NOTE: The following is an unofficial translation of a legal story in the January 19, 2012 edition of Southern Weekly.  More unofficial translations can be found at Nanfang Post here.  Suggestions on how to improve the translations can be sent through there as well.  

 
NOTE: The following is an unofficial translation of the lead story on January 12, 2012.  More unofficial translations can be found at Nanfang Post here.  Suggestions on how to improve the translation can be sent through that website.  

The following is the original English version of an article published on November 3, 2011.  The official Chinese version is titled 《中国人的感情为什么容易“受伤”？》. 

One of the most simple yet vexing questions a foreigner hears is, “What’s your impression of China?”  The typical response is polite, always focusing on the positives:  The food is wonderful.  The culture is amazing.  The people are warm and kind.   But this courtesy is partly a cover for other impressions. 

I am teaching a course on American Culture at a university in Beijing.  We had our first class today in which I talked about 9/11 and the War on Terror.  One of my key questions was what caused it.  We talked about the motivations of terorists/Jihadists first, but then the conversation shifted.  I asked, “Did the United States cause 9/11 or is it somehow responsible?” 
Most of the class said yes. 
I did not say this to them, but as an American living in China, I find this attitude repulsive, insightful, and even myopic.  It is repulsive because my nation has no moral responsibility.  To say my country caused or forced 19 hijackers to murder Americans (actually citizens from all over the world) is morally bankrupt.  There is nothing I can do to force someone to murder another person.  If it was an act of war, it was perpetrated against civilians, including Muslims. 

NOTE: This is the English version of an article published in Southern Weekly on August 25, 2011.  The Chinese version is here.

Opening the door to American universities with lies

Some argue that cracking down on crime is done in order to protect the public.  But does this imply that injury through negligence and other injustices actually protects them? The current amendment must limit the powers of police and prosecutors and protect every aspect of civil rights.

Amending criminal procedure law must first protect human rights
By Chen Youxi (陈有西)

Rather than say people are afraid of the toxic chemicals of a PX factory, we should say they fear the secrets hidden inside which are purposefully kept from them.   The residents of Dalian seemed incapable of waiting any longer because they have lost patience for and confidence in the self correcting ability of the current regulatory system.

Dalian’s PX factory: A muddled beginning and a muddled end
By Li Tie (李铁)

The Republican Party and Tea Party are really China’s friends as they try to protect America’s credit.  China should worry more about America’s economic malaise causing an atrophy in overseas demand.

China needs to worry about America’s economy, not its debt

Who feels the most pressure within this chain of cost hikes?  For the untold numbers of Chinese manufacturers who have always relied on low costs to be competitive, inflation has caused them to lose their edge around the world.  The pressure of this cycle is placed squarely on their backs.

“Made in China” has reached a point of no return
By Li Tie (李铁)

过去和现在“中国的问题”