China plans human rights exhibition

This article reminds me of the woman who murdered her husband, parents and children and then asked the court for mercy because she was a widowed orphan still mourning the death of her children!

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Fai Mao
The Blogger Who Thinks the PRC Government has a lot of Gall

So much fun

Hemlock is in top form this week.

If you haven't stopped by in a while then you should

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Fai Mao
The blogger wishing he could have breakfast a girl named "Winky Ip"

Shiva?

I cannot imagine a society like this. I guess it is good I don't have to use my imagination.

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Fai Mao
The Blogger Who Isn't a Hindu

The Spell of the Meme

I cannot improve upon this man's argument. He just nails it

Notice, clicking on the link above will open a PDF file

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Fai Mao
The Blogger Who Sometimes wishes He were more Eloquent

I must really be dumb

I must really be dumb. I get a couple of emails a day with a message similar to the one copied in below. I must be missing something; I don't understand this at all.

Make recommendations to Corporate Drug Safety Committee, as required.
Good communication skills.
Those who have interest in doing quality projects and expand their carrier growth are welcome. Interact with pharmacovigilance units in countries.
Perform black-box, guerilla, and regression testing of software products as required.
Interprets and prepares virology data for regulatory submissions. Then they are transform into the rice plant for the transgene expression and finally their analysis.
Ability to read a lot of material and condense the information.
Prepare reports of PMS studies for regulatory submission. After the constructs are clone into the suitable vectors they are mobilised into the Agrobacterium Strain.
Those who have interest in doing quality projects and expand their carrier growth are welcome.
Candidates well versed with GLP, FDA and other regulatory requirements will be preferred. Incumbent will work closely with Sales and Manufacturing Departments, as well. The candidate will perform data entry, data clean up, and data loading to maintain and expand a commercially successful database of available chemicals.
After the constructs are clone into the suitable vectors they are mobilised into the Agrobacterium Strain.
Degree: Life science degree expected with particular focus on virology.
Experience in sterile cell culture procedures, cell processing is needed.
Ensure that the global pharmacovigilance database is updated periodically.
A HO licence is preferred. Solids and liquid dosage form experince.
Board certified or board eligible is preferred.
Solids and liquid dosage form experince. This position will be responsible for production of analysis datasets and specifications, well documented code, summary tables and some statistical analysis of data. Participate in company core data sheets and product label changes and medical interpretation of safety data for regulatory documents. Provide pharmacovigilance input on designated products. Apply results to bug tracking system. Those who have interest in doing quality projects and expand their carrier growth are welcome. Responsible for supporting pre-clinical and clinical development of HCV compounds. Interact with pharmacovigilance units in countries.
The job requires: Independent working to develop processes and molecules within challenging time targets. D in pharmaceutical sciences.
Manages clinical staff and clinical projects, including CROs and contract labs. Experience of setting up facilites for sterile and cytotoxic products.
Board certified or board eligible is preferred. To produce and manage material for a variety of scientific disciplines. Interact with bug tracking system to monitor fixes and retests.


Until Next Time
Fai Mao
The Blogger who Receives lots of Spam

His Title Not Mine

This is the second part of the four part refutation of Global Warming Issues.

He make a very good point about China opening a new coal burning power plant every five days until 2015 or so.

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Fai Mao
The Blogger who Knows what the Word "Meretricious" Means

A Different Perspective

The link to the speech by Michael Creighton is an interesting read.

I find his premise to be interesting because I often see left leaning people complain about science being high-jacked by corporate (right-wing) interest but who fail to see how their own ideology has distorted science as well.

You may agree or disagree with Creighton, I don't care. The object here is to provoke some thought on an issue that many people don't normally think about. Namely, "Is what I believe really based upon reason and evidence or a political or emotional agenda?"

Until Next Time
Fai Mao
The Blogger Who is Agnostic on the Issue of Global Warming

Leaving America Redux

I originally posted this after the last presidential election. I think I'll re-post it here again as I am sure similar discussions are going to spring up in a couple of days.

Leaving America

Let me start out by saying that I am an ex-American. While still a citizen of the US I have not lived in the US for years. I live in Hong Kong and in China. I do not plan to ever live in the US again. My wife is Chinese and her family is here. My child was not born here but grew up here and is not really comfortable in the rural US settings that I remember. Thus, I am caught between the love of my native culture with the rhythm and pace of the small Texas town and the frenetic crowdedness of Hong Kong. I have thought long and hard about renouncing my US citizenship. But, changing your citizenship is, in many ways, like getting married. You are in the new country for "better or worse until death do you part." Indeed, it strikes me that it is easier too change your spouse than to change your nationality the difference being that to renounce your citizenship you don't need a lawyer.

That is why when I read article after article in paper after paper about people in the US who want leave the US because George Bush is the president for four more years I simply have to smirk. I don't know who will read this blog. But if you are one of the people who are considering this then let me as an American ex-patriot give you some advice.

Stay where you are. It isn't better somewhere else. I know. I've been there; I've done that. While my reasons to consider renouncing my US citizenship were, I think better thought out and based upon sounder logic than simply being frustrated that my party had lost an election it was still a mistake and it is a mistake that if you make it; you cannot call it back. It probably won't be better somewhere else.

I've read that one of the main reasons liberal democrats want to leave the US is because they are tired of dealing with all the *$#%@ Christians in the US who seem to have an inordinate amount of influence upon elections. I'm not going to challenge their assumption. Not because I necessarily believe they are right but because I can say that unless they go someplace like Northern Europe, if there, it doesn't get any better. I am also assuming that if they think Christians are bad they will also think that the Buddhist here in Hong Kong who burn phony money to the gods of the underworld so that they can have a good life the next time around are also rather depraved.

Indeed, the Good-Land Buddhism as practiced here with it's evil spirits and thousands of gods to bribe so that your stay in purgatory between incarnations is shorter makes the Southern Baptist look good. The whole idea of Chinese Buddhism as it is practiced by the locals, not necessarily as it is presented in English language guides to religion, is that you suffer less in Hell after you die and gain a better life after being Re-incarnated if you BRIBE the gods of the underworld in this life. Far from being a religion that discourages a materialistic lifestyle Chinese Buddhism glorifies it.

Hong Kong is the most devoutly and overtly religious place I think I have ever seen not only the Buddhist but the Christians here are quite bold and try hard to evangelize. There are also thousands of devout Muslim women who work as domestic helpers and walk around veiled.

Christianity is growing at a rapid pace and Buddhism is doing a good job of holding on to its own. So if you don't want to be evangelized don't come here!

Where else could the disaffected American liberal go? South America? Get real they are 98% Roman Catholic and Catholic dogma is an official part of the state. Furthermore, they are not the nearly lapsed Catholics that are politically liberal that you find in the US. They take their faith SERIOUSLY. So these people in the paper want to run from a place where only about one third of the population attends a religious service once a week to a place where 90% plus of the population does? I am sorry. That is idiotic.

Other articles I read have mentioned people wanting to go to nations like Canada or New Zealand that they, the distraught voter feel would be more suitable with their politics. Really? What happens to the Canadian economy if three-million people or a million or 1/2 a million suddenly show up looking to live there? Prices go up and wages go down that's what. It is just that simple. The governments know this and they will not allow so many people to immigrate that they wreck their economy and overload their social systems. The dirty ugly fact is that it is easier to take less skilled workers and then assimilate them as they gain prosperity than it is to take in lots of skilled workers who drive down the price of white-collar wages.

That means all the disgruntled liberal voters are going to have to spread themselves around. That means they need to think harder about where to go. That means you need to think non-English speaking.

When you think of non-English speaking countries you need to think about your children. If you were to go to a non-English speaking place are you willing to home school them like a fundamentalist Christian? I doubt very seriously that there will be a bilingual English track in the local schools. Even if they do, (some schools in Hong Kong have such a program) you are not going to like the schools. Would you think proper for your child to do five hours of memorization homework every night? I didn't think so. How about classes that require them memorize Bible, Koran or Buddhist scripture verses? Corporal punishment anyone? Do you want your children to be taught why they should be patriotic Singaporians?

If you don't like the options above that means private schools. Can you afford that? Doesn't that mean your kids will go to school with the children of the international corporation managers who are in that nation raping the resources and destroying the environment for the benefit of the capitalist pig developed world at the behest of Dick Cheney and Halliburton? Does that bother you? It would would me if I were an American liberal. Especially since you'd probably have to work for one of those companies before you could come here.

But, private schools don't really solve the religion problem. Arguably the best private school in Hong Kong is one that was founded by Lutherans missionaries. I know some of the teachers there. Indeed, I know the director of personnel. Nice lady. She attends a church with a Dallas Theological Seminary graduate Pastor. Yeah, fundamentalist in Hong Kong. Indeed, ECC it is quite probably the largest Protestant church in Hong Kong.

If the religion in the schools doesn't scare you the cost of tuition should. The Private schools here that use English fall into three categories: expensive, very expensive and cost more than Harvard. Can you afford to pay USD $20,000 a year per child for a private school in Hong Kong? That is about the minimum tuition charge here.

If you go with the less expensive international schools you get names like International Christian School, United Christian College, Christian Alliance International School and St. Paul's Convent School. Do you as a liberal see anything you don't like in those names? If I were leaving the US because there were too many Christians I would.

Are you a proponent of Gun control? May I suggest you don't go to any place in Asia. Yes, Hong Kong has a very strict gun control law but the triads (local gangsters) still have some. I know first hand from shopping in Southern Thailand that you can purchase a used AK-47 for about USD $25.00 in the street markets. (I was only willing to pay USD $20.00 and the guy wouldn't go below USD $25.00) Try doing that in L.A.

What about crime? Hong Kong and Japan are very safe (though very expensive) but most places in Asia are not. Central and South America are worse. How would you feel about having to hire an armed body guard to take your kids to school? What about limiting your shopping trips to daylight hours? If you are concerned about your safety don't go to the third world.

Racial prejudices are a world wide problem. Generally, it is worse anywhere else but the US. I mean that. If you have never lived outside the US you haven't seen prejudice. If you want your kids to learn how to be a bigot let them live South Korea! If you want to be discriminated against because of the color of skin then try being a Caucasian living in China! If you want them to become passive snobby bigots then move to the UK.

You want to see women oppressed try the middle East and Asia or Africa though any Muslim nation will do.

Pedophilia anyone? Go to Bangkok Yeah, 12 year-old girls and boys as prostitutes are everywhere there. Does that bother you? It should unless you're one of the people abusing those children.

A last reason not to go overseas is quite simply you will get trapped here. It happens all the time, and it happens in two ways. First, if you get that good job, and make a lot of money will you want to go back in four years to a job that makes 1/3 as much? Even if you have to live in a small apartment, in fear for your life and in an intolerant and abusive society? Lots of people can't bare the loss of money.

Conversely, You may find that you have nice life but can't afford to return. I know of a man in Wuhan which is a city in China. He went there 10 years ago to teach English on a two year contract because he wanted to help the poor and thought it was noble thing to do. He has four children. He does not make enough money to fly back for vacations in the US. He can't really save that much because he doesn't make much. He can feed his kids and actually has a pretty good life in China on the USD $800.00 a month (Twice the local teacher salary) but he can't leave because his standard of living would fall dramatically if he went back to Canada. He and his family are trapped in China. Does that sound appealing? He cannot even afford to send his kids back to Calgary for summer visits to Grandma.

A last reason to not go over seas is that your standard of living will probably fall. What if an apartment that was 500 to 600 square feet cost you USD $4-10000.00 a month and each of your kid's school tuition was USD $1800.00 a month. What if for USD $110,000.00 a year you couldn't afford an automobile? On top of all that, you would still have to fill out US tax forms every year. Doesn't sound so great anymore does it.

What about air pollution. How may days did the pollution index where you live hit 85? In most Asian cities and many South American cities that is an everyday event.

Remember the grass always looks greener but is because you are looking through your gestalt glasses. Your lenses are tinted green by politic, envy or both.

Now all of this not meant to make it sound like places other than the US are certified Hell Holes. They aren't. I greatly enjoy living in Hong Kong. It has been a wonderful experience to live here. It is a good place to raise a family. But, it isn't necessarily better than the US if you are an American Liberal.

Until Next Time

Fai Mao
The Blogger Who Would Find It hard to Return to The USA

Oooooooooooooh Boy!

I may write more on this article later.

The whole debate about glogal warming is interesting because of the political undertones involved.

Until Next Time
Fai Mao
The Blooger who Wants Warmer Weather Anyway

(Sigh) Again?

The article above deals with a Protestant pastor who molested a teenage girl.
(I hope that the supposedly "Open URL" actually works. The South China Morning Post is a subscription site.)

He pleaded guilty and was given 40 months in jail. I bet that guy Ted Haggard in the US wishes he was here and not in Colorado.

The justice system here really seems to have a problem understanding that molesting girls and murdering people is a serious offence. This is about the third molestation case in the last 6 or 8 weeks to receive very lenient sentences from a Hong Kong judge.

To give this man only 40 months in jail for raping a 15 year-old girl is a crime almost as bad as the one pervert preacher was convicted of.

How does one bring charges of dereliction against a judge?

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Fai Mao
The Blogger Who Thinks that Hong Kong Judges should Start Administering Justice

Ever Feel Like You are Being Watched?

The cameras described in this article are bad enough but they are now talking about electronic ID devices planted under the skin!

Tell me, is this just sick, sick, sick or, simply 6-6-6?

It gets worse if you look at the DNA database being compiled by the UK government. Various officials want this thing to include everyone.

The UK cannot be considered a free country if this type of practice continues as standard practice. However, it looks to not only be standard practice it looks to be becoming even more ubiquitous.

I can't believe that people there cannot see that the government will abuse this system. The temptation for some policy wonk ideologue to use a system like this to further a political end is just too tempting.

The problem is that once the government abuses begins it may very well be too late. By that time dissent will be easily eliminated by simply altering a few tapes to make it appear that dissenters are just common criminals. I would rather deal with a higher crime rate than have every citizen considered to be a criminal. I refuse to be a suspect simply because I breathe!

I have been and will continue to be an out spoken critic of the mandatory ID cards in Hong Kong. The old ones were bad enough the new "Smart Cards" are a horrific infringement of privacy. Indeed, I fried the chip in my ID card by placing it in a Microwave oven so that it won't work. I encourage every one to in Hong Kong to do the same. But, this kind of thing goes way beyond anything going on here in the Pearl of the Orient.

There is an anonymous saying, wrongly attributed to Benjamin Franklin that the citizens of the UK should perhaps think about: "People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both."

The UK is on the road to losing both.

Kind of reminds of the old Larry Norman song:

"Well my phone is tapped and my lips are chapped
from whispering through the fence.

You know every move I make
or is that just coincidence?

Well you try to make my way of life
a little less like jail if I promise to make tapes and slides
and send them through the mail."

Until Next Time
Fai Mao
The Blogger Who is Glad He Doesn't Live in the UK

Life's a beach which is why my shorts are full of sand

It has been a bad day today.

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Fai Mao
The Bummed Out Blogger

Who are you?

I took this test the other day. It is kind of interesting. I liked the write ups that the "Experts" give after you score your test.

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Fai Mao
The Mastermind (INTJ) Blogger