[A sad day]

Carl was a true and great friend. He meant so much to so many of us here on the board. I have so many fond memories of him over the years. He will be missed. I am too tearful to say more. Rest in bliss and peace my brother -

[The Supreme Court decision that Affects All of Us . . .]

I just finished reading a book called "The Free State of Jones". And yes, there is a movie out, but I have not seen it. It is a history about a group in Mississippi that did not want to leave the Union and ended up fighting against Confederate forces.

 

There is also a discussion about inter racial marriages, miscegenation laws and how people within the same families had different views on the subject. Overall an interesting book.

 

There is a county in Alabama (Winston County) that seceded from the state and remained loyal to the Union.

[Gregg Allman of Southern Rock, Dies at 69]

Greg's soulful voice will be missed. I remember seeing the Allman Brothers was back when they started out, calling themselves the Allman Joys. They were the driving force in the birth of southern rock.

[DCF Beijing: retention of original marriage and divorce documents]

As Randy says, unless otherwise required, submit copies, not originals. Later on down the line, originals may be needed.

[Happy Birthday Mick!]

Thanks so much tsapper!!! I am lookin' forward to spendin' some quality time with that latex giraffe. I am kinda scared of heights, so I am glad it comes with a parachute.

[Happy Birthday Mick!]

Well I'll be dadgummed! Happy Birfday my cuzin! You deserve your pic of a blowup critter! What'll it be?

 

Lately, I have had an obsessive hankerin' fer a rubber Giraffe.

[Don't smoke on the elevator!]

To make matters even worse, the poor kid gets left on the elevator alone. This whole episode had to be a major trauma for the child. And of course, for the mother as well.

[Happy Birthday Mick!]

Thanks for the well wishes my friends. It is such a blessing to be 68, considering that when I was 60, they told me I would be lucky to make it to 65. Some days can be challenging, but any day this side of the daisies is a blessing, indeed.

[We got some good news today.]

Best wishes for a successful interview and future together.

[Chuck Berry Passes at 90]

Chuck Berry had deep and lasting impact on rock and roll, especially some of the early leaders of what has come to be known as the "British Invasion" of the 60s. The Beatles, Stones, Yardbirds and on and on. He is, indeed, a legend and an icon.

[I can't decide . . .]

I get nervous standing on a step ladder. Not for me - nope - not for me.

[When you come to China . . .]

I remember when I first went to China (1997), I went with a large group of teachers assigned to various universities across the country. My initial assignment was in Hefei, Anhui. I was given a list of things I needed to get that could not be obtained in China. The previous teacher there told me to get glue sticks - impossible to get glue sticks she said. A couple of teachers were going down to a mall in San Dimas and I asked one to get me a couple of glue sticks. The smallest thing I had was a twenty, so I figured he would bring me the change. No - he found a store with a back to school sale and they had 10 glue sticks for a dollar. He brought me back close to 200 glue sticks. And wouldn't you know it, I get to Hefei and you could buy glue sticks anywhere. I think I may still have some of those in a box somewhere.

[Recruiting Chinese students]

More than a few Universities offer summer programs, anywhere from six to eight weeks, designed for foreign students. Li has acted as consultant and go-between with the family and the university. She has worked with University of Pennsylvania in Philly, University of Alabama (Roll Tide), Vanderbilt, and others. This is not her primary business, but it has provided some extra income. It requires a lot of leg work though and more than you might expect, the students are spoiled rich kids. The kid that went to Penn was upset, for example, that the school did not meet him at the airport in a Mercedes or a Jaguar.

[Huangyao and Yangshuo 2016]

As usual, great photos Randy. That second Philly Cheese Steak look better than the first. I didn't see any cheese on the Secret Garden offering. When I first went to China, (97), could not get cheese on anything. If I wanted cheese, I had to go to Hong Kong.

[HoHoHo!!]

Same to you and yours Dan.

[Huangyao and Yangshuo 2016]

As always, great photos Randy. Keep them coming. I especially love the old bridges and hope the tree makes it.

[Chinese female pilot dies in training crash]

Prayers go out for her and her family. She must have been one of the cream of the crop to hold the position she did. A tragic loss.

[Have a Blessed Veterans Day]

I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to all those who served, in whatever military conflict our nation has been involved in. Today the History Channel is running a lot of documentaries on the various wars yet, as they often do, they seem to skip over Korea. I had an uncle who went to Korea and never returned. I placed flowers on his grave this morning. I especially send my thanks to those on this board who served - too many to count. Tsap, Allon, Dennis, wawster, warpedbored - like I said, please pardon my memory. I am kind of sick right now and am not thinking too clearly (I grew up in the the 60s so I never have thought too clearly ). I did not mean to leave anyone out.And I especially send my regards to all those grunts who never returned - and a special love goes out to those 80 who died up close and personal to this broken-hearted medic that punched himself, wishing he could have done more.

 

To all the vets and their loved ones, we owe you more than words can express.

[SerpentZA and Other Vloggers]

Nothing Winston describes when he talks about the "glass heart" can compare with what I went through in early May, 1999. After a nice evening celebrating Li's 26th birthday, we said good night and retired to our separate apartments on campus (this was before we were married and the powers that be would not let us live together). This was in Hefei and my first year in China. Hefei and Anhui is a very conservative part of China. About 2 am I was awakened by a brick flying through my window and landing on the bed. This was followed by a series of beer bottles, rocks, bricks etc. The phone rang and it was Li. She was hysterical. She told me to look outside. I did and my heart went to my throat. My building was surrounded by about 500 students, screaming anti-American slurs and hurling anything they could pick up. All my windows were shattered and I was more than a little concerned.

 

What set all this off was the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three staff members. The excuse our fearless leaders gave was that it was a mistake due to the use of "outdated maps." The university confined me to my apartment for a week "for my own protection." They brought me a stash of instant noodles to live on until everything died down. My own students did not give me any grief, but a few goons from other departments made a few threats on my life. Li caught a lot of flack, being called a "traitor, etc." One of her windows was broken as well.

 

The fact that our planes bombed the embassy was bad enough, but the "outdated maps" explanation was the thing that really ticked them off. What with satellite imagery clearly showing the Chinese flag flying on top of the building it was pretty hard to mistake what the building was. I have an Air Force friend who was over there at the time and he was high up in the communications food chain. He said he knew they were going to bomb the embassy four or five days before the fireworks. Oh well. Anyway, that was the worse "glass heart" experience I had. I have my own theories about this whole event, but won't go into that here as it is a bit political.

 

After about a week, they set me free. No one on the street gave me any problems, not even any dirty looks that I saw. They did decapitate the concrete Colonel Sanders in front of the only KFC in town.

[List of 14 differences between Japanese and Chinese women sparks debat]

I bet Carl has something to say about this.

 

Yes indeed. Carl would be a man with a unique perspective on this issue.

[NatGeo visits Bama longevity village]

Bama? Well...........ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kyle and Jingjing update]

What an absolute cutie, Kyle. You guys must be proud, proud parents! Parenthood is a big responsibility but at the same time, a fantastic blessing. One night shortly after Salina's birth, I woke up with the thought -"God has given me the responsibility of caring for one of his children." It literally blew me away. I rolled out of bed and spent about an hour on my knees, just processing that realization.

[Cheese in China]

When I first arrived in China (1997), cheese was impossible to find. When I left in 2003, it was still scarce but some could be found with diligent searching. We lived about three to four hours up the coast from Hong Kong and any time one of us ex pats was making a trip down to HK, everyone put in their order for cheese. Coffee was also hard to locate in my early years, but became more common by the time we departed.

[Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind]

I would like to have seen Waiting for Godot, especially with those two. Missed that.

 

Same here. Waiting for Godot is a classic and illustrative of Beckett's genius. With those two in the lead roles it must have been incredible.

[Horror in Orlando, Florida]

Radical Islam is the greatest threat to our nation by far .....but I will stop right there as I don't want this thread to turn political in any way. Prayers go out to the families of those killed.