"In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia." ~ Charles Lindbergh

Favorite Movie Quote of 2011?

"Blogging is not writing. 
It's graffiti with punctuation."
~ Elliott Gould as Dr. Ian Sussman 
Contagion






Photo of H1N1 alert taken in Changsha, PRC (June 2009).
ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income 
(See all Computer & Internet Books)

Top "YouTube" Music Video Quote of 2011?

“It’s sort of like my past is an unfinished painting and as the artist of that painting I must fill in all the ugly holes and make it beautiful again.”
~ Lady GaGa
Marry the Night 

...reflections...

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”
~ Jonathan Swift


9:01 ~ One Minute before the World Changed, Oklahoma City National Memorial (June 2010).
Others Unknown: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing Conspiracy
(Paperback)

Buddhist Nun, Angkor Wat, Cambodia (January 2005).

From Russia With Love?

This post is NOT about the 1963 James Bond film which starred a young Sean Connery. Indeed, while this blogger has previously babbled about the 2012 Presidential Election, #Occupy Wall Street, the People's Republic of China and Facebook Privacy, until today, I've refrained from writing anything about the former Soviet Union.

That's why it's a bit curious that this completely irrelevant corner of the blogosphere has an active Russian readership.

...speaking of Russia...
Why do Russians hang rugs on the walls?

In my quest to find the answer, I discovered two outstanding web-sources, which married together, provided this blogger with the best possible answer.

According to the website English Russia, Russians started the custom of hanging rugs on the wall in the 1950s. Why? Evidently, the walls of Soviet-era apartment buildings were extremely thin. Hanging rugs on the wall had a real world, practical application. The custom itself helped mask private conversations from noisy neighbors as well providing some added interior insulation against the COLD Russian winters.
Read More...

A first-person narrative written by an American living in Russia provided this blogger with another possible answer to the original question. Lindsay Kosarev's detailed observations about the country's society and culture are a must read for every American who plans on living and working in Russia:

"Russians love putting carpets on their walls. At first, I thought it was for extra insulation, but they put them on inside walls as well. No matter how stylish or traditional Russians believe this custom is, they always pick a rug that does not match the rest of the room. They either look like the furniture covers, which are brown and tan floral patterns or the rugs are red and black. There are other styles of rugs, but these are the most common and memorable."
Read More...

Thus, based on these specific web-sources, this blogger reached a simple conclusion. What started off as a practical solution to address real world concerns (noisy neighbors and cold apartments), over the course of fifty-plus years, the custom itself simply became a part of the cultural fabric of Russian society.

Hanging rugs on the wall is just one more thing
which helps define Russia as Russian.

Lonely Planet ~ Russia [Paperback]

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"
~ John Wooden

Big Ben at Sunset, London, England

Newt Gringrich for President?

Seriously? Really? Could General Ripper's conspiracy theory linking "fluoridated water" with a Communist plot to weaken American society be true? Every time this blogger reads about the candidate's recent surge in the polls, a single rhetorical cliché best describes my thoughts regarding Newt's book selling run for the White House:

Can you say "Lipstick on a Pig"?

Despite Newt's well-documented, extremely checkered political record, a growing number of Republicans actually believe he's the best candidate to beat President Obama in 2012.

Good luck with that one!

Perhaps Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who's NOT known for her intellectual prowess or problem solving skills, put it best. On CBS' Face the Nation, Bachmann stated, "He's the 'King of K Street. For a person who's been influence peddling for over 30 years in Washington, D.C. - to think that Newt Gingrich is somehow an outsider, when he is the consummate establishment insider?"

Hopefully, between now and the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary, GOP voters will WAKE UP and take another look at Jon Huntsman and Buddy Roemer. Otherwise, Republican voters should be prepared for the GOP to suffer its biggest Presidential defeat in its long, proud history. In terms of Jon Huntsman, he has an extremely strong foreign policy background (which during the Cold War actually meant something with Republican voters). As far as supporting a candidate like Buddy Roemer, well, GOP voters could walk away from a 2012 defeat with dignity and some glimmer of hope for the Party's political future.

Political Quote of the Week:
"If a corporation is a person, I can't wait until they get drafted in the next war."
~ Buddy Roemer on MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan Show
December 8, 2011



Photo Credit: Peter Rimar's wife in a gallery located in Beijing's 798 Art District (May 2008).
Reference Links:
Lipstick on a Pig
Dr. Strangelove

Top "Non-Political" Quote of 2011?

"I am on a drug. It's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available because if you try it once you will die."
~ Charlie Sheen

Carrizozo, New Mexico (December 2009).

24/7 e-World

"It does no harm just once in a while to acknowledge that the whole country isn't in flames, that there are people in the country besides politicians, entertainers, and criminals."
~ Charles Kuralt
A Life on the Road (Paperback)

"The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others." ~ Vincent Van Gogh

798 Art District, Beijing (June 2009)

Possible Definition of Lamestream Media?

Rest Stop on I-35 near Council Bluffs, Iowa (March 2010).

Donald Trump? Kingmaker?

Hollywood insider rumors that CBS is negotiating with Mr. Karl "527" Rove to appear with the host of Celebrity Apprentice on an upcoming season of Survivor: #Occupy Wall Street are untrue?

Question of the Week:
When did the GOP become
the Grand Obstructionists Party?

...perspective...

"Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh." ~ George Bernard Shaw

Five Seconds or LESS?

The amount of time folks spend visiting a BLOG. 

With the dramatic rise of Facebook, blogging itself has become an endangered art. While I've devoted countless hours posting various items on this small corner of cyberspace, realistically, it's rather doubtful this site will ever attract an active, worldwide following. So, why do I continue to BLOG? Well, it's FUN. That's it. No more, no less. I enjoy sharing my political ramblings and images of our world.

While my wife and I were still living in Beijing, I received an e-mail from a musician in California. Basically, he wanted permission to use one of my Wiki photos for his next album cover. I said sure go ahead...no charge.

His name is Sharif.

Here's the final version of the album cover itself, followed by a short poem this blogger wrote about memories along with a music video from Sharif's album Kisses and Lies.

There was a time, not long ago, 
when record covers were considered works of art...

There was a time, not long ago, 
when friends would sit around and listen to music together...

There was a time, not long ago, 
when people played stupid board games...

There was a time, not long ago, 
when families still shared the joys of laughter around the dinner table...

Some memories can never be downloaded...
Perhaps some ideas should never change.

No matter where the next road takes me,
I'll always remember that along the way,
It's not the place, but the people
who make us who we are.


The Facebook Effect [Kindle Edition]

‎"It is a well know fact that reality has a liberal bias" ~ Stephen Colbert

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's call to ABOLISH the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) & allow corporates to police themselves is like firing every correction officer & placing the inmates in charge of guarding the prisons. READ MORE...

For a majority of Americans, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (along with the follow up extended military occupations) were viewed through the abstract lens of our digitally connected, 24/7, talking head e-world. Some people learn about American foreign policy from reading a book or from watching CNN. I was lucky enough to get my first taste of our wonderful geopolitical world sitting inside a sandbagged CONEX (shipping storage container) at the Port of Mogadishu, Somalia. After 9-11, I took several taxpayer funded vacations to Kabul and Baghdad.

After more than 26 years in uniform, I retired and moved to the People's Republic of China. For six weeks (July & August 2008), I taught summer school in the city of Huadu. After just a few days, my wife and I started developing serious, painful skin rashes from the local water supply. After looking at the arms and legs of my students, it was visually evident that EVERYONE in the city had some degree of skin problems. Indeed, EVERY DAY, one or two students would cry from the rashes. Why?

Well, the Communist Party's version of the EPA has no real authority. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the world continues to ship its e-waste (along with its dirty industries) to China. Unknowingly, my wife and I had moved downstream from an e-waste generated ecological disaster.

Can you say "Love Canal"?

Thankfully, once we relocated to the city of Shenzhen, our skin problems quickly cleared up. So, when a candidate talks about "abolishing" the EPA, I question that individual's political motives. Are guys like the Koch Brothers pulling the candidate's strings? Anyhow, this blogger asks this simple question, "what kind of world do we want to leave our children's children?"
Biologic Pollution Mask

"A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation."
~ Adlai Stevenson

...another perspective...

If you're a Ron Paul for President supporter, please stop reading this post. For this blogger, this Libertarian's continued misguided belief that corporations will somehow police themselves in a pure free market economy is Utopian lunacy.

If you're a Newt Gingrich for President supporter, PLEASE see a doctor. Poor students cleaning up rich kids urine and shit is a jobs plan? Having children competing with their parents for the handful of jobs in poor neighborhoods will somehow "morally" fix the country? WTF?

Here's an idea:
Army Private Paris Hilton.

YES, there are real reasons why this country was a world leader in creating and then enforcing Child Labor Laws. The current GOP Flavor of the Month REALLY needs another HISTORY lesson.
Read More...

Anyhow, please forgive this blogger for temporarily straying away from the original topic of this specific post.

In the People's Republic of China, while the Chinese government claims goose stepping adherence to its version of Communist ideology (socialism with Chinese characteristics), when it comes to actually enforcing the country's weak environmental laws, the free market reigns supreme. Beyond the token measures taken by the Central Government prior to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, when it comes to protecting the manufacturing engine which drives the country's economic growth, both Chinese and foreign-based corporations enjoy a free market with ZERO environmental accountability. Can you say limited government in its purest form? Can you say profits before people?

With that said, it appears the Chinese people themselves are beginning to question the government's laissez faire response to the country's rapidity developing environmental crisis.
Read More...

Blue Beijing Skies?

March 2008

Photo by Peter Rimar

Update: (01/30/12)
Seven detained over China river cadmium spill?
Read More...

So this is Christmas??

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." ~ Dalai Lama

...Americana...

"Democracy means that anyone can grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can be vice president."
~ Johnny Carson

What would you do for $10 Dollars?

One day back in June 2008, while looking out the window of our Beijing apartment, I spotted this guy cleaning windows on the 19th floor. If you look closely, you can see the owner of the apartment talking to the barefooted man. She actually pointed out the spots he had missed.

When I looked through my camera's telephoto lens, I discovered this guy was working without any form of safety harness or rope.

This brave daredevil spent the better part of an hour standing outside on an extremely narrow ledge.

Later, I asked my landlord how much it would cost to get our windows cleaned. She responded "70 rmb" (roughly 10 U.S. Dollars)!

Once again, what would you do to put food on the table? 
Would you risk your life?
Click on images to view in a new window.

‎...note to self...

‎"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." 
~ Thomas Jefferson
State of the Union Address (Paperback)



Bad Political Joke of the Week:
I am sure that Herman Cain will be in the White House in 2012.
Somebody has to deliver the pizza.

Top "YouTube" Political Video of 2011?

Oddball Iowa: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places

World AIDS Day: "Getting to Zero"

AIDS Awareness Sign, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (January 2005).

"AIDS can destroy a family if you let it, but luckily for my sister and me, Mom taught us to keep going. Don't give up, be proud of who you are, and never feel sorry for yourself." ~ Ryan White
My Own Story (Paperback)

AIDS Awareness Sign, Changsha, PRC (June 2009).

Funding Crunch Puts Progress on AIDS at Risk?
Read More...

The idiotology of ideology?

[id·i·ot·all·o·gee]

Compare: Between 2003-2010, the U.S. spent $21.3 billion on rebuilding Iraqi security forces.
Contrast: Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the Stimulus Bill, 
$1.3 billion went for the construction of military hospitals, $6 billion for the cleanup of radioactive waste (mostly nuclear weapons production sites) & $600 million for hazardous waste cleanup at Superfund sites (EPA). 

When I read that $6 billion was allocated for the cleanup of radioactive waste, my first thought was "where is it & how long has it been there?" 

Why did it take a so-called stimulus package to address the issue of nuclear waste in this country?
Nuclear Waste Stalemate: Political and Scientific Controversies (Paperback)

...perspective...

Iraqi Soldiers in Baghdad, Iraq (April 2005).

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to visit Myanmar?

FACT: 14 countries physically border the People Republic of China.

Most Americans are unaware of China's unresolved border dispute with India and how this specific issue continues to impact the balance of power in Asia. Read More...

Additionally, in the view of this blogger (shared by an army of journalists and diplomats who actively pay attention to the extremely diverse regional dynamics of Asia), two of those countries, the DPRK (North Korea) and Myanmar are PROXY states of the CCP and the PLA. Any serious discussion or analysis regarding the economic or political future of Burma begins and ends within the gates of power in Beijing.
Read More...

While Clinton's upcoming diplomatic mission to this isolated state is a positive, regional development, folks need to remember that in 2000, then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright undertook a similar journey to Pyongyang. With that said, unlike the DPRK, the people of Burma actually hold a wild card in the geopolitical game. Her name is Aung San Suu Kyi.

‎"It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it."
~ Aung San Suu Kyi
Letters from Burma


State Visit Update:
(December 3, 2011)
Clinton allowed to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi
Read More...

...perspective...

Image from interview on CCTV 9 (September 2008).