The New Leader

...in awful customer service is not a bank in China. Anyone who has dealt with anything more than a simple deposit or withdrawal at a bank in China knows that customer service is not even a thought. And yet, today I found something worse.

We need to have electricity and gas in our new apartment, which means we have to call PSE&G to open a new account and get everything turned on (though the lights are on in the apartment right now because they never turned them off). I've tried getting through to PSE&G, but it's not that easy to stay on the phone for 40 minutes while they tell you that they'll get to your call when they can.

While we would like to live in our new apartment tomorrow, I was told that they can't come to turn on the electricity or gas until next Thursday between 8am and 4pm. Even Comcast (also known as one of the worst companies for customer service in America) provides a smaller window for their service. Honestly, how difficult is it to turn on these services? I know it's not rocket science. Maybe PSE&G could take the money that everyone in the area HAS to pay them and hire some more staff to actually do some work.

To put this in perspective, when I lived in Colorado I had to go through Xcel Energy. The property management company told me to call and transfer all the bills to my name. I called, waited a short amount of time and set everything up in a few minutes. No one ever had to come to my apartment and I never had any disruption of service.

So, it appears that we can move our stuff into the apartment tomorrow; we just can't live there until sometime next week.

In Healthcare Hell

Jia and I have started looking at healthcare options through her new job. It ain't cheap. Even with the company paying part of the bill, it would still cost about $470 per month to cover both of us. This is a ridiculous amount of money when one considers that we're not making a lot. I actually think we might spend less if we went to doctors without insurance.

But Obama and Congress are sluggishly working on a plan that is supposed to save us all from this excessively expensive necessity. No, what I meant to say is that they are working on a way to just screw us some more.

Everything I've read about this healthcare plan is just not what America needs. I don't really care about the higher taxes for the rich--they have enough to go around anyway. But those tax dollars will go to help the uninsured--it won't help people like Jia and me who get health insurance through work. None of the plans I've read about will help those who actually have to pay the excessive fees through work.

There is a simple solution that every politician seems to have overlooked. Reform the legal system to cut down on costs to healthcare providers. Here's how it works now: there are numerous malpractice lawsuits brought against insurers, hospitals, and doctors every year, but only a few of the cases are successful. Still, the insurers, hospitals, and doctors have to pay the legal fees for cases in which they are found to not be at fault. Quite a few of these cases are also frivolous. But healthcare providers still have to pay for the defense. If the legal system were reformed to so that if a lawsuit is unsuccessful the plaintiff would have to pay the defense's legal fees, it would reduce the cost of malpractice insurance, and the savings would then be passed on to the people paying for health insurance. This would also relieve the burden of frivolous lawsuits clogging the court system.

This is by no means the solution to all the healthcare problems in America--there are plenty of other problems that need to be addressed (i.e. greedy CEOs at insurance companies jacking up the premiums to fill their bloated wallets). However, this is an important first step toward improving the quality of life in America.

I'm confident that politicians will never listen to such a sensible argument. They'd rather listen to lobbyists and screw up our future.

Dear Prospective Employers

Why do you insist that I use your online application forms that don't work properly? Perhaps you should hire programmers that can create quality online forms.

The first problem with your forms is that I have to provide you with my resume three times. Is that really necessary? I have to copy and paste a plain text version in so your program can incorrectly parse it into the required fields that I have to retype anyway. Then I have to upload the document. Then I have to enter all the information into the fields that you require while I click through fifteen pages online.

That last part is the second problem. Why do you need my former employers' phone numbers? I know you want to check to make sure I'm not lying about my employment history, but isn't that why I have former bosses and co-workers as my references? And why must I use the American standard format of (xxx) xxx-xxxx? That doesn't work when trying to enter a phone number in China. I can't just give you a fake number, because that would disqualify me from employment if/when you decide to call.

If you really want to hire quality candidates, you might want to consider the old fashioned way of accepting cover letters and resumes via the US Postal Service--I'm sure they'd be very happy that you forced applicants to spend a dollar on postage. Or you could turn back the clock a few years and just accept applications via e-mail.

This is Monday

This Monday morning came with a few surprises--some welcome, some not.

I began with the regular Monday meeting at the university. We discussed some ideas I had for changing the PhD course slightly. My colleague also had a few suggestions to add. Unlike other schools in China, our recommendations were met with enthusiasm. My boss is looking to make these changes for the spring term, which I won't be around for. Still, it's nice to have my input considered and accepted.

My boss also asked if I was still having second thoughts about returning to the states in March. I admitted that I was as there aren't many publishing jobs out there and I may have to try teaching at a private school to support my family. I also mentioned that if things don't work out, Jia and I may return to China next fall. My boss' reply was that she'd find a job for me with the university if I came back to Shenzhen. Again, it's always great to feel welcome at work.

Finally, Jia called me about the package we tried shipping yesterday. Turns out, there were some items that can't be shipped from Shenzhen to Hong Kong and on to the US. We got a refund, but we have to repack and rethink.

The items that could not be shipped and reasons given:

1. Chinese version of Monopoly purchased in Hong Kong because the dice and Monopoly money could be used for gambling in Hong Kong.
2. A Buddhist cloth and texts because religion can't be exported.
3. Some miniature replica terracotta warriors because they might be valuable antiques and thus the property of the People's Republic of China.
4. A Chinese name stamp (no reason given for why that can't be shipped).
5. A miniature Statue of Liberty purchased at Chen's College Folk Art Museum in Guangzhou (again, no reason given).
   

Wake Me When It's Over

Tomorrow after work, I will return home and follow the US Presidential election until there is a clear winner. At such time, I will be sure to go drink a few beers to forget that this election ever happened. It's not that I'm disappointed in the candidates (I hate all politicians equally), I just don't like long, drawn-out elections. This thing should've been over months ago.

Looking at the economy and the price tag for this election year (how many years has it been going on?). While poverty levels and foreclosures are rising, our elected officials are spending billions of dollars on campaigns aimed at people who have mostly made their decisions months ago. It's still hard to believe that two people can spend more than $300 billion on a single election. To put this in perspective, the federal government is spending about $100 billion this year on education.

I urge everyone who is eligible to vote--I don't care who you vote for. But, I do encourage everyone to support election reform for the future because the current process has gotten out of hand. My proposal is simple: shorten the allotted time for campaigning to two months and eliminate all TV and radio ads from the political parties and independent organizations. There should also be weekly debates in the two months prior to the election. This plan will save billions of dollars, cut down on the headaches from stupid advertising, and force politicians to actually work instead of taking a year off for campaigning.

Political Stupidity

And I'm not talking about the Democratic National Convention.

Why would a political party nominate an indicted politician to run for Senate? It seems the Alaskan Republican party is willing to do it. Ted Stevens has won the primary. This shows that the party and the voters are idiots. I don't care that he hasn't been convicted yet, because he almost certainly will. He is corrupt and should not serve his country any longer. If he had any decency, he'd resign.

How is it possible that the Republican party couldn't find a single conservative Alaskan to run in Ted Stevens' place? There must be dozens of eligible candidates. Fortunately, Stevens will probably lose the November general election. Of course, had the Republicans found another candidate that didn't disgust the general public, they might actually retain the Senate seat. But, again, this is politics, and politicians aren't known for intelligence or logical thinking.

I do wonder if democracy really is better than the Chinese political system. Is it better to choose between two brain-dead schmucks that will lead a powerful nation or having no choice but the same result? At least if I didn't have to choose I wouldn't endure a year of mind-numbing political ads and pointless opinion columns.

And for those wondering, I do plan to vote with my absentee ballot in November. I don't like McCain, but I also don't think Obama is as good as everyone makes him out to be. And Hillary wouldn't have been any better. It doesn't matter who you vote for, you get screwed in the end.

More Backlash

In an editorial from China Daily today (read the comments too), the government and people are upset about an outburst from Jack Cafferty on CNN. I am not defending what he said--I honestly believe his remarks were stupid. I also have never watched him (I don't particularly like watching 24-hour news channels). But the response from China is a bit over the top.

CNN has been at the center of the "Western media bias" controversy--they are the scapegoat because they're the big, bad American news organization even though plenty of other news outlets around the world have written/said similar things. CNN is also not easily accessible in China--it is only available through satellite providers (a rarity) and in government-approved hotels via its Asia feed.

One of the points that China is upset about is that Cafferty called Chinese products "junk". I'd like to point out that many Chinese think that the products they buy in China are junk. I'd like to point out that my apartment complex is "junk," and many residents here agree. I will also say that there are some products in China that are not junk--I've bought some decent things here (my travel mug, mp3 player, and air purifier are all Chinese brands).

If China wants to improve its image, maybe it should start acting in a more diplomatic manner. Take the high road. Stop whining that everyone is against you.

Low Tide?

It's not a great day for surfing the Web. Just can't seem to catch a decent wave on China Telecom's Internet. Everything is loading slowly and some sites are blocked. It seems that the Great Firewall of China is at it again--blocking the harmless sites, sometimes only for a while. Today I have had difficulty getting into Hotmail, Writer's Digest Forums, and Technorati. Two days ago I even had a difficult time accessing my university's e-mail server... from my office. Of course, most of the usual stuff is also blocked. It seems that they have managed to mess with my Firefox proxy that allows me to access blogs hosted by Blogger. This is getting to be really annoying.

Happy New Year from RIAA

Happy New Year to you all. According to this article from the Washington Post, the RIAA is now dumber than ever. They have decided to complain about people who copy legally purchased CDs for personal use. They apparently don't like people buying CDs and copying those CDs to personal computers so that consumers can upload their favorite songs to MP3 players.

I guess the Recording Industry Association of America doesn't like me now because I copied plenty of my legally purchased CDs to my laptop before I moved to China for the simple reason that I didn't want to carry 200 CDs to the other side of the world. Would the RIAA also like to complain about how I used to pay $13-$16 for a new CD at a major retailer? Or how I wised up in high school and began purchasing all my CDs used from a local store?

Maybe if the major record companies would start finding interesting bands that actually make GOOD music for a change, instead of all the same crap they keep putting out year after year, consumers might be inclined to BUY a CD every now and again. Perhaps they should consider not charging ridiculous amounts of money for music. If I wanted to, I could find plenty of new CDs on the streets here for about $1.50 (something I haven't bothered to do since I arrived).

This new crusade against legal music consumers has got to be the dumbest idea in history. I was planning on buying some new music on my trip home, but now I've decided not to. I can live without it.

Congratulations RIAA on your award for biggest asshole in the world--you had a great last-minute run right before the end of the year. You beat out W., Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, thousands of terrorists, and all the other idiots of the world. You have now alienated ALL of your legal customers. Maybe you should pay attention to good business sense and start working on customer service.

Stuff the Mattress

To hell with the banks in China. I think my money would be safer in my mattress. This is not a joke. I have plenty of reasons for this.

• Banks charge a fee for every month you have an account.
• You will be charged a fee for using YOUR bank's ATM in another province or city.
  
• Interest rates are low and are taxed high, rendering savings accounts worthless (also subtract the monthly bank fee).
• Apparently, family members cannot obtain banking details for other family members, even when accompanied by said family member's ID.
• There is a fee for obtaining banking details from the Bank of China (owned by the government). That fee is 10 kuai. That's just to print the details into a freaking book that the bank provided!
• You're forced to take a number and wait your turn. But that number really doesn't mean anything for people who have a number that has long since been called.
  
• It will take much longer than it should to do ANYTHING at the bank.

The reason I'm rather annoyed today is because Jia has to get plenty of banking details from numerous banks (because every job has to use its own bank for pay) to supply to the U.S. Consulate this week for the visa process. These are just a few problems that have come up recently.

The Job Search

I thought I had a job lined up in Japan. I was wrong. They asked me to e-mail copies of documents (diplomas, TEFL, passport) last Saturday. Well, due to my grad school's stupidity, I had to wait until Monday to find out what was going on with my diploma. I explained the situation and sent all the other documents to Japan. Apparently that took too long. A school couldn't wait between Saturday and Monday to get documents? Well that's a load of crap.
So, now I'm looking at other teaching opportunities. These jobs are all in Japan and China. Although most are in China now because Japan doesn't seem to be hiring at this time. Fortunately, I have received two responses saying that I will be contacted for a phone interview. One is in Shenzhen (southern China) and the other is in Changchun (northeast China).
At this point it's first come, first serve. I just need an excuse to take some time out of the country and learn a second language (seeing as I gave up on Spanish some years ago). Not only that, but I don't feel like editing or proofreading anymore. Teaching sounds a little more interesting.