Dec 30, 2014 納稅人, 您喜歡 ”隱形復辟” 嗎? 它到底有多好呢? Beauty, Money, Power and Hidden Falsified Ideologies vs. Modern Dynasties

Crystal Huang
6 mins · Edited ·

Just a little pastime chat with friends and folk - from a different perspective, nothing academic!



One of my folk, yesterday, shared a message from her friend who shared the above 2  photos with the following famous short story.

人生無常

有位美麗的女士, 一心嚮往出國移民, 希望她的清華畢業的丈夫, 能配合她出國的願望.

她的丈夫只是一個小縣政府的公務員, 不想出國移民. 兩人爭執不休, 最後離婚收場.

多年後這位美麗的女士在國外生活有多如意没多少人瞭解.

她離棄的丈夫却由小公務員升級到一個職位這個職位的

英文翻譯叫 China President.

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The above story was about a good-looking woman who desired to emigrate from China to America and asked her Qing Hwa University graduated husband to cooperate.  But her husband was a Politburo at a county in China who did not plan to do so.

Then through many arguments and fights, they divorced. The woman then, came to America, but now, no one knows what happens to her. But one thing is sure. The divorced husband married a beautiful singer, and he has been climbing up his Party Ladder, up to the present position which is the president of China. Surely, the pretty singer is the current first lady.

I admire the gentleman (a China-friendly politician in Taiwan? I am not sure) posting the photos (attached below) and the short story with an intelligent Teflon-like title : "The Vicissitude of Life" that seemingly was quite eye-catching and convincing, according to my folk's response. But there could be pre/assumptions about the ex-wife, gender stereotype, the presidency, the social hierarchy, the blind privileges, falsified ideologies, and the weird type of social mobility and so on within such a succinct writing capturing my attention.
I responded to my folk with my "biases".

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Crystal Huang

The reason I pointed out that the gentleman using a smart Telfon-like title for the above story - "The Vicissitude of Life" was a "wise" approach, because it made the following pre/assumptions possible:

Does anyone assume that the ex-wife "unluckily" missed the opportunity to be a first lady as her own Karma? ( Read the tone - 這位美麗的女士在國外生活有多如意没多少人瞭解).

Does anyone assume that people may pity on or gloat over the ex-wife who loved more with America than that of her marriage with the husband?

Does anyone assume that if the ex-wife stuck with her ex-husband, then he still could be the current president?

Does one assume what the happiness of being a first lady is like?

Does anyone assume that all women like and/or enjoy stealing her man's money and power, like a parasite?

Why did the ex-wife insist to come to US?

Does anyone assume why and how living abroad may be successful and joyful?

Why does the above story downplay her ex-husband's role just as a small county Politburo? ( Read the tone again : 她"離棄的丈夫" "却由" "小公務員" 升級到一個職位...)

Indeed, life is filled with vicissitudes and is a long journey - some making a choice, some living by chance, while others, needing changes. Surely some - let it be. Absolutely, some enjoy "family pass-on", and a lot are misled by falsified ideologies (such as, 外國的越亮鄙叫圓...) 

All are philosophical beyond simple words - but who can judge which one is better than others??..

6 mins · Like

Crystal Huang By the way, Mr. 習 did not really begin from a "小縣政府的公務員- a small Politburo" like a regular clerk, farmer, or worker - check his family background (isn't he also part of the 太子黨- Princelings/or the party of crown princes??)! 片面之詞 - 有時, 微言爽聽 - be aware.

And you might be also aware that a "President" was elected by the magical 100% votes through a Wonderful One-Party system isn't quite a phenomenal type of democracy??

Note - 太子黨 (The Modern Princelings):

The following are some of the most famous crown princes:
Son of Xi Zhongxun: Xi Jinping (习近平), General Secretary of the Communist Party, President of China.
Son and daughters of Deng Xiaoping: Deng Pufang (邓朴方), chairman of the Handicapped Association; Deng Nan (邓楠), former vice minister Science and Technology
Son of Chinese leader and President Li Xiannian: Li Ping, high-ranking military official, daughter Li Xiaolin Vice-President of Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, son in law Liu Yazhou (husband of Li Xiaolin) Political Commissar, National Defense University.
Son of Chen Yun: Chen Yuan (陈元), governor of the State Development Bank of China
Son of Bo Yibo: Bo Xilai (薄熙来), former secretary of the CCP of Chongqing, and by extension, his own son, Bo Guagua.
Son of Zeng Shan (曾山, former interior minister of CCP): Zeng Qinghong, former Politburo Standing Committee member, Vice-President of China
Son of Zeng Qinghong: Zeng Wei, who purchased a A$32.4 million property in Sydney, Australia. Zeng's source of income is unknown.
Son of Huang Jing: Yu Zhengsheng (俞正声), Politburo Standing Committee member, Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.[5]
Son in law of Yao Yilin: Wang Qishan, Politburo Standing Committee member, Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
Son and daughter of Li Peng (as son of a martyr and protégé of Zhou Enlai, a member of Crown Prince Party, too): Li Xiaopeng (politician) (李小鹏), Governor of Shanxi, former chairman of Huaneng Power Group; Li Xiaolin (李小琳), president of China Power International.
Sons of Jiang Zemin: Jiang Mianheng (江绵恒), vice dean of the Chinese Academy of Science, director of several major SOEs such as Shanghai Auto, and the real controller of China Netcom; Jiang Miankang (江绵康), a major general of the PLA
Son of Wang Zhen, Wang Jun (王军) chairman of CITIC; Wang Zhi (王之), former chairman of Great Wall Group
Son of Liu Shaoqi: Liu Yuan (刘源), lieutenant general of the military police
Son of He Long, He Pengfei (贺鹏飞), Deputy Commander in Chief of the Chinese Navy, Vice-Admiral
Former son-in-law of Liu Huaqing (刘华清): Pan Yue (潘岳), vice director of the State Environmental Protection Administration
Son of Chen Yi: Chen Haosu (陈昊苏), former vice minister of the Ministry of Culture
Grandson of Mao Zedong, Mao Xinyu (毛新宇), major general of the PLA.
Son of Wen Jiabao and Zhang Peili: Wen Yunsong, also known as Winston Wen (simplified Chinese: 温云松; traditional Chinese: 溫雲松; pinyin: Wēn Yúnsōng), a Chinese businessman, as of 2012, chairman of China Satellite Communications Corporation  The name list, refer to wikipedia.

A list of 226 crown princes has been published (see the following link). http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-princelings-20101001-1613l.html

怎麼以上都是- 兒子, 孫子, 崽子, 甚麼的! 是否也漸該有 "公主派" 掌門呢?? (The list above is a typical "grandfather-father-son, men's world". Where are the Princesses / Concubines?)

他不是說女人撐個半天邊, 還是伴天邊呢?? (Didn't Mr. Mao say that women lifted up half of the sky, or put up with half of the sky?)
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In order to balance the above report to avoid targeting a specific country, let's look at other regions regarding how power and money are dispersed or concentrated:
(1) The potential 太子黨 in Taiwan - After the the former father-son presidencies of Mr. Chiang Kai-shek and Mr. Chiang Ching-kuo, as well as the secondary bureaucratic high rank-and-file families' strategies and actions (such as the Hao, the Huang, the Lien, the Ma, the Tsai, and the rest), some political pundits in Taiwan concern the Dynastic politics might revive which would discredit the last 6 decades of democratic endeavors. This trend seemed curbed when a non-party affiliated surgeon won the seat of Mayor of Taipei after the November election of 2014 that might be deemed as an event to crush a princeling's political dream.

Other Princelings: (Nothing is really new, really!)

(2)The extremely well-known model of  North Korea: Grandfather, father and grandson Dynasties - Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and current Kim Jong-un.  As to, South Korea, well, Father-daughter model, similar to Pakistan's Bhutto family, as well as part of India.

(3)As for Japan: A constitutional Monarchy (and the rest of 40+ absolute, socialist, authoritarian types of Monarchy). More info will be recorded here. Stay tuned.

(4) As for the US, are you talking about presidents Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, or Bill Clinton...? (The rare non-aristocrats ascended to the power, but the happening was still more than that of any other countries').

(5) For the rest of world, can Monarchy ever die, or just in the gradually disguising way?

The problem is how to form or "reinforce" the voters' stubborn 戀復辟情結?? 

Indeed, big shows need big shots, and the big game takes on big players. Cultural, social, politi-economic capitals take time to accumulate - otherwise, 積水不厚, 載舟也無力! ( The shallow water is hard to lift up a big boat).

But how to accumulate poli-economic capitals? Many ways may work to engage in 人脈, 財脈, 氣脈, 勢脈, 地脈, and finally, 運脈.(Mutli-dimensional resources - human/talent capitals, financial capitals, ambiance capitals, power capitals, geographical-connectivity capitals, and plus the luck/opportunity capitals, equivalent to the integration of Sun Tsu's (孫子, the Art of War) 道, 天, 地, 將, 法 (the Mean/Way, the Environment/Ambiance of human connectivity, the Geo-politics, Leadership, and Strategic missions).

Obviously, the most dominant and popular pattern to get access to power is through family pass-on (現成的人脈財脈氣脈勢脈) 父, 子, 孫 相傳 (父女or 夫婦相傳共生不是沒有), 肥水不落外人田, 運脈自然成, under the name of Pseudo-Democratic System.  Ironically, the Communist  Party  (or any other Parties, still vividly acting out the same drama??) began with revolution to purge the rich, the powerful, the privileged aristocrats - yep, all sorts of family pass-on, who parasitically lived on the peasants, workers, and the poor, while now, they self-justifiably filled up the money-power vacuum to form new type of Bourgeois and Power-Elites

Hard to believe, isn't it? - power and money keep the smart elite "sane" (like saints?), or history enjoys repeating herself?

In addition to the above conventional type of ascending to the throne, for the rest, depend on personality traits (such as, ambition, e.g., 武瞾, inferior-superior complex, e.g., 黃巣 etc.) interfacing with the contextual conditions, such as idealistic revolutionary risk-takers (草莽革命打天下), politico-economic victims（政治受難者), self-sacrificing charismatic individuals（從戎犧牲, particularly, in the US.), or via the long term well-cultivated statesman (長期精英文化涵養政治家)...and so on.

In short, the tribe of politician is a unique kind of species. In addition to being able to act out in the classic grand scale of Machiavelli (君王論), 戰國策 (The Intrigues) , and 孫子兵法 (The Art of War)之類的, regarding orchestrating people, state, sovereignty, money, and power, there are a couple of smaller scale of books titled such as 厚黑學 (The Thick and Black - An Asian Machiavelli Analects, or The Analects of  the Brazen and the Ruthless?), 官場現形記 (The Realism of the Officialdom? )  mocking and caricaturing the essence of how to survive and flourish in the intriguing officialdom.

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黃麗月: 姑且看看;但習前妻長得不錯!目前的妻子也十分亮麗! (Brief translation - My folk: commented that both his ex and current wife were beautiful.)
34 mins · Like

Crystal Huang: How much work, effort, or endeavor needs to be worked out in order to earn "beautifulness"?  How precious, admirable is it to worship those who were just "born that way" to be a beauty or being good looking "effortlessly"? Why do people just give admiration and worship to the biological attributes (動物性 or 生物性) that are BORN with (such as endowed with preferred skin color, social class, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, accents, genetically determined physicality of tallness, handsomeness, prettiness...etc.) - haha... Why? (don't ask, don't tell?? They just deserve the free and blind admiration to undermine the value of efforts or endeavors!??) What kind of logics is it - so biologically circumscribed ? How amazing the irrationality (or something else?) is to eninforce the false consciousness and ruling ideologies ??

Furthermore, he (Mr. 习/習) rejected his ex-wife's idea of living in America,  but look at his daughter in the US, and the rest of the privileged, the rich and the powerful (not just from Taiwan, China...) 奮不顧身, 前撲後繼地 coming here 獻金貢銀 to 鍍一層金, 汆一層銀 for 普渡眾生 or 積陰德呼?? (在這貧富極其不均的超級資本主義社會, 眼不見心不煩 (out of sight, out of mind)的窮人實在非常地多, 尤其經神式的貧窮人- 更遭糕! 所以外來的大小金主皆於事有補)!!

Haha...美國怎能...不美...不富...不強...的ㄋㄟ :D !!!???

17 mins · Edited · Like

Crystal Huang 戀色 與運色, 是一種生物法則 - 人類 也 難逃此科臼 - 尤其是豺大氣粗與靼官顯跪 !
5 mins · Like

Dec. 28 (Sn), 2014. Share an excerpt from Dr. Michael Parent's new book - Profit Pathology and Other Indecencies (Paradigm Publishers), forthing coming January 2015

Here is an excerpt from Michael Parenti's book PROFIT PATHOLOGY AND OTHER INDECENCIES (Paradigm Publishers), forthcoming January 2015:


"The promoters of 'free enterprise' regularly pay homage to competition. It is competition that brings out the best in us, stoking our determination and inventiveness, so we hear. In fact, the corporate oligarchs form informal trusts when they can; they fix prices and try to monopolize access to essential resources; they misrepresent their products to consumers and underpay their workers as much as possible, all to advantage themselves against competitors. From the meat packing industry to the auto industry, numerous smaller producers were driven out and only a few giant firms remained standing. Capitalists do everything they can to undercut their competitors. They hate competition even as they sing its praises." ---Michael Parenti


For detailed info and other books, articles, and speaking engagements,  please refer to
http://www.michaelparenti.org

Dec. 27 (Sa), 2014. A Simple Definition of the Rich Hero- Defies the rule of the BIG Game in playing off big Money and big Power...Reminds of what happened to Taiwan last week.

Crystal Huang added 13 new photos to the album (fb) -

Defying the rule of the BIG GAME of playing off big Monday and big Power!

An Admirable and respectable man! A simple definition of a Rich Hero.

Among 192+ Presidents in the world, don't people need (or deserve) more leaders like Uruguayan President Jose Mujica??

He returns 90% of his salary back to the society, lives simply (yep, behind him is his Mansion), cares citizens deeply, speaks kindly and powerfully, and works with his country with rational love...

He is doing a job now to kick greedy poli-ticks out of his government!!

Crystal Huang:
 An admirable, respectable man!
- A simple definition of the Rich Hero, in particular, relating to the complex political (poli-ticks) theater !




Among 192+ Presidents in the world, don't people need (or deserve) more leaders like Uruguayan President Jose Mujica?? He returns 90% of his salary back to the society, lives simply (yep, behind him is his Mansion), cares citizens deeply, speaks kindly and powerfully, and works with his country with rational love...

He is doing a job now to kick greedy poli-ticks out of his government.. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../mujica-rich-people...

‘World's Poorest President': Kick Rich People Out Of Politics
People who like money too much ought to be kicked out...
HUFFINGTONPOST.COM
1 min · Edited · Like · Remove Preview

Crystal Huang:
The world's "Poorest" President ?? ??
- What a lovely misnomer!!!
Isn't he the REAL RICHEST man on this Planet!?
39 mins · Edited · Like

Crystal Huang:
Defying the rule of the BIG GAME of playing off big Monday and big Power!
...Just reminds me of what happened in Taiwan during last weeks...
1 hr · Edited · Like

Dec. 26 (2014). Happy New Year of the Goat!

Share a new year gift to last a whole year :)!

 

 

Dec 23 (T), 2014. Serendipitously, I found it... 嘉義民謠:一隻鳥仔哮救救 A Song during Japan's Imperial-colonialism.

Before the Nationalist government dominated Taiwan, Japan had occupied Formosa for half a century (1895 -1945) after the Sino-Japanese war. The declining Qing dynasty gave up Taiwan unilaterally. Many local uprisings happened throughout Japan's imperial-colonial era. Culturally the Japanization was part of colonial strategies, and the politic-economic oppression was ruthlessly reinforced.

I sang some Japanese oldies and children's song that, sometimes, could be mistakenly deemed as a Japanophile. In fact, I am neither a Japanophobe nor Japanophile - just interested in understanding cultural phenomena of many regions.

After I recorded some Japanese Children's songs, I felt like singing Taiwanese's children's songs. Then I realized many songs that I could remember when I was a kid in Taipei were Chinese children's songs. So, what about and where are songs or nursery rhymes of Taiwanese children?? I browsed the Internet, and then the following song appeared ( I vaguely remember the melody that led me to the site. Surely, this is not a children's song, but a requiem-like sad song about the tragedy of the colonized people's bravery and grievance...)

嘉義民謠

一隻鳥仔哮啾啾

Arrangers/ 曲詞 : 蔡振南, 江孝文, and others

This is a well-known folk song in Jia-yi (嘉義), south part of Taiwan. The song expressed the Japanese's brutality and colonial hegemony in Taiwan. The politic-economic oppression and cultural suppression reached the intolerable point that triggered the local people to organize, fighting back against the oppressors.  One of the large scale of uprisings was in  諸羅 (嘉義) area, but brutally suppressed by a massacre of the Japanese military establishment.

So this song was about that tragic event.

Birds in the lyrics symbolized the oppressed people, whose nests were destroyed and offspring were killed/devoured by the heinous intruders and oppressors. People bravely fought against the colonial domination and they sacrificed their lives for freedom and justice.

嘿!嘿!嘿都一隻鳥仔
哮啾啾　荷哩
哭到三更一又半暝找無巢　嘿!嘿!
嘿都什麼人啊甲我撞破一個巢　荷哩
乎阮抓著不放伊甘休　荷嘿荷
http://youtu.be/NIIi4TJIbTk

Dec 21 (Sn), 2014. Songs for tonight.

A time for us 

Composers : Lawrence Kusik, Nino Rota, and Edward Snyder

A time for us some day there'll be
When chains are torn by courage born of a love that's free
A time when dreams so long denied
Can flourish as we unveil the love we now must hide

A time for us at last to see
A life worthwhile for you and me

And with our love through tears and thorns
We will endure as we pass surely through every storm
A time for us some day there'll be a new world
A world of shining hope for you and me

http://youtu.be/5HsyB9LNsV4
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Somewhere, My Love.

Composer:  Maurice Jarre
Lyrics:  - "Lara's Theme"

Somewhere, My Love,
There will be songs to sing
Although the snow
Covers the hope of spring;
Somewhere a hill
Blossoms in green and gold,
And there are dreams?
All that your heart can hold.
Someday
We'll meet again, My Love,
Someday,
Whenever the spring breaks through.
You'll come to me
Out of the long a-go,
Warm as the wind,
Soft as the kiss of snow;
Til then, My Sweet, think of me now and then;
God speed, My Love, til you are mine again.

http://youtu.be/uOdcWLCFVOY

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Speak softly love
Lyrics:
Speak softly, love
And hold me warm against your heart
I feel your words
The tender trembling moments start
We're in a world, our very own
Sharing a love that only few have ever known

Wine-colored days warmed by the sun
Deep velvet nights when we are one

Speak softly, love
So no one hears us but the sky
The vows of love
We make will live until we die
My life is yours and all because
You came into my world with love so softly love

Wine-colored days warmed by the sun
Deep velvet nights when we are one

Speak softly, love
So no one hears us but the sky
The vows of love we make will live until we die
My life is yours and all because
You came into my world with love so softly love

http://youtu.be/WDnxy1HrYLw

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Sealed with a kiss

Though we gotta say goodbye for the summer
Baby, I promise you this
I'll send you all my love
Every day in a letter
Sealed with a kiss
Yes, it's gonna be a cold lonely summer
But I'll fill the emptiness
I'll send you all my dreams
Every day in a letter
Sealed with a kiss

I'll see you in the sunlight
I'll hear your voice everywhere
I'll run to tenderly hold you
But baby, you won't be there

I don't wanna say goodbye for the summer
Knowing the love we'll miss
So let us make a pledge
To meet in September
And seal it with a kiss

Yes, it's gonna be a cold lonely summer
But I'll fill the emptiness
I'll send you all my love
Every day in a letter

Dec. 21 (Sn) 2014. Songs for today: 庭院深深, 一代女皇, 夢駝鈴, 靴が鳴る, and 桃太郎さんの歌.

庭院深深  A Manson of Nostagia

Lyricist：瓊瑤
Composer：劉家昌
Sung:      Xena LCH #106

多少的往事已難追憶
多少的恩怨已隨風而逝
兩個世界幾許癡迷
幾載離散
欲訴相思
這天上人間可能再聚
聽那杜鵑在林中輕啼
不如歸去不如歸去 啊……不如歸去
多少的往事已難追憶
多少的恩怨已隨風而逝
兩個世界幾許癡迷
幾載離散欲訴相思
這天上人間可能再聚
聽那杜鵑在林中輕啼
不如歸去不如歸去啊……不如歸去

http://youtu.be/TZMonuxF1Rg

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一代女皇  The Empress
作曲：張勇強
作詞：李靜婷
Sung:  Xena LCH #105

峨嵋聳參天  豐頰滿光華  氣宇非凡是慧根  唐朝女皇武則天  

美冠六宮粉黛  身繫三千寵愛 善於計謀城府深 萬丈雄心難為尼

君臨天下 威風凜凜  憔悴心事  有誰知憐 問情何寄

淚濕石榴裙  看朱成碧 癡情無時盡

縱橫天下二十年  深宮迷離  任憑添  兩面評價在人間  女中豪傑武則天

http://youtu.be/P8w_2luBTLk
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夢駝鈴

作詞：小軒
編曲：陳志遠
Sung:  Xena LCH #105

攀登高峰望故鄉 黃沙萬裡長
何處傳來駝鈴聲 聲聲敲心坎
盼望踏上思念路飛縱千里山天邊歸雁披殘霞鄉關在何方
黃沙吹不去映在歷史的血痕風沙揮不去蒼白海棠血淚黃沙吹老了歲月
吹不老我的思念曾經多少個今夜夢迴秦關
http://youtu.be/pUhVOiaG4hw
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After listening to Mr. Su Beng's singing 夕燒け小燒け(晚霞) (日本童謠,
作曲:  草川 信; 作詞：中村雨虹), I decided to collect similar songs and sing them out loudly.
Here are two: 靴が鳴る and 桃太郎さんの歌

靴が鳴る

Lyricist：清水かつら
Composer：弘田龍太郎
Sung:  Xena LCH #105

お手てつないで
野道を行けば
みんな可愛い
小鳥になって
唄をうたえば 靴が鳴る
晴れたみ空に 靴が鳴る

花をつんでは
お頭にさせば
みんな可愛い
うさぎになって
はねて踊れば 靴が鳴る
晴れたみ空に 靴が鳴る
http://youtu.be/skHuyzMIKnw

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桃太郎さんの歌 Mr. Peach's song
Children's song
Sung:  Xena LCH #107

Momotarou-san's Song
桃太郎さん、桃太郎さん
momotarou san, momotarou san
Momotarou, Momotarou
お腰につけたきびだんご
okoshi ni tsuketa kibidango
That kibidango (millet dumplings) on your hip,
一つ私に下さいな！
hitotsu watashi ni kudasai na!
won't you give me one!
あげましょう、あげましょう
agemashou, agemashou
I'll give you, I'll give you
今から鬼の征伐に
ima kara oni no seibatsu ni
From now, on to conquer the Oni's,
ついてくるならあげましょう
tsuite kuru nara agemashou
if you come with, I'll give it to you.

http://youtu.be/jR0KDUJ2UGE

Dec 19 (TH), 2014. Song for today - Sauntering in the sunset 踩在夕陽裏

           踩在夕陽裏

Composer：駱明道

Lyricist：孫儀
Arranger：詹森雄

Sung by Xena LCH #102

是你在是你在等著我

還是我還是我等著妳

好像是我倆心裡有默契

相見黃昏裡

有一個愛的奇蹟

出現在此時此地

我倆有一個共同的心願

踩在夕陽裡

Dec 18 (W), 2014. A Dedication to Heaven.

She thought this could be sentimental for a dedication to a writing project, but refrained.
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                                         Dedication

If illiteracy has any manifest function at all, she, named L, would say that it contributed a motivation for her to complete a terminal degree. The connection between illiteracy and the pursuit of knowledge is L's mother – Y. T. H.  The mother was so called an “illiterate” who never got a chance to go to school a day, just like women of her contemporaries and generations before her.

L's mother was a typical woman of her generation, with a gender lifting half of the sky when Taiwan endured waves of geo-political imperialism and socio-economic impoverishment permeating in the vulnerable island, in particular, the predicaments induced by the Japanese colonialism, and later the chaos and tragedies prompted by the civil war between the Nationalist and Community China. Her mother – a beautiful, noble and wise woman, due to the socio-economic deprivation, ended up struggling in keeping her ten children alive at the basic surviving line.

Here are a couple of episodes to illustrate such a motivation. L vividly remembers, when she was a teen, one day the mother asked L to write a letter to one of L's brothers, who was far away with some issues, and L was busy with her own activities and did not pay enough attention to write the address carefully. Then the letter was returned. Her mother was so anxiously to know her son's conditions yet L did not get job done properly.   L's mother sobbed with tears via an wrathful tone, telling L, “ If I knew how to read and write, why do I need to bother you? If I could read the sign at the bus station for directions (she felt embarrassed to ask people all the time about words), why do I have to walk miles and miles to deliver food for folks everyday…” and so on so forth.

Those heavy words were deeply ingrained in L's guilty and apologetic heart.

Later, like her other brothers and sisters, L also showed interests in studying.

Then, L grew up as an adult with a career involving with military, politics, and journalism. In an occasion, L had no clue what triggered her mother’s mood. L's mother jokingly said, “ How wonderful if I could have a daughter who is a doctor (means owning a Ph.D.)”.  That statement was quite shocking to L from an old lady who knew nothing about academic affairs, nor the intellectual life conditions. So, L lightheartedly answered her mother, “Oh, well, I might be able to get one for you!”

And then through a National competition for a two-year scholarship to study in the US, L decided to give up her career in Taiwan and tried to make those words become a reality.

So this long journey of the academic pursuit along with L's teaching profession engaged at a couple of universities and a college over a decade,  she always remind herself that she is searching for knowledge and need to get a degree done, which was motivated by a lady who could not read nor write, and she wanted L to be good enough to serve humanity.

L dedicates this research project to her mother who passed away in 2005, and hopefully L's mother does see her growing into a better person, day by day.

Dec 17 (W), 2014 A little bit of hope and opportunity for the upward social mobility! Crystal's serendipitous teaching-learning-sharing Series #50

Crystal Huang
Yesterday at 2:06am · Edited ·

The end of the fall semester of 2014 (the online classes were closed at 10 pm. tonight) ... recalling how we shared 16 weeks of the precious life together!
- now, focusing on reading, grading/feedback research papers, projects, exams, worksheets/assignments...and the rest for online, f2f and hybrid sociology and diversity studies 6 classes.
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Crystal Huang Yep, me, now, reading/feedback to the online classes !

Yesterday at 2:23am · Edited · Like · 1

Crystal Huang Taking a break. Visiting the hamster's (her name is Chicken) home ! I adore and respect her caregivers from the bottom of my heart!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoJVGFGhuVM#t=22

Tiny Hamster in a Tiny Mansion
Chicken is back and this time we follow her morning routine. She wakes, eats, eats some more and eats again and...
YOUTUBE.COM
Yesterday at 2:56am · Edited · Like · 2

Crystal Huang Now, visiting Chicken's playground. Soon you might discover the BEST definition of LOVE in the world, after Chicken took a break !.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu7D0KKmZGM

Tiny Hamster in a Tiny Playground
My tiny dwarf hamster is back again. This time Chicken (yup, that's her name) is exploring her handmade playground....
YOUTUBE.COM
Yesterday at 2:59am · Edited · Like · 2

Bev Slattery Hartford Ah, I remember the good old days of grading research papers, trying to meet the deadlines for grade submissions....
Yesterday at 5:40am · Like · 1

黃麗月 take well !
Yesterday at 6:26am · Like · 2

Darrell Broten Correcting papers: the not-so-fun part of teaching.
Yesterday at 8:22am · Like · 1

Valerie Hartman Wow.
22 hrs · Like · 1

Crystal Huang ~ Crystal's serendipitous teaching-learning-sharing Series~
Dear Bev, Darrell, and Valerie, you are very seasoned educator/professor emeritus, so we are on the same page.

In fact, at the micro-level, engaging with class, delivering contents, interacting with students, grading/feedback are the most easy part of my job, and occasionally, can be lots of fun too, while, rendering cases of "arguments', "excusitis", job/family/children problems, family tragedies, learning conditions, personal health issues... all interfacing during the summative assessment processes (luckily, that's why formative assessment data documentation is very important) - this part of work is the most time-consuming and energy draining journey, even though "rule and class procedures" were well laid out and explained. Some student cases, I can sympathize or empathize if reasonable, but some... I believe that most of my colleagues can hear me !

This is not "an elite university - go to school to study, have fun, and enjoy affluent outcome! - This type of luxury is not affordable in the formal school mission statement. The occupational-track students here are to be trained and educated HandsOn + MindsOn intensively within two years to serve community immediately after graduated !

At this moment (we only have two days to submit the final grades for 6 or 7 classes). Today is the deadline. Still three students are "stimulating my brain and emotion", "talking loudly" to me via emails.

You have to believe - this has to be a very personalized or one-on-one pedagogical model of schooling.

By the way, you might also notice - how some educational institutions function to keep (if not to save) the working-class or lower-middle-class alive. The conscious or conscientious ones may manage to enhance the bed-rock of society with a little bit of hope and opportunity for some upward social mobility.

2 mins · Edited · Like

Valerie Hartman I hear you, Crystal. Being the administrator of the rules would be difficult.
1 hr · Like · 1

Crystal Huang
~ Crystal's serendipitous teaching-learning-sharing Series~ A "critical approach"
 - No cynicism allowed !

在資本主義深化的社會, based on the free-market and competition ideologies, 教書匠研究匠,也需要 "匠心讀具", 以謀生存. 為五抖米摺腰的處處皆是, 不必小驚大怪... 運用media hype, image packaging, 造勢造神唱作俱佳的, 大有人在! 教育界和 產-官-學-演藝-界, 似乎沒多大差別 - or, 只是略遜一籌吧??

封建主義時代的遵師重到 - 這兒沒聽過 (perhaps,  the elite schools have a little bit of it??)! 學生考核 "老獅叫獸" 可真是驚天動地. 這裡是典型 "Who-怕-Who-?" 的社會, 除非你是超級足-籃球巨星影歌星! 所以, 靠這行吃飯的, 要深明大義...頸尚天花卻比血中頌嘆, 來的真實 - 尤其是外來的, 而且是不可說...不可說...! Maybe, except the Nobel Prize winners deserve some respect?? !

By the way, 在這兒, 有錢可買黃金汙,千鐘粟, 博士銜, 美人窩,
上瓊必落嚇黃泉...大概與台有多大差距呢? ! Haha, Just kidding !

Dec 16 (T), 2014 路遙知馬勵, 事久鑑明心 - glad to listen to Mr. Su's singing :)!

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Crystal Huang shared Su Beng-史明粉絲頁's video.
21 hrs · Edited ·

Just happily listening to Mr. Su singing 夕燒け小燒け(晚霞) made me feel like singing as well. I sent the clip to share with him. You too !! http://youtu.be/7OBpTfJ8hTI


00:23
1,079 Views
Su Beng-史明粉絲頁 at 獨立臺灣會

嗯!今天看到逐家來，心情真歡喜，唱一首歌!!!
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黃麗月, Renee Smith, 許馨尹 and 2 others like this.

Crystal Huang  路遙知馬勵, 事久鑑明心 - glad to listen to Mr. Su's singing :)! I also sang the lovely song to share with him, you too :)!  http://youtu.be/7OBpTfJ8hTI


夕燒け小燒け 晚霞 Kids Music. By Xena LCH #101

夕燒け小燒け(晚霞)（日本童謠）
作曲:  草川 信
作詞：中村雨虹
Sung: Xena LCH #101

夕燒小燒で 　　日が暮れて　　 晚霞滿天，夕陽西下
山のお寺の 　　鐘が鳴る           山上寺廟裡的鐘聲響起
お手々繋いで　 皆帰ろ               大家手牽手，一起回家吧
烏と一緒に　　 帰りましょう         和烏鴉一起回家吧

　　　
子供が帰った　後からは              孩子們回家之後
円い大きな 　 お月様                  又圓又大的月亮出來了
小鳥が夢を 　 見る頃は               當鳥兒們進入夢鄉的時候
空にはきらきら 金の星                  天空一閃一閃亮著金星

http://youtu.be/7OBpTfJ8hTI
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Crystal Huang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSEadJdnM0U...


The Taiwanese version of the Gettysburg Address by Xena Crystal Li-chin Huang #75 b
The Taiwanese version of the Gettysburg Address...

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

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Crystal Huang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7l6hYTyI3g...


臺灣軍魄 Taiwan Zeigeist - For War And Peace - by Xena Crystal Li-chin Huang #12
Uploaded on May 29 (W), 2013 (#12)
By Li-chin (Crystal) Huang (黃昶)
Those who refuse (or incapable of) participate in politics might be governed by their inferior - Plato. Peace in war, and war in peace - till one day the alternatives are available.
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Crystal Huang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd0vXF83srk...


熱血歌 National Dignity or Blood - by Xena Crystal Li-chin Huang (黃昶) #22
National Dignity or Blood                  
Sung by Crystal Li-chin Huang (黃昶) #22
Uploaded on November 23 (Sa), 2013.

Not about any political "ism".  Just sounds energizing?!
The Burning Blood (熱血歌)  was published in 1937 - the inception of World War II in the Far Eastern Asia, triggered by Japan in the Northeast part of China/Manchuria.
The song writer was Mr. 黄自 (a great composer) and lyrics by Mr. 吴崇海. The song was influential during China's (either the Nationalists or/and the Communists ?!) fighting against Japan's invasion right before World War II.
I was born and grew up in Taiwan and speak Taiwanese - like my ancestors several generations before me. Mandarin has been mandatory beginning in elementary schools,  since the Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan after Communist China won the civil war in 1949.  Though the older generation(s) in Taiwan did/do speak Japanese (occupied by Japan during 1895-1945).

熱血歌

熱血滔滔, 熱血滔滔,
像江裡的浪, 像海裡的濤,
常在我心頭翻攪。

只因為史實未解, 疑豫難消。
兩千萬同胞啊 ! 灑著我們的熱血,
去增光耀!

熱血熔溶, 熱血熔溶,
像火焰般烈, 像旭日般紅,
常在我心中洶湧。

快起來為己解疑, 為國盡功。
兩千萬同胞啊 ! 拼著我們的熱血,
去爭光榮 !
21 hrs · Like · 1 · Remove Preview

Dec 14 (Sn), 2014. ~ Vernacular Sociology Series - Crystal's serendipitous teaching-learning-sharing#49 From "Don't shoot!" to " I cannot Breathe!"

~ Vernacular Sociology Series - Social Stratification

From "Don't shoot!" to " I cannot Breathe!"

有人敢打老虎, 有人專拍蒼蠅, 有人愛抓鼠兒, 有人喜性錢勢.
我則嗜於搓搓看看 - 各式各樣的人造神話與意識形態.
Share some of my lecture notes/pptx slides regarding social/global stratification, social class/inter and intra-generational social mobility, cultural capitals, the myth of meritocracy, and  ideologies of social stratification.

Genetics and environment; nature and nurture; talents, efforts, opportunities, and luck - which one(s) tell(s) more story about one's success or failure with myriad of socio-biological confluences? Surely, first of all, how to define "success" vs. "failure" in different societies.

The powerful cultural capitals, the invisible family assets or liabilities run through family trees which never appear on the IRS radar screen.

Racing against racism/ethnic-ism tends to intersect with classism, genderism, and the rest of socio-biological stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination (individual and institutional) to guarantee
    some people reaching their potential while others are blocked by various types of gate-keeping

    agencies.

   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_in_the_American_Colonies
Tobacco in the American Colonies

Tobacco advertisement from the 18th century



Tobacco advertisement from the 18th century

"Tobacco cultivation and exports formed an essential component of the American colonial economy during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Tobacco plantations were distinct from other cash crops in terms of agricultural demands, trade, slave labor, and plantation culture. Many influential American revolutionaries, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, owned tobacco plantations, and were financially devastated by debt to British tobacco merchants shortly before the American Revolution.

Early cultivation
John Rolfe, a colonist from Jamestown, was the first colonist to grow tobacco in America. He arrived in Virginia with tobacco seeds procured on an earlier voyage to Trinidad, and in 1612 he harvested his inaugural crop for sale on the European market. Rolfe’s tobacco operation was an instant boon for American exports, and English demand increased dramatically when cheap American leaf depressed prices. Fifteen years after Rolfe’s first crop, English imports of American tobacco had reached almost 500,000 pounds per year, and by 1670 half of the adult male population in England smoked tobacco daily."
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Ideological constraints - the smaller the fish, the bigger the false consciousness, reinforced by the middle fish imposed by the big ones. Apply the natural law into human society - a tip of the Social Darwinism of the human wild jungle if that is a desirable living condition.