Happy 60th Birthday China!

[Specially Cork]

60 years since Chairman Mao announced the founding of the PRC. This nice bit of patriotism landed me a week off work, so...here's to another 60!

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... z270QtPSyw

Perhaps the most controversial snippet is that tonight the Empire State Building will be lit-up in red and yellow lights...

[Jeeba Jabba]

I wonder if they will bring cakes to the mass-graves.

[Stormwatch]

I acknowledge no Chinese government but the government of the Republic of China (aka Taiwan).

[bloodite]

Happy Birthday to China and to celebrate another way of life. There can be no balance wihout opposing sides cancelling each other out. Long live the republic and may they oppose imperialism for a long time.

[SuperMegatron]

Long live the republic and may they oppose imperialism for a long time.

Yeap the best way to oppose imperialism is to make slaves out of your own people before some one else does.

[Specially Cork]

Well, I spent most of my time celebrating 60 years of communist rule by going shopping, because things are cheaper over the holiday. The best part of the day was watching 8 army guys dressed in their finery march into McDonalds and buy ice-creams.

[Nico0020]

What made you move there again? I think I was around when you announced you were moving there, and you posted pics of your apartment? Or am I thinking of someone else?

[Specially Cork]

I was always going to leave the UK, it's a decision I made when I was about 14 or 15. My family are spread-out pretty much all over the world so I guess it's in my blood. Teaching English as a foreign language seemed like a good career to me so that's what I followed. Country-wise I was chasing Japan for the longest time, but then I spent some months over there and as amazing as it was, I found the society to be quite difficult to live in.

Anyway, it was quite easy to get a job in China at the time so I just went for it, figuring I could always bail out if things turned out to be shit. Luckily though things have been great, and I have a much better lifestyle here than any of my friends back in the UK. Been 2 years so far, just signed back up for a third.

[bloodite]

Long live the republic and may they oppose imperialism for a long time.

Yeap the best way to oppose imperialism is to make slaves out of your own people before some one else does.

Better to know the truth that you arent really free than to delude yourself into beleiving you are. True freedom requires not caring about anything and isnt desirable in a practical sense. We are all guilty of our own atrocities, just some call it patriotism and others what it is.

Besides there must always be another side of the coin, cant let one side run unchecked for too long. Balance is the key and unfortunately there isnt a lot of it anymore.