Saguaro

This week is my week of travel in the U.S. for work. It started in Tucson, where the following picture is from, and continues today in Champaign, Illinois.



The desert southwest struck me more than I was expecting. Combining the mild weather with the striking mountain-lined horizons creates a relaxing environment. I was surprised to find Tucson a much more laid-back college town that would be expected. The cactus that shares the stage with me here is a saguaro and is likely over a hundred years old.

"Eric and E.J.-"

"My intention was to write something deep this year, tying together the book I am reading about the Revolutionary War, my mother’s obsession with genealogy, the importance of preserving the written word, and making a New Year’s resolution to contact your legislator about something important to you in 2006. Alas, time has won the race this Christmas. If this should find you before December 25, Merry Christmas. If not, Happy New Year!"

I wanted to post the message from a card we got this year from a college friend of mine, Regina. It captured more clearly my feeling about the holiday season than I even knew was possible. Some great intentions have been fulfilled, many have not, and so 2006 begins.

Real News Sites

Hong Kong will be in the news a lot this week as the World Trade Organization talks are taking place there as are all the associated protests and police actions to prevent protest. Over the course of this last year, I have discussed numerous happenings personally and in the destinations that Eric and I have been lucky enough to visit. I thought it'd be good to post a couple of links that I use regularly to stay up to date on the news and happenings in some of our favorite places.

Hong Kong

The Economist's Monthly Briefing on Hong Kong (The Economist has surprisingly great list of monthly city and coutry briefings as well as travel guides.)
http://www.economist.com/cities/briefing.cfm?city_id=HK&CFID=69130412&CFTOKEN=34fb4c5-b16c8a1c-3b24-4d37-a11e-8e09de7eb0be

The South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com

US News

The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com

The Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com

The Topeka Capital Journal (Eric still follows the Topeka press (Eric still follows this (especially their weddings and births. Once a Kansas boy, always a Kansas boy.)
http://www.cjonline.com

Frosty Morning Bike Ride

I am back in Kansas City currently and Eric is to return shortly. On Thursday we were hit with a heavy snow storm that has made the task of getting around without a car more difficult than I thought. Luckily, I have some really great friends that have offered rides without guilt thus far.

As I sat as Starbucks, enjoying the serenity of the scene and sipping away the frustration that could have built from waking at the absurdly early time of 4 am, I was surprised by another early morning adventurer. There amongst the 8 inches of snow that was quickly being piled into 8 foot piles by the Plaza's snow removal crews was a bundled man on a mountain bike. At first glance, he appeared only an odd commuter, but then he did a seemingly unexpected thing. He took dead aim at one of the snow piles. 20 feet, 10 feet, 5 feet and he was accelerating. With contact, Flipping Fred, as I think I shall call him, sailed over the handle bars, doing a backflip and landed safely in the snow.

I promise that my lack of sleep did not contribute to the unexpected nature of this extreme sport. Snow flipping on the Plaza at 5:45 am. Who would have guessed?

The March for Democracy

This past Sunday Eric had the opportunity to be a part of Hong Kong and China history. He along with one of our friends Sarah, took part in the democracy march. With several hundred thousand people taking to the street, the people of Hong Kong seemed to unite in a way that I have never seen. In peaceful protest, they streamed along the streets of Hong Kong’s harbor for the entire day, erupting with purpose in a way that the mainland fears.



As a special administrative region (SAR) of China, Hong Kong (like Macau and to some extent Taiwan) enjoys a unique arrangement that encourages commerce and integration with the mainland while maintaining two systems, separate government, economic policy, and other key governmental functions. It is not this that the people seem opposed to, in fact, from what I’ve seen, complete independence is not the goal. Rather, the people of Hong Kong want the right to elect their own head representative and to move towards a democratic government.

Oddly, at least in the media and press that I’ve seen, there has been little international support or discussion of this movement. America is quick to endorse Taiwan and where is the support for Hong Kong? At the march, Eric reported seeing no other foreigners (at least of different skin color) at the march, which in a city that is packed with foreigners is quite a statement. People at the march were amazed to see gweilos (white people or foreigners) marching with them in support and they loved it.



Hopefully when Eric stops for a holiday break in a few weeks he’ll have some time to write about the experience so I can post more. I can’t express how proud I am of him and Sara for going. These pictures are really moving for me in a way I would never have expected. I am sad I was not there to participate in what was an amazing statement about the power of reasoned people acting together.

Coffee and Conversations in Mumbai

It was the Monday before Thanksgiving, about 10:30 am, and Eric and I were in Mumbai (Bombay), India for the week. It was our second full day. I stopped into a local Mumbai café called Mocha to do some work while Eric is doing a media event at the nearby Oberei Hotel. We arrived on Saturday night and spent most of Sunday in exploration.

Monday in Mumbai is a busy time. Everyone is in transit, although sometimes the expected hierarchy of speed is usurped in the gridlock of city traffic. The free-for-all that is Mumbai traffic is chaos and perfection at the same time. The waiter just brought my coffee – mocha au lait. Although India is supposed to be known for their coffee, I am not impressed. The tables around me seem more concerned with the smoking machines that are available for checking out from the establishment - hookahs. The chrome detailed and are level with me as I sit. Black to grey objects sit upon foil and create the smoke which is breathed in. Whole tables share the smoking machine and conversation, casually and with little determination to finish. I think I have landed at the local college café as almost all of the patrons are younger but there are no books to be seen.

Our hotel is far outside of the city center but near the airport. The drive into downtown this morning took just at an hour and while faster than predicted adds some complexity to sightseeing. Infrastructure and public transportation in particular seems underdeveloped here. From what I’ve seen in Shanghai (not that it can be considered typical of China from what I’ve read) in comparison to Mumbai (touted as India’s financial and business center), China has a monumental jump in its efforts to enter the legion of developed countries.

I ordered breakfast, taking the waiter's suggestion to try a traditional Indian Suffi breakfast:



Vegetarian with cooked carrot and other vegetables spiced heavily and then cookedwith eggs, it was a treat. Given all the bird flu concerns, I couldn't bring myself to eat the yellow portions, but all and all, a real treat. For about two hours, I worked from Mocha with my laptop and soaked in the universal scene around me of friends enjoying a good breakfast and conversation but with a new and vibrant feeling. These were people younger than me and in many ways more dressed like "Americans" than I was. Unfortunately, I didn't engage in any conversations this day so I am left with only the memory of my eyes and the tickling of my nose as insights.

I hope to start posting more regularly now. Thanks for all the nice comments of concern from family, friends,and concerned readers. I am still having some trouble with my arm (something like shin splints of the forearm and elbow or tendonitis) but am feeling somewhat better.

Temporary Break

Sorry to all my readers but I'm having some difficulty typing due to some hand pain. I'll start publishing again as soon as I can.