User Comments - tvan
tvan
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Taiwan
May 17, 2009 at 10:11 PM@effie, I guess to each their own; however, to poddies who haven't yet been to Taiwan, I heartily recommend ignoring your advice. With its Fujian roots, Japanese colonial influence, and the influx of mainlanders following the 1949 defeat, Taiwan offers a unique cuisine found nowhere else.
And Taiwan's night market rules!
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Taiwan
May 17, 2009 at 10:03 PM@carlos_in_irvine, the not so intuitive answer is:
- Upload your photo to a web site such as flickr or picassa. (If it's not already on the web.)
- Right click on the photo (Windows) or control click (Mac) and select the option "Copy Image Address."
- Paste this address in the image URL box of the photo tool.
Posted on: Going to Church
May 14, 2009 at 2:14 AMPrayer: 禱文/祷文/dǎowén
Amen: 阿門/阿门/āmén
Posted on: Going to Church
May 13, 2009 at 3:54 AM
sydcarten 你好,
Thank you, that is very interesting. My first reaction is always to condemn any restriction on freedom of belief and to respect others' beliefs. However, of course, there are legitimate cultural differences and (e.g. France and the U.S.), so I guess that would be ethnocentric of me.
Incidentally, according to Wiki, there are five "recognized" religions in China:
- Buddhism/佛教
- Taoism/道教
- Islam/回教
- Catholicism/天主教
- Protestant Christianity/基督教
Posted on: Going to Church
May 13, 2009 at 12:31 AMTo get the subject back to China, I'm not sure when it changed, but somwhere between 1980 and 1990, China opened up greatly to religious practice, Western as well as Chinese. In 1981 aetheism was by far the healthier choice.
Are there many practicing Chinese buddhists in China? The monasteries I've visited seem to to be overwhelmed with tourists (like me).
Posted on: Funny Business
May 11, 2009 at 7:37 PMbodawei, the problem that people making lots of money illegally have, is explaining it to the authorities. Also, as Pete says above, most countries have cash reporting laws for large deposits. Thus, the trick is to either: 1) Show your ill-begotten gains as revenues for a business (and deal with the taxes) and/or 2) start a business that generates a large volume of cash receipts naturally; obviously, the banks don't have to report large deposits by, say, your local Wal Mart. However, this gets complicated because in order to generate revenue you also need expenses (i.e. having a restaurant w/o any waiters or food purchases still looks funny). The generation of large amounts of cash without directly associated costs is what makes gambling casinos attractive to large-scale criminal enterprises.
Incidentally, in the U.S. the criminal definition of money laundering is, essentially, spending money gained illegally. Thus, a person might commit a theft requiring a sentence of one year but, because he/she spent the stolen money, can be sentenced to 10 years for money laundering. Who says you need a totalitarian govt. to be repressive?
Posted on: 未来世界大战
May 6, 2009 at 2:36 AMchuzoe, 是嗎？ 這個課程的生字不少，而且也有不少國家的名字。當然不是真的，可是對於學習中文沒用嗎？
Posted on: Seeing off a Monk, Returning to Japan -- 送僧归日本
May 5, 2009 at 3:39 AMSimplified
上国随缘住，来途若梦行。
浮天沧海远，去世法舟轻。
水月通禅寂，鱼龙听梵声。
惟怜一灯影，万里眼中明。
Traditional
上國隨緣住，來途若夢行。
浮天滄海遠，去世法舟輕。
水月通禪寂，魚龍聽梵聲。
惟憐一燈影，萬里眼中明。
Posted on: Zombies: Deader than Ever
May 5, 2009 at 3:14 AM中國有沒有 “werewolf?" 我认识狐狸精/werefox. 可是狐狸精是狐狸变成人，不是人变成狐狸。 对吗？
Posted on: Candles and Sweatshops!
May 17, 2009 at 11:53 PM@mikeewinshot, must be a U.S. plot to deprive our former colonial masters to book titles. It's here on the U.S. site.