China’s Constitution:
Article 35: Freedom of speech, press, assembly.
Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.
What is the law? Is the law different from the constitution?
Excerpted From Rebeccca Dispatch
Can something “wrong,” really be something “right?”
Have you ever felt strongly about something? So strongly that you were willing to do almost anything for your belief?
Maybe you cared about a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. Perhaps you wanted to see peace in the Middle East or an end to violence in our nation’s schools.
When people have strong beliefs in what is right and wrong, we call those principles. What would you be willing to do to protect your principles? Throughout our history, everyday people have stood up for peace, equality, freedom and other principles that were important to them.
For instance, when Americans disagreed with our involvement in Vietnam’s civil war, they staged peaceful protests in Washington D.C. to let the government know that they did not agree with their military action.
And, to show how wrong it was to discriminate against someone based on the color of her skin, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus.
In order to convince the government to recognize a woman’s right to vote, Lucy Stone gave speeches and united women throughout New England.
And in 1846, American philosopher Henry David Thoreau spent a night in jail as a protest against America’s imperialism in the Mexican American War.
Thoreau was against using violence to solve problems, but was willing to go to jail to protest something he didn’t think was right In order to make his disapproval known Thoreau refused to pay his poll tax to the government.
His actions would later be called “Civil Disobedience,” and practiced from India to Denmark as a way for common people to change things about the system that they don’t like.
*In India, Mahatma Gandhi brought Thoreau’s idea of Civil Disobedience into the limelight when he practiced it himself. His hunger strikes and famous march to the sea were demonstrations against offensive laws that had been passed by the Imperialist government. These demonstrations brought the world’s attention to the injustices that were occurring there, and eventually won India’s complete freedom in 1945.
*In Denmark during World War II, the Nazis issued a law requiring all Jewish people to wear a six-pointed yellow star on their clothing. Rather than isolate their Jewish neighbors, the citizens pulled off a great act of Civil Disobedience. “Virtually every citizen in Denmark, Jew or Gentile (non Jew), appeared in the streets wearing the yellow star.” The Nazi law then became worthless because no one obeyed it.
*In the United States, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached Civil Disobedience as a way for African Americans to demand equal rights. King believed that “he who passively accepts evil… without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
What an inspiration a night in jail can create!
Under what conditions should Freedom of Speech be restricted? Why is that every government is afraid of criticism? Read the following articles concerning Internet restrictions in China - my new Home.
English ONLY in the Classroom?
Are you learning English? Are you learning because you are trying to learn or because you are being forced to learn? Do you REALLY want to learn English?
Did your English improve this year? How? Why?
Our students are placed here by their parents. Some students have told me that they are not interested in learning English.
Other students think of English as a subject, not as a language. They think it is possible to use Chinese to learn English. Do they think that after 4 years of never using English, a miracle will happen and their English will be perfect?
How do you think a language is learned?
In some courses there is almost no chance to speak any language, so speaking English is not an issue. However, in other courses, there are many opportunities to speak everyday.
Should students be speaking English in the classroom? Only English? Should teachers allow students to use other languages? Do students need to be forced to speak English? Are teachers strict enough?
What are some possible solutions to this problem?
Until recently, yearbooks have been books made of paper. Now they can be VCD’s or DVD’s or other forms of digital media. However, in North America many high schools still prefer real books although they are much more expensive than DVD’s.
DMLIS students have had paper yearbooks and they have also had a digital yearbook in CD format. Chinese students do not have the same yearbook tradition that North Americans have, but many students like to own the yearbook and most students like looking at the photos.
This year a lot fewer students bought the yearbook. Why was there so little interest? Would students prefer to spend 150 Rmb for a paper yearbook rather than 30 Rmb for a DVD?
I told some grade 11 students that I didn’t think there would be a yearbook next year. Some were dissappointed but others didn’t really care.
Do we really need a yearbook?
Is there an alternative to a yearbook?
The Dragon Boat Festival is called Duan Wu Jie in Chinese. Like other Chinese festivals, there is also a legend behind the festival.
Qu Yuan served in the court of Emperor Huai during the Warring States (475 - 221 BC). He was a wise and learned man. His fight against corruption angered other court officials. They used their influence on the Emperor, persuading him to dismiss Qu Yuan and eventually exile him.
During his exile, Qu Yuan did not give up. He traveled, taught and wrote about his ideas. His works, the Lament (Li Sao), the Nine Chapters (Jiu Zhang), and Wen tian, are literary masterpieces and allow us to study ancient Chinese culture.
He saw the gradual decline of his mother country, the Chu State. When he heard that the Chu State was defeated by the strong Qin State, he ended his life by flinging himself into the Miluo River.
Legend says after people heard he drowned, they were greatly dismayed. Fishermen raced to the spot in their boats to search for his body. Unable to find his body, people threw zongzi, eggs and other food into the river to feed fish, so hoping to salvage his body. Since then, people started to commemorate Qu Yuan through dragon boat races, eating zongzi and other activities, on the anniversary of his death, the 5th day of the fifth month.
When do you think it is OK to commit suicide? Is it honorable to commit suicide when faced with difficulties?
The following is a list of other people who have also committed suicide - all for different reasons.
Edwin Armstrong, (1954), US inventor of FM radio; jumped from a 13th floor window believing FM radio was a failure.
Pierre Bérégovoy, (1993), French Prime Minister, killed himself a month after losing a general election.
Adam Czerniakow, (1942), Warsaw Ghetto leader killed himself rather than obey Nazi orders.
Wafa Idis, (2002), Palestian. The first female suicide bomber and known as the modern Joan of Arc to her peers. She started a deadly new trend: female suicide bombers.
For a more extensive list of suicides go to Wikipedia:
China probably has more bikes than any other country. Only India could come close to having as many. Are cars, buses, and rapid rail systems replacing the bicycle as a means of transport?
I love riding to school when I am feeling energetic, but it is not as pleasant as it used to be be. Development has brought big trucks and then more and even bigger trucks, honking and spewing out lovely, toxic fumes. There are also more buses to transport workers and the ever-growing number of tourists who visit our beach area. Am I being shoved off the road?
In Dalian Kai fa Qu, small cyclable roads have been replaced by tiled sidewalks that were not meant for cyclists. I always feel as if I am going to run into a pedestrian.
Parking is now becoming a bit of an issue. Since many new hotels and new building complexes don’t want bicycles obscuring the beauty and splendour of the new architecture, their security personal force me lock my bike up in the back of the buildings where, in my paranoia, all I see are bicycle thieves. Is the the bike nation of the worldly becoming biker unfriendly?
According to a Single Planet blogger, China has 1.5% of the world’s vehicles and 15% of the world’s road traffic fatalities. Read More: Why?
I am Ma Laoshi, a teacher at DMLIS. Since I arrived here 4 years ago, much has changed, including me. Our little international school is now growing up and out and all over the place. A lot is happening – daily. Issues abound and so do opinions. Within these walls you will encounter my musings and meanderings.
These are some of the questions I ask myself.
Is development a good thing?
Why does everything have to keep getting bigger?
Is it foolish to choose a difficult path if an easier one exists?
Is hope always a good thing?
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