1 December 2014

Gentlefolk,

This post starts with some photos taken in the last couple of weeks, then a bit about Breaking Bad, and finally a comment on Voting in the USA.

On Friday 28 November 2014 a cold change, windy & wet, arrived; the first really cold spell so far.  Apparently there has been lots of snow up north and out west already and winter has now reached our little neck of the woods too.

Today, 1 December, the maximum was +2C (with a nasty wind) and the minimum now as I type this post is -4C.  Time to break out the long-johns. The central heating on campus started on 13 November - works well - and we are cosy in our new apartment.

Can't complain: we've had 3 great months, September, October and most of November.  Many sunny, nice days; lots of good bike rides around the bay.

Recent photos

A huge setting sun - photo taken near the university's iconic gymnasium.

Teachers take it in turns to host fortnightly dinner on Sunday night.  This time it was Paul's turn - he prepared some delicious pasta dishes.  From left: Paul Finkbeiner, Vera, Steve McCune & Amy, and Michael Christensen.  Unfortunately we see little of the other two American teachers, Katie Cwiakla and Andros Hernandez.

I came across this group of kids while cycling around Tang Dao Wan bay.  I think they were filming a TV commercial.




I have really enjoyed riding my bike around this district.  But it is now getting colder and I will soon have to hang up my helmet until Spring arrives next March or April. 

Lunch with two of my favourite students: Liu Xiao Li (Lily) and Fan Jian Yi (Tony). They are International Trade majors, now seniors.  I taught them Oral English two years ago.  Lily has been admitted into a Masters program (Economics) when she graduates next year and Tony has found a job with a shipping company in Shanghai.

Vera with one of her foreign student friends: Martha from the Central African Republic.  Martha is in the second year of a Petroleum Engineering degree.  There are close to 1,000 foreign students at UPC now. 



On 15 November a speech competition organised by the International Students Union. The learned judges were, from left: Sherry (China); Sheba (Uganda); Stefan (Pakistan); Steven (US); and me.   All names starting with 'S' - except mine!  There were 24 competitors (19 foreign students and 5 Chinese students).  They had to speak  for 5 minutes on the topic "Times are tough, but so are you". The top three placegetters were all from Zimbabwe. Whatever is in the water in Zimbabwe, I want some!

On 24 November a student, Liu Fang Qiang (Oliver), and I visited the Naval Museum in Qingdao City.  Some interesting displays, including old airplanes and a couple of old destroyers.  Unfortunately the submarine was being refurbished and not open to the public.

  

An old sea plane - what a monster!

Old tanks.

We were able to inspect two 'retired' destroyers, but only the outside. One was built in the Soviet Union in 1940 and the other was built in China in 1974.  

Oliver spent 4 months in the USA last year on a "work & travel program'.  I invited him to discuss his experiences and impressions of America with my Western Culture classes - his presentation was very well received by the students.  

Breaking Bad



I didn't think anything could top House of Cards, until we were introduced recently to Breaking Bad. 

Oh dear!

For those of you who haven't seen this series, it is highly recommended. The writing is brilliant, as are the acting and photography (the series has won 108 Awards). A complete package.

Breaking Bad is an American crime drama.  It comprises 26 episodes over 5 seasons (2008 - 2013).

The main characters are: The White family (Walter, his wife Skyler and their son Walter Jr.); Skyler's sister Marie who is married to Hank Schrader (a DEA agent); Walter's partner-in-crime Jesse Pinkman; and drug lord Gustavo (Gus).

The story: Walter is a High School chemistry teacher.  He is diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides to 'cook meth' to pay for treatment (the cancer is too far gone, but his wife insists) and to secure his family's financial future. 

At the beginning Walter comes across as a very decent guy, a dedicated teacher and family man.  We watch, fascinated, as his persona slowly changes as he becomes more and more involved in a world of drugs and crime.

The show's creator, Vince Gilligan, said that his intention was "to change Walter from Mr Chips to Scarface, from protagonist to antagonist". He succeeded.



Breaking Bad from left: creator Vince Gilligan; RJ Mitte (Walter Jr); Aaron Paul (Jesse); Anna Gunn (Skyler White); Bryan Cranston (Walter White); Dean Norris (Hank Schrader).

Breaking Bad - something for everyone!  Highly recommended.

Voting in America

Last week I discussed the American political system with my Western Culture classes.

Something that struck me was the low turn-out rates in elections. 

All US citizens aged 18 and over have the right to vote in elections, but voting is not compulsory (to vote, you have to register first - that is, get your name on the electoral roll).  The 'turn-out rate' is the proportion of the total who could have voted, who actually voted.

The hoopla surrounding Presidential Elections means that the turn-out rate is higher for Presidential Elections (blue line on graph below).  The turn-out rate in November 2012, when Obama beat Romney, was 58.2%.

The turn-out rate in the Mid-term Election held on 4 November 2014 was only 36.4%.   

Turn-out rate in US Presidential elections (blue line) and Mid-term elections (orange line).

I find it very strange that only about one-third of eligible voters actually bothered to vote in this election three weeks ago. Isn't it a responsibility to practice our democratic right to vote?

My American friends say mandatory voting (as in Australia) sucks - they say it should be everyone's personal right to make the decision on whether or not to vote.

I don't agree.  It just seems wrong that less than half of the citizens elect their law-makers. I like that in Australia about 95% of citizens over 18 years of age actually cast a vote.

"Approval" of Congress has been very low for some time (see above Gallup survey).  It rose marginally, to 15% in September 2014, two months before the Mid-term elections. So if the vast majority of Americans are pissed off with how Congress is performing (or, rather, isn't performing), why didn't they see the election on 4 November 2014 as a chance to change things?

When the new Congress takes over in January 2015, the Republicans will have majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. And the President is from the Democratic Party.  It sounds to me like two years of acrimony and blame coming up.  Not a happy prospect.

Time for mandatory voting?

...

That's it for this post.

Keep well, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Monday, 1 December 2014