tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:35:55 +0000notes on miscellaneous encountershttp://www.scottwgaler.org/noreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)Blogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-8179424638524880419Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:26:00 +00002009-06-17T16:27:25.160-06:00Hey Chinese 102 Students! I'm giving extra credit for an in-class karaoke performance tomorrow. Here's some potential material:http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/06/karaoke-anyone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-1227595547943992479Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:54:00 +00002009-06-11T11:54:40.315-06:00我曾經問個不休　妳何時跟我走可妳卻總是笑我　一無所有我要給妳我的追求　還有我的自由可妳總是笑我　一無所有喔　妳何時跟我走　喔　妳何時跟我走腳下這地在走　身邊那水在流可妳卻總是笑我　一無所有為何妳總笑個沒夠　為何我總要追求難道在妳面前我永遠　是一無所有喔　妳何時跟我走　喔　妳何時跟我走(腳下這地在走　身邊那水在流　腳下這地在走　身邊那水在流)告訴妳我等了很久　告訴妳我最後的要求我要抓起妳的雙手　妳這就跟我走這時妳的手在顫抖　這時妳的淚在流莫非妳是正在告訴我　妳愛我一無所有喔　妳這就跟我走　喔　妳這就跟我走(腳下這地在走　身邊那水在流　腳下這地在走　身邊那水在流)喔　妳這就跟我走　喔　妳這就跟我走喔　妳這就跟我走　喔　妳這就跟我走喔　妳這就跟我走　喔　妳這就跟我走 http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/06/lyrics-to-nothing-to-my-name.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-4253016592674201443Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:34:00 +00002009-06-11T11:49:26.713-06:00A friend told me that during the time around the recent twentieth anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen incident, Chinese netizens used "May 35th" to refer to June 4th in order to avoid online censors. John Pomfret's article in last Sunday's Washington Post answers the question that many have wondered about, namely how has China managed to turn the tides of angst that were washing over the country inhttp://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/06/pomfret-on-post-may-35th-1989-china.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-2955046426212267495Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:31:00 +00002009-06-10T22:44:31.287-06:00I don't feel that we had enough time in my developing world class today to finish our discussions on Sudan, China, and the US. Here are a few more resources I dug up this evening.A BBC news article from March 2009 that gives an excellent three-minute read on background and current status of the conflict in Darfur.This March 2008 NY Times article discusses China's ties with Sudan prior to the 2008http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/06/darfur-sudan-and-china.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-4244835598330670642Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:11:00 +00002009-06-01T15:16:18.405-06:00A couple posts ago I linked to a series of NPR reports, one of which featured contemporary Chinese novelist Yu Hua. Yu shares his recollections of May-June 1989 in a New York Times op-ed piece on May 30. I remember those days vividly, if only from memories of the 24-hour live CNN coverage I watched while attending university in Provo. At the time I had been hired by Continental Grain to work for http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/06/yu-hua-on-june-4.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-3941626659239457851Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:21:00 +00002009-06-01T13:28:12.196-06:00I've witnessed the rise of English Fever (英文热) over the last two decades in China. In this short segment from Jay Walker's TED talk, one can witness the great heights to which the pursuit of English language skill has risen. He also gives a nice short summary of the importance of the university entrance exam in China (gaokao 高考). http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/06/english-fever.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-3002092043341040946Wed, 27 May 2009 21:18:00 +00002009-05-27T15:26:43.198-06:00Chinese literatureNPRChinaYu HuaI've been lying low lately trying to catch up on several disparate projects. Not to mention picking up some slack at home due to a slightly slowed-down spouse. One of NPR's China hands, Louisa Lim, has produced an excellent series on contemporary Chinese writers: one in his sixties, one in his forties, and one in his twenties. I've listened to the first two segments and look forward to hearing http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/05/contemporary-chinese-writers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-6115134199286494987Tue, 12 May 2009 17:12:00 +00002009-05-12T11:29:42.404-06:00Chinese languageMy colleague and friend Shen Lei recently directed me to a new website for studying Chinese characters. Skritter is quite useful, and a bit addictive. They give you a two-week free trial. Thereafter, reasonably priced monthly subscriptions are offered. Be sure to check out the "Resources" link on their site. They link to and review several web-based dictionaries and other applications I use http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/05/skritter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-1925033361122940592Mon, 11 May 2009 23:10:00 +00002009-05-11T17:28:13.325-06:00Tomorrow, May 12, is the anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck western Sichuan last year, killing over 88,0000 people and leaving over five million homeless or relocated.Last week I overheard part of an interview with Afterquake on NPR's "All Things Considered" and finally found time today to get back to the story. The work Abigail Washburn and Dave Liang have done and are doing http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/05/afterquake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-8035632104885168367Fri, 01 May 2009 13:26:00 +00002009-05-01T07:32:36.622-06:00Check out Sage Stossel's very amusing piece in The Atlantic here. If you don't live in a cave, and if you've ever used Facebook, or are remotely familiar with it, Stossel's dark humor should prove entertaining.http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/05/world-leaders-on-facebook.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-2277450374815635037Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:28:00 +00002009-04-28T17:31:19.153-06:00developing worldI heard this story on NPR a few months ago and meant to share it with the students in my Developing World classes. I wanted to link to it here before it was too long for me to remember when I heard it. It's a fascinating piece that illustrates an innovative and simple approach to solving a lethal problem.http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/educating-cambodians-about-safe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-8433375264748637881Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:32:00 +00002009-04-28T11:34:00.489-06:00In our FDINT 202 class last week we discussed Thomas Friedman's book "The World is Flat." Here's another example of outsourcing that might be of interest to readers with young children at home.Report: Many U.S. Parents Outsourcing Child Care Overseashttp://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/outsourcing-for-parents.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-6582585615195243255Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:27:00 +00002009-04-21T15:30:58.261-06:00Students in my Chinese 347 course will recognize Professor Mair as the editor of our text, The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. Here he comments in depth on an article in today's New York Times about some of the curiosities of Chinese names and naming conventions.http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/victor-mair-on-chinese-names.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-8908139392848839629Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:05:00 +00002009-04-21T00:09:25.179-06:00This is an interesting interview, but if you don't have time to read the whole thing, scroll down to section six for some excellent tips on software useful to the Chinese learner and/or translator.http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/tips-to-some-chinese-translation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-7664820364480885850Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:42:00 +00002009-04-20T14:56:41.076-06:00This post is for my Chinese 102 class.你们好！我们这个学期要用Blogger做播客。每个星期你们要写一次播客。古老师也会写几次播客。希望大家都会喜欢这个活动。http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/102.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-2480039366115952992Mon, 20 Apr 2009 03:29:00 +00002009-04-19T21:32:47.505-06:00Since I recently gave space on this blog to a link to one of Bono's critics, I've no reason to not give him some space too. In this guest opinion in the New York Times, he discusses our individual and collective soul searching in these more difficult economic times.http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/bono-on-soul-searching.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-3246171430544516310Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:39:00 +00002009-04-16T08:45:55.814-06:00As I began just over a year ago to prepare to teach "The Developing World" (a new gen ed course at my university), it came as no surprise to me that air pollution is one of the more serious environmental concerns plaguing millions of people in the developing world. What I didn't realize, however, is that the most pernicious and pervasive form of this air pollution is indoor air pollution, caused http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/indoor-air-pollution.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-3082911584830166340Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:23:00 +00002009-04-08T12:33:15.827-06:00This five minute clip from bigthink.com provides valuable insight into what is and is not working in African development. Though not opposed to emergency relief, Moyo takes the long view and sees investment (many forms, including micro-loans) as the only sustainable road leading Africa out of poverty. Moyo is the author of Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa.http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/dambisa-moyo-on-aid-to-africa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-7545128229562567990Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:18:00 +00002009-04-01T15:23:28.721-06:00Students in my FDINT 202 class watched a TED talk by Jacqueline Novogratz last week in which she describes a life-changing event experienced as a 20-something working in Rwanda. That particular experience has shaped her life and career, and can now be read about in more detail in her book "The Blue Sweater."http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/blue-sweater.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-2014470477031114695Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:15:00 +00002009-04-01T14:17:30.322-06:00Take two and a half minutes to listen to Peter Singer discuss his ideas for addressing global poverty.http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/04/peter-singer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-5776475397188475679Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:16:00 +00002009-03-29T11:22:38.287-06:00This week, students in my course on the developing world will begin to assess the problems they've studied in developing countries to come up with a project that they will either carry out or one they could conceivably carry out in the future. In today's New York Times, Nicholas Kristof introduces Sasha Kramer and Sarah Brownell, two young American women running a bare bones non-profit http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/03/on-ground-in-haiti-with-nicholas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-7668254945252353754Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:30:00 +00002009-03-26T11:38:31.714-06:00Special thanks to Xujun Eberlein, who translated this important article by Sun Liping. Sun is a sociology professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing and this essay is currently very popular on the Chinese Internet. The essay provides some keen and controversial insights into contemporary Chinese society, as well as some observations that clearly transcend China. Consider the following passage, http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/03/societal-breakdown-in-china.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-9132733319792389870Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:11:00 +00002009-03-23T10:19:16.109-06:00Victoria, one of the students in my "Developing World" class, a few weeks ago shared her family's experiences with hyperinflation in Zimbabwe. This short segment (referred by student Matt M.), documents the rapidly worsening situation of the collapse of the Zimbabwean currency. Sam Chakaipa, a native Zimbabwean, recently returned to his home village and documented the dire situation, where http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/03/gut-wrenching-view-of-hyperinflation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-8455108140154770076Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:40:00 +00002009-03-18T22:42:34.708-06:00This post strays a bit from my more common themes. Few people know that I hold a private pilot license (although I haven't flown in years). If vehicles like this are available when I hit retirement, I just might have to get my ticket current.http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/03/my-next-car-er-plane.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234154.post-7232381628824009512Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:39:00 +00002009-03-17T08:47:49.717-06:00I'm often asked to direct people toward advanced listening material in Chinese. Adam Schokora at 56minus1.com has compiled an excellent intro to a variety of podcasts in Chinese.http://www.scottwgaler.org/2009/03/podcasts-in-chinese.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Scott W. Galer)