If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  That is what Yosemite Sam said in one Looney Tunes episode where he couldn't beat Bugs.  And I have learned to love the idea of Iran and North Korea having nuclear weapons.

Since I can't upload to Youtube, I will have to upload to Youku.  The greatest Internet Baby Update Series ever makes history yet again.  So, here is Wuxi Tony Update Three Hundred Forty Three, designed especially for a Mainland China audience as I mangle their wonderful language in a sublime way. 

I have found a site in China that I can upload videos to:  www.youku.com.  It is actually a very good site to see videos in China.  I have been able to watch videos by the Clash, Frank Sinatra, and the Pistols very easily with no delays.  The video I have downloaded below is WTU 267, an oldie but a classic WTU.

Even if it is a United Nations Day holiday, which makes it very questionable indeed, I will do something for Children's Day.  I do know this kid after all.

I am in a live-blogging mood today.  That is, I don't have an overarching theme to do one blog entry about.  I just have a bunch of random thoughts to put down.  Thanks to Twitter, I have a better place than the blog here and here to record these thoughts.  I would be proud to be your follower if you join Twitter.

John Derbyshire reviews a book on doing business in China.

Periodically, you must ask yourself why they ever invented the Internet.  What is the point, you think, of having access to all this stuff?  It really makes it hard for one to discern what is important, what is truly great. 

Well, here is the reason they invented the Internet:

Wuxi Tony Update #342: Dragon Boat Festival from Andis Kaulins on Vimeo.

Wuxi Andis tells you what he did on Dragon Boat Festival Day 2009.

Wuxi Tony Update #341: Starring the Great Wall of America, and the Cultural Revolution Redux Singers. from Andis Kaulins on Vimeo.

In this episode of the Wuxi Tony Update Series, Steve Wall from Florida in the USA watches a performance at a restaurant in Wuxi, China.

Link.

For me, DBF meant Walkies with Tony.  This morning we went to the Hui Shan City IT park that is under construction near the White House and Olympic Village apartments.  There were workers hard at it even on what is supposed to be a National Holiday.  In the afternoon, the K Boys (A and T) went for another walk.  Along the way, A had an idea to take one of the local buses as far as it would go and walk back home.  We would take the bus in the opposite direction from downtown Wuxi.  The first bus to come to the stop was the #610.  We took that and it took us further than I had expected.  We went to the next town called Qianzhou.  The place must be happening, it has a KFC.  We went to the KFC where Tony had fun at the playground.  Earlier, he forced me into paying coin so he could ride a hobby horse.  Then, we went back to home.  Not familiar with the area, I had no idea where to go other than the KFC.

In China, things are definitely planned top down.  Projects are impressive in scale but when you look close up, everything is shoddy.  A park we went to this morning was full of paths and playground equipment.  But it seemed like little maintenance had been done since the park had been built.  Tile was missing.  Some of the playground equipment had been busted and so fallen into disrepair.  An artificial pond had a promenade deck built beside it which had many planks already pulled out leaping gaps and nails sticking out.  The park was also strewn with garbage and the pond was filled with weed.  Surprisingly, some young boys were swimming in the scum-filled pond.

On the bus to Qianzhou, three girls were taking photos of Tony were their mobile phone cameras.  Tony can wow them, for whatever reason, but he dislikes the attention.  To get to Qianzhou from Yangqiao, the bus crosses a canal, a large rice paddy, and a freeway, and also passes a large plant with a tall smokestack. 

In Qianzhou, a girl with very good English came to talk to me.  She of course asked me about Tony.  I learned that she was Rita, a tutor from Web English downtown.  She has a longer commute to work than I do. 

Link.

The Family K took Steve Wall from Florida, USA to the Cultural Revolution Redux Restaurant on Xicheng Road in Wuxi, China.

Below, are some photos taken.  See if you can spot Steve.

National Review, a cool magazine in my opinion, has a symposium on the best military literature ever published.

Tuesday Afternoon, Akicistan went to Big Bridge Middle School on Xueqian Street in Downtown Wuxi, China.  AKICistan was there to judge an English Speaking Contest at the 12 storey school.  Walking by it so often in my Wu Ai and Mian Hua Xiang days, it was thrill to finally be able to walk in the building.  Can you imagine going to a school with so many floors?  And I kick myself because I didn't bring my camera.

Jenny took a video of Tony attacking me over and over again.

Visiting Wuxi, a second tier Chinese city, this blogger seemed impressed by the local government's efforts to create jobs and infrastructure.

The republic where I was born and the republic in which I am now taking off my shoes will both be sixty this year.  The Holy Moly strikes again!  Ai ya!!!

You may know that yesterday marked 21 months of Tony.  Here is the video we did for it.  I think that it is wonderful and that you should watch it.

Wuxi Tony Update #339: Tony the Wrestler. from Andis Kaulins on Vimeo.

In this the second Wuxi Tony Update of the post Nanjing Kaulins Family Vacation era, Tony performs deft wrestling moves.

L's and G's and P's, AKIC: WXB Inc.  is proud to present for your viewing enjoyment and edification:  WTU 338.  WTU is the greatest IBUS ever!

Here are some more photos taken in Nanjing on KFV 2009.

Tony has passed another historical, paradigm-shifting, epoch-making milestone today.  He is 21 months old. 

Here he  was on August 23, 2007.

Here is the latest photo of the little man.

I would also like you all to see this photo.  Taken last week, it shows Tony drinking from a cup.

I spent the early morning, reading and not blogging.  Having read so much, I wonder what is there that I can contribute to the Internet.  I suppose I should just talk about my life and let the chips fall where they may as to whether anyone is interested or not.

On the bus to work (I am at work as I blog this), I saw a truck carrying a load of workers.  There were about twenty or so on the back of that truck standing holding onto side walls for balance.  You would never see that in Canada.  First off, carrying workers around like that would violate some safety law, I am sure of it.  Secondly, I don't think you can get that many individualists ,as you would find in Canada, willing to be treated like cattle.

Getting off the bus, and then walking through the downtown of Wuxi to get to school and work, I saw a family of three all wearing the same t-shirts.  The K family has done this also.  You may have seen photos taken for Tony's first birthday that show us doing the same thing.  Again, it is an indication of the group nature of the culture around here.

Below the K family wearing uniform t-shirts.