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]
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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]
Endless Construction
The hotel where I’m staying is on the Second Ring Road, which is being more or less rebuilt to accommodate all of the traffic. Hence, there is continuous construction in both directions – crazy, huh? This is life in China’s cities in 2012. By the way, I also took pictures on the street, and a… [Read More]
