My First Christmas in the U.S.A.

Tomorrow is Christmas and the occasion reminded me my very first Christmas in the U.S.A.

I was in, of all places, Toledo, Ohio, working on my master degree on civil and environmental engineering, and was invited by a Chinese Ph.D. candidate, and several other graduate students from China, to his home for the Christmas dinner, though none of us was a christian.

It was cold and the ground was covered by snow, as it should be in Christmas time. I cannot remember what we had for dinner - a combination affairs of Chinese and American staples, perhaps. I thing I do remember clearly was that the drink the hostess and her son fixed for us - grapefruit juice which had become my favorite ever since.

After the dinner, I left with a friend who had a car to give me a lift. He took a slight detour to show me the lights in a well-maintained neighborhood - in the brilliant darkness those lights were truly wonderful and as if they danced and sang.  At that moment, I understood Christmas, particularly for the people who live in dark and cold northern countries, when in the deepest darkness, these like bring hope and joy to people's hearts and glimmers of hope revealed.

My first Christmas in the U.S.A., actually, my first "observed" Christmas, was rather low key event but that evening was more endearing for its modesty and simplicity.

明天是聖誕節，这让我记起我在美國的第一個聖誕節。

我当时，于所有的地方，在俄亥俄州的托萊多，读我的土木及環境工程碩士學位。一个中國博士學位候選人邀請由我和其他幾個從中國的研究生到他家的吃聖誕餐，雖然沒有我們是基督徒。

那天很冷，地面上覆蓋著白雪，是聖誕節期間所應該的。我不記得我們吃的是什麼--一個中美組吧。我記得很清楚的是，女主人和她的兒子為我們准备的飲料的--柚子汁--這已成為我至今最喜歡的。

晚飯後，我的一位朋友开車送我一程。他稍微绕了一點以带我看良好居住区的燈盏- 在黑暗中,燈光輝煌精彩，好像在跳舞，唱歌。在那一刻，我明白了聖誕節，特別是对生活在黑暗和寒冷的北方國家的人，在最深的黑暗中，這些灯火像给人們的心靈帶來希望和快樂，和希望的曙光。

我的在美國的第一個聖誕節，其實，我的第一個 "庆祝的" 聖誕節，是相當低调，但那天晚上的謙小和簡朴却让它更温馨。


Winter Flowers © Matthew Felix Sun

Hardcover and Paperback - 精装本和平装本

Books published in the US are generally published in hardcover first and come out in paperback a year or so later.

This practice might have made sense in the past, but with the advance of digital books, the two-tiered marketing should change. In the past, if high prices of hardcovers made readers wait patiently for a cheaper version, now they might opt for digital books immediately ... which is likely to make publishers of paper books obsolete -- or will at least put them in the same perilous position as companies that publish music CDs.

The book market in China might serve as a better model. Books are generally published there only in paperback. Sometimes publishers simultaneously release a slightly more expensive versions of books with laminated covers. Or they only publish laminated versions. On very special occasions, publishers present hardcover or cloth-bound editions as collectibles.

This approach can reduce overall publishing costs and also eliminates an unnecessary wait for readers who don't want to pay hardcover prices. As for authors' compensation, I am confident that arrangements can be found to ensure the profitability for the publisher and fair payment to authors.

The very high expense of text books in the United States troubles me too. Text books are very printed cheaply in China and don't cost much to own. It's time for us to learn a thing or two from China.

在美国出版的书籍一般都是先发行精装版，一年多后，平装版才出来。

这种做法也许在过去是合适的，但随着数字图书的发展，这种两级图书市场现象应该改变。在过去，如果高价的精装书使读者耐心等待更便宜的版本，现在他们可能马上转向数字图书，这可能最后使纸书出版商被淘汰，或者至少处于和唱片公司同样的危险境地。

相反，中国图书市场可以作为一个典范。那里，书籍一般以平装本发行，有时，会有稍微贵一些塑料压膜版同时发行。或者只发行压膜版。在非常特殊的情况下，会有精装本的或布面版本作为收藏品出版。

这个方式可以降低总成本，减少不想付精装本高价的读者们许多不必要的等待。至于作者的报偿，我相信可以找到一个新的方式，可确保出版商的盈利和对作者的公平稿酬。

超贵的美国的教科书费用也一直困扰着我。在中国，教科书是用非常便宜纸张印刷的，不会花很多钱来买。现在是我们从中国学一、两样东西的时候。


Young Man, Book and Flowers / 青年，圖書和花卉 © Matthew Felix Sun

Discriminations - 歧视

This year's US mid-term election, particularly the gubernatorial election in California engaged my mother lives in China, who is not very interested in politics but not without her opinions.

After the election, when my mother, a highly accomplished retired doctor and professor, was relieved to hear that the "run-for-office rich" Meg Whitman lost her bid to become Californian governor.  Her reason was that "women should not govern."

In China, such blatant discrimination against a group people in workplace or otherwise is rampant and acceptable and even expected.  But hearing it from my mother speaking against a person for no reason other than her sex, it unnerved me.

In China, you can see often in hiring notices that they only want to hire people of certain age, height, sex, look, or ethnicity.  Discrimination based on sexual orientation has not been widely observed simply because homosexuals habitually hide their sexual identities in order to keep their jobs.

今年的美國中期選舉，特別是加利福尼亞的州長選舉吸引了我在中國母親的注意力。她不是很關心政治，但並非沒有自己的意見。

選舉結束後，當我妈妈，一個很有成就的退休醫生和教授，聽到“富得可以竞选公职”的Meg Whitman 失去了成為加州州長的机会，很感欣慰。她的理由是，“女人不應該掌权。”

在中國，這種在工作場所或其他場所公然歧視一类人群现象很猖獗和被接受，甚至是被期待的。但是從我母親口里聽到對一個人除了她的性別外毫無理由的拒绝，我还是很惊讶。

在中國，你經常可以看到在招聘告示，公开表示他们只希望僱用有一定年齡，身高，性別，外觀，或種族的人。基於性取向的歧視還沒有被廣泛注意到，只是同性戀者為習慣性地隱藏自己的性身份，以保住他們的工作。

Election - 选举

The mid-term election in the US was an earth-shaking, and despite the low turn out rate, it was still an exercise of voters' choices, however unsatisfactory, or not.

Ever since I gained my US citizenship, I voted for every election.

When I lived in China, I voted only once - still in School.  On the ballots, there were several names nominated for the local level representatives, who actually were mere electors at the lowest level and they would elect higher level electors, who they might be were only revealed later to those elected.  They would vote representatives to the municipal level who then would vote members of parliament representing the province.
Therefore, it was safe to say that the MPs had almost no connection to the regular voters.

Some of those people on the ballots were from my school and others not.  None were allowed to run a campaign.  They were chosen and nominated.  Five people were nominated for five slots.

There were a very brief biographies of those "candidates" and they all claimed to "Adhere to the Four Cardinal Principles" - must adhere to the socialist road; must uphold the the proletarian dictatorship; Third, must uphold the leadership of the Communist Party; Fourth, and must uphold Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought.

Beyond that, we knew nothing about their stands on any other issues.

I voted no to every single candidates in the only "election" I participated before I left China.


美國最近经历了翻天覆地的中期選舉中。儘管投票率低，不理想，選民仍然行使的他们的权利。

自從我獲得了美國國籍，我每次都投票選舉。

當我住在中國是，我只参与过一次選舉 - 我仍然在學校上学。在選票上，列有幾個提名為地方一級的代表的名字，他们其实是最低级的選舉人民，將由他們選出更高層次的選民，至于那些更高層次的選民可能是誰，当时我们无从知晓。他們會選舉市一級代表，市一級代表再决定誰將代表全省成为人民代表大会代表（國會議員）。

因此，人們可以說，國會議員幾乎和普通選民毫无联系。

在選票上的人有些是從我的學校来，其他人则不是。他们不可以搞競選活動。他們仅仅被選中和提名。五人被提名“竞争”五個位置。

每个“候选人”有一個非常簡短的傳記，他們都聲稱“堅持四項基本原則” - 必須堅持社會主義道路，必須堅持無產階級專政，必須堅持共產黨的領導，必須堅持馬克思列寧主義，毛澤東思想。

除此之外，我們对他们任何其他問題的立場一無所知。

我对每一個候選人都投了反对票。那是我在離開之前參加的唯一一次“选举”。

Fire in Shanghai - 上海大火

Immediately after the much hyped World Expo, Shanghai suffered a big fire which resulted in at least 58 deaths so far.

Almost as soon as the fire burned out, the authority declared that they had detailed culprits, un-licensed welders. But the general contractors and its subcontractors have not been held responsible by the authorities, yet.

This strategy has been played out whenever there was a disaster, especially relating to the powerful and the rich. But Shanghai is different. Its citizens are much more sophisticated and demand more of their own rights. Perhaps, this time, those victims would not be silenced easily.

大肆宣传的世博会刚结束，上海就遭受了大火灾，至今为止至少58人死亡。

大火刚刚烧完，有关当局宣布，他们已经监禁了嫌犯，无证焊工。但是，当局至今还没有追究总承包商和分包商的责任。

每当有灾难，尤其是涉及到有权和有钱的，这一战略就发挥出效应。但上海是不同的。它的公民更见多识广和更要求维护自己的权利。也许，这一次，这些受害者不会被轻易沉默。

David Disarmed - 被缴械的大卫

We often cheer the impossible feat of David's overcoming giant Goliath, particularly because it was impossible.

When a tiny consumer tries to address the wrongs he or she suffered in the hands of commercial conglomerates, the chance of their winning is just like that of David's. Banding small people together, is the only weapon they will have to overcome their opponents. Yet, in China and the US, these little Davids are to be disarmed.

Chinese kangaroo court just imposed a two and a half year term on Zhao Lianhai, who became an activist after his son experienced kidney problems linked to contaminated baby formula. He was convicted of inciting public disorder by setting up a web site to help other parents with sick children to share information and to seek compensation, and by organizing protests.

In the US, the Supreme Court just took up a case by Vincent and Liza Concepcion complaining that they were charged $30.32 for a phone that was supposed to be free and they had signed away their right to initiate a class-action suit against the company, AT&T.

People fear that the ultra-business-friendly court might side with big business once again, and render little Davids in the US armless as well.

The width of the Pacific Ocean is getter ever narrower.


我们经常欢呼大卫几乎不可能的战胜巨人歌利亚，特别是因为它的不可能性。

当一个微小的消费者试图解决他或她在商业企业集团手中遭受的痛苦，他们的获胜的机会，就像大卫一样小。小人物们合伙诉讼，是他们克服的对手唯一的武器。然而，在中国和美国，他们正被缴械。

中国的袋鼠法庭判处了赵连海两年半徒刑. 赵连海在儿子因受污染的婴儿奶粉肾脏致病后,成为一个积极活动分子，设立一个网站，以帮助患病儿童与其他家长分享信息，并寻求赔偿和组织抗议。因此,他被判定犯有煽动扰乱公共秩序罪。

在美国，最高法院刚刚受理 Vincent 和 Liza Concepcion 对AT&T的诉讼,抱怨他们为一个"免费"的电话机付出三十点三二美元,并签字放弃他们集体诉讼的权利。

人们担心，对商业超级友好的最高法院又会边与大企业站在一起，使小大卫们手无寸铁。

太平洋的宽度在越变越窄。


Jingwei Filling Up the Sea / 精衛填海
© Matthew Felix Sun
www.matthewfelixsun.com

"名人"名言 - "Celebrity" Quotes

A slew of notorious quotes in China went viral, revealing the inequality of that society in a most astonishing way.

- A college student sped on campus and resulted in a death and a serious injury of two college students.  The culprit complained about the damage of his car and left the site to see his girlfriend, and shouted at the security and other students - I dare you to sue me.  My Dad is Li Gang.  Mr. Li Gang is a petty public safety official in a small town near Beijing.

- Another auto incident.  The drunk driver shouted his immortal quote: "My uncle is a bureau chief."

- A Vice Chairman of Writers' Association in Henan Province made such speech that ever since the new Party Chief arrived his province, the literary spring had arrived and they were excited everyday and they were able to wash faces with tears.

- The highest literary award in China, awarded another petty official the poetry awards.  Many readers in China ridiculed the choice, because the award-winning poetry were pedestrian and as poetic as the weather report.

- City of Shenzhen gave housing subsidies to a selected group of people, including CEO of Tengxun Ma Huateng , whose assets worth 29.3 Billion Yuan (about US $4.44 Billion). 

在中國一系列臭名昭著故事在网上迅速传播，揭示了驚人的社會不平等。

- 一名大學生在校園超速導致兩名大學生一死和一嚴重傷害。肇事者抱怨汽車的損害，在離開現場去看到他的女朋友前，向在场的安全人员和其他學生喊 - 有本事你去告我。我的爸爸是李刚。李刚是北京附近的一個小城市的一個公共安全小官員。

- 另一件汽車事故。一个醉漢司機喊他的不朽的名言：“我舅舅是局長。”

- 河南作家協會一副主席作出這樣的發言，自從新的省委書記上任，文學的春天已經來了河南，他們都很興奮，每天以淚洗面。

- 中國最高文學獎把詩歌獎頒發了另一小官员。許多讀者在嘲笑这一選擇，因為獲獎詩歌的詩意和天氣報告一样。

- 深圳市給選定的一群人住房補貼，其中包括騰訊公司的首席執行官馬化騰，其資產總值 29.3億元（約合 4.44 億美元）。


Mao © Matthew Felix Sun