Movies' Mad Libs

I'm a film fan. Well, I'll be more accurate - a film crazed psycopath who's insatiable need for new motion pictures keeps me up at night. Literally. One of my favorite genres is both near to my apartment and my heart, in Hong Kong cinemas. When I was growing up, my favorite thing to do was watch Bruce Lee films from Hong Kong and laugh at the terrible English over-dubbing of the original Cantonese.

Flash to college. Working for the radio station, we found creative ways to over-dub Carlin's Seven Dirty words when they appeared in songs. We thought it clever to add a shout out for the station whenever these dilemmas posed themselves. So, we'd add our call letters, KJNB, wherever the FCC would want us to. For example: DJ Shadow's Walkie Talkie became "I'm a badass mother "KJNB" DJ!" Or on Ben Fold's Song for the Dumped, it became " Well, 'KJNB' you too! Give me my money back/ Give me my money back, you 'KJNB.' " Not all of them were this graceful, but you get the picture.

It was kind of like musical mad libs where certain words are underlined with 'expletive' written underneath.

I was just reading an article in The Rake Magazine, which is becoming my favorite free Mpls zine, about the dubbing on in-flight films. Namely, the use of 'Ashcroft' in place of 'asshole' when the film Sideways is shown on Northwest Airlines. The article offers an interesting insight to the world of over (as in too much) over-dubbing for captive audiences of all ages. It's a quick read and pretty 'darn' funny. If you think I'm trying to 'bullhonkey' you, check it out for your 'rootin' tootin' self.

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300k R.I.P.

300k R.I.P.
Originally uploaded by since81.

The Memorial Hall for the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders - Nanjing, Jiangsu

In the name of these 300,000 lives lost during WWII, thousands of Chinese have protested a new Japanese textbook which downplays the event.

With government support and Japanese pride, these wounds have never healed.

PEACE. paul.

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This weekend 20,000 Shanghai people turned out in organized anger towards the Japanese government. Relations between the two countries have never been that solid, despite their regional dependence on each other. These relations have come to a head as the Japanese government released a new edition of their history textbook, which the Chinese claim downplays atrocities committed by the Japanese during WWII.

During the 'Rape of Nanjing,' 300,000 citizens were humiliated and killed in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province. The wounds have never healed, and it appears that the Japanese have not been completely honest or forthcoming with the political atonement for these sins. As the Chinese saying goes: "A kneeling Germany is taller than a standing Japan."

Over the past few weeks, relations have been deteriorating and 'unregistered' protests have sprung up in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. Professors at my college sent mass e-mails and mass text messages reiterating the need for harmony, and advising them 'not to do anything stupid as to get their faces in the newspapers.'

The English mouthpiece of the Xinhua News Agency, The China Daily, ran a story today about the protest. The story reads like a government press release, which it no doubt was, but it speaks volumes about the Chinese Law on Assemblies, Processions and Demonstrations.

What strikes me about this protest, however, was the fact that it had to be registered in advance with the People's Government. SO, while they say that people have the 'freedom of assembly,' demonstrations still must be approved and therefore cannot display an image of 'disunity.'

It also means that hating the Japanese is an 'approved activity' which the government seems eager to endorse. While I think the Japanese should be more sensitive towards their neighbors (S. Korea has held protests as well), the Chinese need to do some serious reflecting themselves.

The Keyboard vs. The Pen

Here is my column for this week. Enjoy!

Note: The following article is property of Paul Wegerson (韦保罗）and the Zhongshan Ribao （中山日报.) It may not be re-printed without expressed written consent of either party.

April 15, 2005
Zhongshan Ribao English Edition

The pen is -and will always be- mightier than the sword. Yet in this age of technology, perhaps this common cliché could use an upgrade.

Modern students are writing with pinyin (拼音) based keyboards and mobile phones more often than with pens. Studies have shown that typing stimulates the memory far less than writing does. As a result some students are forgetting how to write certain Chinese words. This trend -‘computer dyslexia’- is creating new problems for students and for the Chinese language. Does this mean that the keyboard is mightier than the pen?

‘Computer dyslexia’ affects many of my college students when they must write an essay or take notes in class. They turn to their computers or mobiles when they can’t find the right word. Due to lack of practice, students even say that their handwriting is sloppy and ‘unreadable.’

A survey jointly conducted by the China Youth Daily and Sina.com showed that 67 percent of participants admit that they occasionally forget how to write Chinese characters.

Westerners who come to China bring with them a fascination and curiosity for the beautiful Chinese script. Each character reads like a pictogram of the time when the character was first written. Thousands of years of traditional culture were united to create each character in Chinese calligraphy. However, the computerized age of globalization appears to be erasing this tradition.

Many of my students are ambivalent to ‘computer dyslexia.’ They say that using technology to your advantage –using keyboards not pens- is important for today’s business world. This hurried, ‘just-in-time’ attitude is spilling over into daily life as well.

In 2004, 220 billion text messages were sent over mobile phones in China. This, coupled with the increase of instant messaging services like MSN, QQ and ICQ, means that more communication in China is through this pinyin based system or abbreviations.

Often, students will type ‘88’ (ba ba 八八) to say ‘bye-bye’ or type ‘3166’ (san yi liu liu 三一六六) to say ‘Sayonara,’ which is goodbye in Japanese. Lovers will type ‘520’ (wo er ling 五二另) to each other, which sounds like ‘Wo ai ni’ (我爱你) and means ‘I love you’ in Putonghua. Now, romance is just a short and encoded text message away. Chivalry is not dead after all. It just needed to re-charge.

Short cuts erode our attention to detail. I value my native tongue and try to place this respect for my language above convenience. Language reflects values. Those who study different languages have a broad worldview and a thirst for cultural insight. Increasingly, the diffusion of technological resources and the shrinking ‘scope’ of the world is challenging those values.

Today, the challenge facing China is to reward those who adapt without abandoning tradition. Pinyin is the Chinese phonetic alphabet, but to wholly rely on it dilutes the artistic heritage of the language. Calligraphy is an art form, typing is not. I believe the true test of a culture is how people assimilate with these changes.

Note: This article is property of Paul Wegerson (韦保罗）and the Zhongshan Ribao （中山日报.) It may not be re-printed without expressed written consent of either party.

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Globalization and its Contents

I'm not always as quick as Sydney or Ryan (my fellow teachers) to condemn the foreign investment in China. Sure, it's quite lopsided and favors the coastal cities with easy access to sea ports but little things can distract me from these big issues. Like a baby in a crib, show me something shiny or something goofy and I'll probably giggle and become a shopper at your store.

Yi Ja Yi or 1+1 Supermarket is from Zhongshan. I used to buy everything from pillows to peanuts at Yi Ja Yi while my bananas and oranges came fresh from the street markets. Now, with a Park n' Shop from Hong Kong opening at about the same distance as Yi Ja Yi, I've begun to re-evaluate my consumer discriminations.

Within the past 5 years or so Zhongshan and China have changed considerably. The night markets and street markets are still availbable for the budget shopper who wants inexpensive goods and fresh local produce. These markets are great for many things, but not that great for a blender or a DVD player or for Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

Filling this gap in consumer demand are an international blend of superstores which offer a wide range of products and where faulty products can be returned if not up to standard. Of these foreign giants, Carrefore is from France, Fu Mart, JustCo and Trust Mart are from Japan and Park n' Shop is from Hong Kong.

This is because Park n' Shop offers me flavors of home. They have spaghetti noodles and sauces, they have Post and Kellogg cereals (so i can start my day off right with Raisin Bran, AND lower my cholesterol!!!! Just kidding, I don't EVEN know what cholesterol is and I wouldn't worry about it if they didn't tell me to on the side of the box) and here's the kicker.... drum roll, Max.... TABASCO SAUCE. At $0.30 for a beer and $1.20 for TABASCO SAUCE... Yi Ja What?

So, with this discovery I've become a very happy man. Also, I feel unsatisfied like I gave in to a corporate machine, but I bought fruit from the mega store also... the last batch of market bananas went bad in about 2 days and were filled with flies. Gross. In economics they call this taste and preferences. I would prefer to shop at the markets or at Yi Ja Yi, but my tastes prefer clean bananas and fiery sauce made only on Avery Island, Louisiana.

A Hoola Hoop Loop Hole in the Chinese Legal System

Once upon a time, 11 years ago in China's Hubei Province, a man was convicted of murdering his wife. The man had been feuding with his wife and she'd dissappeared shortly thereafter. When a body turned up in a local river -too decomposed to identify- the family of the wife claimed that the husband had killed her. He was tortured into making a statement and to end his suffering, he pleaded guilty to the crime under extreme duress.

Last week, the wife was 'reborn' after 11 years. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes (or to be more accurate, like a woman who left her husband, moved 5 hours away, remarried and started a new life for herself by not keeping in touch with the estranged family she'd left behind) she came back to visit relatives who were shocked to learn that she was not dead, but rather re-married with children. (Which is worse? One might ask...)

The now ex-husband, who was first awarded the death penalty, was then placed in a maximum security (break your friggin' legs once a month) prison was released last week for a re-trial. After his re-trial (and assumed acquittal, on account of his wife being ALIVE) he will sue the courts for compensation.

The courts claim that there were no DNA facilities 11 years ago.

Were common sense facilities available in China 11 years ago?

Was there not a shadow -nay, AN ECLIPSE- of a doubt to his guilt?

That, my friends, we shall find out in due time. For the article in it fully depressing hilarity, click here. peace. paul.

Underground Church; State Media

The NYTimes ran an article yesterday about China's state-sponsored Catholic Church offering condolences to the Vatican. The language is less forceful than the direct quotes of my last posting, but it offers a little more insight to the underground church in China. Of course, the recent arrests of two underground priests somehow went unmentioned in the China Daily. Hmmmm, I wonder why?

Also, the press coverage of these Catholic mourning services has been interesting. In Zhongshan, I receive TVB Pearl and ATV World which are both broadcast from Hong Kong. Whenever a touchy subject comes up on the 7:30 or 10:00 news, the stations simply cut to commercials for 2 minutes until the situation blows over. This example is from Monday's Pearl broadcast: "Thanks, Gail. I'm here right now outside a church in Kowloon where the turnout is much larger than expected. As a result, the church has placed overflow seats in rooms adjoining to the chapel. Let's go inside to take a..." Then some lady comes on who is brushing her hair, smiling and telling me that my face can also be baby-butt smooth if I buy this Oil of Olay product. The same frustrating thing happens when HK media talks about developments in the Taiwan issue or anything alluding to democracy in HK. WTF?

Requiem In Pace

Pope John Paul II has passed onto the greatest reward and has left the world a better place. Regardless of religious affiliation, one can not undervalue his influence on the event of the last quarter decade. Leaders and workers, rich and poor alike were touched by his spirit. It truely is a time of mourning.

In China, the Catholic church remains divided. There is the Chinese Catholic Church and the underground Catholic Church. The difference? The Chinese Catholic Church, like the Buddist faith* in China, owes it's first allegiance to the People's Government and then to God. They realize the influence of the Pope, but do not follow him. The underground church listens to the Pope, not Beijing and they are actively persecuted for it. So, freedom of religion in China means that you can believe in any faith you like... as long as Beijing is not threatened by it.

As the world greives over the loss of Pope John Paul II, the Chinese Catholic church use his passing as a soapbox for political rhetoric. This article in the China Daily shows the foreign minister's spokesman expressing breif condolences but then setting aim on an agenda to "create favorable conditions for the development of relations" with the new Pope. The spokesman layed out two principles: 1) don't have relations with Taiwan. 2) Stay out of our internal affairs (i.e. don't have relations with Taiwan).

During a time like this, the rhetoric should be set aside in favor of the greiving believers around the world.

*After exiling the Dali Lama to India, Beijing nominated a monk to the post of Panchen Lama. The Panchen Lama is the 'Official' head of the Tibetan Buddist religion and he takes his cues from Beijing.