"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Overspill of an irreverent mind
The Very Best of Froogville
Pick of the Month: a random recommendation from the archive
The Barstool
Yang Rui must GO!
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.
Why was Wu Yuren in prison?
Why do I care about Wu Yuren?
How you might have helped Wu Yuren (and the many others like him in China)
Remembering the Tiananmen protests of 1989
About Me
- Froog
- 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.]
Who is this Froog person anyway?
What does Froog look like?
Why can't I be Froog?
How did I come to be a blogger?
A statement of principle
The scope of Froogville (and Barstool Blues)
Blog Roll (kind of)
Froog on Writing
Where to dine in Beijing
Beating China's Net Censorship
- Witopia - indispensable VPN service
- FoxyProxy (add-on proxifier for Firefox)
- TOR software bundle (for use with Firefox/FoxyProxy)
- Kallahar's Place (Method #2 only; and you need to open a new window for every page you visit with it)
- Proxy re-routing for Firefox (courtesy of Chinese blogger, Yee); has been subject to some blocking
- Google Mobile Proxy (simplified page views only)
- XeroBank xB Browser (formerly Torrify - FREE, but very slow)
- Hotspot Shield (FREE, but slow and glitchy)
- Anonymouse - free, reliable proxy site; but can be slow, and has annoying pop-ups
- Summary of tips on using the above methods
- Leaping Over The Great Firewall - my discussion of the Net censorship problems in China
The TV Listings - my YouTube favourites
Competitions, etc.
- The Search for Beijing's Longest-serving Cab Driver
- Possible Band Names - if you had your own rock group, what would you call it?
- Suggest the best name for a bar
- Can you spot the film references?
- Six-Word Epigraphs - sum up your life in a micro-memoir
- Misheard song lyrics
- Amusing film credits
- Game of the Names - if you were a pirate, or a porn star, or a mafioso, or a luchador, what would your name be?
- Test your word power and help feed the poor at FreeRice.com
Three Doors™
Secrets of the Universe
The Three Phases
The Expat Ladder
Beijing 'types'
The Great Debates
- The "Mount Rushmore of Rock" - who are your 'Top 4' greatest musicians/bands of all time?
- What makes A GREAT BAR?
- Beijing v. Shanghai - which is the better city?
- Are vampires viable?
- Are zombies viable?
- What would your unusual super-power (and your Nemesis) be?
- The 7 Habits of Highly Efficient (?) Readers
- What is the best opening to a novel?
- The films of the Coen brothers - which is your favourite?
- Is DVD piracy intrinsically BAD?
- Chinese food - the worst cuisine in the world?
Leave your bar jokes here
Leave your 'bad' jokes here
Pick of the Archives
- Favourite Posts, Oct.-Dec. 2012
- Favourite Posts, July-Sept. 2012
- Favourite Posts, April-June 2012
- Favourite Posts, Jan.-March 2012
- Favourite Posts, Oct.-Dec. 2011
- Favourite Posts, July-Sept. 2011
- Favourite Posts, April-June 2011
- Favourite Posts, Jan.-March 2011
- Favourite Posts, Oct.-Dec. 2010
- Favourite Posts, July-Sept. 2010
- Favourite Posts, April-June 2010
- Favourite Posts, Jan.-March 2010
- Favourite Posts, Oct.-Dec. 2009
- Favourite Posts, July-Sept. 2009
- Favourite Posts, April-June 2009 (Part 1)
- Favourite Posts, April-June 2009 (Part 2)
- Favourite Posts, Jan.-March 2009
- Favourite Posts, Oct.-Dec. 2008
- Favourite Posts, July-Sept. 2008
- Favourite Posts, April-June 2008
- Favourite Posts, Jan.-March 2008
- Favourite Posts, Oct.-Dec. 2007
- Favourite Posts, July-Sept. 2007
- Favourite Posts, April-June 2007
- Favourite Posts, Jan.-March 2007 (Part 1)
- Favourite Posts, Jan.-March 2007 (Part 2)
- Favourite Posts, Sept.-Dec. 2006
FRIENDS - doing business in China
Blog Archive
- December 2012 (52)
- November 2012 (34)
- October 2012 (38)
- September 2012 (35)
- August 2012 (28)
- July 2012 (24)
- June 2012 (31)
- May 2012 (35)
- April 2012 (35)
- March 2012 (35)
- February 2012 (36)
- January 2012 (38)
- December 2011 (38)
- November 2011 (30)
- October 2011 (35)
- September 2011 (34)
- August 2011 (32)
- July 2011 (40)
- June 2011 (29)
- May 2011 (36)
- April 2011 (36)
- March 2011 (35)
- February 2011 (32)
- January 2011 (37)
- December 2010 (38)
- November 2010 (36)
- October 2010 (39)
- September 2010 (38)
- August 2010 (39)
- July 2010 (37)
- June 2010 (35)
- May 2010 (42)
- April 2010 (47)
- March 2010 (40)
- February 2010 (39)
- January 2010 (44)
- December 2009 (48)
- November 2009 (56)
- October 2009 (52)
- September 2009 (35)
- August 2009 (31)
- July 2009 (22)
- June 2009 (32)
- May 2009 (42)
- April 2009 (48)
- March 2009 (67)
- February 2009 (48)
- January 2009 (55)
- December 2008 (61)
- November 2008 (66)
- October 2008 (50)
- September 2008 (56)
- August 2008 (76)
- July 2008 (54)
- June 2008 (52)
- May 2008 (55)
- April 2008 (53)
- March 2008 (58)
- February 2008 (49)
- January 2008 (56)
- December 2007 (60)
- November 2007 (54)
- October 2007 (72)
- September 2007 (28)
- August 2007 (32)
- July 2007 (39)
- June 2007 (52)
- May 2007 (58)
- April 2007 (68)
- March 2007 (74)
- February 2007 (32)
- January 2007 (29)
- December 2006 (51)
- November 2006 (39)
- October 2006 (40)
- September 2006 (25)
Labels
- China Observations (785)
- Pictures/Film clips (636)
- Contemporary angst (614)
- Jokes/Wordplay/Whimsy (582)
- About the blogs (476)
- Quotations/bon mots/epitaphs/etc. (472)
- Autobiographia (shards + shrapnel) (382)
- Haiku (321)
- Other blogs/websites of note (313)
- Work (266)
- China (226)
- Lists (143)
- Olympics (127)
- Music (119)
- Poetry (other people's) (118)
- Cinema (107)
- Where in the world am I? (80)
- Sport (76)
- Books (68)
- My Fantasy Girlfriends (67)
- Things that are SHITE (67)
- Art (63)
- Chinglish (62)
- Photography (61)
- Poetry (my own) (60)
- The Daily Llama (or not) (53)
- Running (46)
- Free Advice (37)
- Competitions etc. (35)
- TAM (32)
- Plugs (31)
- Teaching (31)
- Americana (29)
- War on Chinglish (26)
- Chinese people LOVE me (25)
- Wu Yuren (25)
- Anecdotes (mostly literary) (23)
- Why I don't learn Chinese (22)
- Photo Gallery Week (1) (21)
- Meltdown (19)
- Discarded story ideas (17)
- Dreams (16)
- My brilliant website/business ideas (15)
- Chinese banks are SHITE (10)
- Games (9)
- Atheism (8)
- On Writing (6)
- Walking (5)
- My Crazy 'Art' Ideas (4)
- Awards (3)
2 comments:
Indeed.
I'm reminded of that when I see all the kowtowing to, and appeasing of, Beijing's many tantrums.
Doesn't anyone remember Chamberlain's pathetic Munich episode?
I can't make my mind up whether Taiwan is China's Austria or Sudetenland.
amen.
Post a Comment