Modern Binary Explosives‏

Hi,

It is a scary thought but I never worry when I fly. If it happens, then it will happen. If I were so scared then I would never leave the ground. But I think it is more dangerous to cross a street here in China then it is to fly anywhere. I have had some near misses doing that! It is not a nice feeling to see a taxi coming at you in the wrong lane doing 70kph in a 30kph zone! That has happened too many times! It is an adventure to try to cross a street here but TIC (That Is China!)

In the same way, I do not worry about food, especially in the winter. In the summer with 35C and meat sitting out, then I may worry. But everything you eat is cooked now; no precooked heated food. If I go to a restaurant, the food is cooked then. That is a difference. I would worry more about eating at KFC or McDonalds. I can see the food sitting in the warmers. But in a Chinese restaurant the food is cooked for you and not preheated and sitting there for maybe 2 hours. Everything I eat I can see it being cooked. I have had some problems with some bad food but in almost two years of being here it has only happened twice. One time was really bad. Maybe 4 days of pain. But I would never hesitate to eat street food or eat in any restaurant. In Bahamas, Mexico, wherever I am, I will eat the local food. If they can eat it then I can eat it also.

Don Grube is an American who has lived in Changzhou for maybe 11 years. You can google him. A very successful businessman. 65 now, I think. He is from Texas and has about 600 rifles at his home in Oklahoma; that is true, I have seen pictures of his A/C'd, temperature controlled, gun room. He is a collector, and a hunter. He is married to a retired Chinese English teacher named Angel; well her English name is Angel. I fired rifles when I was in Army cadets and I represented my company in a competition. I was 16 and I had never shot a rifle before, but I was very accurate. But it is not something that I would want to brag about. Out of 100 in my company, I finished 2nd. Oh, I also ran 6 miles and finished 6th out of 600. So I was in better shape then, hahaha.

Since 2001 I have flown to 5 countries and only China takes your lighter. Even lighters that are in your checked baggage are confiscated. I have flown through USA and they don't care about lighters; Thailand, Canada, Korea, don't care. Maybe they do now. But you can't leave China with a lighter. But even in checked baggage? That is a bit extreme. Last year I went to the Paralympics in Beijing. You had to go through screening like the airport and they took all lighters. There were 100's of acres of open space. I knew that I couldn't light up in a venue but outside? I was walking outside the Wheelchair Basketball arena waiting for Canada to play a game and a guy came out in a wheelchair and lit up. I immediately went to him for a light. I said how can you have a lighter? He said who is going to search my chair? He was from USA.

But if you go to an airport or a train station most of them have smoking rooms. So at Pudong airport in Shanghai, they take your lighter but then you can go to the smoking room and there are lighters bolted to the walls. It is such a strange place. People ignore rules. When I went to Korea last summer to visit Hyo Jin, people follow rules. They line up; if they cross a street they will use the crosswalks and will only cross on a green light; they use an escaltor and if you want to stand then you go to the right, those who are in a hurry and want to walk can use the left. last year in Beijing, they had students holding up signs to tell people to do that but no one paid any attention.

Funny country. They can't queue, they can't follow simple rules; directions are difficult. The school is pissed because I have 10 students who did not attend enough classes to write the final exam. I am not their babysitter; they are adults. Sorta. Most act like teenagers. And they are teenagers. But if you go to school in Canada then you are responsible; not your teacher. If I choose not to attend your class then the teacher doesn't care. I took German one year. I showed up for maybe 3 classes. I wrote the final exam and I passed. But I studied for 2 days to learn enough to pass. I barely passed.

I am rambling, I know. But I have nothing to do until Monday night. My final 'final exam'. Done. Nada. Meiyo (a liitlle Chinese...MAY-yo). I can't wait to see some sun. By March it will be warm here and then I will start complaining about the heat because the summer is brutal here. I think I like the winter better than the summer. I like to complain, haha.

Have a good year.

Don