Writes of Passage

We came up from the Metro station in Paris and were blinded by the blazing sun. I was squinting and blinking to adjust my aging eyes to the sudden light. The first sight came into my view was a grand old massive building. Then the street sign Les Invalides. Having been living in New York for nearly quarter of century, I managed to understand a few words of Chinglish.
“Invalid?”
I was horrified.
Political correctness is paramount in my beloved USA. How would the human right groups react were this sign in America?

Google translates:
invalid: 无效
invalides: disabled/残

I do not have problem with different terms for the same thing but, as an English learner, I would rather have to learn just one term for one thing, instead multiple terms. And on top of that, I’ll have to memorize which term is the correct term, to be politically correct.

• illegal immigrant, the right term is undocumented immigrant
• negro, black although neuter but isn’t good enough. the right term is African-American
• crippled, invalid, disabled, no no no. Should use handicapped
• heathen, the correct term is atheist  
• sex change, the right way is sex reassignment
• immigrant or expat?
• Chinese Wall or Ethic Wall

I knew being an American won’t be easy. Guess the old Europa just doesn’t care.

Years ago, after I registered my domain for my book “Heathen Son“, an Indian-American friend, paused for a few second, then politely advised me, “we don’t use that term any more. It’s atheist now.” Too bad and too late. I already paid. Actually I did not even know how to spell atheist.

I believe if you talk about it thousand times, even a lie may become true. However, race is an elephant in the room. 2008 Obama became the first half black president. But all I heard is that he’s black. What about his white mother? Did she ever count?

P.S. 2014.12.05, Trayvon Martin of Florida, Michael Brown of Ferguson and Eric Garner of Staten Island are the cause of massive protest in USA now. Chef’s Table in Brooklyn, three-Michelin-star serves worst meat to Asians

And there are few myths ..

Visited it in 2019

… then we returned to Cairo for flight home.

Karnak Temple, May 4, 1984
I don’t remember where we saw the light show, at Aswan or Luxor. It was at night, off to an island.

Leaving Cairo, we came to Aswan. Then we spent a couple of days in Luxor.

View more pictures

July 1-11, 1985. I was in Shanghai for the Automotive China’85, staying at Jinjiang Hotel 锦江饭店.

On Nanjing Road, July 10th:

Judging from our cloth and the nature daylight, I must had more than one lunch a day ..

One of my favored qipaos .. ‘姚微 是黑白配，好看 – 黑衣女孩我上海的小姐姐(爸爸同学的女儿)现在澳洲 ..’

With YZ’s friends .. 红衣女孩家是北大地质系的住在中关园，考在上海交大，现在美国，叫钱美意，你帮着找一下

Sunday, July 7, 1985

I didn’t even remember that I’ve ever been to Wuxi if weren’t for those pictures.

I was in Shanghai for the Automotive China’85 which closed on Sunday. YZ was going to go with for the excursion but backed out at the last second. So it was me, the big bearded engineer from home office in Hamburg and Yu (couldn’t remember who’s girl was ..) More pictures here ..
… did I have 无锡肉骨头 for lunch?? …

• 2011, Wuxi pearls; Taihu
• 2011, its famed Buddha and more of it

Courtesy: www.highdesignjewelry.com
A store located on 6th Avenue at 40th Street in New York

Mainz, March 5, 1984

Halloween in Frankfurt, March 6, 1984

May 20, 1984 on Air Lanka cockpit, with the pilots, on my way back to Hong Kong from Frankfurt

The aircraft wasn’t full so the two pilots were nice enough to invite me to sit there while they worked.
hmmmmmmm…
Back to the good old days, when civility was paramount, and we didn’t have to debate if the full body scan is necessary ..

Feb 1984
Falkstra