While I am in Chengdu, I am trying to talk to anyone I can who is part of this new economy here. One person I talked to asked me what my article was going to be about, and I told him that I didn’t know because I hadn’t talked to enough people yet. But this… [Read More]
Blog
Paying for College: Looking at the Donors
America’s universities are mostly funded by private funds: tuition and donations. Yes, even private universities receive government funding, but the volume of state and federal dollars has been steadily declining. Who provides the money, and how much they give, affects the amount of non-loan financial aid available, what you get for that money, and how… [Read More]
Fashion Ephemera
I like to dress nicely and snag a bargain as much as the next lady. I also know that cheap clothing is bad for the environment and bad for workers. All the cognitive dissonance makes me crazy! Really, what does it mean to be fashionable? I can’t buy clothes in Chengdu, so the fashion I… [Read More]
Candy Art
This is a sucker I bought at Chengdu People’s Park. You pay 5 yuan and take a turn at the spinner; you win a sucker in the design that it stops on. The proprietor pours caramelized sugar out on a slab in the winning design. The dragon is the best design, because it is the… [Read More]
Why I Love the Olympics
I am an Olympics junkie, I admit. I’m thrilled that it won’t be in Chicago, and I think that the IOC’s demands on cities are unreasonable and unfair. I also love the pageantry, the heartwarming human drama, and the hard work of obscure athletes in obscure sports. As I writer, I love something else: the… [Read More]
