, these are questions one has ask ones' selves.
And what does "the greatest nation" even mean? What are the metrics? If we are stuck thinking that it is a honorable goal to make one nation or group of people better than another, then I'm afraid humanity will not advance beyond the 21st century and am very glad I am old enough to not be able to live to see the end result.
Forums > Living in Kunming > New Coronavirus To put that number into perspective, in the case of Covid-19, these are reported documented cases whereas the statistics for the flu is based on mathematical modeling. My personal hunch is that the actual numbers of infected are vastly greater than those reported given the fact that only those whom are very sick or dead are tested for the virus.
As Covid-19 becomes seasonal, as it is expected to be, a more accurate model can formulated to better determine the seriousness of the disease.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Anyone here gotten a Chinese Green Card? Residence Permits are purpose specific, only RPs issued for employment allows you to work for that one specific employer in which submitted the application. If your RP is issued for visiting relatives then you cannot work regardless of the length of the RP. Permanent Residence permits (green card) confers upon you, all the rights and responsibilities of local citizens. So depending the the purpose of your stay and specific needs, not all options are viable.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Anyone here gotten a Chinese Green Card? @Ocean, congrats. Now that you'll be employed under your green card, you might want to research what your tax obligations are and make sure you are in compliance as your employers probably would have no idea what to do with you. More likely than not, the applicable tax regulations will be different now that you are working under a different status.
Chinese student apologizes after Maryland graduation speech sparks firestorm
Posted by@Geezer, putting aside the politicking of the Chinese government, the oversimplification of the freedoms enjoyed in the US in her speech is very problematic.
What was the point of her analogy? That freedoms blossom in the US while withers in China? Let us not forget that those freedoms were fought for and paid for by the blood of the preceding generations. While she enjoy the labors of those sacrifices, is she ready to make sacrifices of her own? The answer, sadly, is no, as evidence by her insincere non-apology and "commitment" to spread Chinese ideals and culture. Instead of of standing up and defending those freedoms, she cowers at the hint of retribution.
To discover freedom, perhaps you can speak to the minorities that face systematic discrimination everyday, speak to the Muslim communities on how much they enjoyed their freedom, give an opposing view at a MAGA rally to see the freedom of speech at work.
I find nothing at all about her speech or its synthesis to be worth defending other than her rights to make such a speech. But at the same time, I equally defend everyone elses' response to it, CSSA included, those freedom of speech are equally sacred to me.
Chinese student apologizes after Maryland graduation speech sparks firestorm
Posted byGranted, the suppression and control of outside the mainstream narrative is more overt in China but government control, or at least the control by the main parties of the narrative exists in America just the same, just more subtle.
The finger pointing, as you say, is the result of the two party system, the discourse and freedom is but an illusion. Outside attacks on each other, their views are nearly identical on almost all issues. Both parties have talked "tough on China", both panders and caters to the Middle East and Israel, the only difference is a matter of degrees and the facade of the institution in which they support.
"As a nation, we began by declaring that 'all men are created equal.' We now practically read it 'all men are created equal, except negroes.' When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.'
When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty – to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy."
― Abraham Lincoln, 1855
Chinese student apologizes after Maryland graduation speech sparks firestorm
Posted byIt cuts both ways, how about China as a currency manipulator, China is stealing our jobs, anything Chinese is viewed as suspicious by the Republican party and the American public in general as that was the narrative being pushed. Japanese companies, Korean companies, German companies, even American companies have all recently been involved in massive product recalls that poses a public safety risk and yet I don't see the same fervor as when it was a Chinese made product.
Such is the nature of politics & government and humans. Always pointing fingers and seeing flaws in others when thinking themselves to be perfect and superior.