CHINA- Moving my blog- maybe temporarily

http://editor.wix.com/html/editor/web/renderer/render/document/7730d567-94e7-41ad-96b3-db3c7c9d48fb?metaSiteId=c6f0e1ab-f91e-4256-991e-fb4b217f67a5&isSantaEditor=true&dsOrigin=Editor1.4#!I-have-created-this-blog-as-a-way-to-write-about-my-trip-to-China-Making-preparations-My-plane-leaves-tomorrow/m1az3/57704e7b0cf2bcae6e3fe94e

That appears to be a crazy link. China blocks anything Google and Blogspot is google. So I am making an effort to publish my site from my Wix account. I am not sure that it is working given the above URL. But tomorrow morning I get on the plane at SFO and arrive in Beijing the next day at 2 pm.

Although I will try to access this site, China has hundreds of breaucrats trying to make it impossible. So just grab that giant URL and paste it in. See if it works.

Ed

Career Transitions- Student Endorsements 2016

 This is the third time that I have taught Career Transitions here at Empire. It is a rewarding class to teach because it changes students' views of themselves. Starting with the curriculum of the Pacific Institute and supplemented with inspiring personal stories student begin to see the ways that they have been sabotaging themselves in the past by negative self-talk and destructive patterns of thinking. Career Transitions helps students build confidence and create goals by using and practicing with tools such as affirmations and visualizations. Without a doubt it is the most powerful teaching experience that I have ever had. These little reviews just asked for a class evaluation. As you read, you will see that class also changed lives.  I have published the comments from my two previous classes on my Linked In page.

Students evaluate Career Transitions class taught by Ed Lynch

Take about 10 minutes to think about how this has affected you. What could be added or subtracted? Are there other resources that you may have found useful?  Should I have spent more time on some subjects and less time on others.  Should there be more time set aside for interacting with your classmates? On the back also write what would improve the experience.

March 14, 2016 to April 28, 2016

Anonymous: I am walking away from this class with a more positive attitude about myself. I have learned how to push myself to do what I need to do to achieve my goals. I thought that this class was very informative. I would have loved a bit more class discussion, but overall a great class with a great teacher.

Andrea H: This class has affected me in a way that now I have a clear vision of what I want to pursue over the next few months at Empire. Something that would enhance the class for me personally is more time on activities like the Life Boat exercise, because then you have an opportunity of getting to know people and interact with them.

Sonya O: I think this is a short amount of time for a course like this, so maybe not as many videos. I did like the encouragement and advice given.

Tanya G.: I really valued this class and my instructor. He has given me the ability to be able to filter the non-sense around me, and remain positive. I have used all of the skills that I was taught in here, since the first day of class. I am able to view and have empathy towards others, so I am not annoyed or aggravated as easily. Thank you so much for everything! I don’t have a good support system, and want to quit every day, but this class helps me remember why I started in the first place. Every day we struggle to find a ride here, and eventually do, even if we are late when we show up. We are truly sorry for not being on time. Thanks again!

Josh K: I really enjoyed this class. At the beginning I was (and still am) going through a very tough break up, and move out. It was absolute fate to be taking this class at the same time. The affirmations and the self-positivity really helped me through a big portion of it. I almost wish you could take it every module. You have a really big heart, and you are very positive. I really like you as an instructor. You made me feel happy and laugh. Thanks.

Richard G: In my opinion I didn’t take anything from this class. I was constantly arguing with you on facts including the fact that this class is teaching people this it is okay to lie to yourself. I feel this class should have been taught in Junior High at the latest.

(I found Richard’s comments interesting because there is an aspect to this class, where a student might think they are lying to themselves. Building self-esteem means ridding oneself of the habit of negative self-talk. The idea is that we cannot have an objective view of ourselves. Many scotomas blind us to our faults. I teach student to do affirmations – positive self-talk- even though they might not believe what they are saying. One of my principles is “Fake it till you make it.” I can see how he thought that he was lying to himself.)

Tannya P: This class gave me hope and confidence to pursue my dreams. The video that touched me was the Aimee Mullins video. It made me appreciate all of the things that others take for granted. Also the affirmations were great. I will go back and just read them when I am having a bad day. Thanks, Ed.

 Monique P: I liked the videos, but it was hard to sit in the dark at 8 pm. The affirmations are a good idea for people who haven’t been to school in a long time. It’s encouragement to help us pass our classes. We all have negative thoughts sometimes. It’s hard to push forward. Taking the time to bring in positive thoughts is great. I liked how we took a picture showing us what we will look like at graduation.  It’s great encouragement to push forward.

Samantha A: I really liked the body positions and what they mean about you. I use the thrust your arms to sky to get more testosterone. I use it a lot, especially before work. I have changed my thoughts and image of myself since this class. More scotomas- I really liked those. I use affirmations daily. More group work and debates.

Amalia G: I enjoyed your class. It helped me realize that I don’t give myself enough credit sometimes. I caught myself thinking positive during stressful times at work, which prior I would let the environment ruin my day. For adding or subtracting material- I actually enjoyed team projects. I would recommend more of them. It helped me to get to know my classmates, but also helped make the class less stressful. It helped open up a safe/ comfortable place to discuss things with each other. Overall I had a great time. Thank you, Ed.

Chinese Visa

A lot has happened since I posted- 2 months ago? Monday my son and I met at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco to apply for a the infamous visa. The visa demands that you show your airline ticket and not only print your itinerary, but show proof that you are booked in hotels for the whole time. You also trust them to hold your passport for the four or five days that it takes to process the visa. We arrived about 10 am- It had opened at 9 am, and they were serving numbers 023, 042, 043, 044, 045. We calculated that in one hour they had taken care of less than 50. Our number was 159, so we calculated that it would be at least 2 pm before we would be seen. We didn't consider the staggered lunch hour.

The vast majority of the people there were Asian and most of those born in China. The women who served us at the window spoke almost indiscernible English.  Somehow though our efforts and her efforts of not wanting to encounter any snags, the process only took us about ten minutes.

Incredibly we were out by 2 pm.  

China 中國

About a month ago I decided that I would visit China for the first time. I have many reasons for wanting to go, not the least of which is that life is short and getting shorter. I have always been impressed by many aspects of Chinese culture, especially their art and history. Also my experience with Chinese people (along with the Japanese) is that they are some of the most gracious and hospitable of all.

This blog will just gloss over the myriad things flying through my head. I will discuss them more in detail in later blogs. It is March. My experience with traveling is that I have usually bought my plane ticket by this time, but at this very moment I am not positive that I will really go. Plane fares seem reasonable- from $1000 to $1500 round trip to Beijing. But then there is the Visa application. Only $75, but it appears to need an invitation from someone in China, or a detailed list of places that I will visit and where I will stay. It was the same when I went to Russia, and I used an agent, and I found that very convenient. Here an agent will cost me about $200. I still have to sort that out.

I have a standard tourist agenda of places and sites to visit in a three week period. Beijing, Xi’an, Nanjing and Singapore. Beijing and Singapore are obvious- the number of historical sites is enormous. I love cities, and I am excited by the thought of walking the street. Xi’an is another no- brainer. It is an 11 hour train ride from Beijing- a historic city. It is the capital city of 13 Chinese Dynasties:  the Qin (221 BC – 207 BC), Han (206 BC – 220 AD), Sui (581 AD – 618 AD) and Tang (618AD – 908AD) Dynasties. but most of all the archeological site of the Chinese Warriors- thousands of terra cota warriors individually carved.  Nanjing is close to Singapore. When I was a high school teacher, one of my most impressive students came from Nanjing. Now I just have to find her information.

The language is the third thing that I have been tackling. As a friend of mine remarked, there is no Chinese language. Actually there are several, but Mandarin is both the language of the north and the language of the majority. I had actually spent three years studying Russian to prepare for my trip to Russian, and here I am only giving myself a few months to learn Chinese.  I must say that I am really enjoying it. Chinese, as well as many Asian languages, are tonal. I call it the music of the language and getting the tone right is critical to be understood. I am using many YouTube videos. My goals are modest, I think. I want to be able to introduce myself, order a meal, haggle a price for an item at the market and generally know enough not to come off as an ugly American. 

WIne and the Microbiom - Part 2

I am aware that I live in beautiful Sonoma County, wine country. I have always loved the taste of a good Cabernet Sauvagnon or Zinfindel. For a couple of years I was a partner in making some small batched of California wine. I remember the processes well. At the point where the juice is squeezed out of the grapes, the sulfite is added. Sulfites are antibiotics, and they kill virtually every living thing in the juice. The reason for this is to eliminate a fermentation process where the winemaker does not have control over all of the natural bacteria in the grapes. After that the "good bacteria" are added, and the fermentation process begins, turning sugar in to alcohol.

The bacteria succeeds in fermenting the wine, but the sulfites are never removed. I wish that I knew more about the chemistry, and perhaps an enologist can comment. My understanding is that although the bacteria introduced converts the sugars, there is still enough sulfite in the to destroy bacteria. For one who drinks wine very moderately, it may not have an effect on the stomach. I have have been known to 2 or three glasses at home after I come home from work. It has often upset my stomach, and given me acid reflex.

Upon thinking about the microbiom and the introduction of sulfites to the stomach, I reasoned that perhaps the wine that I was drinking was killing the good bacteria in my stomach. I remembered that winemaking did not always use sulfites. In fact I know that winemakers of France rely on the bacteria natural in the vineyard. The argument goes that after hundreds and even thousands of years of growing grapes, the natural fermenation is well adapted to the fields of France. In this way I have become a drinker and lover of these French wines.

It is possible that these wines contain a positive bacteria. Since I have been drinking them, I have virtually eliminated my stomach difficulties. Also even on the rare occasion where I have had too much, I feel no hangover in the morning.

I will give a plug to my local Grocery Outlet that has been carring a wide variety of drinkable and some even delictious Bordeauxs. Prices generally range from $6 to $12- Well worth it.

The Microbiom- Part 1

One of the more important biological and physiological discoveries of the past ten years or so is the discovery of the pervasiveness of the Microbiom. Simply put the Microbiom is the vast number of bacteria that over millions of years that made their homes both inside and outside our bodies. The subtext of this finding is enormous in scope. Plants and animals including insects have a enormous store of their own beneficial hitchhikers. I choose to focus on the Microbiom of the human stomach- more specifically my stomach, as for years I have had painful heartburn, more recently helped by the overthe counter medication, omneprezole.

Just a side point is that I recently heard on the radio that omneprezole is associated with the early onset of dementia. It suppressed the production of vitamin B 12 which is critical in the formation of myelin bainas neurons in the brain. I need to use something different. 

I have made more discoveries in my reading about the Microbiom and have introduced some changes  in my eating habits to improve the condition of my stomach. The simple fact is that there are many traditional foods that have been staples in foods around the world. When I was in Russia, kvas is one of the beverage staples there. I was never fond of it, but it apparently contains many beneficial bacteria for digestion.

Among the other foods are aged cheeses, yogurt, kiefer, Chinese black beans, Apple vinegar, pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, and many other fermented food. Since I found out about this revolution in thinking about the biology of the gut, I have introduced several of these foods into my diet to great effect. I have always loved cheese. The runny stinky cheeses, the sharp aged cheeses, the bries with thick crusts are all my favorites and I have increased my intake of those. I have come to love kimchi and fortunately have a good supplier in the area. I have always loved pickles. Unfortunately I cannot bring myself to finish the kiefer and Greek yogurt in the refrigerator. It is likely the bacterial will only increase as they age.

I write this as an introduction to the next blog. You may know that I love wine, but it has not helped my digestive problems. I think that I have gained a major insite into the consumption of wine. I will be theorizing, and it will not make me a popular figure in the area where I live. I hope that this teaser will urge you to look forward to my next blog.  I know that I will make some friend and some enemies.

Henry Inman "Staking the Trees"

I have a number of fairly valuable paintings in my possession. I am ready to make a little traveling money and try to sell some of them off. I researched art appraisers and the one that seemed to come out on top was ValueMyStuff. I liked that they also gave an online opportunity to show and sell the work. Unfortunately when I tried to put it up for sale, it said something like- at this time this piece does not qualify for sale. Perhaps because they are in UK they are not able to see it and actually assess that it is authentic- but it is.

I like also that they gave it a name. It mentions that many of his paintings were used for illustrations in contemporary publications. I wonder if that found the actual work in an old newspaper or magazine. I would find that interesting. There are only a handful of Inmans in museum. The same five come up over and over. When I visited the Philadelphia Art Museum, their catelog said that they had two in their possession. Unfortunately they were in storage. Probably not a good sign for the public appeal of the artist. I know that he is pretty much the only post colonial American artist who was famous for painting children, and this painting has a child in it.

I had actually tried to title the painting myself- The Teacher, The Grafter. The Tree Planter. But the appraisers either knew or gave it a title themselves: The Tree Staker. That sounds good for me. They have appraised it for auction between $3,000 and $6, 000. I was satisfied with that. Below is their assessment sheet.