7 Days

I can't believe that I only have seven days left before I head home from Beijing. I'm already in the mindset that my wonderful trip here is over, which I have to will myself to get out of this mindset.

The weather has improved a lot these past two days. It's actually comfortably hot instead of just hot and humid. Things are relatively calm in the areas I've been in, no massive crowds compiled on the streets doing anything crazy (which might be exactly what organizers have in mind)- as there would be in my home city.

(With help from friends, namely with their information and guidance) I found a location to buy Olympic tickets and am on track to see China v. Spain tomorrow! So maybe I will get to be a part of this Olympics after all. Well, I suppose if you're here, and hotel rooms are going for a thousand American dollars a day and above, and the most exciting Olympics in recent memory were taking place, you'd have to be a fool to pass up the opportunity to attend.

The only thing that I regret from this trip, which isn't much (so it speaks to what a good time I've been having here) is that I dropped my new US cellphone and my diary somewhere in Beijing. Yea, unlikely to get those back. But oh well!! Hopefully by blogging I'll be able to replace everything that was lost in my diary, and I could always buy a new phone when I return to the States.

One World, One Dream

Kudos to whoever came up with the Olympic motto for 2008, it's a really great one.

CCTV, the government run Chinese media conglomerate, has of course been running Olympic coverage all day. Today while eating lunch, I got to see on television a bunch of Presidents and foreign leaders and their spouses shake hands with President Hu Jintao of China, pause for pictures, and watch the scene repeat itself as hundreds of countries were represented. President Bush gets the award for seeming the most friendly, while President Putin seemed to be a bit tardy (he came in last, and I don't think he was supposed to do that). While these influential leaders walked across the floor, and while we saw some visuals afterwards of their huge lunch reception afterward, I couldn't help but think that although the Olympics are an athletic, nonpolitical event, if these people wanted to, they could really address some serious issues right now, besides determining whether or not to try to use the chopsticks and risk embarrassment, or cut your losses by using a fork and knife from the beginning.



Politics aside, I can't help but be really excited for tonight! It'll just be awesome because the Chinese people and Chinese government have done so much psychologically, physically, financially, politically, etc. etc. to prepare for today. One of my friends has so kindly allowed me the use of a coveted hotel room to host a gathering for me and my friends! Allright China, the world is watching! 中国加油！

Bureaucracies and Politicians

A while ago I posted an essay discussing Weber's view of the politician and the scientist in terms of the budding modern bureaucracy. I wrote that modern societies may not be as disenchanting as Weber realized. On the other hand, I have to give Weber credit for predicting that bureaucratic mismanagement could bring about disasters such as this:

"Arrested for killing his father late one night in 1958, James was ruled mentally ill by a judge, sent to an asylum for the criminally insane — and forgotten.

Decades after his doctors pronounced him cured, he remained trapped in a criminal justice nightmare. The hospital could only release him to the prisons authority. The prisons authority could only pick him up under a court order. The courts never called for him because they couldn't find his file.

Longing for some of his lost years, James wishes he had been convicted of murdering his father. At least then, he would have been freed after only 15 or 20 years in prison.

But a conviction would have been unlikely. His father was still alive." (link to the full story)

On another note, speaking of politicians, it's ridiculous that no one's doing anything to better manage the billions of dollars we throw at the farm industry when we could spend that money promoting sustainable, organic farming. Come on Democrats! You can do a lot of good with the money we throw at these commercial farms on a lot of issues, not just for our farms. Think about global warming, the environment, promoting domestic businesses, etc. etc. What's more interesting? Imagine going to China for organic foods. It's happening!

from sfgate.com

"Farm bill negotiators may have to trim these programs to make room for billions of dollars in automatic payouts to a few big commercial farms growing a few grain crops whose market prices are shattering records.

The 91 percent of California farmers who grow produce and are struggling against urban encroachment and environmental regulations will get none of that money. The farm bill throws a comparative pittance to the organic farming that shuns pesticides and rotates crops in a traditional method that attracts wildlife. Organic farming remains just 0.5 percent of U.S. agriculture despite soaring demand. Buyers are forced to look to China for organic produce."