"When one door closes, another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."
Somehow, I always picture Mr Bell (and Mr Edison, too; that other great hero of the technological revolution - along with Einstein, the trinity of foreign scientists that most Chinese have heard of; well, in more recent times, I suppose we can add Hawking too, who has managed to become an international celebrity; but I get a little depressed sometimes that the likes of Rutherford, Fermi, Feynman and so on enjoy so little recognition over here) as being concerned only with technical challenges and business frustrations. I can't imagine him presuming to give romantic advice to anyone.
And, as you say, probably a good thing. The broken-hearted never take such 'look on the bright side' encouragement very well.
A leading presenter on China Central Television's English-language channel has revealed himself to be a xenophobic hate-monger. WHY does he still have a job? Lobby for his dismissal - by any and all means.
Days Ai Weiwei was detained
80
With ironic, sinister symmetry, the celebrity artist/activist was incarcerated on the same day that my friend Wu Yuren was finally released from 10 months' detention.
Now, like Wu, he's been released on extremely restrictive 'bail' terms - but could face re-arrest at any moment. He was detained incommunicado from April 3rd to June 22nd 2011.
Days Wu Yuren was in prison
307
"Released on parole" after 10 months; "parole" lifted another year later. The original charges against him were apparently dropped without his trial ever being formally concluded.
Froog is an escaped lawyer - but there is no need for alarm; he is only a danger to himself, not to the general public. An eternal wanderer, he now lives in an exotic city somewhere in the 'Third World' *, where he is held prisoner by an unfinished novel (or, more precisely, an unstarted novel). He spends a lot of time running, writing, taking photographs, and falling in love with women who fail to appreciate him. He also spends a lot of time in bars.
[* OK, I'll come clean: I've been living in Beijing since summer '02.]
2 comments:
Inspirational advice in nearly all thwarting-type situations, at least in the abstract.
Wonder if it got smug old AGB a clout or two on the head, though. Especially when offered to someone in the throes of romantic heartbreak.
(Hmm. A lot of violence in my comments all of a sudden... Wonder what THAT's about?!?)
Well, I hope it's not my influence!
Somehow, I always picture Mr Bell (and Mr Edison, too; that other great hero of the technological revolution - along with Einstein, the trinity of foreign scientists that most Chinese have heard of; well, in more recent times, I suppose we can add Hawking too, who has managed to become an international celebrity; but I get a little depressed sometimes that the likes of Rutherford, Fermi, Feynman and so on enjoy so little recognition over here) as being concerned only with technical challenges and business frustrations. I can't imagine him presuming to give romantic advice to anyone.
And, as you say, probably a good thing. The broken-hearted never take such 'look on the bright side' encouragement very well.
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