Steve's Letter to the Editor

Some of you saw my photo on Facebook of the "Letter to the Editor" that I wrote and was published in the South China Post newspaper this week.  Some asked for a full reprint as they couldn't read the top of the picture and, not being in Hong Kong, did not have quick access to the paper.

Just for a bit of context;

The letter is a response to an op-ed piece from a few days previous when a columnist was really calling into question some aspects of legality in Hong Kong.  What was especially troubling to me was that this columnist sits on the Basic Law Committee of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.  For the layman, that means he helped arrange the mini-constitution (The Basic Law) which protects the rights of Hong Kong since the assumption of sovereignty by China from Great Britain 15 years ago.

Meaning this guy is supposed to be protecting the Rule of Law in Hong Kong...not call it into question!

The piece was really chafing against me all that Friday evening and the little voice inside said "Just forget about it..."

Saturday morning came and I couldn't forget about it...

... so I banged out the following response to the op-ed:

To the South China Morning Post:

I found the premise behind Lau Nai-keung's recent opinion piece (Hong Kong needs a time out from self serving legislators) to be very troubling.  Without coming out and saying it he uses the recent incident of the Legco filibuster to call in to question the very idea of "rule of law" in Hong Kong.  He contrasts a "Western mindset" whose legal procedure trumps common sense as being responsible for the filibuster as opposed to the Chinese way where, "legality has no overriding authority." 

First, creating a confrontational dichotomy between Western and Chinese ways is not entirely helpful in an International city like Hong Kong.  Second, to suggest that  Hong Kongers may find a society where "legality has no overriding authority" appealing is largely insulting.  Mr. Lau would replace legal authority with "rules (that) should be adaptable to changing conditions....if that purpose is good, then it is OK; but if bad, then no way."  The Hong Kong people would then be subject to the whims of what was thought to be "good" that day.  And whose version of what is "good" do we use?  Mr. Lau's idea of what is good would certainly be different than that of "Longhair" Leung Kwok-hung, and our new Chief Executive elect Leung Chun-ying's version of "common sense" may be different from other community and business leaders. 

In the years leading up to the Handover, when even the most ardent Hong Kong Chinese nationalists were asked if there was any positive contribution British colonialism made to Hong Kong, most would grudgingly admit, "the rule of law".  To chip away at this precious commodity Hong Kong has, and which many countries desire, is to do so at our peril.

Steve Hackman
Park Island, Ma Wan

My letter was published 4 days later...

George Washington & Religious Tolerance

I'm a big fan of George Washington.  As a child growing up he was frequently referred to as "The father of our country" in school and now as an adult I see how he created an ethos during his presidency about what kind of country the United States should be that still resonates with us into the 21st century.

I mean, here was a guy that could have been "president for life" and enjoyed all the trappings of monarchy but instead set a precedent of "temporary" power by refusing to run for a third term and shunning many of the indulgent aspects of being the Head of State and Head of Government that he could have demanded.  Only the most secure of individuals voluntarily gives up power after they have achieved it...George Washington was just such a man!

And now a letter he had wrote in his own hand is about to go on public display and it highlights the religious tolerance he envisioned for the new land which still serves as a testimony to the nations of today.  The letter was written to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport Rhode Island and it sought to assure the Jewish population there that they had nothing to fear as they pursued their religion:

The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy—a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.

It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

That the United States and her citizens would "give bigotry no sanction" and "persecution no assistance".  As Nicholas Cage says in the movie National Treasure after reading a portion of the Declaration of Independence, "People don't talk like that anymore".

Washington closes the letter (which can be read in its entirety here) by saying:

May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants—while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.

May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.

G. Washington

"That everyone should sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there should be none to make him afraid".  As someone who gets to travel a bit, I see how most governments in the world still use fear to keep their citizens in line.  Keep them fearful and keep them insecure... Washington in 1790 proclaimed that citizens of the United States would not live in fear...that especially in their own lodging is where they could feel safe.

Most people living in the world today have no such guarantee from their government.

Nicholas Cage was right, people just don't talk like that anymore!

Why I don't do "Valentine's Day"

I surprised my students the other day.  They asked me during class what I and Mrs. Hackman would be doing for Valentine's Day?

"Probably nothing." I replied.  They were a bit taken aback figuring a guy like me would take advantage of a day like that.

I'll come back to what happened in a minute.

I personally find Valentine's Day to be something forced and artificial.  Granted, when I was a young child I loved the classroom exchange of cards organized by the teacher.  In and amidst the nice, friendship affirming greetings from other playground pals, there was the chance, albeit ever so small, that the cute girl in class MAY, just may, write something that meant something a little more. :)

But over the years things got weird.  Couples, and particularly men,  come under the pressure of producing some artificial token of love on the artificially conceived Feb 14.  When a guy from the church men's group I was in years ago organized a meeting to discuss what we were going to do for our wives for Valentine's Day, he was shocked that many of the other men's wives did hold the "romantic" day in the high regard his wife did.  In fact he confessed one of the main reasons he broached the subject was because of the high expectation level she had that he produce something special for the day.

Yes, I could make the traditional arguments about Valentine's Day.  That it's an fake holiday which benefits no one other than the card, flower, and chocolate companies.  All true of course, but Tammy and I have our own reason for not really doing Valentine's Day.

It's really just not OUR day!

Which brings me back to my classroom discussion...

I explained to them that Tammy and I already have our special days, "Oct. 8, the day I met her, April 4th, our wedding anniversary, and Dec 7th, the day we fell in love."

They seemed a little perplexed on the last one. "How did you know you fell in love on Dec. 7th?" they responded.

"Because," I smiled, "I fell in love."

The class responded with "ooohs", "aahhhs", and admiration.

And THAT is how its done.  Here endeth the lesson!!

Religious Intolerance? A Face Book Exchange

Had an interesting exchange on Facebook the last couple of days.  The residential complex where I live has its own Facebook site where about 250 subscribers can talk about the neighborhood, offer things for sale, or suggest activities others might want to participate in. 

Since I help lead a Bible study at my place every Wednesday I thought I would send out an invitation.  I was surprised by the direction it went: (I removed last names for privacy reasons, except mine).  Note: I don't know these guys and have never met them...but they are my "neighbors".

Steve Hackman: If anyone is interested a few of us get together on Park Island on Wednesday evenings for a Christian home group and Bible study. Tomorrow night we will be meeting in Block 1, 21/D. We usually get going around 7:30. All are welcome...


Nic: I read a review of the Bible on Amazon. Do you also study that side of the story Steve? I can't really tell if it's true or not as I haven't read it yet. (The review really denigrates the Bible)


http://www.amazon.com/review/R1VAP69OQ8D07S?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004G5Z1HM


Steve Hackman: Well, come around Nic and we'll see...


Matthew: Let's watch Riligulous on the first night


Steve Hackman Actually Matthew I think we may have a spelling contest.


Matthew: Checked on Amazon eh?


Nic : Haven't seen that documentary yet, but i just watched the trailer and it looks so funny.


Matthew: Recommended my friend


Steve Hackman: I'm surprised you haven't seen it Nic. You seem to have so much enthusiasm (not to mention time) for this subject. Even I've seen "Religulous" ...and Bill Maher live ( good show).


Nic : Yes I have to get on it indeed. I have been busy recently reading 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins which is a fairly good read. I recommend it to everyone.


Steve Hackman: I prefer Christopher Hitchens to Dawkins. I find Dawkins to be a little shrill


Matthew: You also seem to have quite a bit of extra time to watch movies and read books which don't exactly agree with the Bible.


Steve Hackman: I apologize if the" extra time" I give to diverse reading topics bothers you Matthew. Its not my intention to offend...


Matthew: Doesn't bother me at all. You are a free man and thus free to do whatever you please.


Matthew: And furthermore I was only referring to what you said to Nic in your earlier post.


Steve Hackman: Matthew- lets be honest for a minute. I posted an innocent invitation to people on Park Island who may be interested in an evening Bible study. Nic thought he'd have a little fun and try to take the micky out of it. I'm good natured and we've had some fun back and forth but really, if this sort of activity is not your interest, wouldn't really have been more dignified to ignore it?


Matthew: This is an open forum. Some people might agree with you, but others might not. If I invite people to join a Jehovas witness evening group on an open forum, I wouldn't expect everybody to just ignore my post. And by now it's all been well meant sarcasm rather than direct attacks. As innocent as your post actually is, Religion is still a touchy subject for some and you need to be prepared to defend your view as long as it's not getting below the belt line.


Matthew: Or simply take it with humour like you have previously


Steve Hackman: Matthew I agree that if I had made some kind of religious claim on an open forum then I have to be prepared to defend it and expect some people to agree and others to not. I'm not sure if inviting anyone interested around to my place for a Bible study qualifies in that category though. If you are looking for good discussion and a little friendly banter I'd be happy to buy you and / or Nic a beer at Cafe Roma and continue the discussion


Matthew: I was going to suggest the same (to take this discussion elsewhere) but actually this "conversation" went down the wrong route completely. I was only joking around and left my actual opinions on the subject aside. I think you got a bit offended after I mentioned what you seem to have time for. You're right, you didn't make any religious claims but nor did I say anything against your religion. If you re-read you will see that the tone changed after you suggested I should ignore your post. You might have or have not realised that I rarely post here, but your post tickled some comments out of me. Regardless of your post being "innocent", as it is an open forum, people are free to comment. That's a risk anyone has to take poting in places like this.


Steve Hackman: I love these kind of conversations and thats why I'd like to continue it just somewhere else I'm not "offended" per se but I did want this to be an just an invitation to other people on Park Island who really are interested in possibly coming to a Bible study and, well, that is kinda lost now.

Matthew: That's a classic phenomenon of forums on the internet. The chance that someone messes it up for another is quite high haha. "Thread hijacking" is the term which probably isn't in the dictionary yet. We hijacked your thread in a way, but the general sense persists I believe. Invite someone for a beer, you'll probably get a couple of general responses. Invite someone for a bible study, you'll get some jokers coming out from behind the corner. See the positive side, this thread has been on top since yesterday afternoon so it's all "publicity". But seriously, I don't think you, Nic or me were out to offend. Maybe re-post this and see what happens then haha


Friend 1: Discussion over a beer at Roma's sounds interesting guys. I would suspect it will be a looooong discussion :)


Matthew: That depends (Friend 1)


Steve Hackman: But fun...I'm game! I have to head to China for work tomorrow but could do something next week. And Matthew, you're right, there is no such thing as "bad publicity" ;)!

In the end it went pretty well but I'm used to these types of things happening "in America".  In Hong Kong we tend to pretty much leave each other alone so I was a bit taken aback by such a sharp dig at a pretty innocent post.
 
Religious Intolerance?  You be the judge

Another year of "The War on Christmas" is over...Thankfully!

I may be dating myself but I'm old enough to remember when saying "Merry Christmas" wasn't considered a pejorative term.  And to wish someone"Happy Holidays" was not seen as "selling out" or diluting Christmas in any way but was simply the catch all phrase that encompassed the season from Thanksgiving to New Years Day.

But now America seems to be involved another war.  This is a war that has been raging for decades with major battles being played out every November and December.  On one side is the traditionalist who, in a world gone mad, desperately want to keep the CHRIST in Christmas!  And on the other side are all the others who want to diversify things a bit and who, lets be honest, probably have a little to much time on their hands.

Yes, it is the yearly fights involving the "War on Christmas."

Although for the most part I find the "War"... comical, I must admit chafing a little when I would hear some major store chain banning their employees from saying, Merry Christmas.  I can at least understand the argument about having a nativity scene displayed on a public ground (even if I don't agree with it.)  But banning someone's speech involving a holiday greeting...mmmm, that just gets under my skin!

From 2005 till 2008 I worked at Barnes & Noble and fortunately they had no policy on the matter so typically I would wish customers a Merry Christmas.  It was there that I realized that this "War" is indeed played out mostly by people with too much time on their hands as I literally wished thousands of customers "Merry Christmas" over my 3 Christmas tenure there and I had, maybe, two minor incidents where people said they didn't appreciate that.  Now understand this wasn't at a Barnes & Noble tucked away all snug in the Bible Belt, no, this was Boulder, Colorado.  Yes, the Boulder Colorado that didn't vote for Al Gore in 2000 because he was to conservative and where Buddhism is the religion de jour.  If they weren't offended, well, it made me wonder how much "War" there really was.

I did always wonder though why there weren't more nativity scenes in major department stores??  I mean, if you are an executive for Target or Wal-Mart, you must be thanking God every fiscal sales year that a little Jewish boy was born in a  Middle Eastern farm stable 2000 years ago.  Come to think of it, instead of a War on Christmas in the retail sector, there should probably be big "Thank You Jesus" signs at every chain department store across America .



That reminds me again of my Barnes & Noble days.  I would often have a customer look at the December bedlam in the store and comment, "Wow, it's really busy in here."
"Yeah," I would reply,  "well, you know...its Kwanzaa...happens every year."
The customer would smile awkwardly as they processed that little nugget...and then move on.

But I live in Hong Kong again!  I am safe from the battles!  There is no "War on Christmas" over here...just Christmas.  The city is decked out with Christmas trees & lights.  Some buildings say "Merry Christmas" and others say, "Season's Greetings"  with no venom or ill intention found in either one.  The malls are filled with school choirs singing both Santa Claus is coming to Town AND Away in the Manger!

It's much more peaceful and probably a little more what Jesus had in mind!

In Memorium: Christopher Hitchens 1949 - 2011

Blogging has been tough the last couple weeks as the Christmas holiday means a lot of extra work for me.  No..no...despite what you may have heard I am not, in fact, Santa Claus.

But the passing of Christopher Hitchens of esophageal cancer this week has lit a fire under me so to speak as I will most certainly miss his wit, his humor, and yes, his damn near mastery of the English language.

But wait Steve you ask,  "how can you be a fan of such a vocal Atheist?" 

Let me put it this way...other prominent (and vocal) atheists, namely Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, I find to be rather shrill and boring.  Hitchens was certainly not shrill, and he was never boring.  (Ok, admitedly he could be boorish at times...but that was the Scotch :)

I can easily imagine Harris & Dawkins passing away one day and rocking up to the Pearly Gates only to be overcome with distress at the Kingdom of Heaven's mere existence.  Not unlike the Dwarves in C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle who still refuse to believe in Aslan even when it is no longer an issue of faith. 

By contrast one can imagine Hitchens seeing Heaven's gate and smiling with a bit of a wink, "Oh, Good Lord, my brother was right on that one now wasn't he...oh well, right then... um Lord, no hard feelings eh?  The bar's still open you say?...Good, can one of the angel's bring me a Scotch...I rather think I'll be needing one right about now..."

I've been following Hitchens for years.  Did I always agree with him?  Certainly not  (he was in favor of abolishing the British Monarchy after all which many of you know would NOT be my position.)

..but I did appreciate his well thought out and articulated views. He forced me to examine my own beliefs in a number of areas...(Thankfully,  I still happened to be right in all my positions... but he forced me to examine them just the same :)

I also appreciated Hitchens in that you could never put him in a "neat" box.  Nearly everyone I know, if you tell me some viewpoint they have, I will be able to guess with almost near certainty their view on many other areas. 

Not so with Christopher Hitchens.  Its one thing to despise Henry Kissinger...anyone can do that.  But to despise Henry Kissinger and Mother Teresa equally...now that...that..takes chutzpah!  One moment he is denouncing God and organized religion and in the same debate is praising George W. Bush for his pre-emptive invasion of Iraq. Anyone who can single handly tick off Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, AND Conservatives in the same debate...well...is always going to get a bit of applause and a "Good show ol' boy" from me.

Yes, Christopher, you will be missed.  I do hope you are in heaven as I for one, look forward to sharing an evening with you of stout lager, cigars, and good conversation.





 

7 Life Lessons from Star Trek

I'm a bit of a Star Trek fan.  But I have it under control now...honest!

Yes, I admit when I was young I would use my lego set to create an arsenal of phasers neatly arranged on my window shelf...set for stun of course!  And yes, my friends and I would practice the Vulcan Neck Pinch on each other because, after all, it hurt pretty good and maybe, just maybe, we could get it to work after all; then we'd be famous.  And of course I could discuss the reasons why a 1 to 1 ratio, dilinthium focused matter / anti-matter annihilation was necessary for optimal warp field entry with the best of them.  (How else were we ever going to coax our engines past Warp 4???)

Some things you grow out of...some you don't. 

So when I saw David Borgenicht's article in the Huffington post "7 Life Lessons I learned from Star Trek" I realized he was on to something.  So with proper citation to Mr. Borgenicht, I'd like to reprint those seven lessons at Beyond the Pale because...well...I pretty much agree with everyone of them*.

1.The best way to travel is to boldly go where no one has gone before. This is true for vacations, for self-exploration, for life itself. If you want your days filled with adventure, laughter, love, learning and the occasional mind-meld, follow this route.

2.The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few--or the one. Sometimes you must make great sacrifices for the greater good. And, like the Genesis device, it will all come back around.

3.Expressing your emotions is a healthy thing. Sure, McCoy seemed angry all the time when exclaiming, "Dammit, Jim! I'm a doctor not a mechanic/bricklayer/soothsayer," but he knew that by expressing his anger and frustration it wouldn't get the best of him and he could then perform at his peak capacity.

4.When estimating how long a job will take, overestimate--and when you do better your captain will always be impressed. Replace the word "captain" with "teacher" or "mom/dad" and you'll see what I mean. Sure, Mr. Scott might have been telling the truth--maybe it would take six hours to get the warp engines back online in the heat of the battle. Or maybe he was padding things so he looked good. Either way, when the engines did come back on line, everyone was happy.

5.Wearing red makes you a target. This is true of cars, dresses and, most especially, shirts. Red gets you noticed--which is good if you want to be noticed, bad if you don't want to end up vaporized.

6.When you don't know what to say, pause. It will give you the time to figure it out. Or at the very least, you'll sound like you're being thoughtful. "But....Spock.....why?"

7.The most powerful force in the universe is friendship. It's more powerful than phasers, photon torpedos, even more powerful than the force itself. With friends, you can accomplish any task, escape any perilous situation, defeat any enemy--and you get to laugh together when it's all over.*

* Actually (Steve here again) I'm still going to give "the most powerful force in the Universe" to God...but friendship is a nice runner up :)

A Hong Kong Thanksgiving!

My first Hong Kong Thanksgiving was in 1990 and it was on a rooftop of a village home in Fanling.  21 years later the location was Ma Wan...but I was still on a village rooftop.  The weather in November is perfect so sitting atop a roof with a full spread of food and a glass of wine makes one certainly thankful for one's blessings.  And of course because a Hong Kong Thanksgiving tends to have non-American guests invited, the banquet eating table this year consisted of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and ...sushi!


And the sushi was just like grandma used to make!! :)

Earlier in the day I visited St. Johns Cathedral where they had an afternoon Thanksgiving service.  A number of churches sponsored the event and so different ministers took turns sharing from the scripture on gratitude and having a thankful heart.  The Counsel General for the American Consulate (essentially the American Ambassador  to Hong Kong) then stood before the congregation and read President Obama's Thanksgiving Proclamation.  It was... nice but I realized that earlier in the day I read President George Washington's original proclamation of Thanksgiving and Prayer (which made me wonder at what point we dropped the prayer part) which established the holiday back in 1789.


As I mentioned, Obama's proclamation was good...very appropriate and yet compared to Washington's it  came across, at least to me, as muted and neutered.  I won't reproduce the whole thing but a portion of Washington's speech will make my point:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks ...And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions..."

American Consul General reading the President's Proclmation

I often here people say, "Washington wasn't a Christian...he was a Deist."  Well, if that's the case, we need more Deists because if an American President said that today he's be labeled a dangerous Right-Wing radical hell bent on making the United States a theocracy.  Funny since that kind of talk used to get your face on Mt. Rushmore and the One Dollar bill.

Anyhow, its late and I'm ranting.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Residency for Domestic Helpers is good news for Hong Kong restaurants.

I grabbed my Sunday morning paper at the 7-11 near the Park Island ferry pier just before heading off to church.  The 22 minute ride downtown offers me just enough time to scan the headlines as I balance my coffee and see what trouble people are getting up to in the world.  In the op-ed section of the South China Morning Post there are the "Quotes of the Week" and one quote struck me.

If you read my recent post or live in Hong Kong you know that the granting of permanent residence to the Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers has been very controversial.  Essentially anyone who lives in Hong Kong for 7 years legally can apply for Permanent Residence except domestic helpers.  The Courts have ruled it discriminatory while the government plans to file an appeal.  Meanwhile long term domestic helpers have been applying for residency despite the fact that it all could get held up in political bickering.

So, back to the quote of the week!  Little Soriano Pacita, a domestic helper in Hong Kong for 14 years filed for her residency and is quoted saying, "If I were granted Right of Abode, I could work as a waitress in restaurants instead of as a domestic helper. I want to spend more time to socialize with more people and date a guy."   


I smiled and thought, "Good for Soriano Pacita and doubly good for the restaurants in Hong Kong." An increase in Filipinos entering the hospitality industry would be great for the territory.

Why you ask?

Well for starters, the Filipinos English levels tend to be much higher so when you ask for salt from them while dining, they don't return to your table proudly bearing a ketchup bottle.  Second, the Filipinos excel at hospitality and are quite gregarious making chatting with them while out dining a pleasurable experience.

For example, on the same day that I read the quote in the paper, Tammy and I had lunch at Taco Loco; a Mexican restaurant in SoHo just off the mid-levels escalator.  Our server was a Filipino and she was the perfect hostess and waitress.  She chatted with us, helped get food that Ethan George could eat, and made some accommodations that we wouldn't have bothered to ask for if she hadn't been so hospitable.

Back when Hong Kong was a British territory, British nationals could come to Hong Kong and work visa free.  Then the predominately English speaking areas like Lan Kwai Fong's many nightclubs and restaurants were populated by young Brits back packing across the world who took advantage of the territory's colonial status to stop and make a few bucks before heading out again.  After 1997 that loophole was closed and the hospitality staff in those areas abruptly changed.

Gone was "Ian" the Scottish bartender at the Fringe Club who used to give the free drink on occasion.  Granted I couldn't understand his English much either through his thick Scot accent...but did I mention the free drinks?  Have you been to the Fringe Club lately?  There are no more Scotsmen behind the bar...

So, my opinion on this subject is confirmed.  If giving residency to domestic helpers helps our struggling hospitality industry I say lets give it to them.

Oh, and its also the right thing to do...if that helps.

Pet Peeves of Working in a Bookstore

For three years I got to work in what many consider a dream job;

...I worked in a bookstore.

Yes, I worked for Barnes & Noble Booksellers.  And yes, it was fun and got to work with some fantastic people, (and thanks to the magic that is Facebook, I able able to stay in contact with many of them.)

Anyhow, there are a 101 funny stories from my time there and they were often the direct result of the absurdity that is the American Consumer.  People are selfish and our retail led culture panders to that selfishness by, well, pretty much giving them whatever they want no matter how badly they act. 

Over the summer, Barnes & Noble's biggest competitor, Borders, filed for bankruptcy. With their stores closing, one employee apparently got to declare what the employees of any solvent retail organization would never dare;  He got to list a number of grievances that the employees had with their customers.  So, without further ado:

Here is a Borders Bookstore's employee' “Things We Never Told You: Ode to a bookstore death”(and you can believe Barnes & Noble employees have a similar list)

++ We hate when a book becomes popular simply because it was turned into a movie.


++ It confused us when we were asked where the non-fiction section is.


++ Nicholas Sparks is not a good writer … if you like him, fine, but facts are facts.


++ We greatly dislike the phrase “Quick question.” It’s never true. And everyone seems to have one.


++ Your summer reading list was our summer reading NIGHTMARE. Also, it’s called summer reading, not three days before school starts reading.

++ It’s true that we lean to the left and think Glenn Beck is an idiot.

++ We always knew when you were intently reading Better Homes and Gardens, it was really a hidden Playboy.

++ Most of the time when you returned books you read them already — and we were onto you.

++ Limit One Coupon did not mean one for every member of your family — this angered us. Also, we did know what coupons were out.

++ It never bothered us when you threatened to shop at Barnes & Noble. We’d rather you do if you’re putting up a stink.

++ “I was just here last week and saw this book there” meant nothing to us. The store changed once a week.

++ When you walked in and immediately said, “I’m looking for a book,” what you really meant to say is, “I would like you to find me a book.” You never looked. It’s fine, it’s our job — but let’s be correct about what’s really happening here.

++ If you don’t know the author, title, or genre, but you do know the color of the cover, we don’t either. How it was our fault that we couldn’t find it we’ll never understand.

To this I would like to add a few I remember from my time at the bookstore:

* Parents that let their kids pull out 20 books and then say, "Come on the attendant will put them away"

* People that would come with a STACK of books that obviously had not been bought there and try to return them

* People that would grab a book off the rack and then come up and say, "I'd like to return this book but I lost the receipt."

* Customers that would come into the coffee shop and have a whole other meal from a different restaurant.

* People that would buy, "Eat, Pray, Love"

* When people would get mad at Christmas because we had run out of "Hanukkah" wrapping paper.  (We only had 1 or 2 rolls every season)

I'm sure I could think of more but this "Ode" pretty much sums it up.

Hong Kong divided on Permanent Residency for Domestic Helpers

If you live in Hong Kong you know the hot political topic de jour is the debate on whether Permanent Residency and Right of Abode should be extended to imported domestic helpers.  Although the Hong Kong Constitution (The Basic Law) dictates in Article 24 that Permanent Residence can be obtained

"by Persons not of Chinese nationality who have entered Hong Kong with valid travel documents, have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than seven years and have taken Hong Kong as their place of permanent residence before or after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region"

policy rules have denied foreign domestic helpers ( primarily from Indonesia and the Philippines) who come on said contract from obtaining Permanent Residency status after the obligatory 7 years.

However, then comes along little Evangeline Banao Vallejos, a Filipino who has been serving as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for the last 25 years, (or for history geeks, since Sir Edward Youde was Governor)  and says she'd like to apply for Permanent Residency.

Mmmmmmm......

Now advocacy groups are lining up on both side of the argument.  Supporters say that if these women toil away for years of cleaning our houses, walking our dogs, and raising our children why shouldn't they be rewarded with the right to stay like any other people group.

Detractors such as Joseph Law who heads up an association for the employers of domestic helpers says, "Almost all our members are against granting abode rights to foreign domestic helpers Our government does not have enough medical, educational, housing and social welfare resources for domestic helper immigrants and Hong Kong people."

Such arguments are worth considering since estimates suggest that about 100,000 domestic helpers would be eligible to apply for Permanent Residency and if they all brought family members with them the total could be as much as 400,000.  Whether such a large amount could actually emigrate to the city is highly doubtful however given the high cost of living in Hong Kong. 

But one may also wonder whether racism plays any part in people's thoughts on the subject.  I think its important to remember that in many countries and at various times the Chinese have occupied a similar "outsider" position seeking to gain recognition and acceptance for hard work in a new land.

Consider that between 1950 and 1970 more than 2,000,000 Mainland Chinese refugees came to Hong Kong under the British government's very liberal "Touch Base" policy.  Essentially any Mainland Chinese that could make it to Immigration Tower and register became a resident of Hong Kong.  The Hong Kong Government was hardly prepared at that time to absorb such a large amount of people...and yet they did and Hong Kong is the better for it.

At one time in America we had the Chinese Exclusion Act which ended the ability of Chinese to immigrate to United States.  Americans were quite happy to have Chinese build rairoads, work the mines, and do other jobs they didn't want to do...but allow them to become Americans?  Never! 
Now that horrible episode in American history is cosigned to the waste bin of history and even this week the very first Chinese American, Gary Locke, assumes the role of U.S. ambassador to China.  A fitting nail in the coffin of that hateful policy.

In 1996 Australian Member of Parliment, Pauline Hanson began complaining about the large amount of Chinese immigration to Australia and claimed her country was being "swamped by Asians".  The Hong Kong community (and the International community) was rightfully indignant and the government was even considering deterring Hong Kong University students from applying to universities there if that was their attitude. I remember Hong Kong Chinese friends that were furious at the political accusations directed at them by the "land down under".  Cooler heads prevailed ultimately but do certain members of the Hong Kong community really want to parrot Pauline Hanson and use scaremongering tactics suggesting that Hong Kong would be overrun with Filipinos and Indonesians?

I think Hong Kong has a right to determine for itself who becomes a Hong Konger...and who doesn't. But its a debate that should be decided by Hong Kong people and ruled by through their courts.  For that reason I would disagree with people like Rita Fan Hsu Lai-Tai and Elsie Leung Oi-sie who have suggested bypassing the Hong Kong Courts and going straight to Beijing for a ruling.  (People like them don't like to use the courts unless they know what the ruling will be in advance).  To do so would seriously undermine Hong Kong autonomy.

Part of living under the Rule of Law is sometimes its messy.  Under the Law people become equal...and thats a very scary proposition for many.

Video Games, Porn, and The Demise of Guys

Just finished watching a fascinating TED talk by Philip Zimbardo about the struggles men face entitled The Demise of Guys.  Turns out that all of those hours in front of a computer video screen are really bad for people in general and boys specifically. 

Consider first these statistics from the talk:

• Boys are 30% more likely to drop out of school
• Girls outperform boys at every level from elementary school through graduate programs (There is a 10% differential in the area of BA & Graduate degrees awarded)
• Two thirds of students in Special Ed. remedial programs are boys
• Boys are 5 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls

Zimbardo goes on to give his suggestion that these increasingly alarming figures are the result of over stimulation and addiction to the internet resulting in what he refers to as Social Intensity Syndrome. He says it is

" a social awkwardness like you're a stranger in a foreign land.  They don't know what to say, they don't know what to do, especially one-on-one with the opposite sex.  They don't know the language of face contact, the verbal and non-verbal set of rules that enable you to comfortably be able to talk to someone else, listen to someone else."

The difficulty with the internet and long term usage which boys are more prone to than women is that it creates arousal addiction.  Unlike drug addiction where you just want more, Zimbardo explains that arousal addiction means you always need something different.

Consider these further statistics:

• The average boy by the time he is 21 will have played more than 10,000 hours of video games (most of that in isolation)
• The average boy watches 50 porn clips a week on the internet. The American porn industry is the fastest growing industry in America
• For every 400 Hollywood movies made there are 11,000 pornographic movies produced

When one considers that porn is available at a finger touch from any computer, iPad, or cell phone you realize why more and more men are forgoing the complexities of building real relationships of love with women for the quick thrill of a imitation erotic moment.  Cindy Gallop says,

"Men no longer know the difference between making love and doing porn." 

 At the end of the talk Zimbardo laughs off the fact that he doesn't have a solution, he's just brings the problem to light...

... but I do have a solution.

  The Grace of God that comes through Jesus Christ.  Romans 3: 21 says: "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.... and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Once Christian men grasp that they are really Sons of God and have taken on his righteousness the desire to view 50 porn clips a week on the internet will fade away!

Where are you (really) from?

As a Westerner living in Hong Kong one of the questions I get asked on a regular basis is, "So, where are you from?"

This question will be asked at dinner parties, church functions, the workplace, and nearly any other activity where at least one other person is involved.  The cosmopolitan nature of Hong Kong means you have a lot of people "from" somewhere else and the question just seems to roll out when you first meet a new acquaintance right alongside of "So, what do you do?"

The "Where are you from?" question has become a lot harder for me to answer as the years roll by.  When I first moved to Asia more than 20 years ago I would always answer, "I'm from Detroit."  It made sense then but as I haven't lived in Detroit since 1990 am I really still, "From Detroit."

So where am I "from"?  Well here are some contenders and why:

Detroit Michigan USA:  (Birth - 1990) City of my birth and still very dear to my heart.  Its where I was raised and gave me the Mid -West American values I like to think have shaped me somewhat into the person I am today. The family moved to the suburbs when I was 8 and I experienced a wonderful childhood there in the 1970's and '80s with great friends and great memories.  To this day I'm still a Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, and (sigh) Lions fan!

Hong Kong:  (1990 -2000, 2009-Present) I arrived in Hong Kong in 1990 for 5 months and stayed nearly 10 years.  I met my wife here and both of my sons were born here.  A formative part of my adult life was established in this city.  I have had the privilege of experiencing Hong Kong both as a territory of Britain and then later as a Special Administrative Region of China.

Boulder Colorado USA:  (2000 - 2008) Our years in Boulder were not always easy but they were special.  It was the formative years for Gabriel and he is still quick to say he is "from Boulder".  Within Boulder though we have dear friends, a dear church family, and many dear memories.

We briefly lived in  Qingdao China in 2008 and  Gabriel would have a little fun whenever Chinese people would ask where we were from.  He would say, "From Hong Kong" often eliciting stunned reactions from the questioners.  There is a certain expectation based on a person's ethnicity of where they are "really" from.  I know when I have attended conferences where my name tag will say I'm a participant from Hong Kong but people would subtly try to find out where I was "really" from. 

Which had me wondering; "Are white people allowed to come "from" Hong Kong?" 

I realize now in America the sensitivity some people have when other people try to categorize where they are from.  For example we tend to assume a person of Hispanic origin is "really" from" Mexico or other South American country when they were very likely to have been born and led their whole lives in the States. 

I remember once when I was working in Colorado how I asked a hotel guest, who I recognized with a very distinct Singaporean (Singlish) accent, where he was from.

"Chicago" he replied.

He didn't elaborate and I was disappointed as I am quite familiar with Singapore and wanted to talk a bit with him about it but he said, "Chicago" in a way that indicated he didn't want it challenged...so I didn't.  But deep down I wanted to know where he really was from.

My children are Americans but born in Hong Kong.  Are they from America...Hong Kong... or both?  Recently I was chaperoning a school trip overseas with some of our students.  As we were entering the customs area there are electronic booths for Hong Kong residents allowing them to insert their I.D. card and thumb print and not have to enter the long immigration lines.  One of the Hong Kong Chinese students laughed and said, "Ha, Mr. Hackman now we get to go through here but you must go down there," indicating toward the long lines at the immigration counters.

The students inserted their cards and walked through.  I smiled and inserted my card placing my thumb on the scanner.  The metal gates opened up and I "departed" Hong Kong.

Watching this, the student's mouth dropped open and she asked in bewilderment.  "Mr. Hackman, how did you do that?"

"You do know I am from Hong Kong as well...right?"

"But ...you are a foreigner."

"I may be a "foreigner", I answered, "but I was living in Hong Kong since before you were born."

So where am I from?  Maybe the best answer is "lots of different places" or maybe Larry Norman said it best when he sang, "This world is not my home...I'm just passin' through"

"Planking" in Australia

I was surprised a couple weeks ago when my 13 year old son Gabriel came bounding into my office, dove onto my couch and just laid there face down pinning his arms flush against his side with his feet pointed out.

"Do you know what I'm doing Papa?" he asked.

A few thoughts came to mind but I held my tongue and said, "Nope."

"Its called planking...and everyone is doing it."

Now when teenagers say "everyone" obviously a few qualifiers come to mind.  Does "everyone" mean:

* your geeky friends
* your class
* your school
* 13 year olds in general across the universe

I mean is the Dahli Lamma doing it?  Is Betty White planking now? 

Turns out my 44 year old social circles just aren't "with it" anymore as apparently everyone  is planking.  And do you know where planking is REALLY popular?...

Australia

Yep, the Land Down Under which gave us other notable cultural curiosities like Crocodile Dundee, Yahoo Serious, Shrimps on a Barbie and Aussie Rules Football is now out on the cutting edge of relevance with this new export to the world...Planking!

Apparently the idea is not only to "assume the position" but to do it in the most creative and public place possible, get a picture of it and then post it to Facebook.  It seems there are contests with people trying to outdo the "plank" of a friend or co-worker.




Anyhow, I may have to give the "plank" craze a miss but when I saw the Youtube clip I have included, I had to give it a post.

United States & United Kingdom: Special & "Essential"

President Obama has just returned from a State visit to the United Kingdom where he and Prime Minister David Cameron cemented the ongoing "special relationship" between the two countries and then took it up a notch noting that it is no longer only special but essential. 

President Obama has often been criticised as being a "Pacific" president who is more focused on Asia than America's traditional allies in Europe.  With today's emerging economies in the Pacific region, a focus on Asia is important until one remembers that the U.K. still is America's # 1 trading partner with total import and export totalling over 100 billion dollars annually.  Couple that with the shared history, language, and culture and it becomes very important that the President spend some time in Mother England keeping the special relationship "special".



Although the relationship has been strong since the 19th century (forgetting the War of 1812 when the Red Coats burned down the White House) it was Winston Churchill who coined the phrase "special relationship."  Since then the relationship has had its ups (Thatcher & Reagan) & its downs (Kennedy & Macmillian) depending on the President & Prime Minister at the time. 

However, despite testing and strains at times the two allies have had a diplomatic relationship almost unprecedented in history.

Said Prime Minister Thatcher, "There is a union of mind and purpose between our peoples which is remarkable and which makes our relationship a truly remarkable one. It is special. It just is, and that’s that"

To which President Reagan responded, "Prime Minister, the United States and the United Kingdom are bound together by inseparable ties of ancient history and present friendship"

For myself, I remember the pride and solidarity I felt when President Bush, while addressing Congress just after the attacks of September 11, publicly thanked Prime Minister Tony Blair for Britain's unwavering support with us at that time. He declared, "America has no truer friend than Great Britain. Once again, we are joined together in a great cause. I'm so honored the British prime minister has crossed an ocean to show his unity with America. Thank you for coming, friend."

It is for that reason that I am happy that the present leaders of the two countries have cemented the bonds that have proved so valuable to each country for more than 200 years.  A relationship both "special" and "essential."

Social Media Meltdown: TED style

Just saw this on TED!  It's a great parody of our societies all consuming need to be connected online ALWAYS...and to share EVERYTHING with our social media "friends" most who we haven't seen since high school.  Since I'm sharing it with you I realize I'm part of the societal psychosis

....plus it caters to my love for Broadway musicals!  Enjoy!

I'm back... and some thoughts!

I had made it a point at the beginning of this year that I would get much more frequent with my blog posts.  I've come to like this little trafficked corner of cyberspace and enjoy the interaction with new friends as well.  Though since the end of March I have have been traveling for business 4 weeks and in the intervening time I finished my University work to get my teaching certification.  (My thoughts on that process are forthcoming).  With those two issues pressing in plus the taking on of a new project at work (and a new baby at home) means I've been "crazy busy".  So the thought of putting even more thoughts to paper, or computer screen, was unthinkable.  In the last 7 weeks I've managed to travel to Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, the earthquake area of Sichuan, and all across Greece (and no, contrary to what you may have heard, I was not in Pakistan doing anything a couple weeks ago :)

So...some thoughts on things that I would have blogged on had I been around:

* The Royal Wedding- I'm an unashamed Anglophile who remembers being about 14 years old when Charles & Diana were married.  Our whole family got up at about 4:00 AM Detroit time to watch it together.  The wedding of William & Kate was just as beautiful and, I suspect, will turn out much more successfully.  As a family we went to a little reception at the home of some British friends of ours.  We ate scones, cucumber sandwiches, and drank Earl Grey Tea (which admittedly gave way to red wine as the evening progressed).  It was a fantastic event for Mother England so God Save the Queen!



* It appears that while the Royal Wedding was going on, President Obama was giving the order for Navy Seals & CIA para military to engage in an operation to eliminate Osama bin Laden.  U.S. forces entered deep into Pakistan entered the house he was suspected to be in, found him, killed him, brought him back to a U.S. ship, performed a Islamic funeral and then dumped his bullet riddled body overboard into the sea.  I don't usually celebrate the death of anyone and to perhaps say I "celebrated" would be an exaggeration...but I'm glad he's dead and I have no problem with how we did it.  I'm against the death penalty so perhaps that makes me a hypocrite...but thats OK, I can live with it.

* This kind of is an add-on to the previous point but an issue I wanted to blog on.  Do you think we can not invoke religion, and specifically Christianity, in every argument that has little to do with religion?  I was seeing Facebook and news articles where the lines of argument started out on the legitimacy of U.S. actions in the death of Osama, meandered into the views of evangelical Christians, which eventually descended into the Old Testament, Leviticus, and homophobia. It's like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon.  Take an issue and somehow link it to homophobia in 6 degrees or less. I think debate on serious issues may be better served by not linking them to Leviticus!

Just some thoughts...oh, and I'm back

BYU Benches Star Player: "And so shines a good deed in a weary world"

There is a great scene in the movie Hoosiers where the small town high school basketball coach played by Gene Hackman benches one of his star players during a game because of an attitude problem.  As they begin to lose, the parents are screaming for him to get the kid back in the game.  Principals be damned, there is a game to be won!  Hackman doesn't buckle as there is a higher value he is trying to drive home to his team.

A real life Hoosiers moment hit the college basketball world this week when Bringham Young University benched its scoring star Brandon Davies for an honor code violation.  The violation?  He admitted pre-marital sexual relations with his girlfriend.

Of course now a chorus of ridicule is being heaped on the Mormon based university for it "puritanical" honor code that seems out of step with the times but what is encouraging is seeing a growing wave of support for this point of light in a weary world.

The Daily Show - Tales of Principled Behavior
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Even Jon Stewart on The Daily Show showed an admiration for the decision in its Tales of Principled Behavior section.  I include the video but with the disclaimer of a PG-13 rating. (The relevant section is in the second half of the clip)

Kudos to BYU for standing firm despite this action severely affecting their Division D Championship possibilities and kudos to Davies himself who has come to the games, sat on the bench, and supported his team.

What's the Internet?

Ah, 1994!  Seems like only yesterday.  The nation was tuned to Seinfeld on Thursday nights, The "Big Dog" was President of the United States, and when people wanted to buy the hottest selling album of the year by Hootie and the Blowfish, they actually had to purchase a CD after driving to the local record store.  Crazy times eh?  When was the last time you purchased a CD?

But 1994 was the year the "Internet" really took off.  Living in Hong Kong, before 1994 I sent and received letters, after 1994 I sent and received e-mails.  A friend of mine was a professor at a university here in Hong Kong.  He showed me web browsing on the "World Wide Web" in his office one afternoon and I was astonished at how, suddenly, information was available on near any subject with a few simple clicks.  I think it was that week that that I got my first dial up subscription with "Hong Kong Supernet"

When I saw this clip of the today show I was really hit by how much the world has changed! 

A couple years ago I read a fascinating article at the BBC (interesting enough written by John Taylor of Duran Duran fame) where he writes how the instant gratification of the internet steals some of the mystery of life.  He talks about how you used to have to scour magazine interviews or liner notes on albums to glean some insight into the life of a music star.  Now you just go to wikipedia and learn everything about anyone instantly.  Something is lost...people are addicted to being online and are increasingly becoming socially inept.

Really, for me,  it comes down to there being just too much "weirdness" on the internet...starting with the blog-o-sphere.

I'm the first to say I have enjoyed access to old friends that I have found on Facebook, or the instant face to face calls I have had via Skype.  Hey I'm writing this blog right now on the good old World Wide Web but truth be told, if I could click a button and eliminate the internet from our society (and throw in cell phones while we're at it)...I would.

I prefer the simple life... receiving a real letter from a friend in the mailbox, waiting to talk to someone on the phone at home only because you were AT HOME...and flipping through albums (or CDs) at a real store where you could talk with an attendant about music, movies, or whatever.  A time where I could sit through a meal without my  cell phone beeping to let me know I have received, yes, another text message.  I don't like cell phones and often...ooops..."forget" it at home.

 I wish I had the conviction to unilaterally pull the plug but society has deemed this is the way we interact now..

But I am still holding out in one area...I have still NEVER sent a text message!