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4/23/2008 Beijing Ikea Have been going to the Ikea here in Beijing quite a bit recently. It's nice there, I like it. The designs are excellent and while the furniture isn't the highest quality, they have lots of great little things for the apartment (like kitchen stuff!). I also enjoy the cafeteria.
3/27/2008 DVD collection for Sale! I've got my 4,000 disc DVD collection for sale here in Beijing. I'm selling the collection as a whole, not piece-by-piece. The emphasis of the collection is on excellent movies from any country but they're mostly American. I also tried to get the widescreen version whenever possible and about 10% of the collection is in DVD-9s.
There's a list (a zipped Excel file) in my sharing folder if you care to look.
There are also some lists posted on my company's website.
There's an HTML (web page) format list here:
There's a zipped Excel file format list posted here:
3/26/2008 Microsoft Office Training in Beijing I've been having a lot of success doing Microsoft Office Training here in Beijing. Excel, Word, Power Point, Access, Project, Outlook; these programs are simple to me and what with my training experience, it makes for excellent computer instruction classes.
I write a lot of my own material for the students. It's very time-consuming but worthwhile.
More info here: http://www.bcco.biz/OtherPages/svcTrain.htm
1/17/2008 Joe for President!Yes, it's true. I'm announcing my candidacy today. My objectives during my tenure will be:
9/29/2007 The Madness of King GeorgePaul Krugman had this brilliant opening to his column today in the "N. Y. Times"; Sometimes it seems that the only way to make sense of the Bush administration is to imagine that it’s a vast experiment concocted by mad political scientists who want to see what happens if a nation systematically ignores everything we’ve learned over the past few centuries about how to make a modern government work. 9/6/2007 My Living Epitaph
6/29/2007 Bush's LegacyEditorial from the New York Times
Three Bad RulingsPublished: June 26, 2007
The Supreme Court hit the trifecta yesterday: Three cases involving the First Amendment. Three dismaying decisions by Chief Justice John Roberts’s new conservative majority. Chief Justice Roberts and the four others in his ascendant bloc used the next-to-last decision day of this term to reopen the political system to a new flood of special-interest money, to weaken protection of student expression and to make it harder for citizens to challenge government violations of the separation of church and state. In the process, the reconfigured court extended its noxious habit of casting aside precedents without acknowledging it — insincere judicial modesty scored by Justice Antonin Scalia in a concurring opinion. 12/14/2006 The Flim-Flam Man Watched the movie again today for what was probably the dozenth-time. What a great flick.
One of the great lines of all-time (in my opinion) practically opens the movie. The Flim-Flam Man (Scott) and Curly (Sarrazin) - both on the run - are returning to Curly's idyllic hide-out, a caboose overturned near an old railway track in the woods. The Flim-Flam Man says "...it's a mighty pretty spot lad. Yep, millions of people slave their lives away just to spend a couple weeks a year in a place like this". Quite true, and it really makes me wonder today what is really important to my workaholic American countrymen.
The movie, while quite funny and entertaining, is impressively full of many of the small ironies of life and now that I think about it, it really reminds me of one of my favorite novels, Steinbeck's 'Cannery Row'. Harry Morgan's Sheriff is hilarious and Slim Pickens plays a memorable country bumpkin. I saw this movie at a very young age (thanks KPLR-TV!) and for better or for worse, I think it really affected my outlook.
Great escapist fiction, I really recommend this movie. Watch it!
This is the IMDB link; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061678/ 10/13/2006 Wal-Mart; The High Cost of Low Price Watched the movie today and I really that it's message is right on the money. More info about it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473107/
I really can not overstress the point that, in my opinion, Wal-Mart is much too big and influential and it does more harm than good. If you care about your family, relatives, friends, neighbors, community, country and world you should avoid shopping at Wal-Mart.
Whatever your industry or personal endevour, don't complain about your job or situation to me if you patronize Wal-Mart. The retail giant is now much too powerful and they are affecting working conditions, wages and benefits in sectors beyond retailing.
Take a look at the big picture and make the right decision, it's best to shop somewhere else. Choose a responsible retailer that cares about what really matters. Life is about more than squeezing every penny out of everything and everyone and maximizing your share price.
Why do I dislike Wal-Mart?
In addition to the reasons pointed out so well in the movie, there are several reasons I dislike the enormous retail chain. They:
* = My suburban town's landscape and the environment of the smaller towns near mine have been hugely reshaped and damaged by hungry and uncaring growth monsters. There is much, much more to life than one's share price. ** = I personally have never worked for Wal-Mart (and would starve first before I did) but I know people who had well-paying jobs in unionized stores before Wal-Mart came to town and now they have jobs that don't pay as well and they have a hard time providing for their families. I prefer to pay a little more and get good service from people that I know and who really care about their jobs and who use the money that I spend to take proper care of their family. *** = My suburban town now has a Target and Wal-Mart side-by-side. I took my Mother (who formally patronized Wal-Mart) into the Target and she thought it was such a much more pleasant experience and there is virtually no price difference between the two.
8/29/2006 The Nanny Nation Just found this great quote attributed to Dwight D. Eisenhower, "If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom."
Reminds me of what my university history professor told me about someone's idea that laws should be renewed every twenty-five years or so, that way the living don't become ruled by the dead. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Dvorak, the cranky geek's diatribe on the amount of laws in the U.S. also sticks in my mind. He sees similarities between the U. S. legal system today and the old Soviet-style (oppressive) legal system. In his view, their are so many laws in the U. S. today that you can't but help break one of them by just walking down the street. 8/17/2006 Capitalism "Capitalism will lead to the destruction of humanity", President Hugo Chávez said this month (August 2006) in a speech in Vietnam.
I really love this quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower, "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist." Computer Repair in Beijing Hey, these dumb blogs are being googled so here's my plug.
My little company has been providing English computer and network support and repair to expats in Beijing since 1997. Windows and Apple, PC desktop, notebooks and servers. We also provide training. References available!
We also do computer training.
Lots & lots of info on our web page; http://www.bcco.biz/
Unlike most of the firms here, we DON'T:
We DO:
You can certainly pay less, but you won't be satisfied. 8/2/2006 Maximum Wage Limit! While Congress is debating upping the minimum wage in the U.S., perhaps it's time to begin having a maximum wage limitation as well. What's the sense of CEOs and the like making millions and millions a year?
For example; Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott makes what, 20 something million dollars a year while the people ACTUALLY DOING THE WORK on the store floor make 7 dollars an hour and have to go on welfare to provide for their families?
If there's a minimum wage there should be a maximum wage. It's simple logic.
Oh, but how stupid of me! How can the poor and disenfranchised dictate to the rich? For that matter, how can the politically-hobbled middle class? Is there even a middle class anymore or is it all just red or blue have or have nots?
Case-in point, in August 2006 the New York Times reported, "In 2004, the top 1 percent of earners — a group that includes many chief executives — received 11.2 percent of all wage income, up from 8.7 percent a decade earlier and less than 6 percent three decades ago, according to Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty, economists who analyzed the tax data."
Let's not forget; Congress votes on their own wage increases. The whole system is rotten. What a joke. 7/22/2006 My Global Warming Soapbox The following is a reply to post on global warming that I made on Channel 9: http://channel9.msdn.com/
It's really difficult to persuade developing countries to reduce their fossil fuel emissions, particularly when 'our' countries continue to guzzle like there's no tomorrow (which there may not be). In my hometown in the States (a fairly large mid-western city with a large airport, an excellent heavy rail infrastructure and a formerly excellent streetcar system), it's 'no car, no job, no life'. Perhaps if you live in the inner-city with the poor and disenfranchised you might be able to get away without having a car but that's about it, what with urban sprawl. How can such a society hope to tell others how to conserve to save the planet? It starts at home. Sell your car, take the bus or better yet ride your bike, write your representative (perhaps they're not too in the pocket of the automobile industry). Really, with all due respect, if you drive a car you have absolutely no ground to stand on in complaining about global warming. There are billions of people in developing countries who are trying to emulate the car cultures of the west (particularly the US) and global warming is only just beginning. My two cents. Thanks for the outlet. Joe 7/18/2006 No More Lies! Watched an excellent movie today that I would like to recommend, "Why We Fight".
This is the movie's URL; http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/
Don't forget, Neil Young is streaming his latest CD for free from his web site.
7/17/2006 When does a peasant cross an intersection?Anytime he or she wants to.
Why do they cross the intersection?
Their chicken is on the other side. 7/16/2006 Genuine Windows Disadvantage ProgramRidiculous! Everytime I go to download a file from Micro$oft.com it checks if my software is genuine. Geez, I PAID money for this treatment? My Apple iBook is looking better and better everyday.
7/13/2006 It's OK to steal from Wal-Mart now? According to the 'New York Times', people stealing merchandise worth US$ 25 or less from the MASSIVE retail giant will now be let off. Now, where are my pants with the deep pockets?
I was humored by Wal-Mart asset protection chief J. P. Suarez's comments in the same article; "There is a not a lot of margin for success for those intent on making a living stealing from us." I venture the opinion that there's not a lot of margin for success in working for Wal-Mart for an hourly wage either, what with their reportedly low wages, benefits, etc.
This brings up an interesting supposition; what is the cost to a community in having people work for such low wages and benefits? Of course, it's beneficial to be able to purchase goods for a cheaper price (if that's what you are actually able to do at a Wal-Mart, I would never patronize the place) but if the people that work there, your friends and neighbors, have to go on public assistance to survive then what is society as whole gaining from this arrangement? 7/10/2006 Zidane! Zidane! Stayed up until 5 a.m. to watch the World Cup final, wasn't really worth it. Penalty shoot off? Bummer!
What's the big deal about Zidane's head butt? In American football or hockey, that would be considered a love tap!
This soccer stuff is a little baffling to me. They all look like a bunch of fairies running around with their arms in the air to show the ref that they're not fouling anyone. Give 'em helmets and shoulder pads and let 'em knock the crap out of each other! That's the American way!
(This is pretty tongue-in-cheek, a true sportsman should have shrugged off the slurs, right?).
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