June 13-19, 2009

A little sightseeing in the heat last Sunday (as I write this it's 5:15 Friday evening, and 90F/32C in Shenzhen; summer is here). A new visa and a contract for another year. Friends. All-in-all not a bad week.

The pages are mostly up and running, with some glitches generated by either Blogger, Feedburner, or the Chinese government--but I forgive them all. I'm working hard to get way ahead on my posts, since I'm traveling in July, but Blogger's "scheduled post" feature has become a little wonky, so I've had some extra work; and I discovered that building blogs within Blogger (like posting pics, for instance) sometimes incorporates Blogspot addresses into the post, making the pictures invisible (my pages are now unblocked, but anything with "Blogspot" in the URL isn't).

Enough geekese.

I've started publishing my blog on Facebook, along with 365 Secrets of Happiness (now at over 100 fans!) and Meatless/Mooless Monday (still just a-moseying along). By the way, anyone can see these, whether Facebook members or not. The content is the same as in my pages, but you can see the comments from others who have been there (much more active than on my pages).

Two new projects are ripening: FREE online English lessons (slated to launch early July) and "a devotional practice for everyone" coming mid- to late-July.

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Here's what published this week:

Wisdom Blogs:

☼ 365 Secrets of Happiness: 7 posts: Build a Bridge, Count Sheep, Break a Bad Habit, Lose Your "Religion", Find a Way of Living, Wait, and Go a Little "Martha Stewart."

☼ At the Feet of Sri Ramakrishna: 2 posts: One Substance, Many Forms (several similes on the many manifestations of God) and One Man, Many Relationships (more beautiful similes for the multiplicity of God)

☼ Buddhism Simplified: 2 posts: The Education of a Prince and The Prince's Compassion (about the boyhood of Shakyamuni Buddha)

☼ Meet Joe Campbell: 2 posts: Idea #4: "Follow Your Bliss" (his most famous--and perhaps most misunderstood--dictum) and Idea #5: The Hero's Journey (one of Campbell's first and perhaps his best-known work)

☼ Aphorisms of a Derelict Yogi: 2 posts: "'Tolerance'" is a load of horsesh*t..." (hot or cold, but not lukewarm) and "Ya eat garlic, ya burp garlic" (what goes in, comes out)

Projects:

☼ Meatless/Mooless Monday: 2 posts: The Cows and the Amazon (Beppo Grillo's Blog on the cattle/forest nexus) and Meatless Monday Recipes (from the kitchen of a Facebook friend)

☼ My Photo Galleries: Gallery of Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall, Guangzhou (from a trip to Guangzhou in May)

About James:

☼ Blog Highlights: a trip to a Ming-period hall with a peculiar purpose; a badly mis-named URL (English consultant needed); updates on expat life here and here; funny miscommunication in an oral exam; and In Praise of Beans and Rice.

☼ My Bio and more: Post on Meeting a Master: Venerable Ji Qun (link to an article about my encounter with one of China's great modern Buddhists)

Places:

☼ America: Post on Deer Park Monastery, Escondido, CA (Thich Nhat Hanh's family in California)

☼ Japan: Post on Statue Molesters, Japanese Style (rub that bronze...)

☼ China: Post on Yuansheng Temple, Yangzhou (a "squatter's palace" that must have been fine 70 years ago)

☼ Philippines: Post on Kidlat Tahimik (a cultural icon, and Lila's revered teacher)

☼ Asia: Post on Prayer Room, Hong Kong International Airport (a quiet room in a busy place)