The bag law seems to be working overtime though. I haven’t been offered or given a plastic bag of any kind since June 1st.

Compare this to Canada, where Ontario is just now making the first moves to ban bags…but only in provincial liquor stores .

Technorati Tags: china, environment, law, plastic bags

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Of course, the West has been guilty of many of China’s bad environmental habits, too. The average Canadian, for example, consumes far more energy than the average Chinese and is responsible for releasing far more carbon dioxide. But with China’s massive population, and its reluctance to enforce the use of modern anti-pollution equipment, China is quickly catching up to the industrialized world as a cause of global warming.

Obviously the West is not a bastion of environmental stewardship or energy conservation and I think it is a important point of embarrassment for nations which should be on the forefront of environmental protection, development and leadership. But there is a substantial, and growing chunk of society that is showing initiative and taking it upon themselves personally to make a difference by changing their lifestyles. There is a realization that the way we do things requires some serious tweaking.

I taught a lesson on Climate Change a day ago, and I left my school extremely depressed and pessimistic about the prospects of the world. The majority, if not everyone in the class, while aware of Climate Change and the causes showed little if any interest in the ramifications and impacts, nor any interest in actually doing anything about it. I had the feeling that the concept came across as somewhat of a joke to them. Answers to the question “What can be done to mitigate this problem” revolved around standard China Daily pablum of planting more trees and creating more laws blah, blah, blah. Not one mentioned anything closely resembling changing personal habits, encouraging green energy, green transportation or absolutely anything to do with energy efficiency. When I informed them that raising the temperature of an air conditioning unit in the summer a few degrees can save up to 500kg of Carbon a year, I was met with confusion, followed by “Bryan, air conditioners don’t pollute, they don’t create C02″. I wasn’t pleased with this answer, although it didn’t surprise me. I routinely observe people dumping all sorts of liquids and solids into street sewers, giving little or no thought to exactly where these items are heading. In Sichuan, I saw a pathetic SUV driving hag toss a whole trash bag out of her window into a river. Why would thinking ahead about electricity be any different?

This attitude is not exactly surprising, given that China remains a developing nation, where economic survival and development of your family will take precedence over environmental protection. What is scary is that the students I teach are far from economically deprived, and represent the middle and upper/elite classes (a few drive Land Rovers). Traditionally, environmental awareness and desire to improve existing conditions begins with those who are financially secure and are concerned regarding the future. However, the middle class/upper class don’t seem to be the least bit concerned regarding the environment, and continue to purchase gas guzzling vehicles, (among other habits), despite the fact that live within the city, that public transportation in China kicks ass, that the cost of a parking space can exceed the cost of their own freakin’ vehicle.

I understand it is a cultural necessity to own a car in China, not a practical one. But in order to keep that face, people are willing to sacrifice their own environment. And it is not like in Canada, for instance, where the effects of pollution are minimal and one has too look pretty far to find some environmental nastiness. Every where I’ve traveled in China bears evidence of extreme pollution. If you drive a car in this country, for instance, you see the effects immediately in the sky. Lateral thinking doesn’t seem to exist. Where is the fear? That grey stuff in the sky, it isn’t going to go away. People tell me 10 years ago Nanjing was as blue as Mongolia. Just 10 years ago!

The apparent failure to think long term doesn’t just preside in my observations of the environmental situation in China, but it also prevalent in the business world as well. I spend a few hours each week tutoring a French manager at a one of Nanjing’s foreign companies. He says that the largest challenge facing is company (and one of the reasons LuminArc maintains a large expat component in China) is failure of the Chinese in regards to name branding and the concept of thinking long term. Essentially he told me that few if any local employees are concerned with the well being of the company or it’s future, and therefor not apt to take over higher management positions. This discussion developed from a question I had regarding the burden of supporting expats in China and LuminArc’s plans for training local management. While LuminArc obviously wants to reduce the massive costs associated with expat living, the bottom line is they don’t trust anyone to adequately support their name and brand.

So I find myself asking the question…”Why do few people here appear to be concerned regarding the future?”

I discussed this with a few of my close friends, and I developed the notion that it is simply because no one has any confidence in the future, and feel absolutely powerless to affect anything. Anything, with the exception of how much money can be earned in the shortest period of time. This seems to be the paramount goal of everyone in China at the moment. Earn as much, no matter what the cost. The concept of sustainability doesn’t exist because no one thinks it’s possible, and believe instead that the only viable option purchasing their way out of China. That’s how it looks to me, with those already processing the financial means high tailing it to Western countries in bids to obtain passports, if not for themselves, than at least for their children.

There are people concerned about the environment in China and are quite vocal about the plight. Lobbying the government, getting the word out, even staging 74000 protests in 2004 Unfortunately they are farmers and the lowest classes of Chinese society.

What surprises me most is that the government doesn’t seem to concerned about sustainability. I find the Chinese to be impeccable students of history, often quoting past events in support or justification of policies, yet ignore Western history and how its energy gluttony has gotten it bogged down in the Middle East and other wonderful locals and has created somewhat of a security crisis that threatens the very basis of our democracy and political systems. Even if they don’t give a shit about their landscapes and the health of the people, I would have expected them to be at least concerned regarding energy dependency and it’s relation to national security. Did I mention the eighty thousand some domestic protests in 2004? Fifty thousand of which were driven by the conditions of local environments (according to my saviour, China Daily).

However, there doesn’t seem to be much concern, instead, energy is directed towards blaming foreigners as usual.

A popular argument against outside criticism of environmental policies is the claim that outsiders (ie. The West) is in no position to criticize because China should be allocated the same 100 years of industrialization that was awarded to Western nations during their industrialization period. Another popular term is ‘environmental colonialism’, a tasty word for the idea that China’s enviro-situation is a result of foreign powers exporting their polluting businesses to the mainland, bearing little responsibility for the environmental burden and paying workers low wages. A tactic that works wonderfully well in a uber-nationalist/self-esteem less nation connected by the internet.

Pretty weak argument. Everyone wants to work for foreign companies, so out with the crappy wage point. LuminArc has posted, right in their entrance, substantial information regarding their environmental policies and social responsibility philosophy. It is taken seriously…after all, LuminArc is a brand, a name…with a long term outlook and concern for their reputation.

There was possibly a time in the past where you could ship your dirty operations abroad and no one would notice, but information flows…flows faster than every. The watchdogs are everywhere. If a multi-national company creates a mess, the the world will know about it.

It’s not all car, but I hope you get the idea. Fresh from the banks of the Changjiang.

sigh…..

Technorati Tags: attitude, bus, canada, china, climate change, dog, energy, environment, internet, law, mongolia, nanjing, personal, sichuan, sports, train, travel

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The new rules say the assessment should also be applied to other activities that be harmful to the environment. These would include military training, goods transfer, weapon purchases, repair and disposal.

Militaries are among the world’s largest and most destructive polluters.

The PLA is an interesting entity, largely because of it’s relationship to the central government. Unlike western democracies, the PLA is not politically neutral and is still closely entwined with the political leadership having saved the ruling party twice, once during the Cultural Revolution, and again in Tiananmen.

The PLA also differs from other armed forces in regards to its commercial endeavors. It’s not only an army, but also a business, a highly successful one, raking in the dough through arms exports as well as production of non-military hardware, agriculture, real estate and other entrepreneurial enterprises. At one point, the PLA actually funded a large portion of its activities with money generated via its commercial businesses.

There was a crackdown on this commercial military complex in the 1990′s. The military’s involvement in commerce was seen to affect military readiness and to cause corruption. Second, there was concern that having an independent source of funding would lead to decreased loyalty to the party. The result of this was an effort to spin off the Pal’s commercial enterprises into private companies managed by former PLA officers, and to reform military procurement from a system in which the PLA directly controls its sources of supply to a more market based bidding system.

I discussed this with a student yesterday whose brother in law is an officer in the PLA. Apparently one of the adverse effects of limited PLA businesses was the economic impact on the soldiers themselves. Without the outside income, life in the PLA is essentially a life of poverty. As such, the CCP continues to officially denounce PLA businesses, while looking the other way on many occasions. Why pay the troops when they can pay themselves?

Technorati Tags: bus, ccp, environment, law, logistics, real estate, train

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China now trails only the US in wood consumption and with the country’s projected growth rates, China is sure to soon surpass the States to frontrunner status for consumption. According to the WWF, the flourishing construction and furnishing sectors accounted for the consumption of 90 million cubic meters of timber in 2003, or 65 percent of the total consumption rate for China — 138 million cubic meters.

…In Cameroon, 50 percent of exports of timber are illegally performed. The figure is 90 percent in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as dealers with political ties flagrantly disregard a law requiring log processing prior to export since China’s primary interest is in logs. In Equatorial Guinea it is again 90 percent with the same indifference to laws concerning maximum allowable cut and de facto concession size (largely attributable to one company and its sponsors, most of which supply China’s imports). Gabon comes in at 70 percent, while Liberia again reaches 90 percent, with a recent surge linked to the civil war.

I found the statistic that China lags only the United States in wood consumption quite startling. Given the taboo against wood frame construction, I’m led to believe that the majority of imported forest products are used to create quick cycle forest products such as paper, pulp, disposable chopsticks (I hoping that bamboo remains the chief construction materials for these evil things) and other non lumber related products. It is an amazing stat, considering that timber consumption in the United States includes lumber used in construction.

I’ve always asserted that China is moving down a path similar to the trail followed by the United States and other Western nations during the post-World War Two boom. To feed their economic furnaces, the P.R.C. is rumbling through the raw resource suppliers of the world, gobbling up companies and intervening in areas untouched, neglected or abandoned by Western nations. The most widely known sector being petroleum, with Chinese oil interests bolstering the Iranian regime and preventing action in the Darfur, Sudan genocide. The Sino Oil Barons even had enough balls to attempt acquiring North American oil projects including a massive stake in the World’s Economic Trust Fund (aka the Alberta Tar Sands). One could almost assert that we are witnessing the birth of a new Chinese economic imperialism, not so much different from the hated American model, which, as we all know *rolls eyes* can be found as the root catalyst of the worlds problems. I read an article some time ago which ventured that in 15 or 20 years, it will be the PLA in the Middle East, protecting Chinese oil interests being developed today, in Iran (if it exists) Pakistan and other Central Asia nations. I often find that China alarmists often bark that the primary threat posed by China is from a military perspective and grumble about the creation of a new ‘Cold War’, yet I suspect that economic power alone will enable the Chinese to influence future current events in ways that their military (which despite upgrades, is still and will most likely remain for awhile, qualitatively inferior to western militaries) cannot hope to.

This is not to say that the P.R.C. entrance into the world of international resource extraction is without benefit to their trading partners. The P.R.C. has, for the greater part of its history, acted as somewhat of a big brother, and more recently, and economic role for it’s developing siblings. The Chinese government provides a large number of African students full scholarships at Chinese universities, not only for Mandarin language study, but also graduate and undergraduate degree programs. Infrastructure upgrades, developmental projects and cash influxes follow the Chinese as they push deeper into the jungles and deserts of their neighbors. With many of their investments occurring in areas long written off by Western nations (Angola, for instance) their assistance can be seen as a bright beacon of economic hope for these countries which would most likely be facing continual internal rot.

However, I cannot foresee a happy future for the forests under the eye of the big red chainsaw.

Technorati Tags: china, graduate, law, Mandarin, oil, united states

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Steve: Hey man, what are doing after class?
Bryan: I go to shop……

On British Columbia:

“We don’t get to obey the laws we like and disobey the laws we don’t like. That is the central issue here,” said Premier Campbell.

Exactly…couldn’t agree more, Mr. Hawaii. Furthermore….

quote:
——————————————————————————–
The International Labour Organization (ILO), an agency of the United Nations, has again condemned the Liberal government of British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell for violating workers’ human rights by contravening international labour standards that Canadian governments have committed to uphold.
In a highly critical report released recently [February 2004] , the ILO condemned the province for clear violations of freedom of association principles. It also recommends the government take specific actions to repair the damage done and demands the province come into compliance with international standards.

Public Education Flexibility and Choice Act, 2002 (Bill 28, January 2002)
The Act permitted public school board employers to override negotiated collective agreement provisions for teachers regarding class size, courses to be taught, hours of instruction and job security. It also allowed for contracting out.
This legislation was the subject of three ILO complaints (Case No. 2173, Case No. 2180 and Case No. 2196) and found to be in violation of freedom of association principles.

I’ve never studied law, so I don’t feel like that I can offer any qualifed comments on international law. From what I’ve heard, such laws are often shaky ground, on which many assumptions and interpretations can be made. One doesn’t have to look far to see how many nations have disregarded so-called international laws. I would consider such items as more of a ‘framework’ rather that iron-clad law…to be noticed and followed should a nation feel that they should.

However….my problem with Campbell choosing to ignore and disregard is this tid-bit.

Canada and all provinces are signatories to many ILO Conventions, and have made the commitment “to respect, to promote and to realize, in good faith” the principles underlying these standards.

I consider Canada to be a beacon of the developed world…in several words…a role model. Campbell and his buddies are acting a very third world fashing. It is rather embarrassing actually.

I’ve got piles to say on this, but like I said earlier, my communications skills now officially rank below that of a 12 year old, and I’m unable to adequately sort out what I want to say and present it in a orderly fashion. Sorry.

Oh yeah, the gov’t has shut down my parents email accounts.

Technorati Tags: canada, law

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There are many things I want to do with this site, (photos, 15 movies, captions, get a proper blog roll started, RSS this baby, update my links, create a entry page, redesign my 2.5 year old template…) but I can honestly say I’m very pressed for time. In addition to my regular duties at Nanjing Normal, I’ve got my fingers in several other potentially lucractive side projects, which are proving to require a larger investment of time that I had previously thought.

Other news…I’ve packed on 5 kilo’s since coming to China, placing me in the 73kg club. I suppose it is all that horse meat…either way, I’m quite pleased with myself…but my jeans are still too big.

I’ve recently discovered that Nanjing Forestry University has a Chinese language program. It started my head gears turning…very fast. Bryan…forestry…China….I mean…come on! Could it be a better fit! We’ll see, I could be fairly sick of this place in a few months…

The top news floating around Asia this past week is the pending approval of the Chinese government’s ‘Anti-sucession law’ regarding Taiwanese independence.

In all of my converstations with local friends and collegues, the “Taiwan issue” only ever came up once and it pretty much amounted to “Taiwan is not a country”.

I don’t feel like I know enough regarding the situation revolving around the bill to comment, so I thought it would be apt to post perspectives from both sides of the Straits.

From Big Red and the People’s Daily :

To accomplish peaceful national reunification is one of the three historic tasks of China, however the “Taiwan independence” forces have been intensified their secessionist activities for Taiwan’s secession from China.

The draft law is scheduled to be adopted at the ongoing NPC annual session slated for closing on March 14.
Wu said the draft Anti-Secession Law gives full expression to China’s consistent position of doing the utmost with maximum sincerity for a peaceful reunification, demonstrate the common will and strong resolve of the entire Chinese people to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while never allowing the “Taiwan independence” forces to make Taiwan secede from China under any name or by any means.

Even though the words “peaceful and peace” appear five times in the article, the the bill essentially states in law that any move by Taiwan towards independence would result in “non-peaceful” actions.

From Taiwan :

If China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) adopts the “anti-secession” law on March 14, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will lead the people of Taiwan in taking to the streets to voice their opposition to the legislation, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday.

Responding to China’s proposed anti-secession law — portions of which were disclosed yesterday — the DPP denounced that law in unanimity. Su also said that the president will lead a demonstration that will dwarf the protest launched in Hong Kong on July 1, 2003, and will walk the streets to express Taiwan’s outrage against the law if it is passed on Monday.

The information about China’s legislation that was unveiled yesterday morning included the wording that ” [China] will take `non-peaceful measures and actions’ if Taiwan does not unify with China or accept the `one-China’ policy,” DPP Deputy Secretary-General Yen Wan-ching (顏萬進) said. Therefore, it is important to correctly interpret the wording of the law and note that the phrase “non-peaceful” that Beijing used could only mean using force to attack Taiwan, Yen said.

The Taiwanese are not pleased.

World reaction and global implications? I’ll leave that up to these guys :

The main Chinese “concession” in response to the Taiwan Legislative Yuan election outcome was to rename the bill. First known as the “unification act” – a title that might imply an aggressive, impatient outlook – it later became anti-secession legislation aimed merely at preserving the status quo. Since US President George W Bush has repeatedly made it clear that the US opposed any unilateral change in the status quo, this new legislation puts Beijing’s “one China” principle squarely in line with Washington’s “one China policy”, it was argued. It also “underscores China’s respect for the rule of law” – another constant Washington admonition. While neither of these arguments will prove particularly convincing to Beijing’s critics, they do represent a growing sophistication (and willingness to play along with the Bush administration’s logic back in Washington).

The counter-arguments – that the legislation will incite and empower Beijing’s critics in Washington and Taipei and could breathe new life into Chen’s presumed “independence agenda” by handing him an excuse for counter legislation or even another referendum – failed to impress Chinese officials. They sent a clear signal about their ambiguous legislation: if you want to make suggestions as to how we can word this legislation more effectively (or make it less inflammatory), we are all ears; if you are trying to talk us out of introducing the new law, “save your breath!” Once we actually saw the legislation – and it would be made public immediately after it was approved by the NPC – we would see that all the furor had been “much ado about nothing”.

When this bill passes it seems that it just confirms what everyone already knew anyway. I see heightened tensions for sure…but no knife fights. Two reasons:

1. Beijing 2008. The Summer Olympics are far, far to important to risk over an ideological battle. 2008 is China’s housewarming party…the whole world is invited to see the renovations. Nobody wants to see a family fight in the backyard.

2. The military situation. Most stuff I’ve read appears to indicated that the balance of power over the Straits of Taiwan is currently slanted in favor of the Taiwanese…however, given the large budget increases of the PLA, it is expected that the balance will shift to Beijing’s favor by 2008-2010.

I suppose the point is that even with the passing of the ‘anti-succession law’ there probably won’t be any fireworks for several years at best…if that is any comfort.

Technorati Tags: beijing, blog, bus, china, fights, law, movies, nanjing, olympics, photos, taiwan

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Bryan: “Ok”

And so began a most interesting night in the small Chinese community of Huocheng, Yili Region, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

I’m going to be honest straight away and state that I didn’t maintain much of a journal regarding my travels in Xinjiang…I took a few notes, but that was about it. A combination of two things…the first being that I’m lazy, and the second being that I’m not a big fan of travelogues anyways…I find them really boring.

Over the next few days I’ll probably post the more memorable occurrences, in no particular order.

Huocheng is my director’s hometown. It is a typical regional city/town, designed in a typical cross pattern and circle town centre with the standard abstract sculpture gracing the geographic center. In the case of Huocheng, it is a giant horse perched upon a 10 meter pole…No one I talked to knew what it represented.

I came to Huocheng through Yining City (where I had been for 4 days) via the regional bus transport network…a seemingly disorganized network of hundreds of private minibuses and vans which connect the various smaller countryside communities to the larger provincial hubs. Foreigners do not usually venture out into the Yining countryside…mainly because it isn’t in the Lonely Planet and a foreigner, by himself, in the middle of the winter stood out like a gorilla in the arctic.

“ni mei guo ren ma?” (American)
“Kazak?”

…were common question. I didn’t have anything that distinguished me as a Canadian.

“wo shi jai na da ren.”

“Ah, jai na da ren.”

My pocket phrase book handled the rest of the conversation. I had a difficult time understanding even the easiest numbers out here…proof that everyone in China speaks a different form of the language.

I was squished into the bus to Huocheng and was deposited thirty minutes later in the town center, where I immediately attracted a crowd of 8 or 10 people, mostly Uyghur and Kazah. Most plain curious, the others trying to sell me something.

My director rescued me about 15 minutes later and we proceed to the Huocheng Fixed Hotel for Overseas Visitors, where I was given an entire wing to myself. My room was just like any hotel room, except the noticeable absence of a phone system. All calls were sent to the front desk, and a runner sent to one’s room.

After spending the afternoon with my director’s family, I returned to the hotel, where I was promptly picked up by the police and escorted to the local police station. This wasn’t a surprise, as I had been told this was going to happen by the hotel staff. At the station I was required to fill out the standard temporary residency forms and explain where I was going and how long my duration would be. Translation services provided by the Chiefs son, who is a geology student at Xinjiang University in Wulumqi.

I was then invited my director to her brother in laws house where a dinner was in progress attended by the top border brass of the PLA. One major, one Lt. Colonel and one colonel. Through Annie’s great English skills, I was able to hold an interesting conversation about Mao, the long march, current military affairs…they really digged the whole Cadet organization we have in Canada and were very keen on informing me about how ‘profitable’ the PLA can be. Dozens of toasts where thrown back and forth…and I drank, way, way too much rice wine and ate way, way too much food…somewhat of a standard practice I am told during the Chinese New Years.

*update* I’ve just been informed that I am not permitted to mention my dinner with the PLA…because all foreigners, especially those out west, are spies…of course…how stupid of me. Whatever, it’s staying up.

Technorati Tags: bus, canada, china, hotel, law, travel

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But doing business in China is not easy. While China has a huge number of housing starts each year – estimated 10 million per year, although that includes single apartments – they are overwhelmingly built with concrete.

It expects to double its shipments to China this year to about 30 million board feet. However, that pales in comparison to the amount of lumber it expects to ship to Japan this year, about 400 million board feet annually, the amount of lumber shipped to China hasn’t even reached the one percent level.

Before coming to China I held a similar mindset for the potential of Northern B.C. to tap into the seemingly unlimited markets of China. From a glance, it would appear quite simple. China needs resources, and Canada has resources, and while the article mentions a few possible difficulties, it makes the same flawed assumptions that almost everyone in North America makes about China.

Yes, the Chinese are after natural resources. The construction boom here is unreal. However, I believe their goal isn’t to purchase natural resources; they want control of the resources. This stems from a history exploitation by European and North American powers to a desire to be self-sufficient and a desire to be redundant against any outside interference. Their greatest fear is being at the mercy of foreign companies, like they were during the 19th and 20th centuries. Value and profits must say in country. Most teachers for instance, are not permitted to convert their salaries into foreign currency. It must be spent in China.

In the coming decades the Canadian Tar Sands will become one of the most, if not the most important source of oil in the world. Estimates of crude oil reserves exceed the vast stores of Saudi Arabia. Chinese investment in developing the tar sands is expected to be large.

China and Canada are nearing a general agreement on Chinese investment in Canadian oil resources, part of an aggressive push by Beijing to secure access to energy supplies.

Furthermore, the search natural resources, while important, is only a means to the end, in the grand scheme of China’s development. The fuel for the engine, one might say. What China is really after control of the latest technologies. The Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo recently purchased IBM’s PC business.

This isn’t to say opportunities don’t exist for northern British Columbia, yet I believe that when people and companies look towards China, they become spellbound by the potential profits to be made through selling their products, and in doing so, overlook the very real idea that the Chinese are staring right back, not at the product, but at the CEO chair.

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I want to see you explain to your grandchildren why you not only stood by and did nothing while innocents were tortured and murdered, but you actually supported it. Shame on you, and may you reap what you sow.

Followed so elegantly by:

Why do some people consider it acceptable to support a murderous and expansionist regime, while maintaining that their hands are clean? You can’t have it both ways. If you support it then you’re complicit in institutionalised torture and mass murder of civilians, perversion of international law and the military annexation of sovereign states under nothing more than pretexts. The blood of innocents is on your hands. It’s inescapable. At least have the nuts to take responsibility for your perfidity.

Outside of being one of the most hypocritical statements I’ve ever come across in my life, I am completely at loss at understanding a person who would make an accusation such as that. Their are completely oblivious to their hypocrisy. It is absolutely incredible. I almost feel silly stating that by NOT doing anything, that practising apathy (as my accuser is suggesting) is a far worse crime. I suppose I wrongly assumed that most educated people would realize the dangers of apathy and the obligation of developed nations.

This totally brings back memories from last year at UVic when I came across a booth set up in the Student Union Building protesting Canada’s involvement in rebuilding Afghanistan and demanding the complete withdrawal of Canadian forces. Aside from showing insanely bad taste (one of our boys was killed by a suicide bomber the day before) their mentality was mind-boggling. One may find an argument in stating that US forces are their as an occupying force as they are essentially just hunting down Taliban and terrorist elements, but ISAF has a completely different mission. Essentially, ISAF is the only thing between stability and anarchy in Afghanistan.

This is for those of you interested in what is really going on in Afghanistan.

And lets not forget about the Canadian Army doctor who found this little boy .

Djamshid Popal began his journey home Friday night, five months after the boy arrived in Canada from Afghanistan for emergency heart surgery.

“I came in a wheelchair and I’m leaving on foot. This is because of their help.”

I just don’t understand, and it sucks even more when people elude to the idea that because I support such efforts, I am in turn supporting murder and torture. It bothers me a lot.

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Traffic is pretty bad here, and so are the drivers, but for some reason, despite all of this, everything and everyone seems to tolerate one another and I haven’t seen any accidents…until today.

The roads outside my apartment are rather narrow, very alley like. Despite this, a high number of vehicles navigate through on a regular basis. The majority drive slowly and it’s not really a problem…I’m more worried about the bikes.

I was walking to campus in the early afternoon when a black Audi approached from my left side. The driver gave a semi-friendly honk to let me know he was there. I subsequently moved to the left and let him pass. About 50 meters down the road the same vehicle clipped a pedestrian on the right side of the road. This guy got hammered too. The car hit him with the right bumper and spun him into the wall beside the road. He appeared ok and got up right away. The driver hops out with a pack of cigarettes and offers one to everyone around, helps the pedestrian up, some words were exchanged and then the driver go back into his car and drove off. Everyone was extremely cool about it.

As I was walking by (I didn’t stop, no point as I don’t speak the language) I kept thinking to myself “That dude just got creamed by a vehicle! And nobody seemed to be very upset about the whole incident!” If that happened in North America there probably would have been some baseball bats, some fists…some blood…lawyers…lawsuits…

Here’s a question….Why does everyone think I’m religious????

Technorati Tags: bc, google, law

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