The Old Codger’s Second Home

Americans say that they are concerned about the two candidates foreign policy plans. The media would like you to believe that this is a concern of the majority of Americans. Given that even after almost 6 years of active military engagement in the “war on terror” the majority of Americans can’t find either Afghanistan or Iraq on an unmarked map, this concern is laughable. The average American’s knowledge of anything outside of their own neighborhood is minimal at best. Their knowledge of the world and world events is even less.

Americans are a fearful lot these days. They are afraid of Muslims. They are afraid of China. They are equally afraid of McCain as they are of Obama. Some of their fears are rational. Some of them are exceptionally irrational.

America’s foreign policy these days seems to be a whole lot of saber rattling. A lot of threats made to foreign entities who know that America is not capable of backing up anything that it says. America threatened Russia over the last two weeks. Russia basically ignored America. Soon, Americans will add Russia to their list of countries to fear. Read the rest of this entry »

What people really know about China in a nut shell: Zip. Nada. Zilch. Very little. Most people around the world who have eaten Chinese food, which typically is not all that ethnic in other countries, and read Western news accounts of China think they are experts, but actually are probably best described as “pseudo-educated fools.” Take for example Australian Olympic cyclist Cadel Evans.

Evans is a critic of China. He is also an advocate for a free Tibet. On his web site, he provides a link to where people can buy a Free Tibet t-shirt for prices ranging from USD $30.00 to $38.95. His web site states, erroneously, that 20% of the proceeds - USD $6.00 to $7.79 - goes to “help Tibetan students.” A closer examination of this claim reveals that the 20% is being paid to a radical left wing group.

“In an effort to support the Tibetan fight for freedom and raise funding for the Students for a Free Tibet, SockGuy is honored to make the Free Tibet Baselayers and socks. 20% of the proceeds from your purchase will go to www.StudentsforaFreeTibet.org“

To Evans’ credit, he himself isn’t profiting from the sale of these shirts, there there is little question that the Sock Guy is certainly profiting from this free advertising. To his discredit is that he implies that the 20% proceeds will be helping Tibetan students in their studies. Nothing could be further from the truth. Read the rest of this entry »

In today’s modern world, China faces many challenges. The world’s media and people are largely anti-China based on history and perceived problems based upon Western values and judgments. As an emerging world society, which China has demonstrated it can do with great fanfare, China is faced with a significant public relations task which it needs to address with a positive spin continuously.

The foreign protesters who have descended upon Beijing with the “Free Tibet” protests really aren’t concerned with the situation that may exist in Tibet. If they had any sense, they would know that the majority of the Chinese are opposed to their cause. Succinctly stated, the Chinese do not tolerate other people interfering in their internal affairs very well. The detention of at least eight Americans and other foreigners protesting in Beijing was done more for their protection than an effort to silence their voices. History has proven, and common sense tells us that mobs can have disastrous results.

Chinese culture and tradition eschews confrontation, especially with foreigners. With foreigners, there is the prevailing view that “they (foeigners) just simply do not understand Chinese culture.” They are correct in that assessment. Most foreigners, particularly Westerners, do not have an inkling about Chinese culture. Read the rest of this entry »

The Old Codger has traveled around the world a few times on countless airlines.  It didn’t take him long to reach the conclusion that International flights on US carriers was a poor choice.  The Australian national carrier, Qantas also is categorized by The Old Codger as a poor choice.

United Airlines - based in Chicago - is without a doubt the worst US carrier to fly on.  This is not just The Old Codger’s unanimous opinion.  NBC (MSNBC) agrees, calling United “the worst airline - ever.” United also gets more consumer complaints to the DOT (US Department of Transportation).  United is also the only airline to have a web site that was set up by former employees which is highly critical of their former employers.  If you have a complaint against United, most likely it has already been posted on this site - untied.com. Read the rest of this entry »

The Olympics have produced a true Olympian Spirit in Beijing, China that fully deserves to be recognized. To fail to recognize Nastia Liukin as embodying the true sporting and Olympian spirit would be a grave disservice to her and her remarkable attitude.

Nastia, an American whose father is a former Olympian from the Soviet Union who shared a gold medal with Vladimir Artyomov in the Seoul Olympics. He is also her coach.

Involved in the story is also a young Chinese gymnast named He Kexin. One major problem for He is that no one really knows how old she is. Prevailing views are that she may be younger than her claimed age of 16. It has been alleged that she may be as young as 13 years old.

The Old Codger doesn’t want to weigh in too heavily on the age debate because he has absolutely no idea of how old the girl is. Many people in China don’t know how old they really are because they do have two birthdays at least once in their lives. How it is all calculated is a mystery to The Old Codger, who, it must be admitted, doesn’t always know how old he is. (72 or 73 - Which is it?) Fudging on ones age - even with government approval, if that is what has happened - is a bit more “respectable cheating” than being doped up on steroids and vehemently denying ever using them. Cheating is cheating though - and it should not be tolerated or endorsed. But, athletics are extremely competitive, and everyone is trying to be a winner. Strange things happen to peoples attitudes, beliefs and psyches at that point.

Young Nastia and young He both achieved the same scores in the women’s uneven bars with a dead-heat score of 16.725 points. Using some complicated tie-break formula that was introduced after the Atlanta Olympics, the judges determined that young He was the winner. Read the rest of this entry »

The Old Codger’s posting yesterday about a group of Bible Thumping Bible Smugglers caught in China generated quite a bit of feedback. A lot of private e-mails, which unfortunately / fortunately cannot be published, primarily from people professing to be Christians were received. The Old Codger was alternatively promised a lot of one-way tickets to Hell, as well as promises of salvation from his sinful ways.

The Bible Thumping Bible Smugglers are four people from Sheridan, Wyoming, and part of a group called Vision Beyond Borders. The spokesperson, Pat Klein, is the owner of a book store in Sheridan called, of course, Vision Beyond Borders. This is an unincorporated business, according to Dunn and Bradstreet, with an annual income of $200,000, and has five employees. Given that Sheridan, Wyoming has a population of only 15,000 souls, it is doubtful that all of the reported income is derived from book sales especially given the average median income of about $19,000 per year.

One reader posted that the group was “taking Bibles to people who have asked for them and have no other way to get them.” The Old Codger responded that if proof of this could be provided, the information would be duly posted. Read the rest of this entry »

If the truth be known, The Old Codger is not a religious person. In short, he is a non-believer. Many in America would thus classify him as being un-American, but that is a topic for another entry, no doubt in the not to distant future.

Even though he is a non-believer, he does believe in the concept of freedom of religion providing that the exercise thereof does not infringe upon the lives of other people. Since he doesn’t have a performer in the “dog and pony show” about religion, and doesn’t particularly care for those types of shows, he is not going to get up in arms about allegations of a lack of freedom of religion in, say, for example, China. Conversely though, he will get up in arms over people who do try to impose their religious views and beliefs on others.

Arguably, Buddhism is the oldest religion in the world, and predates Christianity and Islam by about 500 years or so. Much of what is found in Christianity can be found in Buddhism. Whether it was “copied” or plagiarized, or is coincidental because of the common sense basis is neither here nor there. The fact remains that in Asia, which has a long history, and in China, which boasts a history of 5,000 plus years, Buddhism, or some form thereof, is more prevalent than Christianity or Islam. It is important to remember that Buddhism does not actively go out and promote its beliefs and fight wars over its beliefs as Christianity and Islam do. Read the rest of this entry »

The western media seems to revel in its continuing slamming of China in its reports. While it would be nice to solely blame the media across the board, such would not necessarily be an accurate attack. The media panders to its readers and its financial backers - its advertisers.

The Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing was without a doubt, a wonderfully choreographed extravaganza. Whether it was worth $100 million is going to be a subjective argument. Personally speaking, The Old Codger would not support such an expenditure, but he wasn’t consulted on the matter in the beginning. Hence, he isn’t able to criticize it now. One thing is certain: London now has a hard act to follow. All the Brits that The Old Codger has talked to are unanimous in their opinion that the Brits will “stuff it up royally.”

The media seems to be forgetting that the Opening Ceremony was a show. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing was guaranteed. Nothing was even promised in tangible terms. The fact that the ceremony involved 15,000 well choreographed supporting actors is amazing in itself. Read the rest of this entry »

America is sending many messages to China lately. These messages are, bluntly and briefly, that China must change to meet America’s expectations of what a country should be. No doubt, America and Americans believe that these criticisms are “constructive” and in the best interests of China, America, and perhaps even the world.

The House of Representatives issues a strongly worded resolution condemning China for alleged human rights abuses, and calling for freedom for the people of Tibet. Never mind the fact that most of the members of the House of Representatives have never set foot in China, nor have they even taken the time to understand Chinese history and culture. Never mind the fact that the majority of the world, with the exception of China, have been calling on America to close Guantanamo Bay and provide the detainees with true justice. China says nothing for the simple fact that it does not believe in interfering in other countries internal policies and practices.

Sending President George Bush to give China a message, and expecting it to be taken seriously, is laughable at best. This is Bush’s second visit to China - the last time was when his father was President. Back then, George Jr. was only interested in riding his bicycle. It should be noted that he wants to do that again this trip too.

Bush is hardly respected in non-governmental China. He is reviled for his decision to invade Iraq. He is reviled for his attitudes and his approach to problems. He is the face of America, but fortunately, in the Chinese people’s eyes, not the face of the American people.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Old Codger finds amazing the time and resources that the Western media expends in bashing China. The bashing seems to have increased in the run up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Of course, the rationale is that by putting the “spotlight” on China, there is the hope that China will ‘embrace’ the tenets and principles of democracy. Of course, those same activists are trying to force the concept of democracy on other parts of the world, without much success.

Those who are attempting to change China are a bit problematic to and for The Old Codger. First, they blindly believe that their philosophy is the “best in the world” and of course, the country they reside in is the “absolute best in the world.” They all seem to turn a blind eye to the problems in their own countries, preferring to focus on other countries.

China has made stellar steps and changes in recent history. The country has brought more people out of poverty in the last 20 years than any other country in the history of the world. In just the last decade, the country has leapt into a modernization program that is unprecedented in any other part of the world. China does not have a health care crisis like those seen in Western countries. The government has invested heavily in its citizens throughout the country over the last two decades, and continues to do so. The government is making noticeable gains in attacking government and business corruption. Unlike in Western countries, justice for corrupt government and business people is swift and severe. There is no special treatment or reprieves for political cronies. No short prison sentences for people who steal the equivalent of millions or billions of dollars, who then come out of prison as rich, if not richer, than when they went in. Read the rest of this entry »