http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/04/23/con-artists-tormenting-chinese-immigrants-in-brooklyn-with-cash-or-curse-scam/
An article of scam artists taking advantage of chinese immigrants by scaring them into believing they will be cursed unless they give up their money. Wow.

I’m sad this was our last session! I appreciated Professor Dube starting with the question of “Why does it matter?” in regards to American occupation of Japan. Like I said during class, that’s been on my mind. How were the Americans so successful in Japan, but pushed out of other areas and labeled imperialists? I also appreciated the Tiananmen Square background. A lot of parallels could be made to the US Occupy Movements. Clay mentioned Chinese friends of his not wanting Americans to only have this visual of violence. When I mention Tiananmen Square, my students immediately have one image in their minds. I don't like to make light of tragedies, but Dube did mention the Simpsons - here is Bart as "Tank man"
edited by gsharpe on 4/26/2013

This was an excellent seminar, my compliments to Clay Dube, I learned a great deal and the material was presented in an interesting manner. I appreciated the diversity of the sessions, ranging from lectures to student led and then the guest lecturers teaching about Korea and Japan.

The last session was of particular interest to me because of Clay's involvement with Chinese studies for the past 30 years. I was interested to hear his opinions on how China has changed from the early 1980s through the 1989 student demonstrations. Then the gradual re-opening in the 1990s and up through the post-Free Trade Agreement. I appreciated Clay's in depth knowledge and discourses and I can certainly say that this was a great learning experience for me and time well spent.

This was a great experience. I really had a great time. I was fascinated by the description of Clay's experience after tiananmen square. It is amazing how long ago that was -- and it is interesting to see how much, and yet how little has changed. I just read an article about how schools are building domes to protect their students from pollution. This is obviously a huge problem for China and one that affects our own health. As a result of this seminar, I have been listening more carefully to the news of the internal government struggles in china have become more interesting. It brings back the theme of how we are all so interconnected.

Sorry to keep posting, but this also caught my eye. It goes back to the conversation that we had on Chinese education styles. It was an interview on a new book about the Tiger Mom style of parenting and the negative efects that it has on people/kids. It was interetsing and may have to pick up the book.

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/kids-of-tiger-moms-are-worse-off-183645852.html#!euJhA

I found it profound to see that not only democratic revolutions bring about change by the elite and the masses, but that also so-called "People's Revolutions" go the way democratic ones do. For all the "change" that people brought about during the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward, if the cogs are not aligned between the leadership and the people, positive change for the people may not be possible.

Keeping secret the death of 240,000 people in the name of...what, the revolution? Photoshopping the events of 1989 a-la Soviet in the name of what...? These events were not mandated by the ruling elite, but by nature and the people they claim to "represent". Despite these blackouts, change did take place to the advantage of the people and the elite, "To get rich was glorious". I found the Four Modernizations and their implementations starting in the countryside as a "safe" way of moving forward; try it out on the peasants first! I also found it interesting that the political elite do not send their children overseas! Despite the changes taking place in Europe, the Chinese leadership was able to control the events, and despite squashing by the army of the students in Tiananmen Square, they were in fact able to move forward. I also found it interesting that the gap between the countryside and the city is widening.

I read this as well. I kind of didn't believe it at first. This is the power of superstition. Someone is always thinking up new ways to take advantage of others.

I am actually kind of sad that it is over ! I won't miss getting home late and being to stimulated to sleep, but I am amazed how quickly 3 hours passes in class when you have such an engaging teacher.