Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
deadline!
January 15th. Application start for U of Freiberg Master of Science in Renewable Tech Management program.
Christmas. If I don't get a new job then I'm taking 3-4 months off.
Serious
Christmas. If I don't get a new job then I'm taking 3-4 months off.
Serious
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thoughts on the future
I have been thinking about this for awhile. Actually, a lot longer than awhile.
I hear from my father that one of my uncles recovered a family tree of my direct ancestors, stretching back tens of generations. So somebody must really give a shit, or the family thought itself as incredibly important, which is true, my father's side of the family really think they're important. So in addition to having records of everyone since the one guy moved to Taiwan in 1802, I now can find out who my ancestors were stretching back hundreds of years.
But I digress. The reason I have been following China is because being a direct descendant of the Chinese my life and my experiences are inevitably tied to the fortunes of that country(and several other countries who share the ethnic makeup.) This is true as you can see from the many issues surrounding race relations today being the direct result of historical power-struggles of many nations across the globe. Therefore the fortune of China, overtime, has an effect of how people of my ethnic background are perceived.
I get the sense, that some people feel quite anxious about the ongoing power-shift in the world. To a point, they are right. Emerging countries, China being a prominent but far from the only one are reshaping established international power structures. Case in point is the G20 replacing the G8. To a point, this will be zero sum. As Asian guys stop being under-represented in popular media it is inevitable that somebody else will lose screen time. Overtime, long-held traditions will be challenged over and over, by groups and ideologies that are considered foreign and at one point unthinkable. The world will become more multicultural, and that isn't just having to learn french for a couple of years and having to enjoy the delicious cuisine coming from around the world. Things are going to change, and people hate change. This is perhaps why people are anxious. Despite the self-proclaimed hatred for the military industrial complex, I suspect that people are quite comfortable with Pax Americana. When the chips are down, it's going to be the American way, all the way. That is gonna be bad news all around.
I hear from my father that one of my uncles recovered a family tree of my direct ancestors, stretching back tens of generations. So somebody must really give a shit, or the family thought itself as incredibly important, which is true, my father's side of the family really think they're important. So in addition to having records of everyone since the one guy moved to Taiwan in 1802, I now can find out who my ancestors were stretching back hundreds of years.
But I digress. The reason I have been following China is because being a direct descendant of the Chinese my life and my experiences are inevitably tied to the fortunes of that country(and several other countries who share the ethnic makeup.) This is true as you can see from the many issues surrounding race relations today being the direct result of historical power-struggles of many nations across the globe. Therefore the fortune of China, overtime, has an effect of how people of my ethnic background are perceived.
I get the sense, that some people feel quite anxious about the ongoing power-shift in the world. To a point, they are right. Emerging countries, China being a prominent but far from the only one are reshaping established international power structures. Case in point is the G20 replacing the G8. To a point, this will be zero sum. As Asian guys stop being under-represented in popular media it is inevitable that somebody else will lose screen time. Overtime, long-held traditions will be challenged over and over, by groups and ideologies that are considered foreign and at one point unthinkable. The world will become more multicultural, and that isn't just having to learn french for a couple of years and having to enjoy the delicious cuisine coming from around the world. Things are going to change, and people hate change. This is perhaps why people are anxious. Despite the self-proclaimed hatred for the military industrial complex, I suspect that people are quite comfortable with Pax Americana. When the chips are down, it's going to be the American way, all the way. That is gonna be bad news all around.
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