Saturday, October 17, 2009

Beijing's Air Is Cleaner-ish

So there's an interesting article on the NYtimes.com discussing the air pollution of Beijing and how, despite what everyone may think, the air pollution is actually starting to clear up. According to a government study, the number of "blue-sky days" enjoyed by Beijing thus far this year is up to 221, which is the highest number seen since records have been taken. I still believe "I-can-actually-see-the-building-next-door days" would have been a more accurate title here, but I suppose it doesn't have the same ring as "blue-sky days." The important thing though is the pollution is getting better- only two days with dangerously high pollution levels! Whoop!

The article also states that the whole even/odd license-plate road exclusion policy in effect during the Olympics is going to be modified to a permanent version that will ban one in five daily to help reduce traffic congestion. How lovely!

Anyways, the article is an interesting read if you've got time for it. I just wonder how the improved air is going to effect the crazy sunsets Beijing gets from time to time. Check out this photo I took near XiZhiMen- would the sky have looked anything like that if the sky wasn't replete with pollution? Do we really want to lose out on this man-made beauty?

Finally, here's a great link to a funny video from the onion.com about China and its pollution- enjoy!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Awesome Job Telling Me About Those Stabbings!

So it looks like the Chinese have taken a page from Japan's best selling novel, How to Stab People, and gone off on a little knife-wielding rampage of their own in Tiananmen Square. I got an email yesterday from the US State Department informing me about two stabbing incidents that occurred at Tiananmen Square, with the first attack occurring on September 17th, and the most recent on the 19th. Several people were injured and a few died. My question is, why the hell did I only get this warning several days after the attack? What was the US Embassy so busy with that they couldn't spend 15 minutes writing up a warning to American citizens that a fatal stabbing occurred against a tourist in the center of Beijing's biggest tourist attraction?!?

What if I was a tourist whose flight arrived on the 17th and I happened to mosey over to Tiananmen on the 19th? Don't you think I would have appreciated a warning from the government? Cause I still haven't heard anything about this incident in the US news and doubt very much that people would have been aware of the incident heading over to China. Now I know that a warning probably wouldn't have prevented most people from visiting Tiananmen, but at the very least it would have kept peoples wits and guard up. It'd also make people feel a lot more secure knowing that the US was actively watching out for them while overseas. So I guess the general gist of this post is that the State Department really should get its act together and get important information like this out to US citizens in a faster and more effective manner.

Anyways, for those you not on the State Department's email-listing who are interested in reading the warning that was sent out, I'm posting it below. Enjoy!


This Warden Message is to inform Americans of reports of two stabbing incidents near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. According to the Associated Press, a French tourist was slightly injured in a September 19 knife attack on Dashilan near Tiananmen Square, an area frequented by tourists. Two days earlier, two security guards were killed and 14 people wounded in a separate knife attack in the same area. The police have indicated that the attackers chose their victims randomly. Their motivations are unknown.

While China?s violent crime rate remains low, these recent incidents give American citizens extra reasons to exercise vigilance and care. When in Beijing or other cities in China, Americans are advised to employ the same precautionary measures they would in any large city: when possible, do not travel alone; pay attention to your surroundings, especially when traveling in unfamiliar areas; avoid large demonstrations or protests; carry only as much cash as is absolutely necessary, and store the currency in multiple locations on your person. Travelers are reminded that Chinese regulations require foreigners to carry their passports with them at all times. You may wish to make a photocopy of your passport and visa pages, and store them in a separate place for safekeeping.

The Chinese police and emergency services hotline can be reached by dialing 110, though few, if any, English-speaking operators may be available. Keep this number and the American Citizen Services emergency contact information found below with you in case of emergency.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department?s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. or Canada, or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-317-472-2328. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
The U.S. Embassy can be reached 24 hours per day at 86-10-8531-3000. The addresses and telephone contact information for the American Citizen Services offices at the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulates are at the bottom of this announcement.

U.S. citizens residing or traveling in China are reminded to register with the U.S. Embassy or closest U.S. Consulate by entering your travel itinerary and contact information at: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs. In case of difficulties registering online, please contact the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

U.S. Embassy Beijing: Tian Ze Road intersection of An Jia Lou Road, Chaoyang District. Telephone number during regular business hours and for after-hours emergencies: 86-10-8531-4000, Email: amcitbeijing@state.gov. The embassy?s website is beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Stop Smoking Aid!!

So I started this blog a little over a year ago, and it has been my impression that virtually no one has followed it. Yeah, I knew some friends of mine would peruse it from time to time, but for the most part I had no expectations that any strangers would actually take the time to read what I've been passing off as a blog. Yet low and behold, while recently looking over some past blogs I've noticed that strangers have taken the time to comment on my pieces, meaning that people have somehow come across this site and cared enough to critique it. WOOHOO!! Unfortunately I haven't written anything in about two months, so I'm sure those readers have abandoned me and I'm back to writing to myself...

Anyways, here is a picture I took of an interesting vending machine I found at the Bird's Nest stadium that dispenses a "Stop Smoking Aid." I have no idea what the hell this stuff is, but 控烟贴 is translated to Tobacco Control Paste. That name just gives me the nauseating mental-image of an old Chinese guy brushing his teeth with this crap. But who knows, maybe this 10 RMB product really is a miracle elixir!


I was intrigued enough to try to find this product's availability online, and was actually able to find it sold on alibaba.com (a Chinese version of eBay). For only $54 USD (quite the markup), you can own this product that guarantees to cure you of smoking in 35 days or less with NO side-effects! Seeing that over two trillion cigarettes are consumed each year in China (making it the worlds largest smoking market) I certainly hope this product works! In the meantime, here's an interesting Xinhua article that seems to indicate that the government is looking into tighter smoking regulations. I'll believe that when it actually happens.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

BREAKING NEWS: BEIBEI IS DEAD

Beibei, the lovable blue Fúwá of Olympic fame and lead character of her self-titled cartoon television series, was brutally murdered and defiled by fellow Olympic mascots at the Beijing "Bird's Nest" Stadium. The grisly murder occurred in broad daylight in front of dozens of sobbing Chinese children and puzzled tourists, who watched helplessly as Beibei was ruthlessly beaten to death.

According to eye-witnesses accounts, the murder occurred during the initial warm-ups of a dance routine performed daily by the Fúwá's. As the adorable creatures stretched and chatted quietly amongst themselves, spectators report that Nini, the green Olympic mascot, began to push Beibei violently from behind. A scuffle quickly broke out amongst the group, with several Fúwá's ganging up on the visibly overpowered Beibei. Video obtained exclusively by this site shows Beibei laying tattered on the floor, with Nini throwing punches to her head and Jingjing apparently dry-humping Beibei's limp body. Yingying and Huanhuan can be seen to the side, perversely watching Jingjing's vile act.



A video shot moments after the grisly attack shows yet another scuffle break out amongst the Fúwá group, this time showing the Fúwá's attacking what appears to be a multi-colored, retarded cow thing. Officials have identified the cow as Fu Niu Lele, the official mascot of the Beijing Paralympic games. Video shows Nini violently headbutting Lele, while Yingying can be seen tugging the cow's tail and provocatively slapping it's rear. Later footage appears to show multiple Fúwá uncomfortably rubbing up against a spooked Lele.



Reports are still unclear as to what possessed the attacks. All four Fúwá have been taken into custody, where they will be subjected to the traditional Chinese legal process of having to use their fame and fortune to barter their way out of trouble. Police bribes are expected to begin at several million RMB each.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Chinese Obstacle Course

In what appears to be an attempt by my kindergarten to help thin out the rapidly over-expanding Chinese population, a "game" has been created for the children that can only end in scraped knees, chipped teeth and presumably death. I'm assuming this "game" was approved by the former Police Chief turned grumpy Headmistress, who has decided to exact revenge on the brats who torment her daily by sending them through an obstacle course that is enjoyable only for her.

Yes, nothing says fun like running through an elaborate series of clear fish-wire hung at various heights with nothing but concrete underfoot! Want to make it more exciting? Pit students against one another in time-trials that encourage the children to run at dangerous speeds! Want to make it even MORE exciting? Invite their parents to cheer them on and put additional pressure on them to run full-speed into a tripwire!! Danger and excitement around every corner! It's wonderful fun for the whole family!! Enjoy:



Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Chinese don't care about your Cotton Candy

Well I officially suck at posting on my blog. It appears this will be my first posting in over two months, but I do have a valid reason for all this- my computer sucks. I was down to literally 200 MB of free space, which completely froze up my computer. I couldn't upload music or pictures or anything. There were times I needed to plug in a flash disk just to give my computer enough memory to start up. Not good. Well I finally invested in a new shiny Mac, which is awesome but has resulted in my having no money at all. Lucky for me the job market is booming and I'm sure to make that money back in no time! Hurray!

Ok enough of my rambling. I'll keep this post short and just show you all this freshly uploaded photo I took at a cotton candy stand in Ritan Park. As you can see, the man making the candy was smoking a cigg and the ash was clearly falling into the cotton candy. Maybe that's why the cotton candy was more of a gray color than the traditional bright blue? You gotta love China's sanitation standards!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

China is a Pedophiles Paradise!


I like to joke that China is a pedophiles paradise. Perhaps China isn't as welcoming a utopia as one would find in Saudi Arabia or other Arab nations, but it is still a great place for pedophiles to go. Why, you ask? Because everywhere you are in China, you will see exposed baby genitals. No matter what, as hard as I try to avoid seeing them, it seems that a child's package is always in plain sight. It's like the damn kids are taunting me, just standing there as their crotchless chaps expose their "goods" to the world.

In a move that is both cheap and environmentally friendly, Chinese parents have traditionally stayed away from having their only child wear diapers and instead prefer their offspring to wear pants with a slit running down the bottom. Very stylish! This slit allows for their child to easily pop a squat and take a dump or piss wherever they please! How many times have I had the joy of watching a child pee in public, or accidentally stepped in baby shit? Countless, and I can almost guarantee I'll get another peep-show tomorrow!

As a kindergarten teacher, I was blessed with countless encounters of public urination. The school was literally 10 feet away from the playground, but instead of running inside to take a leak, these children found it more convenient to go in front of the class. Public urination wasn't restricted to the boys, as the girls seemed to enjoy it just as much. Even grosser was the fact that the teachers would often assist the children in going to the bathroom. For the younger girls, the teachers would help by holding them off the ground and keeping their legs up as they peed; for the boys, some teachers would go as far as to hold their "wangs" up to ensure the boys didn't pee on themselves. Is that really necessary? Is that even legal?

Since we're on this topic I may as well post another pleasant story concerning the children and their public urination. Once while on a field trip to a local nursing home, the teachers announced that it was time for everyone to go to the bathroom. Normally it's fine for the kids to just pee on the ground, but since we were guests at this nursing home we needed to show a little class and civility. So instead of peeing on the ground the teachers pulled out several large plastic bags and invited the children to pee into them! I stood by horrified as the boys each took turns peeing into the same pee bag, with the expected spray and dribble landing on the teachers hands. For the girls, the teachers pulled out a plastic bin lined with the plastic bag, and the girls all took turns going into that. Soon the teachers were walking around with filled bags of urine, looking for a trash can to dispose of them. Gross!

Well there you have it- if seeing exposed gentiles floats your boat, or if watching children defecate on the sidewalk is your thing, then I invite you to discover the joys of China! 北京欢迎你!

Friday, March 27, 2009

The Curious Tale of Stevie Lee

Gather round everyone as I tell you a fateful story of lies, deception, and love. Yes, I'm about two months overdue on posting this story, but I assure you it is well worth the wait! This tale occurred towards the end of January, when Estee and I were finishing our contracts with the school we worked at. It was a typical cold Beijing night as one of the new replacement teachers arrived at our apartment. She was a young Australian girl by the name of Stevie. Up until that point I was unaware that Stevie could be a girls name too, but I guess they do things differently in Australia. As I was saying, Stevie arrived one old night and it didn't take long for us to realize we had quite the catch on our hands.

Stevie was 18 years old, with jet black hair and a horribly uneducated accent (perfect for teaching children how to properly speak English). I cringed as I heard her continually say "yous" instead of "you," knowing that all the hard work I put into teaching my kids English would be undone in a few days. It was awkward having to ask her to repeat herself so often, but I had an easier time understanding Chinese cab drivers than her. Yous isn't a fucking word!

After a few days of living with us in relative silence, Stevie told Estee all about her interesting past. As it turns out, Stevie was a married woman. According to Stevie, she went on a spring break trip with some friends up to Malaysia, where she met an older gentleman of Malaysian decent. He was from a smaller village known for their bomb making trade, and they hit it off right away. At the ripe age of 17, Stevie left Australia to return to Malaysia, where she married her bomb-making lover.

Once in Malaysia, Stevie tried to begin her new life by working as an ESL teacher. But Malaysia, like the rest of the world, has standards, and they decided that an 17 year old with no College education and no previous teaching course certificates was not qualified to teach young children. Having been rejected, Stevie turned her attention to the one country without teaching standards: China. Stevie was soon on her way up to Beijing, but unfortunately her husbands Muslim heritage/bomb-making trade resulted in him being denied a visa to come to China. Stevie would be making this journey on her own... or would she?

After a few days living in Beijing, Stevie began acting very strange. She hardly ever left her room and became very quiet all the time. We thought nothing of it, until one night when my friend/roommate Russ ran out of bathroom holding a pregnancy test carton that he had fished out of the trash. Yes, Stevie had been blessed with the gift of life. Apparently she had been trying to get pregnant with her husband for a few months, but they soon gave up and assumed she couldn't get pregnant. Smart. Anyways, she was overjoyed with the news, as she explained that "having a child would almost guarantee her husband could become a citizen of Australia!" What a wonderful reason to have a baby!

Stevie was excited to get back to Australia and have her husband meet her there, as it meant she could keep a better eye on him. According to Stevie, it is acceptable in her husbands religion to have multiple partners, and so Stevie was understandable upset that he had been with other women since she left. Yes, he told Stevie that he was with other women, but an agreement had been made prior to their marriage that as long as he wasn't actually having sex with those girls, it would be OK. Who wouldn't want to have a child with this guy, huh?

The problem of moving back to Australia was that Stevie had signed a one-year contract with the kindergarten company. Stevie obviously wouldn't be able to fulfill that entire contract, since she would give birth in 9 months. And Stevie wisely decided she didn't want to give birth in China, which meant she'd have to leave the country before her 3rd trimester. Still, she feared the repercussions of explaining to the company that she would have to end her contract early. Apparently Stevie didn't believe pregnancy counted as a valid "extraneous circumstance" for ending the contract. Thus, a master escape plan was hatched. Early one morning while we all slept, Stevie packed her bags and left for the airport, fleeing the country and leaving our school without a teacher (needless to say our school flipped a shit when they found out she fled)! And that, my friends, is the curious tale of Stevie Lee.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Beijing has Proctologists



I probably shouldn't even be writing anything for this posting, as the picture itself is funnier than anything I can try to write. I came across this ad on the bus, and obviously it needed to be shared. I just wonder why they felt it necessary to include the picture of the child with its ass up in the air- are you really tying to appeal to that age demographic? Maybe its just a way to make people feel more comfortable about visiting a proctologist. After all, just look at the huge grin on that kids face! This baby is loving life, clearly revving to go! As soon as he saw those plastic gloves come out, he happily stopped his soccer game and commenced ready position! He loves his visits to the proctologist, and you should too!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Chinese Chivalry?

Yesterday I missed the chance to accomplish one of my life goals. Wow, that sentence definitely sounds more dramatic than it should… to clarify, something I have always wanted to do in my life is go up to a random crying girl and offer her a tissue. Random, I know, and not really a life goal as much as something I’d to say I’ve done. Anyways, I was on the bus yesterday and this girl got on, waved goodbye out the window and started crying. “Wow, this is my chance,” I thought as I reached into my pocket to pull out a tissue. What I failed to take into account is that Beijing buses during rush hour are so packed that it’s impossible to turn your head, let alone push your way through 50 sweaty Chinese to give a girl a tissue. So while this poor thing is bawling her eyes out, I’m stuck 5 feet away with a tissue in hand and never get close enough to give it to her.

What’s the point of this story? The point is that I was the only one in the entire bus who even considered giving the girl a tissue. And as I stood there awkwardly holding that tissue, I started thinking of how un-chivalrous the Chinese are. Now don’t get me wrong, Chinese women can be just as rude as the men here. But I find it particularly interesting watching the interactions here between men and women as compared to back in the States. If people say chivalry is dead back in America, I wonder what they’d say about it here.

For example, Chinese men will not offer the seat on the bus or subway to a woman. Just doesn’t happen. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a group of people rush onto the bus and seen men power-walk past women to get the last seat. More interestingly, I have seen on many occasions a couple get on the bus and the man take the only available seat. This is very different from back home, where the boyfriend will always let the girl sit. Other examples? Men starting to eat their meal before the woman are served; men hogging the umbrella when it rains; and men not holding the door open for women (at least not for strangers). I’m sure I could come up with other examples, but the point is, its pretty prevalent seeing men not acting chivalrous here.

My question is, why? Does it have something to do with the Communist mindset of equality and the woman’s liberation movement it produced? Under that mindset, one could argue that if women are to be viewed as equals within the party, why should they get special privileges? Hm. On the other hand, maybe the lack of chivalry stems back to older, Confucian ideologies that placed women low on the societal totem pole. Under this logic, one could argue men lack chivalry because they lack respect towards women. For all I know, chivalry could be an entirely Western phenomenon that doesn’t have a place in China. Who the hell knows? Of course I’m not saying that all Chinese men lack chivalrous virtues, I’m simply pointing out that the Chinese have a long way to go before they reach Western standards on that front.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

POOOOOOP

What's this? Two posts in one week? Truly a Christmas miracle! I guess the fact that I haven't written anything in a while means that I have plenty of material to write on. Today's subject is on one very close to me and dear to my heart: Poop. That's right, POOP! Now there are many directions I could have taken this subject- either writing about the horrible public bathrooms, or writing about how its OK for children to poop on the sidewalk. Instead though, I'm going to tell you about a very strange phenomenon known as Niu Fen (牛奋/粪). Since the Chinese love puns based on the different tones within the language, Niu Fen has two meanings at once: Fight like an Ox, and Cow Dung. Niu Fen is a popular toy sold during the spring festival fairs, which consist of an inflatable poop-shaped balloon on a stick. That's it, nothing special, just poop on a stick. I don't know why but this thing is hugely popular in Beijing and everywhere you look you see poop hovering above the heads of the crowds. The poop has even expanded to people wearing poop on their heads as a fashion statement. Literally, shit heads.

So based on further research conducted by my friend Evan, Niu Fen was invented by Li Bin - vendor No. 156 at the Ditan Park Temple Fair- who got the idea for the toy last October from watching a popular TV show called Struggle (奋斗/Fen Dou). Apparently Li Bin first thought of calling his invention Bull Market/Shit (牛市/屎Niu Shi), but after discussing it with his brother, they decided to use the more evocative Niu Fen. I haven't seen the show Struggle yet, but if the show inspires poop then I'm assuming constipation is involved. Get it, struggle? Eh, eh? Seriously though, how the hell did this poop product become a big hit? What does it mean? I don't have an answer for you but if I hear anything new I'll post on it, cause I love discussing poop. Anyways, the product has quickly become one of the most popular items at temple fairs around the capital. I even saw it as part of a McDonald's Happy Meal! I don't know of kid who wouldn't be excited to find plastic poop next to his Nuggets... So if you happen to be wandering the streets of Beijing and you see someone carrying something that looks like poop, now you know that's exactly what it is!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

SHUT UP WITH THE FIREWORKS ALREADY!!

OK so I've realized that the past few blog posts have started with me apologizing about not writing because I'm either sick or been vacationing or busy with work. Well I'm in the same boat again, but I'm declaring this the last apology I write for this site! HUZZAH! I am always going to be busy, and chances are I'm not going to have time to write here on a regular basis. Sorry. The truth is I probably don't have any readers who actually care that I haven't written in a few weeks/over a month, but if I do I'm sorry if the above statement offends you. Damn, that's technically another apology. Well whatever, I'm not apologizing for that apology.

Anyways, I hope you're happy China- you've finally gone ahead and gotten somebody killed with all your fucking fireworks! That's right, after weeks and weeks of listening to those damn, non-stop explosions I've finally had enough. I've snapped, and I am so glad that last night was the official end to Chunjie (the Spring Festival). Now don't get me wrong, the eve before Chunjie was one of the very coolest things I've ever witnessed and I would go as far as to say everyone should experience that once before they die. But when the fireworks continue non-stop for weeks after, it loses its appeal. I mean, if we were setting off 4th of July fireworks for weeks after the actual holiday, wouldn't you get a little tired of it? And its not like they're lighting fireworks only at night- these things are going off at 7 am right outside my window. There was this one old man who absolutely loved to wake up before the sun rose and start setting those things off. Well fuck you old man, not everyone loves the spring festival as much as you!

Anyways, as I said before, the fireworks finally claimed a casualty last night as a massive 40-story hotel in the process of being constructed went up in flames. Here's a link to the article on CNN, but the long and short of it is fireworks caught construction materials on fire and the thing went up in flames. One firefighter died and seven were wounded. Maybe if you had just stopped shooting those things after a few days, this wouldn't have happened. The good news is as of midnight last night it is now illegal to light fireworks in Beijing! Hurray, I can actually sleep in past 7 now!

I'll leave this posting with a video I took from a friend's rooftop during the eve of Chunjie- watch the whole thing through cause it really is cool. Enjoy!

Monday, January 5, 2009

The Chinese Don't Understand Christmas


The time has come for the first blog of the new year! Whoop! I was hoping to make this blog post as timely as possible, but my laziness has put an effective end to that... anyways, without further ado, here is a quick summary of Christmas in Beijing!

China has never really been a religious country, or at least not to the same degree as so many Western nations are. Buddhism grew into the religion it is today in large part because of the strong support it received from the Chinese Emperors, but it never swept the nation to the degree Christianity did in Europe (less than 1/5 of the nation considers itself Buddhist today). Both Confucianism and Taoism have strong histories in the nation, but most consider these 'schools of thought' as opposed to actual religions. And the rise of Communism certainly did plenty to hamper the practice of religion. Religion just isn't a popular thing here. You can imagine my surprise then when I discovered that the Chinese seemed more obsessed and excited about the arrival of Christmas than I was.

The Chinese have absolutely no idea what Christmas is all about. They have no idea it has anything to do with Christianity. This is the very definition of an export holiday: the Chinese have taken the commercialized portions of the holiday and exploited it even further in their attempt to 1.) be more Westernized and 2.) make more money off the allure of acting Western. One couldn't go anywhere without seeing pictures of Santa Claus hanging up on the walls and classic Christmas carols dubbed over in Chinese. People were wishing me Merry Christmas on December 1st. There was too much Christmas spirit for its own good, and yet (excuse the cliche) no one knew the true meaning of it. The truth is, I became actively annoyed at the way the Chinese were so obsessive about something they knew nothing about. When I told my class that not everybody in America celebrates Christmas, I was greeted with looks of shock (both from the students and fellow Chinese teachers). I went on to tell them that only Christians celebrate the holiday, and they grew even more confused. I'm not one to prostelitize so I didn't go into any details with the children, but seriously, if Christmas is going to be shoved down the nation's throat then people should at least be somewhat informed about what they hell they're celebrating!

My family came to visit me during Christmas, and for Christmas Eve we went with several friends to an all you can eat/drink dinner at the Marriott hotel. At the door we were all given whistles and noisemakers. Girls were walking around with party hats and light-up devil horns. The place looked like it was celebrating New Year's, which was probably because the Chinese view Christmas more in keeping with a New Year's celebration than a religious holiday. Don't get me wrong, I got drunk and had a lot of fun, but its not Christmas!

When we finished our meal we headed out to attend midnight mass, but the place was so packed it was impossible to get near the entrance, let alone inside. I had heard that it was popular for the Chinese to go to church just to check out what the actual meaning of Christmas was all about, and I actually got tickets in advance to 'guarantee' us a spot, but apparently that wasn't enough. It's great that it was so full, but how many of those people were there for actual religious reasons? My guess would be about half, with the other half crowding into the church just to be able to say they were a part of the Christmas celebration. That left many people who actually celebrated the holiday correctly out in the cold...

Anyways, I'll stop this rant now and leave you all with a video of my favorite class dancing to Christmas carols- enjoy!