I wanted to use national currency as gifts for students in the Cultural Scavenger Hunt because they are pretty, not readily available, and often show a person, location, or event of some historical or cultural importance to that particular sovereign.  What I did not expect to find was a recruitment for a religious group on a one yuan bill in China.

At first glance I thought that the bill had a tracking number and message.  On certain American currencies there are tracking numbers with a message that states that people should give the bill to their local bank or enter the code on a website.  Basically the U.S. government is looking at bill circulation trends and longevity.  I did not really examine the message because I had no time but I kept it for further evaluation later.

Later on, I thought that the bill message was strange because I thought I saw the character for God on the bill.  I decided to ask for a translation and someone told me that it was a recruitment or advertisement for the Falun Gong Organization.

Now personally I believe that people should practice whatever religion and belief they think appeals to them with the caveat that you do not hurt others.  However, if you do something idiotic like hog tie your wife in the middle of the village and slice her stomach open while she is pregnant with twins to see the “wheel of life,” I draw the line.  (This event happened in a rural village in China from 2008-2009 but I cannot access the articles relating to the event thanks to the Great Firewall of China.  Please google for this news article on your own).  So needless to say, I am not pleased that the Falun Gong is recruiting via Chinese currency but not sure what to do with the bill either.

Should I keep the bill as a scrapbook token?  Should I turn the bill into the Bank of China so they can recycle it?  Should I spend it and send the bill back into circulation to promote freedom of speech?

Current Mood:  Everyone likes money in terms of its util value but never thought that the physical attributes and modifications of money could be so interesting.

“Things can be worse,” is something everyone tells you when they are trying to make you feel better.  Unfortunately, this does not make me feel better because it is the bloody principle of things and not necessarily an emotional reaction to being scammed.

I went to Walmart and bought some hot pot treats because I wanted to make another professor feel better.   The professor was having a bad week dealing with the bureaucracy in China.  We were going to commiserate and try to problem solve over a good meal.  I personally feel everyone does a better job brain storming when happily full.

So we blissfully ate wonderful hot pot, had great conversations all night, and then I went to Beijing for a week.  In Beijing, I went to a very interesting environmental meeting where I discovered that environmental law theory is still very fractured.  Came home with Peking Duck.  All was happy until I went to the bank to trade in some currency.

One of the 10 yuan bills I had ripped and I wanted to replace it.  I gave the money to the teller and she informs me that it is a fake.  At first they did not want to give me the bill back, probably because they are afraid that it would recirculate.  However, after I promised to bring the bill back after I go and have a show and tell session with Walmart customer service, they relented.  They were also nice enough to show me how to tell a real from a fake 10 yuan bill for future reference.  Mao’s collar should have ridges.  The flower watermark should not be visible until you flash it up towards the light.  The series of blue lines should be raised when you run your fingers against them.  There should be a metallic strip off center in the bill.  Mine was all correct minus the ridges.  See the fake 10 yuan bill below.

While the tellers at the bank were nice and seemed sympathetic to my fake 10 yuan, they also seemed to think that I was making a big deal over nothing.  My uncle seemed to think that 10 yuan is not worth making a fuss about after all he got two fake 100 bills in Shen Zheng.  My friend thought Walmart would not give me back the money even if I complained so why bother.  But there is such a thing as principle.  So am I going to make a stink about the fake bill?  Yes.  Is Walmart going to replace my bill?  Probably not.  Will informing Walmart customer service about the fake 10 yuan make me feel better?   Yes.  Seriously, Walmart is an American Brand, the least they could do is give me a 10 yuan coupon for something.

Current Mood:  Feeling blue about the fake 10 yuan.  Feeling happy that I have a plan of action.  If nothing else, I am going to complain to Walmart corporate headquarters.  You cannot be circulating fake bills and think that customers are going to be happy about it.

I find the internet a wonderful place to share my thoughts on things but at the same time I think that it is filled with crap and unfortunately, examples of human stupidity due to the lack of functional brain power.  While I hate to say that any soft science study could be correct, you have to hand it to the people over at Yale who statistically found that people have grown less intelligent with the easier access to information which may or may not be true via the www, more gullible, and more vaine.

So in the US a man who is attempting to evade the police and an arrest warrant has taken to the internet to let the Lima Police Department know that his mugshot did not do the beauty queen justice and asked them to repost a better image of him in a potential get-away car 😀

US fugitive sends selfie to police after ‘terrible’ mugshot’ – http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35284225

I love the 14th Amendment because it really describes American Law, Philosophy, Principles, and what it means to be an American.

The 14th Amendment passed in 1865 may not be one of the original parts of the U.S. Constitution but it is a goody.  Section 1 is the best because it speaks about who is a U.S. Citizen, equality, due process, and privileges but for the exact text – see below:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State in wherein they reside.  No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States;nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

As for the Birther Issue with Ted Cruz… While the U.S. Supreme Court has never officially ruled on the term “natural born citizen,” the 14th amendment does not say natural born citizen it says “born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens of the United States…  So while Senator Ted Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother, he has a U.S. Passport and has rescinded his dual citizenship.  Does it matter that the U.S. Supreme Court has never decided on Article II Section 1 Subsection 5’s “natural born Citizen?”  Probably not.

Does it matter where a country’s leader is born? – http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35257609

Most people would give an arm and a leg for American Citizenship because it comes with the American Passport which allows you to wander to many countries without a visa and if you do need a visa, you can usually buy one at the airport or any other border crossing.  However, if you were worshiped as Stephon Marbury is in China, you might give up your American citizenship too.  Seriously, a museum to boot called The House of Marbury 😀

Stephon Marbury opens personal museum in Beijing – http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2015-12/22/content_22774224.htm

Stephon Marbury: The NBA Player Who Embraced China – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-35173689

Stephon Marbury Gains Museum, and Green Card, in China – http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/world/asia/stephon-marbury-china-basketball.html

The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution passed in 1791 states the following: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

When I travel internationally, people seem to think that Americans are obsessed with guns.  As a reasonable and rational human being, I do not think that Americans are obsessed with guns as much as their right to carry a gun.

Obama considers unilateral action on US gun violence – http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35211294

US gun control: What is the NRA and why is it so powerful? – http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394

As a future member of the NRA I believe that Americans should keep the right to bear arms because of the following:

1. The U.S. gained their independence from Great Britain partially because we had access to firearms.  If we had significant gun control way back when then King George’s Armies would have squashed the American Revolution in a heart beat.  You never know when we might need those guns again to overthrow a tyrant – especially with the current Presidential candidates…
2. Guns do not actually kill people.  People kill people.  If we restricted all access to guns then those who insist on murdering people would just find a different weapon to use.  For example, the mass killings in the Chinese train stations last year were carried out by fanatics with knives.  Forty something people were injured and several died.  The death toll was just as many if not more than the San Bernadino, CA terrorist attack.
3. Guns do not kill people.  People kill people.  Most of the guns which inflict death, fear, terrorist, and other criminal activities are the result of illegal guns.  A criminal cannot go off and buy a gun from a registered and legally operated gun business.  A criminal buys guns from the back of a car where the guns fell off a truck somewhere.
   

   Are you mad or criminal, asks US gun seller- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35229015

4. Most Americans use guns in recreational activities which also bring enjoyment to the American public.  We do have a huge hunting culture in the U.S.  Many people, including me love Moose, Deer, Rabbit, and other tasty treats bought in through hunting.  I personally like to shoot skeet even though I am terrible at it.  None of those activities lead to mass shootings of people.  At most as Dick Cheney proved, you occasionally might shoot your friend in the butt with lots of turkey pellets and buckshot.  However, if you go hunting, you assume the risk of the sport and need to settle the issue between you and your hunting buddy if you accidentally shoot each other 😀

In Conclusion while I respect President Obama’s sense of frustration at the fact that guns kill so many people, I respectfully disagree with his notion that an Executive Order could solve the gun violence issues in the U.S.  You cannot account for crazy ever…

This was one of the best semesters to teach American Constitutional Law, especially in China because of the many relevant news articles, U.S. Supreme Court Cases on the docket, and good examples about citizenship thanks to a retired NBA player 😀

In class we discussed Freedom of Speech and of course one of the related sub-topics, Freedom of Commercial Speech.  For those of you who do not know, Commercial Speech generally advertises a product or a service.  To determine if a restriction on commercial speech is permissible, you need to consider if 1) the product being advertised is legal, and 2) whether or not the speech is misleading to consumers.  IF the government is allowed to regulate commercial speech does it have a substantial reason for a regulation?  Does the restriction advance a government interest?  Is the restriction narrowly tailored to achieve a government interest?  Right after the lesson, the Lumosity case broke in the U.S.

Lumosity brain-training game ‘deceived customers’ – http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35241778

Lumosity claimed that playing its games for 15-20 minutes a day would decrease the chances of dementia, alzheimers, stroke, and brain injuries.  The US Federal Trade Commission investigated Lumosity’s claims, decided the claims were fake, and then wanted to fine the company $50 million dollars.  Because the company could not afford the fines, the fine was reduced to $2 million and a chance to allow its subscribers to cancel their contracts.

Lumosity fined US$2 million by FTC over games’ brain-boosting claims –http://www.newsjs.com/url.php?p=http://business.financialpost.com/fp-tech-desk/luminosity-fined-us2-million-by-ftc-over-games-brain-boosting-claims

Was at dinner with one of my other friends tonight and we were talking about things that would be first nature back home and those same things which must be adjusted for in China.  One of the things that I feel really strongly about is helping others if you cannot tell from my blog or two seconds of speaking with me.  Unfortunately, in China many people feel that we need to hold back on helping others because of the culture here.

For example, in the US at the minimum I would call 911 and then stay with the person until help arrived.  In China, I still call 110 but I do not stick around to see if help arrived because usually once people figure out that you are a westerner they assume that you either had something to do with the incident or assume that they can blackmail you into giving them money.  I was really surprised that my friend said the same thing.  (My experience is from China circa 2008-2009 where I went to stop a fight and my aunt started screaming at me).

My friend is an EMT back in the US which means if you see someone in trouble you go off and help them even if they are a stranger.  In China my friend and another friend of the friend was walking around, saw a motorcycle get hit by a car and they left the scene.  My friend was correct in that had they gone over to help, they would have been blamed for the accident and the driver would have fled the scene.  Sometimes being a “foreigner in China is scary because the first words out of a local’s mouth usually is, “Look the foreigner did X,Y,Z to me,” even when totally untrue.  After that you have to deal with the mob and how do you explain to an enraged, illogical group in your terrible or non-existent language skills what happened?

I never thought that I would be a Katie Genovese bystander and in some ways I am not because at least I go and find help or call for help before I leave.  However, I am not happy with certain aspects of life in China and this is one of them.

Now for those of you who do not know about the Katie Genovese case and resulting psychological studies on the issue, please read the following link even though it is a wiki page:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese.

I am trying to get people more interested in first aid training for teachers, staff, and professors at the university level because we have had issues where a student died or got hurt on campus.  Usually people are scared to help because they are afraid of liability issues – if this is the case then we need to pass Good Samaritan laws in China to encourage people to help out.  The training issue is hopefully more easily solvable – this is my new year project for school 😀

Current Mood: Still a little sick but very happy because I had dinner with a great friend who I can vent at and commiserate with.

It is that time of year again.  More laws for everyone.  Goodie 😀   All of the following are according to the news segments from ABC, CBS, and NBC Nightly News from 1/01/2016.

1. Fourteen states including NY have increased the minimum wage and in particular in NYC the fast food minimum wage has been raised to $10.50 which puts a bandage on the current economic situation but nonetheless deserved.  Some of the fast food people have the hardest jobs between the number of hours, terrible customers, and hot grease.
2. Immunity for underage drinkers to call 911 for their friends in Illinois.  A very good new rule since people cannot be counted on to do the right thing and call for help.  Maybe some college students will actually call 911 now instead of sit on the internet for 1.5 hours looking for medical solutions to a friend who is dying and ultimately did die due to a combination of stupidity and fear of getting in trouble – See Baruch fraternity event in PA.
3. Banning Ear Buds in CA while driving.  This is something that I am guilty of as well.  With the reduced hearing of late, I like to listen to my music very loudly and it does not help that the ear buds do reduce hearing in general.  One of the biggest problems I have in China is walking around like I am in the US and thinking that someone is going to go around me.  One of these days I am probably going to get run over here because the cars and mopeds speed along.  Most of them honk but if you cannot hear them – oh well – death for you it is…
4. Animal Cruelty Registry in TN.  While I love animals and think that this is a great idea, I am also sad that many people care more about animals than other human beings. Most people would help an animal in need over another human being.  See I am learning lots about psychology while abroad from news and experiences 😀
5. Smoking Age Increased to 21 in HI.  While I think that this is intrusive and if people want to legally kill themselves let them, I can see why it is a legitimate government interest because many smokers who end up with health issues will end up in the health care system.
6. Open Carry Law in TX.  I love the idea of being able to shoot skeet and go to the shooting range when irritated.  However, I am not a fan of this open carry law because I am afraid that someone will do something idiotic while drunk and/or irrationally mad at someone and shoot a person for something random.  While I am okay with shooting terrorists and I do believe that having some guns around may be a preventative measure in certain cases, most criminals do not care about the law or the police having guns so they are still going to come after us anyway.  Let the police handle the crazies – it is their job and they are probably better trained than the average person.
7. Concealed Hand Guns Banned at Schools in CA.  What the hell?  What idiot allowed people to carry concealed hand guns on school grounds to start with?  Between little children who have no idea what a “real” versus “play” gun is and people who cannot control their tempers, CA is lucky that they have not had more school shootings.

Current Mood: Scared about the UBE and need to read the breakdown of the exam again.  More parts and more essays.  But this time around I plan to type and I type “good” 😀  There are some days where I wish I was raised in the Chinese system of memorizing.  So much to relearn before the exam 🙁

My professors use to claim that my solutions to legal issues were very novel and interesting but I have nothing on the following lawyers…  While I may not understand most of the human race, I do know it is total bull when people say that they would never do anything irrational or believe in things unreasonable.  This obviously is not the case especially in the use of novel criminal defenses such as the following:

1. Ethan Couch’s Affluenza Defense – Now if your parents do not teach you right from wrong, you can go off and kill four people and injure several others with a non-medically accepted Affluenza defense.  You can then also use mommy and daddy’s money and run off to Mexico to avoid a potential probation violation and adult jail time.  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35194696
2. The Twinkie/Depression Defense – If you are an adult like Dan White who killed a mayor and his advisor in cold blood and only want to go to jail for an 8 year sentence and serve 5 years, you can claim depression which is a real medical illness.  Unfortunately, his great lawyers have condemned people who actually have depression to ridicule.
3.  Auto-Brewery Syndrome – Some people actually have this really rare condition which causes them to convert every carbohydrate they eat into alcohol.  While this is a really popular defense for DUI lawyers, I hope that the Judges on the bench properly look at medical evidence or we are going to have lots of crazies killing people because they have free reign to drink and get away with it. Sigh – NY school teacher who is 35 just used this defense successfully.  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35206709
4. PMS – While many people suffer from PMS, myself included, even I would not murder someone for being irritating – that would mean killing almost anyone around me because at some point in time, you will irritate me.  It really is a fact that at any given time, someone is annoying.
5. Oral Sex –  While I do see this happening especially on some of the back roads in the U.S., do you really want to let these people free?  Giving someone oral sex while they are driving and then causing a car accident should not allow you a get out of jail free card.  You still helped contribute to the motor vehicular death.\
6. Following defenses were from the article – http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35206423

Current Mood: Tired and fighting off another cold but happy to be catching up on legal news.  Pretty happy that I am currently getting 65-80% of the MBE questions right and it is day 2 of studying.  If I hit the happy 71% number regularly, according to statistics I will have a passable score for almost all the UBE states.

U.S. Citizens who travel a lot are advised to be enrolled in the STEP program.  However, when the British and Chinese news report that I need to be concerned about a possible on terrorist threat in Beijing before I get an email from the U.S. State Department, I feel that my tax dollars have gone to poop.

Beijing security: ‘Possible threat to Westerners’ governments warn – http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-35174326

Now for those of you who are pissed off at the Virginia school district’s lesson plan is suppose to edumacate your children in geography and diversity, maybe this puts it all in perspective – No?

Seriously, I have to worry about getting blown up or attacked on foreign soil just because I want to go and drink and eat at a place which serves comfort food and you are upset that the school system was trying to teach your children that people in the Middle East use Arabic letters…

We are founded on the principle of freedom of religion.  Most of the first immigrants in our country were running away from persecution.  Maybe since it is the Christian Savior’s birthday, we should be a kinder and more generous to others?

I am pretty sure that nobody in the VA school system was trying to indoctrinate your kids into Islam.  Now run along and enjoy your Christmas and New Year Holidays.  Stop with this stupid foolishness.

Virginia schools shut in Islam calligraphy row
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35136023