Peter what are you talking about? Sucking tits my ass! Thanksgiving is not like pledging allegiance to the flag, or whatever you might want to do, and thanking God is very much optional in the US. If I wanted to thank God for anything, it would not be for a modern nation state - He did not 'settle' North America, and I'm not at all sure he'd like the way it was done. I can respect the Pilgrim's point of view, c.1621. I won't pursue the issue of Native Americans. Get the flag out of the turkey - Thanksgiving is an American cultural festival, and there are things about the culture that are worth appreciating, though we may not agree as to which ones those are. Don't believe the hype.
Would help if people could separate cultural affinities and practices from political convictions. Despite all the talk of multiculturalism, it seems that many don't seem to be able to do that. Something important missing here.
Hope everybody who may have been drawn to celebrating US Thanksgiving had a good meal.
Suggest the drinking is related to difficulties of adaptations to, and even of any clear understanding of, rapid socio-cultural change coming from the outside and the denigration of local culture involved, both in objective terms - insecure sense of identities, commoditization, new irrelevance of traditional cultural understandings, etc. Doesn't exactly strike me as mysterious. Religion, including 'new' religion, can play a part in this, either aggressively or defensively, but usually a bit ambiguously, a bit of both.
Plenty of articles about problems caused by hydropower. 'Cleaner', well, maybe, but clearly not good enough in the long run, which is going to require further development of solar, geothermal, wind, etc. It's going to be expensive in terms of money, but that's where the money has to be put in. In the meantime, maybe you've got a point, but the meantime isn't going to last all that long, and it's probably not a good idea to move too many people around, silt up dams, ruin fisheries, risk dam collapses in earthquake-prone areas and all the rest...no, I don't know a lot about this stuff, and burning fossil fuels, including natural gas, is obviously lousy, and nuclear power is really good and clean and safe until it isn't (Japan, not long ago)...okay, I'm no expert.
Then again, Chinese, as well as Lao and Thai, hydroelectric potential seems to be screwing up the Mekong for many in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam.
@ michael: Got your point. Southeast Asian countries are closer, but then Viet Nam, Laos, Myanmar have plenty of hydroelectric power generation potential of their own, although some of them (Laos, for instance, which can and to some extent does provide power to Thailand) probably don't have the cash to develop it. Rather doubt that Viet Nam, for one, would want to become dependent on Chinese power generation.
Not quite what you'd call a jumping place, but not bad at all for rather standard US-type meals, not overly expensive, and with a really good salad bar that's cheap, or free with most dinner dishes after 5:30PM. You can get a bottle of beer or even wine if you really want to, but I've never seen anybody do it - maybe that's just to take out. Chinese Christian run, and they hire people with physical disadvantages, who are pleasant and helpful. Frequented by foreign (mostly North American) Christians and Chinese Christians - was started by a Canadian couple associated with Bless China (previously, Project Grace), who are no longer here, but no religious pressure or any of that. Steaks are nothing special, and I avoid the Korean dishes, which I've had a few times but which did not impress me.
As a shop and bakery, it's very good bread at reasonable prices, of various kinds (Y18 for a good multigrain loaf that certainly weighs well over a pound. Other stuff too, like granola and oatmeal that is local, as well as imported things, including American cornflakes and so forth, which some people seem to require.
Large portions, seriously so with the pizza, which is Brooklyn/American style, I guess. Convivial, conversational, good place to drink with good folks on both sides of the bar, especially after about 9PM.
Rural Yunnan township takes flak for alcohol ban
Posted bySuggest the drinking is related to difficulties of adaptations to, and even of any clear understanding of, rapid socio-cultural change coming from the outside and the denigration of local culture involved, both in objective terms - insecure sense of identities, commoditization, new irrelevance of traditional cultural understandings, etc. Doesn't exactly strike me as mysterious. Religion, including 'new' religion, can play a part in this, either aggressively or defensively, but usually a bit ambiguously, a bit of both.
1920s China through the lens of Joseph Rock: Simao
Posted byI think Rock is buried in Hawaii.
Editorial: Hydro expansion will fail without energy market reform
Posted byPlenty of articles about problems caused by hydropower. 'Cleaner', well, maybe, but clearly not good enough in the long run, which is going to require further development of solar, geothermal, wind, etc. It's going to be expensive in terms of money, but that's where the money has to be put in. In the meantime, maybe you've got a point, but the meantime isn't going to last all that long, and it's probably not a good idea to move too many people around, silt up dams, ruin fisheries, risk dam collapses in earthquake-prone areas and all the rest...no, I don't know a lot about this stuff, and burning fossil fuels, including natural gas, is obviously lousy, and nuclear power is really good and clean and safe until it isn't (Japan, not long ago)...okay, I'm no expert.
Editorial: Hydro expansion will fail without energy market reform
Posted byThen again, Chinese, as well as Lao and Thai, hydroelectric potential seems to be screwing up the Mekong for many in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam.
Editorial: Hydro expansion will fail without energy market reform
Posted by@ michael: Got your point. Southeast Asian countries are closer, but then Viet Nam, Laos, Myanmar have plenty of hydroelectric power generation potential of their own, although some of them (Laos, for instance, which can and to some extent does provide power to Thailand) probably don't have the cash to develop it. Rather doubt that Viet Nam, for one, would want to become dependent on Chinese power generation.