Spain, Hitler and Nuetrality

Hitler and Mussolini had helped Spain fight the Communists in the 1930's Spanish Civil War. But, as the Axis Powers could not convince Spain to join them, by 1940, the Spanish relied on US oil and grain to meet her needs. Also the British controlled Gibraltar and access to the Mediterranean. In effect, Spain, a Facist nation, was surrounded physically, and economically, by the Allied Powers.

While the Germans and Italians had supported Fascist Spain in the 1930's Civil War,  the US officially remained nuetral while allowing Americans to form the Lincoln Brigade to fight on the Communist side against Franco and the Axis Powers. This later came back to haunt the American volunteers in the McCarthy era, when they were considered to be Communist sympathizers.

Twice, between 1940 and 1944 Franco met with Hitler. In 1940 he formed the Blue Brigade to help Hitler, but that Brigade was only to be used to fight Russia on the Eastern Front, not against any other Allied nation. The Spanish could hardy refuse, because they owed the Germans $212 million from the Spanish Civil War, and simply didn't have the funds to pay it back.

The US then scaled back their support, guaranteeing only a 10 week supply as long as Franco was helping Hitler on the Eastern Front. When America and Britain won North Africa in 1942 Franco switched back to complete neutrality, and our full economic support returned.

In return, Franco agreed to keep a fortified border in the Pyrenees and Iberian Mountains to deter the Nazis from entering Spain, which was now bounded on all 4 sides, by the Atlantic to the West, the mountains to the East and Britain and the U.S. to the North and South at Gibraltar, the gateway to the Atantic as well as the entrance to the Mediterranean.

In 1944 when Franco was approached again by Hitler, the US  again imposed an embargo and cut aid. By that time the Axis powers could not provide Spain with the needed goods and so those talks went nowhere, forcing the Spanish to stay neutral.

Spain was not the only neutral country in the Second World War. The Chinese supplied Germany with tungsten for steel, and in turn, Germany provided China with money and arms to fight the Japanese, at the same time as the the US was conducting the  Flying Tiger ops against Japan. Essentially China profited from both sides. It was the only time that the US and Germany were on the same side during the War.

The Portuguese provided Hitler with the tungsten steel needed. They also provided tungsten to the Germans from their colony of Brazil in South America. The rest of South America followed Mexico against the Nazis after Germany sank 2 Mexican oil tankers. Brazil and Argentina were the only exceptions. After the war Argentina was the country to which the Nazis fled to avoid prosecution for War Crimes.

It was a diplomatic mess, which also kept Ireland from entering the war against Germany, even while sending workers to Britain to work in the war plants for much needed employment. Hatred of Britain due to the Bloody Sunday incidents before and between both WW1 and WW2 also played a major role in this decision by Ireland to take this stand.

The Swedish, who could not rely on Britain to protect them from Russia or Germany,  led to their nuetrality even as they provided Germany a safe haven for her finances. At the same time, they played this exact financial and humanitarian role for the US. and its Allies with the Geneva Convention. In addition, Germany, by now fighting Russia, provided the Swedish with protection from that end.

All of these factors make the 2nd World War a complex study. In literature and film, all of these facts are portayed in books such as Hemingway's "For Whom the Bells Toll", and films such as "Casablanca", and even the post war classic "Gilda." All of which first piqued my interest in the subject of nuetrality.

General Sherman said "War is Hell", but it sure creates some great literature.....

The Democracy Wall - China (1978)

I’ve run across references to the Democracy Wall in several books I’ve read about China over the past few years. I have this image in my head of a wooden board, posted in the middle of town on a wall, where people post things; opinions; items of local news; and maybe some swapping of goods and services, are all what I would imagine to be on that sort of thing. I envision it as something akin to what we have at the laundromats and supermarkets. But, I’m not really sure.

So, I’m going to find out and tell you about it. I mean, what are they reading about in the picture above; and where are the women? Was this photo taken during the Mao years? And where did the guy get that green jacket from?

Well, the answer to the first question; what is it and where; is pretty cool. The Democracy Wall actually sprang up out of one of the Communist Party purges, in which the people were encouraged to post their opinions concerning the Four Evils. At the time; shortly after Mao’s death; there was mass dissatisfaction on the part of the Chinese people.

   

In October of 1978; when these events occurred; the Communist Party was engaged in a campaign of "seeking truth from facts," which was a way of trying to get to the bottom of the way people were feeling in the aftermath of the death of Mao Tse Tung. As with most things in China at the time, and to a certain extent even today, the phrases are not always in line with the outcomes. In other words; what you hear is not always what you get.

Literally, thousands of Chinese citizens posted written grievances of protest on a stretch of blank wall located on Chang'an Avenue; to the west of the former Forbidden City, and close to Mao’s tomb. This site became known as "Democracy Wall."

At first the postings were news and ideas. These were in the form of the large character posters known as “daziba”; similar to the ones in the picture above. The first posting of note was by Huang Xiang. It was posted after he had planned the event and told 3 of his fellow poet/dissidents about it.  Those men were Mo Jiangang, Li Jiahua and Fang Jiahua. They arrived at their destination on October 11, 1978. They had a bucket of handmade flour paste and went to the alley off Wangfujing Avenue Beijing near the offices of The People's Daily. There they began to posting over one hundred of Huang Xiang's poems. The first posting was “The Fire God Symphony.”

With not much else to do, a crowd began to form and watch as the 4 men posted these writings and then they began reading them. A traffic jam ensued, calling attention to the event and bringing the police. When they arrived the crowd linked arms to prevent them from getting Huang; who then began to recite his poetry out loud. The crowd was dispersed but returned that evening to re-read the poems by torchlight.

This was a huge victory, and would have remained so had not the 4 men returned to the same location in November, when they posted another 70 yards of poetry; this time overtly dissident in nature. As a matter of fact, that particular 70 yards was on the fence surrounding the mausoleum of Mao Tse Tung in Tiananmen Square. Here is an excerpt from the first posting;

“Of course, internal problems cannot be solved overnight but must be constantly addressed as part of a long-term process. Mistakes and shortcomings will be inevitable, but these are for us to worry about. This is infinitely better than facing abusive overlords against whom there is no redress. Those who worry that democracy will lead to anarchy and chaos are just like those who, following the overthrow of the Qing dynasty, worried that without an emperor the country would fall into chaos. Their decision was to patiently suffer oppression because they feared that without the weight of oppression, their spines might completely collapse! To such people, I would like to say, with all due respect: We want to be the masters of our own destiny. We need no gods or emperors and we don't believe in saviors of any kind...we do not want to serve as mere tools of dictators with personal ambitions for carrying out modernization want to modernize the lives of the people. Democracy, freedom, and happiness for all are our sole objectives.”

Now, this alone took balls, but then Huang crossed another line; one which would have severe repercussions for him. Dipping his brush once again, he penned the following two slogans right outside Mao’s tomb;

"The Cultural Revolution Must Be reevaluated!" and "Mao Zedong was thirty percent right and seventy percent wrong!"

Both of these sentiments were unthinkable; even two years after Mao's death. This was something which the authorities felt called for immediate action. Apparently there was a limit to what you could post. Moreover, he used his real name and address  and named Deng Xiaoping by name.

Accordingly, Premier Deng ordered Huang’s immediate “detention.” Now while you and I think of detention as being kept after school for a few hours, the Chinese have a completely different concept of the matter. Hence, Wei was promptly arrested and convicted of "counterrevolutionary" activities “. He was then “detained” for 18 years and not seen again until he was briefly released in 1993.

Even when he was released in 1993 Huang continued his activities by speaking to visiting journalists; which was forbidden by the terms of his release; and as a result he was imprisoned again until 1997, when he was granted Medical Asylum in the United States.

But what of the Democracy Wall today? While there is ample evidence and history of the Wall here in the west, it has been largely eliminated from all official accounts of Chinese history of the period.  Which is a shame because the event marked one of the first attempts by the Chinese government to right some of the problems caused by the reign of Chairman Mao. It should have been celebrated rather than erased. The whole event took place only a few streets from the offices of what was called the Third Plenum of the 11th Central Committee; which was engaged in enacting reforms.

As for the “Democracy Wall” itself, today there is no trace of the wall, no monument to mark the spot; as there is in Berlin to mark the places where the “wall” once stood. Rather, it is now a shopping mall with no evidence that the people who live, shop and work there are even aware of the history which happened where the fancy shops and boutiques now stand. And that’s sad; because without Huang and his 3 friends, those shops would not be there today.

And, as for the green jacket; apparently it has no significance. It’s just a green jacket. I suppose that; unlike the “Democracy Wall”; even in China, sometimes things are just what they seem to be. But I never did find out where the women were.

"Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes" by James Palmer

I have always considered myself to have a good grasp of contemporary Chinese history, and the 20th Century; particularly the years between the Boxer Rebellion through Mao's Long March; have always held a strange fascination for me. This was a period of struggle in which China sought to throw off the yoke of colonial control and establish a unified nation. This was also the time in which China became the largest Communist nation on earth.

The years after the Communist takeover in 1949 have always been a sort of confusion for most in the West, with its attendant purges and political maneuvering. This is not to say that we are that much different. We did, after all, have our own McCarthy Era to contend with. It may not have been as brutal as the purges in China, but the whole concept of that episode was not all that much different in its aims.

The ten years which spanned 1949-1959 saw many failures in China, both in industry and agriculture. The famine of 1960-1962 still stands as one of the most terrible periods in modern Chinese history, perhaps only eclipsed by the insanity of the Cultural Revolution which began in 1966, and would last almost 10 years. Both of these events would have far reaching consequences, influencing everything from the way buildings were constructed, to the way food was harvested and distributed.

In a largely misguided effort to hold onto power, Mao Tse Tung pit one faction against the other, resulting in stagnation in every part of Chinese life. All of this added to the country's lack of preparation for the year of 1976, which would see changes, both great and tragic, in China.

Just as we in the United States were finishing our Bicentennial celebration, marking 200 years of freedom, China was being tested by both nature and politics. The year began with the death of Premier Zhou Enlai, a leader more beloved than Chairman Mao. When the people attempt to publicly mourn his passing, they are beaten back by the Gang of Four. The tide of bereavement became a tsunami of anger sweltering beneath the surface. And that anger erupted in August, when a massive earthquake shook Tangshan Province, killing a half million people.

In the aftermath, the chaos and lack of preparation of the Chinese government surfaced, exposing the differences between the elite and the poor, ordinary working Chinese people. The result was a loss of confidence in the ability of the government to take care of the people, and highlighted the need for change. This would come to mark the end of the Cultural Revolution.

By the end of the year, Chairman Mao would be dead, and the infamous Gang of Four would be on trial for crimes against the state. These trials would expose a lavish life style among the leaders of what had once been a peasant’s revolution, changing China forever, and setting her on the path to becoming a world economic power.

James Palmer has done a fine job in piecing together both the political history of China from 1949 through 1976; and an even better job at depicting the earthquake and the mass chaos that followed. Drawing on survivor memoirs as well as official government documents, he has managed to write a very reader friendly account of what has become known as China's "Unlucky Year."

There is an old Chinese proverb which states, "When Heaven cracks, the Earth shakes." In this book, the author brilliantly puts across just what that means.

"Where the Wind Leads" by Vinh Chung (2014)

This is the story of one family’s 11,000 mile journey from South Vietnam to America by way of Malaysia and the hardships; and miracles; they endured during their 5 month trip by land, sea and air. The Chung family was very well fixed in South Vietnam at the time of the war. Hard work and sacrifice had made them the equivalent of millionaires in the rice and importation business. Then the hard times came as Vietnam fell to the Communists.

The book is at once a memoir; a history; and a cultural overview of the differences between Asian – Americans. It’s also an adventure; and in the end it is a love story on several levels as well. In short; this is one helluva book.

Vinh Chung recounts his journey from childhood in a war torn Vietnam; the downfall of South Vietnam; and his family’s flight to America by way of Malaysia. The Chungs’ are a Chinese family, and the story of how the authors’ grandparents amassed a fortune is fascinating enough on its own. But throw in the risk that it took to leave Vietnam; after being stripped of everything they worked so hard for; and you have a riveting account of the immigrant experience in the late 20^th century. And it’s not a pretty picture.

Mr. Chung’s parents and grandparents had built a small empire, beginning with literally handfuls of milled rice which they sold on the streets to get money to buy more. And when that became successful enough to require a truck; they went into trucking. But the empire they built was constantly under threat; from either the French, before the Second World War; the Japanese during the war; and the French again after the war. Then the Communists came, and the Americans came after them. Each used the South as a battleground for their ideologies. The result was the downfall of the South when America left, and families like the Chung’s were left to ponder their futures; and in some cases their fates.

Being Chinese also left the family open to certain prejudices. The Vietnamese were never overly fond of the Chinese; considering them to be interlopers. This is one of the most interesting portions of the book, with the author explaining the customs for marriage and the system of honoring their elders. Each child had a pecking order that was never broken. The eldest was the first hope for the next generation, and that child was expected to reach back and give his siblings a leg up in return.

As refugees the family suffered all of the trials attendant to dealing with smugglers and pirates. They were even cast adrift and left to die by the Malaysian Navy after they were stripped of whatever valuables they had been able to smuggle out of Vietnam. The author’s grandmother had secreted gold and cash in the linings of their clothes, as well as in her wicker chair. But when they find themselves adrift with no water or food, the value of life becomes more important than any worldly riches.

It is around this time that his mother has had a vision of a bearded man in a robe who chooses her family to live. She has no idea who this man is. But she remembers the vision. And, when the family is about to expire from lack of food and water, the father calls out to God for rain and it rains. As a matter of fact it rains so much that their tiny boat almost sinks. When he calls out to God again to make it stop; it does. These are the first steps which the family takes toward Christianity, a faith which will later define their lives in America.

Eventually the family is rescued at sea by a ship called the “Seasweep”, which is run by a Christian organization whose purpose is to aid the Vietnamese “boat people.” Eventually the family settles in Fort Smith, Arkansas; where they struggle to acclimate themselves to a whole new culture. Speaking no English, the father is forced to work menial jobs for minimum wage while supporting 8 children. Compared to his former life as an entrepreneur, this was bitter pill to swallow. 

This is also the story of an over achieving family who came to America by choice, under tremendous hardship. And they have lived the American Dream; from bottom to top. The author is a Harvard educated Doctor; fulfilling his father’s dream. The older kids were almost failures in their father's eyes for having only obtained Master’s Degrees!  

Mr. Chung’s account of meeting his future wife; who is Korean; and the struggle they both faced in trying to come to terms with their mutual attraction for one another is simply beautiful. Neither one had ever been kissed before. This portion of the book is truly a love story which will make you smile and remember your own youth.

I highly recommend this book as a way to understand the problems faced by the average refugee. You will come away with a new respect for the “boat people” in general; even as you recall the immigrant experience of your own ancestors and their journey by boat to the “new world.” And, in the end, you will come away with a better understanding of who you are. This is a wonderful, enlightening book.  

Floss - A Contemporary History

There is a common version of how dental floss came to be a part of our everyday lives which is factually correct, yet still leaves out the biggest part of the story. The accepted version is one that can be found on the website for Oral B, and I will include those facts here; even give you a link to it at the end; but not before I make my case.

It is true, as stated in the Oral B account, that ancient peoples used some sort of string to floss with. But what is left out is that the Chinese were the first ones to use silk instead of pointy wooden sticks; the precursors of toothpicks; to dislodge things from in between their teeth. The Oral B article gives credit to a dentist in New Orleans around 1815 for the discovery of silk as a material to floss with. But, where did he get the idea?

I mean silk wasn’t exactly a local product that could be had cheaply. As a matter of fact, at the time only the very wealthy could afford to see a dentist. The first dental college wasn’t even open yet. That would happen in Baltimore around 1830. The School is still there today. So where did he come up with this idea? Ships.

New Orleans was and always will be home to a thriving merchant trade. Sailors coming from China most likely had been introduced to floss while making port calls during the early years of the tea and opium trade. That the dentist just happened to know one as a patient is the most likely scenario.

The Oral B site goes on to explain the “evolution” of dental floss between 1882 and 1896. This was the period in which dental floss began to be manufactured. It was silk and unwaxed at first. Codman and Shurtleft is the company credited with this. Johnson and Johnson came along in 1896 with a higher quality surgical silk. Still no wax; which is odd, because by this time, sailors were using waxed sail twine for their dental needs.

The article goes on to say that in the 1940’s nylon was used for the first time along with the first commercial waxed floss becoming available. And that’s about all they have to say. The rest is just hype about flossing. But how and why did flossing not catch on with ordinary Americans until about the 1970’s? This is when most Americans will recall starting to see it in stores; or even mentioned by their dentists.

There are two big reasons. The first is economic. Until the 1950’s most Americans didn’t get to a dentist on a regular basis. Many of the veterans from World War Two had never seen a dentist until they were in the service. When the war ended they continued to go for checkups etc. on a regular basis. Dentistry was taking off! This is a good thing. Remember when we were kids and everybody had “morning breath?” It was the staple of advertisements for mouth wash. But the real culprit was still the fact that most people did not even know floss existed; waxed or unwaxed. Morning breath was more about what was stuck between your teeth than about mouthwash. It’s just that no one had told us.

Here’s where the United Sates Navy comes in. Actually it was in the 1920’s and 30’s, the time of the China River Patrols depicted in the film “The Sand Pebbles” starring Steve McQueen. In real life these guys came home with a serious habit; and it wasn’t opium. They had learned to floss with silk while serving overseas, and as anyone who flosses can attest, once you get started it ain’t easy to stop.

These were the first of the men who served in the military and then came home, forming part of the new middle class created by Roosevelt’s New Deal, who were using floss. Then, by the time our guys were serving in Vietnam, the Navy was engaged in a tremendous dental program with the emphasis on prevention. This included floss, which the Navy was very familiar with from its time in China.

Now; with millions of men being processed in and out of the service; floss began to appear on the radar screen of the ADA. They had been aware of it, to be sure, but now came the big push to get everybody on board with this preventive method of dental care. Think back on it and let me know when you first were introduced to floss. I was initiated in boot camp at Great Lakes in the Navy. While I was in it seems to have suddenly appeared everywhere. It was brand new; it was the hype; the thing; it was about 6,000 years old.

Here is the link to the Oral B site, as promised. After all, if you have read this far then you deserve some sort of reward.

http://www.oralb.com/topics/history-of-dental-floss.aspx

"The Corpse Walker" by Liao Yiwu

I was wondering what I had posted 5 years ago today and was very pleased to come up with this book review. My posts for the entire month of May 2009 consists of only books; about 6 in all. At the time I was only planning on reviewing books and movies. 

For better or for worse, I began daily postings in 2010. It's a great way to keep a journal and I enjoy going back a few years and being able to see what I was doing, or reading, at the time. Anyway, this is a great book by a very controversial author, which makes it an even more interesting read.

Liao Yiwu is a Chinese dissident who was imprisoned for 4 years after writing a poem about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. In spite of his continued monitoring by Chinese officials he is still active and writing. This book was written and smuggled out of China for publication. The translation is by Wen Huang.

It is a most interesting book as it takes some of the occupations and trades that were banned by the Chinese Government and explores how these prohibitions affected the Chinese people through the years of Mao Tse Tung and beyond.

There are 27 professions examined through interviews with the members of China’s “forgotten classes”. Liao Yiwu asks the questions and the subjects let go with a “no holds barred” account of their lives and professions.

Here we have the Corpse Walker- an ancient art, whereby the corpse is “walked” to the funeral. The practice was banned as being superstitious. The “walkers” interviewed here tell the history of the profession and explain why they continue with the practice and what it meant to Chinese culture.

The Public Rest Room Attendant- a former landlord before his re-education- gives us his views on the “new” China and where it is heading. He sees all manner of people in his profession- toilets, you see, are the real equalizers in all societies.

From the Feng Shui practioner , Blind Street Musician and on to the Human Trafficker and Falon Gong member this is a unique perspective of where China has been, where it is, and where it may be heading. With a keen eye and a writers wit Mr. Liao has painted a portrait of China that is both a history and a narrative of a land that has always fascinated me.

The USS Pueblo - January 23, 1968

I was 13 years old when the USS Pueblo, AGER-2, was seized off the North Korean coast and towed into port, where the crew was charged with Espionage. For the next 11 months the 83 man crew would be held prisoner by the Republic of North Korea under the most inhumane conditions. Wounds received during the initial confrontation with the Koreans were left untreated for the duration. Even when one crewman became so ill that surgery was unavoidable, that surgery was performed without the benefit of anesthesia.

I have always held serious reservations concerning the how and why behind the capture of the Pueblo. I had hoped to be finished with a book I am reading on the subject in time to post a review of it here today. That review will be posted here next week on Monday.

In the meantime I felt that I should at least commemorate the day in some fashion. While looking at the material available on You Tube I came across this little film which is kind of like a documentary, but with a twist.

“Bucher’s Bastard’s” is the title of a poem written by Pueblo crew member Murray Kisler while in captivity. It is satirical in nature, poking fun at the North Koreans and even making sport of themselves in reference to their unfortunate circumstances.

While I have serious questions about the way the Pueblo was apparently “set up” to become the victim she became, I have nothing but admiration for her Captain and crew, who were pawns in a deadly Cold War game involving Vietnam, the Soviet Union, China and even Israel which had attacked our ship USS Liberty in June of 1967. That unprovoked and un-avenged attack inadvertently sent a signal to countries such as North Korea that America did not possess the resolve necessary to back up its actions.

The crew of the Pueblo was returned to the United States 2 days before Christmas 1968. The Johnson administration was on its way out and Nixon was on his way in. The only other time I remember the timing of something like this coinciding with a change in leadership in Washington, D.C. would not happen again until the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979. Those captives at our Embassy in Tehran would also not be released until Jimmy Carter had lost his bid for re-election to Ronald Reagan. It was later shown that negotiations for their release had been held up until a change in American leadership.

This begs the question of whether or not something similar may have been in the works concerning the crew of the USS Pueblo. As I said, I am just finishing up reading the book “Act of War” by Jack Cheevers and plan to post the review next Monday. In the meantime, enjoy this film and marvel at the ability of America’s fighting men to keep a sense of humor; and even honor; when faced with the most trying of circumstances, as these men were.

"The General Died at Dawn" with Gary Cooper, Madeline Carroll and Akim Tamiroff (1936)

See William Frawley as you’ve never seen him before in this film which takes place in the years between the two world wars. At the time of this story, by writers Charles G. Booth and Clifford Odets, China was undergoing tremendous change as it was struggling to overthrow the warlord system of government which had ruled the land for thousands of years. The choice was between a nationalist, Western styled government; or the radical changes evoked by the Communist Party. In it, he plays one of several mercenaries looking to profit from the turmoil which reigned in China at the time. Don’t look for a hint of Fred Metz in his portrayal of Brighton, a booze besotted man whose only concern is the buck he might make at the expense of others.  His greed will prove his undoing.

Gary Cooper plays a man known as O’Hara, an American mercenary who finds himself in care of the money to purchase arms for the local militia. Acting against his instructions to avoid traveling by train, O’Hara takes the rail to Shanghai, losing the money along the way, along with a piece of his heart. Judy Pierre, played by Madeline Carroll, is the temptress who causes him to lose the money to the ruthless warlord General Yang, played by Akim Tamiroff.  Judy’s father has conspired with the General to steal the money from O’Hara, and although Judy is in love with the American, she allows herself to be used in the conspiracy to rob him. She soon comes to regret her actions, as it becomes plain that the man she has fallen in love with now holds her in contempt.

Sparks fly as O’Hara attempts to recover the money, as well as his honor in this adventure. As an added attraction, there is much to be learned about Chinese history and the opposing factions vying for power in the decades between the First, and Second, World Wars. These were the years when she was struggling to reform herself from a backward country, isolated from the rest of the world, into a viable nation which would command respect abroad, as well as at home. The wars in China were as much about the foreigners being allowed to carve the country up for profit, as they were about national unity. They don’t make them like this anymore.

"The Shoes of The Fisherman" with Anthony Quinn, Oskar Werner and David Janssen (1968)

One of the main reasons I took this film out was to simply watch, and listen to, Oskar Werner, who plays a conflicted Priest in this high drama set in Rome during the 1980's. The film was made in 1968, and therefore assumes a lot about the direction of global affairs over the next 20 years. Notwithstanding, this is a very well made film, with many things to be said about world politics and religion. Who really drives the train?

Archbishop Kiril Lakota, played by Anthony Quinn, a Priest from the Ukraine, is freed after 20 years in Siberia, imprisoned for his religious beliefs. He is freed at the request of the Vatican, and on the verge of a nuclear confrontation between China and Russia, resulting from a widespread famine in China. This famine was caused by trade restrictions imposed by the United States. Once he arrives in Rome he meets the troubled Priest David Telemond. Father Telemond is undergoing an investigation into his beliefs, which at times seem to be at odds with church doctrine. His real crime, of course, is his expression of these beliefs. They pose a threat to those in power.

Upon his arrival at the Vatican, Archbishop Kiril is made Cardinal Priest by the Pope himself, which places Kiril in the line of succession, should anything happen to the Pope. When the Pope, played by Sir John Gielgud, does pass away, the College of Cardinals vote, seven times, to name a new Pope. When they become deadlocked in their decision, the Cardinals elect Kiril as the new leader of one of the world's largest religious denominations. He will be called Pope Kiril I.

Serving as a guide throughout the movie is David Janssen, who plays a news reporter, plagued by his own self-doubts, and a troubled marriage. His doubts and questions mirror those of Pope Kiril, as the Pontiff struggles with a world crisis and the investigation of Father Telemond. Somehow he must find a way to bring these separate, but equally important issues, into harmony.

The best scenes in this movie are all concerned with religious doctrine as Father Telemond is questioned about his faith. Oskar Werner is brilliant in his role as the beleaguered Priest. This may be one of his best performances ever, almost eclipsing his role as the East German Prosecutor in the film "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold."

Great performances by all, especially Oskar Werner and Anthony Quinn, with a multi-layered storyline, make this a film worth watching.

China and The Yuan - Unfair Trade

Well, it's official now. The United States of America has been warned, by China, that any bill passed by the United States requiring fair valuation of foreign currencies would have "repercussions." I'm shaking.

With the U.S. in it's worst financial shape since the Great Depression, and the Yuan, the official currency of China, being deliberately set at a low rate of exchange, thus giving the Chinese a sharp financial edge in world trade, the stage is set for the United States to experience a continued fall in the value of the dollar against the Euro. This comes at the same time that the Chinese Yuan remains somewhat "static", that is, a bit more immune to the world wide economic crisis now facing us all.

On Monday, the Senate voted to debate a bill that would permit the government to impose new duties, or tariffs, on imported goods manufactured in countries which undervalue their currencies. China is the leader in this type of behavoir, and so has the most at stake should the bill actually come to pass. Undervaluing currencies is akin to providing a government subsidy to the private market place in those countries, which effectively gives them an artificial edge in foreign trade. It's one of the main reasons Americans have been buying Chinese goods for over 25 years now. It is also one of the chief reasons so many of our jobs have gone overseas, further fueling a recession brought on by our own internal financial maneuvering.

If you think that this proposed bill, which hasn't even got a name yet, doesn't scare China, think again. By Tuesday the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Commerce Ministry and Central Bank had all issued statements denouncing the proposed debate concerning the bill. So, we must be on the right track.

But don't get your hopes up just yet, as this may be mere saber rattling on the part of the Obama administration as we ramp up to Election Year 2012. The Chinese currency issue has been the "elephant in the living room" for sometime now, with this proposed debate being the first action undertaken by any administration, Republican or Democrat, in over 20 years, to tackle this issue.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu states that this move toward "protectionism" on the part of the United States violates World Trade Organization rules and may seriously disturb trade relations between our two nations. He also underscored the fact that China has increased the value of the Yuan by about 7% in comparison to the dollar since June of 2010. In addition, he stated that the undervaluing of the Yuan is not the cause of the United States current trade deficit with China. Well, if it's not, I'd like him to tell me what is?

Ma further stated that China is the fastest growing export market for the United States, and that trade is important to both sides. And that is exactly the point of the Senate debates to which he is so strongly opposed. His statement read, in part, "The Chinese side appeals to the U.S. side to abandon protectionism and not to politicize trade and economic issues, so as to create a favorable environment for the development of China-U.S. economic and trade ties."

Please explain to me how China's current under valuation of the Yuan, with it's attendant domination of imports into the United States, while severely restricting U.S. imports to China is supposed to create a "favorable environment" for anyone else but the Chinese.

This legislation, if it ever gets past the debate stage, would have the effect of creating more jobs here in the United States as the Chinese imports become less of a bargain. Without government subsidies the Chinese corporations will face the same obstacles as American companies do, thus leveling the playing field. This is the real fear evoked by the protests of the Chinese government.

The Chinese Central Bank warned, ominously, that the proposed law could cause more serious problems. If the bill passes, they state that it "cannot resolve insufficient saving, the high trade deficit and the high unemployment rate in the U.S., and it may seriously affect the progress of China's exchange rate reform and may lead to a trade war, which we do not want to see."

Of course they don't want to see a trade war with the United States. With the Chinese buying almost nothing from us, and us threatening to stop the allure of the undervalued imports from China, they would be hard pressed to collect on all of the money we owe them. Or, worse yet, we could stop all Chinese imports, jump start our own economy with the new jobs created by that action, and use the tax revenue to pay down our debt to the Chinese. After that, their largest import market would be a thing of the past.

While China's Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang has said that China has begun taking steps that would increase U.S. imports to China, it may be a case of too little, too late.

Thoughts on the MLK Memorial.

I don't know which of the errors concerning the Martin Luther King monument, which was unveiled last weekend in Washington, D.C. troubles me more. Maybe it's the fact that it was outsourced to China, while I would have preferred a monument done by an American, not necessarily of African-American descent. Dr. King is often quoted on being judged by the content of character, rather than the color of one's skin. But the monument should have been done by an American, as the whole Civil Rights Era was so uniquely American in it's context.

Maybe it's the way the Chinese artists cast him in a formidable, and almost unnapproachable stance,which was so unlike the man himself. Or perhaps I was troubled by the way in which they mangled the quote used on the monument. In it's short, clipped version the words sound arrogant and full of self praise. They were anything but that.

On February 4th, 1968, while speaking at Ebenezer Baptist Chiurch, a mere 8 weeks before his murder, Dr. King spoke of what his eulogy would be like if he were to pass away before his work was complete. He did not wish to be remembered as a supreme leader, he wanted to be remembered as a man who stood up for what is right, and beat the drum in that cause. He spoke with resignation, as a man who was fully reconciled with his own mortality, his eyes were moist, and his voice filled with emotion when he spoke these words;

"Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."

This is the quote as it appears on the side of the monument;

"I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness."

Maya Angelou said it best when she opined that the statue, along with it's truncated quotation, "minimizes the man."

"Transsiberian" with Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer and Ben Kingsley

An absolutely stunning movie. Everything, from the script to the direction, and the performances of each and every actor, make this a flawless film. Set in Russia along the route of the Trans Siberian Railway also makes this movie a visually brilliant thriller, which you do not want to miss.

Roy and his wife Jessie (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer) are returning from China through Russia via the Trans Siberian Railway. They are traveling from Beijing, where they have been involved in a church outreach program for children, to Moscow, and then home to America. What is that old saying about "the best laid plans of mice and men?" It clearly applies here.

Roy is an avid fan of old trains and locomotives, which is what leads the couple to take the train, rather than flying home. Jessie is a photographer with a troubled past. Her marriage to Roy has turned her life around and she is thinking of publishing a book of her photos. This trip will give her ample opportunity to indulge that passion.

When Roy and Jessie meet Carlos and Abby (Eduardo Noriega and Kate Mara), a couple traveling through Russia on the way back to Spain, all is not what it appears to be. The couple is a bit secretive, and tension begins to mount between Carlos and Jessie, who is trying to live a clean life with her husband.

When the naive Roy gets off at a remote stop to look at the different train engines, Carlos deliberately loses him, and Roy is left behind. When Jessie discovers he is missing she leaves the train at the next stop to wait for him to catch up. Carlos and Abby stay with her.

Carlos manages to entice Jessie to accompany him alone to a remote, ruined Russian Orthodox Church, under the guise of taking photos. Once they arrive at the church, Carlos becomes physically attentive to Jessie, who at first rebuffs his advances. During the push and pull of the emotional struggle, Carlos becomes violent, attempting to rape Jessie, who then uses a wooden plank to kill him. She returns to the train and is rejoined by Roy. She says nothing of what has happened, or where Carlos might be.

Roy, on his journey to rejoin his wife, has met and befriended Russian Police Inspector Grinko (Ben Kingsley) who has been following the trail of Carlos, who is a drug smuggler. To complicate matters even further, Jessie was aware of the smuggling and is actually in possession of some heroin, disguised as Bubushka Dolls. Carlos placed the dolls in Jessie's baggage, without her knowledge, prior to the events at the church. She is now frantic as she attempts to dispose of the contraband while confined to a train, under the watchful eyes of Inspector Grinko.

What happens to Abby, and what Jessie chooses to do about it, are the key questions that keep you glued to this film. The interaction of the two women, filled with mysterious undercurrents, played against the irrepressible innocence of Roy, bring a high tension to this magnificent film.

With a climax that keeps you on edge until the credits begin to roll, you don't want to miss this film. Agatha Christie would be proud.

"The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

I have often been asked why I read a book more than once. It's a simple question, with a simple answer. Take this book, "The Good Earth." I have read this book 4 times in my life, and each time I have come to it with certain expectations, and walked away with a new thought, or insight. These different insights are the result of having gotten older, and experienced more of life with each reading, than I had when I first read it.

The first time I read this book I was in 8th grade, and it was an English assignment. I approached it as a chore, something to be gotten through. The fact that it turned out to be a damn good story was an unexpected bonus.

The second time I read this book I was in my 20's and working aboard oil tankers. There were no DVD's, or VCR's back then, we just had the ABC's, so we read a lot. This second time I approached the book expecting a great adventure, along with some history. I was not disappointed, and I even identified a bit with Wang Lung, as I was now out working for a living. Wang Lung and I had become somewhat kindred spirits.

The third time I read this book Wang Lung and I were becoming fast friends. I was newly married, with kids who depended upon my paycheck. Wang Lung and I were now members of the same secret society - "The Scared Father's Club." You must not fail; your family depends upon you. Wang's wife, O-Lan, was now more than an abstract literary figure, I began to see her role as Wang's greateast strength, just as Sue had become mine. We, and they, were a team, learning more about one another every day. Both Wang and I now depended upon our wives understated, but iron wills, to make it all work.

I am now just finishing up with my fourth reading of this powerful, historical, and at times, biblically cadenced novel. And this time, with my 25th Anniversary approaching, I am more aware of the bond that O-Lan and Wang, as well as Sue and I, have formed with one another over the years. Faced with all of life’s problems, I cannot imagine being without Sue, just as I cannot picture Wang without O-Lan.

Through feast and famine, sickness and health, marriage is a learning process. I, at least, had the advantage of choosing my bride. Wang Lung did not. But in the same fashion, we have still had to learn about one another, just as Wang and O-Lan did.

So, in this fourth reading, as I have aged, I have come to appreciate the book on a whole different level, one which does nothing to diminish the lessons I may have learned through my previous readings. On the contrary, those conclusions are now reinforced by the added dimension which my age has lent to this reading. And as I have grown older, Wang and I have come to understand one another more than ever before.

And that's the simple answer to why I sometimes read a book more than once.

"Colors Of the Mountain" by Da Chen

Sometimes, while reading a good book, like I am now, I will also be reading something I have read in the past. It is usually completely unconnected to the book I am currently reading, but it is always a book that has had a profound effect upon me. "Colors of the Mountain", Da Chen's beautiful memoir of growing up in Communist China, is that sort of book.

Born in 1962 to a family of former landowners, which was a crime in itself, the young Da Chen is beaten at school and ridiculed wherever he goes. He is the top student in his classes, but due to his grandparents having once owned land, he is repeatedly denied a higher education.

The family endures all the deprivations of Red China under Chairman Mao. Rotten food, bad medicine and a lack of justice are the most obvious symptons that plagued the country at the time. But what about the soul of a young boy who yearns to become more? What happens to the human soul when hope is always just out of reach? And when that hope is denied in an official capacity, what can one person do to alleviate the obviously flawed and cruel system?

These are the questions that confront young Mr. Chen as he grows up during the Cultural Revolution, a period in which he sees his grandfather publicly disgraced for having once owned land, as well as seeing his father jailed for having a University degree.

While some would surely give up under such treatment, Da Chen passes the countries University entrance exams in 1977, at the age of 14, scoring in the top 2%. He can no longer be ignored. He is now on a path that will not only bring to fruition his dream of attending Beijing Language Institute, where he eventually graduates with the highest honors, but will open up a whole new world for him.

Meanwhile, his father managed to work his way out of the labor camps by utilizing his own skills as an acupuncturist. He delighted in using the largest, and most painful needles, on the Communist Cadre members who had made his life a living hell for so many years.

Mr. Chen winds up his academic career in New York, at Columbia Law School, on a full scholarship. From there he lands a job on Wall Street. He lives today in the Hudson Valley area of New York with his wife and family. He is a noted brush calligrapher, specializing in spiritual design. He also plays classical bamboo flute.

When you compare Da Chen's remarkable life to the recent rumblings about China's democracy activist Liu Xiaobo accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, you have to wonder how much she has really changed. We have embraced freedom of trade with China, perhaps it is now time for China to embrace freedom of thought with her own people.

"Shanghai Diary" by Ursula Bacon

This is, quite simply, the most unusual account of the Holocaust ever penned by one of it's survivors. Though never a victim of the concentration camps, the author's story is yet another chapter in the long list of lives uprooted and forever changed by the war. Only, this story is a bit different. Beginning with the authors luck at having been born into a solidly middle class, secular, German Jewish family, and being able leave Germany just in time, let alone being able to stay together and make a life for themselves in the least expected of places, this story is nothing short of a miracle.

The most striking thing about this memoir is that Ms. Bacon was about the same age as Anne Frank during the war. But that is where any similarities in their lives end. Ms. Bacon, as I have said, was born into a solidly middle class German Jewish family. They were secular in their approach to religion, and like many Jews here in America, they even celebrated Christmas. As Hitler's noose began to tighten, the family made plans to leave. But they waited too long, not believeing that any of Hitler's threats would come to pass. And so, in 1939, after having waited a little too long, they were finally allowed to leave, taking with them only the clothes on their backs. And from this point on, the book takes a remarkable turn.

It has not been widely written about, but there was a thriving Jewish refugee community in China, notably in Shanghai, during the Second World War. They numbered about 20,000 or so, and the story of how they came to be there is as remarkable as the lives they built for themselves while in Shanghai.

The author was an only child. Her father was a printer before all the madness began. Their lives were upper middle class, with the author having a nanny and a tutor. But all that changed when Hitler came to power in 1933, and with the increasingly hostile environment towards even secular Jews rising out of control, the family was forced into exile. They initially left home by rail for Breslau, where they boarded a train for Genoa. From there they caught a German ship to Shanghai, China. This would be their home throughout the war.

Speaking no Chinese, and even less English, her parents were somehow able to tap into the refugee community, where they receive their first "housing." In a disease ridden slum dwelling the family resolves, within days of landing there, that they can, and must, do better if they are to survive.

With the help of a Chinese acquaintance, Vati, the author's father, is able to go into the painting business, where he does quite well, employing several men and always keeping busy. He puts all his money in the bank, where it will be safe. Meantime, his wife, Mutti, begins to sew and hem garments, even taking in work from women who can't finish a sweater after they have begun. Before long she has quite a pile of American money, which she keeps in an old stocking of the author's. She makes enough money that she eventually needs two stockings. Though the family teases her about her mistrust of banks, her decision proves to be a wise one when all the banks in Shanghai fail after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.

While all of this adult drama is going on, the author, who is 10 when the book begins, is growing up; and writing it all down in the 4 diaries which were given to her as gifts when the family left Germany. The diaries cover the years 1939- 1947, when the author was between the ages of about 9 and 17. Ms. Bacon, who was already studying English and French while in Europe, speaks English well enough to give lessons to the 3 "sisters" of General Yi, a local warlord who was fighting to retain control of his fiefdom, while at the same time attempting to repel the Japanese. The "sisters" were really concubines, and they taught the author many things that she probably shouldn't have known. And to keep up her education, her parents sent her to the best school available, a Catholic School. I told you this was an unusual book!

The family did have problems though, particularly in the last years of the war, when provisions became increasingly hard to come by. The Japanese were also a constant threat as they waged war in China. For some obscure reason, perhaps dating back to the Sino-Russian War of 1900, the Japanese never really went out of their way to signal out Jews for extermination. Perhaps they were just too busy killing everyone, to signal out any one group. But somehow the family escaped most of the ravages of the war, finally emigrating to the United States in 1947.

This book is a delightful surprise, concerning a usually dismal subject, but it carries a lesson. We make our own circumstances, at least to some extent. We are victims only to the depths to which we allow ourselves to be driven. This family was lucky in many regards, but still, they had to find a way to avoid falling into that despair which often accompanies the loss of home, friends and family, never to return to the place in which you were born. A very unusual book about a very unusual time and place, no picture of the Holocaust can be complete without this unique history.

"Mao's Great Famine" by Frank Dikotter

China has always been a fascinating subject for me. Their recorded history spans over 6,000 years. But the time period that has always interested me the most are the years between the Boxer Rebellion in 1903 and the Cultural Revolution of 1966. These years are filled with the story of a nation struggling to right itself after thousands of years spent living under fuedal warlords in a land too large to be Governed Centrally, given both the large distances and the limitations of communications technology at the time.

Before World War Two,China was engaged in an internal struggle to rid herself of the foreign powers that had literally carved her up into commercial zones. Politically, the country was constantly in upheaval, as the Nationalist forces struggled against the Communists forces for control of China's political destiny. Would the Nationalists prevail, or would the country go Communist? That question had to be put on hold as the Chinese people cast aside their internal differences to battle a common enemy; the Japanese agression of the 1930's and 1940's.

When the war ended, the Chinese, under Mao Tse Tung, forced Chiang Kai-Chek into exile on the island of Formosa, and established the Communist government we came to regard as "Red China" on the mainland. Growing up we were told in school all about the advances in literacy and agriculture, as well as industry, that were being made there under Communism. This was all done in an effort to teach us tolerance of other forms of government. The implication was that to be a Communist doesn't automatically make you the enemy. And China has evolved into a major player in every aspect of the world, both economically and industrially. But the path to get there was long and hard.

The abuses heaped deliberately upon the Soviet people pale in comparison to the arbitrary decisions that were made by Chairman Mao, affecting one quarter of the worlds population. The abuses and insanity of the Cultural Revolution are well documented, as in Ji Li Jiang's wonderful memoir "Red Scarf Girl." Having lived through that time here in America, I had some knowledge of something happening in China, through TV and news reports. But until recently I had never known that China suffered a massive famine between the years 1958 and 1962. "Mao's Great Famine" is the story of that period, officially called The Great Leap Forward.

It is unimaginable, to the average American, to live in a country which is so underdeveloped, that the Government would send operatives door to door to collect any metal, or tinware, that was in your home. This metal would then be taken to a collective, or community, furnace for smelting into steel. The result was often inferior "pig iron." Still though, you had to turn it all in to meet the quota. It didn't matter that it was no good. So you just passed it on. Multiply this by millions.

Now imagine having lived in an agricultural community of the same country, where there were quotas set on your production. It doesn't matter if it rained, or not, you still had to meet your quota. So, many farmers hid some of the food for their own families. Multiply this by millions.

This is the way the "Great Leap Forward" played itself out. Before it was over, millions of people had died of starvation. Millions of others had died from disease and overwork in inferior steel mills and other failed industrial efforts.

The economic system was utterly destroyed, replaced by a black market system trading in various state issued coupons. Many of these coupons were restricted to the area in which one lived, which in turn restricted an individuals ability to move about freely. In cases like that, black markets offered, for sale or exchange, other coupons. Cash actually lost it's purchasing power.

One of the major effects of all of this was the mass migration of farmers from the countryside into the cities. Forced to give their crops to the state, and then subsisting only on what the state allowed them to keep, was so dispiriting that many simply left the farms. The wages, and coupons, that could be earned in factories seemed like a much better idea. But upon arriving in the cities the average worker found himself underpaid, and often underfed, as the cities began to feel the pinch of the overcrowding, as well as the dwindling amount of food being produced. At that point, every one is forced to go home.

This is one of the best books you will find concerning the failed policies of the "Great leap Forward." Mr.Dikotter has done an excellent job in making the subject both informative and readable. Given the complexity of the material, this was not an easy thing to accomplish.

The book is comprehensive and well written. It is not designed to look down upon, nor to ridicule, the policies of the past in China. More than that, it serves as a spotlight on a very dark and often misunderstood period in modern Chinese history. The more that is written about China under Mao, the more one has to wonder, how did so many, allow so much, to go wrong for so long a time.

Movie Review- Nanking with Mariel Hemingway and Woody Harrelson

This is a movie that needs to be seen. The Rape of Nanking has been covered in many books and documentaries before. But never with the intensity of this one.

Mariel Hemingway and Woody Harrelson potray the 2 American Diplomats who refused to close the Embassy and flee. Along with Stephen Dorff playing the Nazi businessman who also found himself morally bound to remain and help, this documentary reaches out and draws you in. It becomes real to you.

The insanity of war aside, the horrors of war crimes are particularly applicable today, when all sides seem to have lost their collective reason.

Remember, this is a documentary, not a movie as I had expected. The stars mentioned appear only as characters reading from their own diaries and letters. It is an intensley researched film. Also of note is that the Chinese witnesses and diplomats speak in Chinese with English subtitles. This adds to the multi-national color of the story.

And the back story is the co-operation betwen the Nazi run German Embassy and the United States as they try to avert the impending tragedy. A strange alliance considering what would take place in only a few short years.

A worthwhile experience, this docu-drama will affect you. And that's what makes this film so important.

Occupied Japenese Stuff

I'm a sucker for anything Made In Occupied Japan. When I was a kid anything stamped Made In Occupied Japan meant cheap. But over the years it has become apparent that some of this stuff was really delightful to look at and display. These two little pieces are good examples of some of the cheaper, earlier Occupied Japenese things that were common in my house.

The fact that they came from so far away and were made by our former enemies always gave me pause to think as I looked at the items and pictured small Japenese people laboring, lovingly over their craft. In my mind they were happy to be free of the war and all the terror it had wrought. General MacArthur, for all his faults, really knew how to "wage peace" as well as war.

This beautiful plate was part of a complete tea set for 6. It is of much better quality than the other stuff and is very collectible.It is one of the earliest things I remember from my childhood. I used to have the entire set but some years back I foolishly sold the tea pot and cups and saucers. All that I have now are the 6 plates, which I treasure. They stand in the China Closet in the Piano Room-where we keep my Mom's old piano.

Time marches on and things change rapidly in todays world. That's what makes these old things so comforting. I have been looking at these plates my whole life. And knowing that my children will be enjoying them after I'm gone gives me a sense of continuity. Not bad for something as simple as a plate.