Monthly Archives: November 2014

It is not correction officers but prison gangs who maintain order and met out justice behind bars in America. The result is more efficient crime on the outside. Pelican Bay State Prison is home to the California prison systems most … Continue reading →

Yunnan Province (pop 46 million) Yunnan is in the far SW of China bordering on Myanmar, Thailand. Laos (at the Golden Triangle) and NW Vietnam. With the highest diversity of any province in China, both in people and landscapes, it … Continue reading →

In recent months, China has pressed its claims to the seas beside it with unusual aggression, resulting in a long series of tense maritime standoffs. It neighbors fear miscalculation and war. China’s expansion has long been expected. Is a new … Continue reading →

Chongqing Province (pop 40 million) Nov 2014 Chongqing is a relatively new province close to the centre of Eastern China, having split from Sichuan in 1997. It is home to the mighty Yangzi River which has carved out one of … Continue reading →

CULTURAL BEHAVIOR IN CHINA By being aware of some of the differences, you lessen the impact of culture shock and you make your life considerably easier. You are in their culture. Part of the deal is tolerating, accepting and simply … Continue reading →

Sichuan (pop 84 million) November 2014 History. In the Warring States period (475-221 BC), the famed engineer Li Bing harnessed the flood-prone Min River with his revolutionary weir system, the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, and still protects locals from floods, 2200 … Continue reading →

Shanxi Province (pop. 36.3 million) Oct 2014 Full of history, Shanxi is the province west of Beijing. I traveled to Shanxi to visit Datong (Yungang Caves with 5th century Buddhist art) and Pingyao (China’s best preserved ancient walled town), both … Continue reading →

Between Pingyao and Xi’an, in HENAN PROVINCE, are some Unesco listed sights that require a detour. Although the caves are not as good as Yungang, near Luoyang, the capital of 13 dynasties, are the Unesco listed Longmen Caves containing 100,000 … Continue reading →