User Comments - RJ

Posted on: CCP Political Slogans

According to Wikipedia:

A republic is literally a form of government in which affairs of state are a "public matter" (Latin: res publica), not the private concern of the rulers, in which public offices are subsequently appointed or elected rather than privately accommodated by divine mandate or inheritance. In modern times, the common definition of a republic is a government which excludes a monarch.

Webster says:

a country that is governed by elected representatives and by an elected leader (such as a president) rather than by a king or queen

Posted on: CCP Political Slogans

• Love the country; do it no harm.
• Serve the people; never betray them.
• Follow science; discard ignorance.
• Be diligent; not indolent.
• Be united, help each other; make no gains at others' expense.
• Be honest and trustworthy; do not sacrifice ethics for profit.
• Be disciplined and law-abiding; not chaotic and lawless.
• Live plainly, work hard; do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

Posted on: CCP Political Slogans

• Love the country; do it no harm.
• Serve the people; never betray them.
• Follow science; discard ignorance.
• Be diligent; not indolent.
• Be united, help each other; make no gains at others' expense.
• Be honest and trustworthy; do not sacrifice ethics for profit.
• Be disciplined and law-abiding; not chaotic and lawless.
• Live plainly, work hard; do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

Posted on: CCP Political Slogans

清除精神污染

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Spiritual_Pollution_Campaign

Posted on: Foot Bath

Well, I was having some fun with it, but the truth is it can be uncomfortable. Jenny doesnt have to worry. Nothing about this procedure tickles. Its when they start pushing on those pressure points that it hurts. Of course you can ask them to take it easy, and they will. Maybe.

Posted on: Foot Bath

John,

My experience as well. Compared to "foot massage", water-boarding is a sport. They scrape the sensitive bottoms of your feet with a very dull knife, so as not to draw blood. All the while they are thinking: die laowai, die. Had I been a CIA operative under interrogation, I would have cracked. The gal that took me, my host, seemed to be having a great time however. The deluxe 1.5 hour package also came with a happy ending. They packed my legs in a warm "herbal paste" that felt a lot like hot drain cleaner. They also wrap it up in several layers of cloth and tie knots so you can not escape.  I was so relieved to see that there was still skin on my legs when they finally removed the restraints. I had to drink an extra beer at dinner just to get rid of the residual pain. How I managed to smile for an hour and a half I dont know, but I could just imagine the whole crew laughing and slapping their thighs after we left. "We got another one, die laowai die"! :-)
That weekend I was invited to a bath house. All I could envision now was someone scraping my whole body down with a wire brush, so I declined. I probably made a mistake turning down the bath, but hey, I wasn't taking any chances. :-)

Posted on: An I for an I

Who's your daddy? Great job Tom and Connie. 就给他们点儿颜色看看.

Posted on: Lost Dog

I would think dian dian would be a nick name but maybe one of the Chinese staff can confirm.

Posted on: Networking Event

You will encounter varying personal opinions regarding which to learn, which to learn first, or whether or not to learn both at the same time. Keep in mind that most characters are the same in both systems and mainland schools only teach the simplified version. You may find this interesting:

http://open.avenues.org/chinese-language-traditional-vs-simplified-characters

Posted on: The Trouble with Marrying a Foreigner

Seems to me that westerners are better able to recognize, deal with, compromise on, and accept cultural differences as arbitrary than the Chinese. Or is that just because Im looking at it from the west? any thoughts?