Ivan has disappeared!

Just a few hours ago, we began to receive information from clustrmaps on where all of our blog’s visitors of the past several hours live.

And we notice that none of them are in Kazakhstan, nor in Idaho, Ivan’s two places of regular residence!

IVAN, WHERE ARE YOU?

Updates on our search for Ivan will follow regularly, after this function gets up to speed.

Time for Meditation: Dawn Mantras (1999)

This is my favourite piece of Australian music.  Ross Edwards’ Dawn Mantras, also know as Breath of the Spirit, was composed especially for the Dawn Performance which took place on the sails of the Sydney Opera House at sunrise on the first day of the new millennium and was telecast live to an estimated audience of two billion people around the world. 

It was performed by some of Australia’s finest musicians: Ellena Baroni, child soprano; Riley Lee, shakuhachi; Sandy Evans, tenor saxophone; Matthew Doyle, didjeridoo; The Sydney Children’s Choir directed by Lyn Williams and The Sydney Chamber Choir directed by Nicholas Routley.  

This Youtube clip of the music is accompanied by some images of Australia’s outback scenery.  It is simply magical.  Enjoy it.

 

All of our trolls are required to meet the highest standards of evil!

Recently we have banned some trolls from our blog.

The reason why we banned them, was because they were so boring.    Our standard is to ban any and all trolls who are not as interesting as Cthulhu.   Because Catherine and I will never settle for a lesser evil!

The Australian: On Liu Xiaobo

Today’s The Australian published Liu Xiaobo’s last interview with foreign press shortly before his arrest:

www.pen.org

China’s most famous dissident, the courtly, professorial Liu Xiaobo, 53, was taken by security officers from his home in Beijing last December and held incommunicado for six months, mostly in a room without windows at a secret location.

Last week he was shifted to a detention centre and charged with inciting subversion of state power, the crime for which other dissidents, such as activist Hu Jia, also have been sentenced. For those found guilty, the maximum penalty is 15 years.

His plight was highlighted by the Australian government at its annual human rights dialogue with China and, since his formal arrest, Australia has joined the EU, the US and other nations in risking Beijing’s wrath by calling for his release.

Liu’s last interview before his arrest was with The Australian. “No matter how rich a society is, as long as it is ruled by a privileged class (that) gains its wealth from an unbalanced and opaque system, there will be strong discontent,” he said.

“And any defence of this group’s economic interests will evolve into a defence of its political rights.”

Please follow this LINK to the full report.

UPDATE

Radio Free Asia confirms that Liu Xiaobo’s bail application has  been formally refused by the Beijing Security Bureau.

Hong Kong 1 July 2009

This post is about how Hong Kong has commemorated the 12th anniversary of its return to PRC rule.  I promise you this is going to be a “fair and balanced” blog post.  I’ll let the images and eye witness reports speak for themselves.

As usual, CCTV has the most “comprehensive” coverage:

www.cctv.com

This is a typical report from the western media, with “biased” and “trivial” details of what had happened on the street.

AFP: Beijing has said that universal suffrage would not come before 2017 at the earliest

The local newspaper Hong Kong Standard won the price for the most politically correct report.  It contained some controversies about the actual number of people taken part in the anti-government protest.  It also had a lengthy explanation of why the 1 July protest was not a pro-democracy campaign.  As the title of the report had suggested, it was all about “letting off” a bit of “steam”.  The most important piece of information in this report, however, is the explanation about the lower than expected turnout number at Victoria Park.  The Hong Kong Standard wrote and I quote:

Former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang blamed poor police arrangements for the lower turnout.

Chan said she had been stuck in the park for more than an hour after police refused to open more exits to disperse protesters. This led to scuffles although there were no arrests.

“The fact so many turned up despite the heat shows the public is very dissatisfied with various policies,” Chan said.

“The government should listen to the public and give us a clear roadmap and practical measures for universal suffrage when the consultation for constitutional reform begins in the fourth quarter of 2009.”

The following image said it all:

thestandard.com.hk

Anson Chan’s condemnation of poor police arrangement is supported by an eye witness report from our friend Tom of Daai Tou Laam Diary:

Standing in the sun an extra hour or two because Sec of Security Ambrose Lee decided to set up an obstructive rather than constructive crowd control plan means that I watched too many folks be helped to the First Aid tents. It was the worst/most overly-aggressive crowd control I’ve seen on the various walks I’ve been on, both getting in to and out of Victoria Park.

The crowds on the march were angrier as they felt the force of the government set out to obstruct them rather than listening to them. I don’t think the police won many admirers in their salary battle yesterday, even if they were only following a plan drawn up at Government House.

And of course the most “politically incorrect” eyewitness report goes to chinaworker.info.  The report also contained a large number of “offensive” images.  This report made two “ridiculous” claims:

1. More than 70,000 demand ‘one person one vote’ in biggest protest since Tsang took over.

2. Greater numbers of workers and youth had participated than previous years.

Once again, the images speak for themselves.  I suggest you go there and have a look at them yourself.

The Moon is made of cheese

Dedicated to our canine friend:

Ivan sighted in Tasmania

I see the Hand of Ivan behind this:

SYDNEY (Reuters) – The mystery of crop circles in poppy fields in Australia’s southern island state of Tasmania has been solved — stoned wallabies are eating the poppy heads and hopping around in circles.

“We have a problem with wallabies entering poppy fields, getting as high as a kite and going around in circles,” the state’s top lawmaker Lara Giddings told local media on Thursday….

Green Leader Bob Brown Sought Australian Senate Support for Liu Xiaobo

guardian.co.uk

Senator Bob Brown called on the Australian government to exert pressure on China regarding the formal arrest of Liu Xiaobo.  The following is an excerpt of the relevant sections from the Senate debate on Thursday June 25 between Brown and Australian Defense Minister John Faulkner.

Brown: My question, with almost no notice, is to the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I refer to the plight of the famed Chinese democrat Liu Xiaobo, who is coauthor of the Charter 08 declaration, which calls for freedom, civil rights and human decency in China. He has been under arrest for six months and has now been formally arrested and charged with trying to spread rumours, subversion of the state and overthrowing the socialist system. I ask the government: will it make a stand for Liu Xiaobo and democracy in China? What representations have been made to the government about the plight of this extraordinarily courageous advocate for democracy in China and what news can be given to the Senate about the plight of this great and noble person?

www.pen.org

Faulkner: I thank Senator Brown for his question. Certainly I can say to Senator Brown— through you, Mr President—that I am aware, as is the government of course, of the reports that China has now confirmed the arrest of the internationally acclaimed author Liu Xiaobo on grounds of subversion. I can certainly say to the Senate that Australia again calls for his release. The Australian government encourages China to address the concerns raised by the authors of Charter 08. I can also assure the Senate, and Senator Brown particularly, that the government will continue to make representations to China on the detention of Charter 08 signatories and others who were exercising internationally recognised liberties including freedom of speech.

Australia will continue to engage frankly with China on questions of human rights, including higher level meetings through the Australia-China Human Rights Dialogue. I say also, as I think I have said before, that we believe the best way to encourage China to make further progress on human rights issues is through those channels, and the government has encouraged that as opposed to—(Time expired).

Brown: Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I ask Senator Faulkner at what level the contact has been made with China. Has, indeed, the Prime Minister rung his counterpart in China and spoken in Mandarin about the plight of Liu Xiaobo? If not, will he? If not, at what level is the contact? Is it simply going to be at official-to-official level, as we have so often seen with Australian governments, that this contact will be made? Finally, I ask: why did the government not support the Greens’ motion in this place two weeks ago condemning Liu Xiaobo’s arrest and detention? Does the government not think that was some sort of comfort to the Beijing authorities, who now have him up on these charges?

Faulkner: Senator Brown, I am unable specifically to answer your question that goes to the level of contact. I can only seek some advice on that for you. I certainly can say more generally to you—and I hope this assists you—that the Australian government regularly raises its concerns on human rights and does so directly with China’s leaders. I know that, for example, the Minister for Foreign Affairs raised our human rights concerns with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in March this year during the Australian foreign minister’s visit to Beijing; I know he raised those concerns with Mr Yang in February and July 2008; and I know the Prime Minister raised human rights concerns in his meetings with Chinese leaders in April this year and in April and August of last year.

Brown: Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Many Australians will laud the Australian government for having called in the representative of Iran over the current actions in that country in repressing democracy. I ask the minister— through you, Chair—whether the government will consider calling in the ambassador from China to seek an explanation and to express Australia’s position on the arrest of Liu Xiaobo and the obviously fraught position that this great man now faces in China.

Faulkner: I think I have indicated a strong statement of concern on behalf of the government.  I will need to check for Senator Brown what the immediate plans are in relation to the specific question that he raises, but I can assure you that the government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continue to raise concerns about human rights issues with representatives in Canberra and Beijing. I will need to seek some further advice for you, Senator Brown, on the specific issue you have raised and, if I am able to get some information soon, I am very happy to certainly provide it to you at the earliest available opportunity.

Later when Senate resumed,

Faulkner: I want to respond to some elements of the supplementary questions that Senator Bob Brown asked me in question time today.

I have sought some advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It may be recalled that Senator Brown asked me at what level representations were made regarding the arrest of Liu Xiaobo. I can indicate to Senator Brown that these were made through our Beijing embassy to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, initially at councillor and first secretary level, and subsequently followed up on several occasions at councillor and first secretary level.

I have also been advised, in response to the question raised by Senator Brown in relation to calling in the Chinese ambassador, that the answer at this stage is no. The government considers the most appropriate avenue on this occasion will be through diplomatic channels in China, registering our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities in Beijing …

Unfortunately, the Senate was not able to pass Mr Brown’s motion in its current format.  However, the President of the Senate had directed Mr Brown to liaise with his Senate colleagues to find ways of achieving bipartisan support for Liu Xiaobo’s case.

Bullog (bullock.cn) China Returns

牛，已经回到墙里。[The Bull has returned to behind the Wall]

Bullog (bullock.cn) China has been repackaged and re-launched with a new URL, a new look and a new policy.  According to a notice posted on the homepage, the new site will strictly adhere to the policy of “no political content”.  Blog posts that fail to observe this policy will be deleted and membership ID of bloggers will automatically be cancelled.  In other words, this is a (self) censored version of the famous Bullog site.

On the site where the launch is advertised, there is a discreet link at the right-hand top corner to Bullog International (bullogger.com).  It seems that more controversial current affairs bloggers such as Ran Yunfei are publishing their blog posts only at the international version of the blog portal, which is hosted outside of China.

The owner of the blog portal Luo Yonghao has so far made no public announcement about the return of Bullog China.

Please refer to the following posts for background information:

1. Bullog is harmonised
2. Bullog International Returns

Words of Wisdom on Financial Crisis

www.libforall.org

In an appeal made during a recent summit, religious leaders from around the world gave the following advice to world leaders who are attending the G8 Summit later in July:

We are convinced that a new moral paradigm is essential to address today’s challenges. Through the notion of shared security we can draw attention to the comprehensive character of our moral and religious concerns. We are using the term “security” in a new way. We add the word “shared” to draw attention to a fundamental moral conviction: the wellbeing of each is related to the wellbeing of others and to our environment. Shared security focuses on the fundamental inter relatedness of all persons and the environment. It includes a comprehensive respect for the interconnectedness and dignity of all life and acknowledges the fundamental fact that we all live in one world. Ultimately we are convinced that to overcome violence, justice with compassion and forgiveness are necessary and possible.

More specifically, religious leaders were drawing the attention of the G8 Summit to the need for:

• Sustainable financing for future development;
• Transparent and inclusive global decision-making in tackling issues brought along by the financial crisis;
• Concerted action to close down unregulated off shore banking systems;
• International cooperation in tackling poverty brought along to the African continent that has been hard hit by the global financial crisis;
• Rigorous implementation of nuclear reduction and non-proliferation policies leading to the goal of total nuclear disarmament; and
• Adequate and uniform standards designed to protect the rights and dignity of illegal migrants and refugees, as world political leaders are warned that ecological pressure will significantly accelerate the rate of global population mobility.

The Dalai Lama, however, has a slightly different but essentially similar view on the global financial crisis.  Our friend JR from JustRecently’s Weblog has translated a section of His Holiness’s interview with a German paper Die Welt on this topic:

Welt: The market doesn’t settle it, but you don’t believe in regulation either. Then what do we need?

Dalai Lama: I call it a responsible free market economy. In the end it depends on the individual. It depends on the individual sense of moral responsibility, self-discipline, values. The financial crisis is no crisis of the market economy itself, but a crisis of values.

Do you agree with the Dalai Lama that the financial crisis is fundamentally a crisis of value?  Will the solution lies in an improved sense of individual moral responsibility?  Or is this ultimately a global crisis that requires a global solution?

Petition for the Release of Liu Xiaobo

www.pen.org

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that a group of Chinese intellectuals have signed a petition for the release of Liu Xiaobo.  I’ve also learnt today that some Tibetan community leaders are appealing to members of their communities in China and abroad to sign the petition in support of Liu.  Here is a LINK to the online petition.

So far a total of 54 Chinese residents have put their names down.  This include famous scholars such as Xu Youyu, Mou Yushi, Qin Hui, Zhang Ming, Cui Weiping, Ai Xiaoming, Li Datong and Fu Guoyong; a Beijing based lawyer and a legal scholar; as well as writers such as Zhang Ping, Wang Lixiong, Woeser and Liu Di.

I salute these brave Chinese people for their courage.

Ivan’s love song to all FenQing

Ivan dedicates this song to all Fenqing!

Liu Xiaobo’s First Meeting with his Lawyer

Pro-democracy lawmakers and activities hold the picture of Liu Xiaobo protest outside the China's liaison office in Hong Kong Thursday, June 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Liu Xiaobo was eventually allowed to meet with his lawyer.  Liu’s lawyer Shang Baojun said that the meeting took place at around 3.15pm on 26 June at the Beijing Number 1 Detention Centre.   It lasted for approximately 40 minutes.

Shang found out from Liu Xiaobo that he had been detained in a house with no windows since December last year.  He was not even allowed to go outside to stretch his legs.  According to PRC legislation, under no circumstances should house arrests be extended beyond six months.  In other words, from 8 June to 23 June, Liu Xiaobo had been illegally detained.

Liu refuted the claim of a recent Xinhua press release that he had confessed to the crime of inciting subversion.  During the course of interrogation, Liu had only made two admissions: (1) He was the main contributor to the drafting of Charter 08; and (2) he had published more than 20 essays via the Internet.  However, Liu Xiaobo was adamant that none of these were illegal activities.  Nor could they be construed as inciting subversion.

Liu apologised through his lawyer to his wife and family for the suffering that they had to endure.  However he expressed no regret for his commitment to a free and democratic China.  Liu also thanked his friends in China and abroad for their support.  Liu hoped that his claim of full responsibility for Charter 08 would prevent others from sustaining further political persecutions.

According to Liu Xiaobo’s lawyer, a bail application had been filed on 25 June.  A formal reply is expected latest by next Thursday.

Source: Canyu (via Chinese Pen)

Meanwhile, a group of more than 50 intellectuals in China has signed a petition calling for the immediate release of Liu Xiaobo and the proper implementation of freedom of speech rights as stipulated in the PRC Constitution.

Source: AP (via Google News)

Ivan’s Chinglish translation service

A recent exchange with one of our PRC educated fenqing commenters has inspired Ivan to begin advertising his Chinglish translation service.

For a taste of what Ivan can do for Chinglish speakers, here is Ivan’s translation of the Gettysburg Address into perfect Chinglish such as is taught and written at Tsinghua University and CASS (China Academy of Social Sciences):

Original text: Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate…we can not consecrate…we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Chinglish translation: Four victory in seven year, the Jesus word steal revolution of bowel movement, many sexy not criminal, man can ask marry man.

Now man marry man in big polite war, examination on national conscious of making baby for government is long time, become friend on big dead, pray for national fun when dead.   Mechanic can be convenient.

When in big smell, we are not correct in hole.   Angry ghost correct his thought, sky take our money.    World love Twitter, easy to remember English conversation.    We prefer big project of human sacrifice in our face – love more cannibal cooking – take marijuana under law the dead cannot be pretty – the God have more sex – government control people or world die.

The IQ of a CCTV Host

This is one of the funniest video I’ve watched lately.  No, it’s not a clip from Monty Python.  It’s just a CCTV interview.  Yes, I’m not mistaken.  It’s CCTV.  And no, there is no comedian involved.  It’s an interview with a Nobel Price winner Samuel Ting (or Ding Zhaozhong in PINYIN).  Soon after the program was aired, the China blogosphere was flooded with comments condemning the poor performance of the CCTV host Qu Xiangdong.  Many Chinese netizens were wondering why CCTV couldn’t pick a more intelligent host to interview someone of Samuel Ting’s calibre.  Samuel Ting was obviously bored by this idiot.  As you know, anything could happen when a genius gets bored.

This is a LINK to the Youku video.  (Sorry, I don’t know how to embed a Youku clip.) Please note how Ting managed to break every taboo in the book and there was nothing Qu could do about it.  It’s just brilliant.

The interview is conducted in Mandarin, of course.  But fortunately there is an English translation via chinaSMACK.  Thanks to Fauna for such a wonderful post.

Here are some of the highlights from the transcript:

In the first section of the video, Samuel Ting talked about the subjects he was good at in school and his choice between studying science or history:

CCTV: At the time, which subject were you more interested in, in your heart?

Ting: At least for me, what a middle school student is more interested in is what subject he can get very good grades in without studying a lot. No one get zero points and is still interested.

Ting: For Chinese history, I often got full marks. And I did not have to work very hard. Physics, chemistry, math, my grades were also not bad. What I was not so good at was called…”Three Principles of the People” and the like… [politics]

CCTV: Then at that time, why did you not choose history?

Ting: Because I had a kind of feeling that it would be very difficult to find the truth, because with the change of each dynasty and each period in China, the first thing they did was to rewrite history.

The second half of the interview was the funniest part:

CCTV: You are Ding Zhaozhong, Your younger brother is called Ding Zhaohua, and your youngest brother is called Ding Zhaomin–

Ting: (interrupting) Younger sister.

CCTV: Younger sister. If there were another one, would the name be Ding Zhaozu?

Ting: (without hestiation) No, the name would be Ding Zhaoguo.

Ting: …Because there was no “Guo”, we ran to Taiwan ….

[Let me spell it out a bit clearer for those who still don’t get it.  Through asking for the names of Ting and his siblings (Zhaozhong, Zhaohua, Zhaomin) and suggesting a possible name for Ting’s 4^th sibling (Zhaozu), Qu wanted to direct the audience’s attention to the expression Zhonghua Minzu, which means “Chinese identity”.  But when Samuel Ting replied that it should be Zhaoguo, he changed the expression into Zhonghua Minguo, which means Taiwan.  And then by saying, “Because there was no ‘Guo’, we ran to Taiwan”, Ting made a double meaning joke.  The expression literary meant: “because we did not have this fourth child name ‘Guo’, we went to Taiwan”.  The implication was: “since Chiang Kai-shek lost Mainland China, we went with him to Taiwan”.]

Traditional Chinese Cannibalism

5,000 year of civilisation has produced the following Chinese folk remedy:

Lin Zongxiu, from the southwestern province of Sichuan, heard in 2008 that soup made with a man’s head could help cure her daughter who had suffered from psychiatric problems for years, the Chengdu Commercial newspaper reported.

Lin and her husband decided to enlist the help of a man in December who knocked unconscious a drunk 76-year-old passer-by before beheading him, the paper claimed….

…The couple then gave their 25-year-old daughter soup made from the man’s head, and duck.

Coincidentally our research assistant, Ivan, has discovered some video footage of the preparation of Traditional Chinese Medicine at a PRC state-owned enterprise somewhere near Shenzhen:

Liu Xiaobo Formally Arrested

chinesepen.org

Xinhua released a report a short while ago, confirming the formal arrest of Liu Xiaobo on 23 June 2009.  Liu was detained and had been placed under house arrest since 8 December 2009, a day before the release of Charter 08.  Liu was alleged to be the master mind behind the drafting of the document that asked for reforms to China’s political and legal system.

The Xinhua report reads:

新华社：刘晓波涉煽动颠覆国家政权罪被捕

（2009-06-24; 2.20 pm）

中国著名异见人士刘晓波被指涉嫌煽动颠覆国家政权罪，已于23日经检察机关批准后被逮捕

新华社报道，据公安机关侦查掌握，近年来刘晓波以造谣、诽谤等方式，煽动颠覆国家政权、推翻社会主义制度，违反了《中华人民共和国刑法》，涉嫌煽动颠覆国家政权罪，北京市公安机关依法对刘晓波立案侦查，6月23日经检察机关批准逮捕。

报道指，经初步审查，刘晓波已对公安机关指控的犯罪事实，供认不讳。

《联合早报网》

The following is my translation:

Xinhua: Liu Xiaobo arrested suspicious of inciting subversion of the State (24/6/2009 2:20pm)

The prosecutor has given permission on the 23th [of June] for the arrest of China’s prominent dissident Liu Xiaobo, who is alleged of committing the crime of inciting subversion of State authority.

According to Xinhua, Police investigation has confirmed that Liu Xiaobo’s acts of using rumour and libel to incite subversion of State power and overthrow of the socialist system are in violation of the “Criminal Legislation of the People’s Republic of China”.  He is suspected of committing the crime of inciting subversion against State authority.  The Beijing Public Security has therefore conducted an investigation in accordance with the legislation.  [Consequently] the Prosecutor has approved of Liu Xiaobo’s arrest on 23 June.

The report notes that Liu Xiaobo has confessed to the alleged crime during a preliminary Police investigation.

realtime.zaobao.com

A Beijing lawyer Mo Shaoping tells Reuters that if Liu is indicted and convicted, he will face a maximum custodian sentence of 15 years.  In other words, Liu will not be released until he is 68.  Mo has been disqualified to represent Liu because he also signed the Charter 08 petition.

UPDATE

WSJ China Journal has published a great post on Liu Xiaobo’s arrest.  The blog post contains a translation of some legal opinions that a famous Beijing based rights lawyer Liu Lu has written.  This is by far one of the best analysis of how the latest development can be interpreted and what it means for the future of Liu Xiaobo.

Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo

Today is the 194th  anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, June 18 1815.

The Battle of Waterloo and all of the wars of the French “republic” from 1793 to 1815 showed the world what happens whenever the decent nations of the world allow the French to get out of control.

But as Ned and Ivan are magnanimous in victory, we hereby salute the interminably defeated French with – what else? – a cartoon about an arrogant buffoon:

Ivan has gone back to America

A while ago we lost touch with our American friend and co-blogger, Ivan.    And for some years we have known him to be secretive about his work.

Over the past two years or so, he told us he had moved back to America.    But now he has told us the whole truth, that for the past several years he has been working as a journalist for North Korea’s internet journal,  “Happy News For Foreigner Who Love Dear Leader”.

We take our friend Ivan at his word, at face value, when he tells us that for the past several years he has occasionally visited America for conjugal visits with his fiancee the exotic dancer Hypatia De La Pink – who, Ivan tells us, was released from prison in 2007 and is now on probation  – and we take him at his word, at face value, when he now tells us that the reason why he has finally left North Korea and his extraordinary position as a Western journalist in North Korea, striving to “reform North Korean journalism from within”, is because of his love for his fiancee, Hypatia De La Pink (exotic dancer at the Kit Kat Klub somewhere in Idaho, USA,  in booth number 10).

And Ivan assures us that he remains on good terms with his former employers, the Propaganda Department of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (aka North Korea), and Ivan remains proud that he did his bit to help North Korean journalism to become more open and more progressive.

Therefore, in closing, Ivan dedicates this song to all of his friends in North Korea’s Department of Propaganda, and he promises that he will continue to write about North Korea even after he moves back to America, in ways of which his North Korean friends will approve, because now his credibility as a journalist or PR man depends, and will always depend – in all countries – on his keeping good relations with his most recent employer of the past several years, North Korea’s Department of Propaganda:

(Disclaimer:   This is satire; Ivan is a fictional character.    But this satire is based loosely on some real-life events.)

Omnibus thread for all countries other than China, Australia and USA

The Land of the Kiwis

In the comments section of one of our recent posts,  our commenter “Matthew Tan” carried on about Singapore.

Catherine and I are not especially interested in Singapore.    We are Australians who have close personal links with China, and so we are not especially interested in any countries other than China, Australia and USA.   And our American friend Ivan is the only one of us who is interested in USA, although sometimes he writes about Russia because he is partly  Russian.

Therefore, we are establishing this thread, as an omnibus thread for our commenters to post any of their thoughts about any countries other than China, Australia, America and Russia.    (We include Russia in this list,  out of respect for Ivan, who sometimes drinks too much contraband vodka from Kazakhstan, and then Ivan phones us in a drunken state late at night while he tells us stories about his Cossack ancestors…)

Therefore, in light of the above, we dedicate this post and its comment section to anyone who wants to rant about any countries that we are not interested in, including Singapore,  and Zimbabwe, and Argentina, and Ethiopia, and….

…and especially New Zealand.