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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Finding time to relax," reads as follows: "It’s easy to get caught up in the helter-skelter of everyday life, community activities, job-related responsibilities, family happenings, etc.  It can be, too, workaholism—the compulsive and unrelenting need to work.  I tend to be a workaholic.  I’ve been one all my life.  When one project is complete I immediately proceed to the next one.  Sometimes, too, I am involved in a number of projects at the same time."
 

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

What I have discovered regarding “finding time to relax,” is that you must purposely work relaxation into your schedule.  If you just plan to relax when you find the time—especially if you are a workaholic—it is unlikely you will do much relaxing, if any at all.  I am not suggesting that the way I relax will work for everyone (perhaps no one!), but it offers two important lessons: First, different strokes for different folks!  You need to work out a system or plan that purposefully and specifically incorporates relaxation.  
    
The second lesson, and although I have not mentioned it thus far in this essay, relaxation will help you work better and more efficiently.  For me, it improves my energy level, sleep, concentration, and creative ability.  Doctors, too, will tell you relaxation gives the heart a rest by slowing the heart rate, reduces blood pressure, slows the rate of breathing, which reduces the need for oxygen, increases blood flow to the muscles, and decreases muscle tension.*   Personally, there need be no more justification for working relaxation into my life.

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Keys to overcoming boredom: Entering the room of choices," reads as follows: "As I prepared for church this morning, it seemed to me I had just done it, even though it was a full week ago.  When I pulled down all the Christmas decorations from the attic, it seemed as if I just put them up there the day before. Time flies, the routines become repetitive, and there seems to be little that is new and different.  It is easy to get caught up in the every day, become drugged by the nausea and din of life, and “go with the flow” because it requires no thought, satisfies our comfort zone, and permits nothing but our base survival instincts — routines that are deeply entrenched."                                                                             
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

Now is the time to combat boredom more directly.  You are now in the room of choices.  Surround yourself with positive people, keep active, read new, interesting, positive material on the Internet, eat healthy food, begin a regular exercise routine, and get enough sleep.  With a more positive and optimistic outlook, you need to accept that some boredom in life is inevitable.  Do what has to be done as quickly as possible, and get on with it.  Life can’t be all fun and games.  Pat Riley, the basketball coach said, “If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges” — the challenges offered in the room of choices.

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Is it nostalgia or is it music? Maybe both." reads as follows: "My wife gave me a “Wooden Music Center with Recordable CD Player” for Christmas year.  Not particularly liking modern technology, I waited eleven days to open the box.  It sat in my study until I could muster the stamina (the sheer determination) to open it, pull the Center from its foam protection, and read the instructions.  My lack of technical expertise caused me to read with great care, but I was resolved to make this work."

                                                                   
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

Then I wondered if it was the nostalgia or the music having the positive effect?  Perhaps it was a little of both.  Whatever the cause, the effect was positive, encouraging, and revitalizing.

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And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is second of two essays that not only prove "the power of small," but show, too, the power of a personal letter.  The first two paragraphs of this second essay reads: "I had just picked up a copy of Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval’s book, The power of small: Why little things make all the difference (Boradway Books, 2009) as a small item occurred that may make a big difference in some people’s lives.  This story is what their book is about.
   
"On May 20, 2009, at the request of my granddaughter, Mckenzie, I donated blood at Woodland School in Perrysburg, Ohio.  For me, donating is a regular thing, and I donate as often as I can.  While donating, I signaled the woman in charge of the donation to come to my donation site."
                                                                   
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

From all that I read, it was my single letter that prompted this change.  Now when you donate blood, please don’t just notice the hand sanitizer in the canteen area, having just squeezed a dirty sponge ball as you donated, please use it before having your cookies or leaving the donation site.  Thaler and Robin Koval’s book, The power of small, offers hundreds more examples about how small things can make a big difference.

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is one of two essays that not only prove "the power of small," but show, too, the power of a personal letter.  The first part of this essay reads: I really didn’t think anything about it when it happened because her action fit into a pleasing matrix of supportive, encouraging, positive behavior; however, it was such a treat that I decided to write a letter describing her actions.  This is the letter I wrote:

Mr. Anthony Sprenger, Branch Manager
Key Bank
1088 Louisiana Avenue
Perrysburg, OH 43551

Dear Mr. Sprenger:

This unsolicited letter is designed specifically to extol the virtues of Monica Kernahan — an outstanding Key Bank client-service representative.

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

When I asked Monica if I could see the certificate, she immediately asked me if I wanted a copy of it.  Naturally, I said, “Yes,” and she took it off the wall, proceeded immediately to the copy machine, and I have a copy of her certificate here at my computer as I am writing this essay—just one more example of the “friendliness and generosity she has displayed [that] are truly representative of outstanding service.”

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And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the seventeenth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the seventeenth essay reads as follows:  "We are touring the best-preserved imperial palace in all of China, the five-century-old Forbidden City located in the center of Beijing.  Our guidebook, Beijing Encounter (by Lonely Planet), says that the 14 Ming emperors and 10 Qing emperors “became absorbed in the splendor of life inside the palace.  The royal mealtime took up much of the day.  By the time Empress Cixi took power, she was getting twice-daily meals consisting of over 100 dishes” (p. 11)."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

Princess cruise line provided the shuttle to the airport, and we discovered that Beijing has one of the most attractive, tourist-friendly airports in the world.  It is clean, toilets are spotless, airport personnel are helpful and friendly, and the methods used for boarding the aircraft are efficient and effective.  What a delightful way to end our Southeast Asian experience!

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And Then Some News

And Then Some Publishing has just released a new video via ANTworkstudio YouTube Channel!

Who Wrote William Shakespeare? Part 2, by Edgar E. Willis

Part 2 discusses questions about William Shakespeare. Is it mad house chatter? Is it ridiculous? Heretics or as described, Anti-Stratfordians who subscribe to the notion that William Shakespeare did not write the volume of material associated with him. In this video many questions are answered for the numerous reasons he is questioned about his writing, including a history of the postcard of information that is truly fact about William Shakespeare.

Can't see the video?
- Watch Part 1 here
- Watch Part 2 here



See more Books and Videos including How to Be Funny on Purpose and Edgar's account of World War II at EdgarEWillis.com

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the sixteenth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the sixteenth essay reads as follows:  "On our third day in Beijing, we took a taxi to Tiananman Square and the Forbidden City.  When you take a taxi you must have your present location as well as your destination written in Chinese so you can get to where you are going and return to your hotel. (Hotels provide this information as a regular and necessary part of their service.)  Taxi drivers speak no English at all!  Even with it written in Chinese, some drivers will refuse the fare because it is not enough.  That is, they would prefer waiting for customers going a longer distance so they can make more money.  For example, at the Silk Market, we were refused service back to our Beijing Marriott City Wall Hotel by six taxi drivers before we found a seventh to return us to the hotel."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

All of the 800 buildings (originally built between 1406 and 1420) have been rebuilt more than six times throughout the centuries because of fires.  They are decorated in bright, clean colors of yellow, red, green, and blue often with gold-plated highlights, however, as pointed out at the AsianArtMall.com website, “With the color yellow being the symbol for the royal family, you will find it to be dominant throughout the City.  For example, the roofs have yellow glazed tiles, palace decorations are painted yellow, and the bricks found outside are yellow.”  All the buildings that can be seen today are post-18th-century.
    
The Forbidden City was home to 24 different Chinese emperors, and it is the best-preserved collection of ancient architecture in China.  Because of its place in history, importance, impressiveness, and my memories of our time there, I will continue my discussion of it in Beijing IV — my fourth Beijing essay.

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And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the fifteenth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the fifteenth essay reads as follows:  "We are taking a private tour with our tour guide, Michael Ye.  We also have a driver who speaks no English and has a small picture of Mao and a jade Buddha hanging from the rear-view mirror for good luck.  We have already toured the Great Wall (discussed in Beijing I).  From the Great Wall, Michael continued to educate us about China and Beijing.  He told us, for example, that whereas the U.S. has a big middle class (45-50%), China’s middle class amounts to only 15%.  These are mainly young, educated, and sophisticated Chinese who are likely to help forge a new direction for China.  He explained that the “new” China is similar to 'capitalistic communism,' and all land in China is still owned by the government.  There is no private ownership; people only rent it."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

In the third Beijing essay I will discuss Tiananiman Square and the Forbidden City.  I will also mention taxi-cab pirates.  If there was a fifth problem Beijing needs to solve with respect to making the city more “user/tourist friendly,” it would be the problem they have with pirates.  You cannot have tourists being subjected to even the possibility (or merely the thought of) price-gouging by uncontrolled, rogue pirates.  It is not a pleasant thought, but it is a real and pervasive threat.

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And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the fourteenth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the fourteenth essay reads as follows:  "With three days in Beijing, we really had a good chance to get to know the city, and there is no doubt the city has a great deal to offer tourists.  After visiting eight other large Asian cities, you might think we had seen enough or that our views might be slightly jaundiced, and there is something to that perspective.  We feel we had been in Beijing one day too long by the afternoon of the second full day, and we felt we had seen everything we wanted to see — but this does not have anything to do with what this city has to offer tourists."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

The Great Wall is impressive in its size, but that is precisely what makes it one of the eight wonders of the world.  It is 3,889.5 miles long (we didn’t walk the whole length!), and it was begun in 221 BC.  It was only in the Ming Dynasty when the Ming constructed walls along the northern border of China designed specifically to keep the Manchurian and Mongolian nomadic tribes out of China.  Also, the Great Wall helped defend the empire against the Manchu invasions of 1600, even though the Manchus crossed the Great Wall in 1644 and seized Beijing, defeated the Shun Dynasty, and established the Qing Dynasty.  Obviously, the decision to construct the wall as part of a defense system was a good idea, even though at times it didn’t work as effectively as planned.
    
I want to talk about our continuing tour with Michael Ye.  In the second Beijing essay, I will continue from the Great Wall forward.

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And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the thirteenth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the thirteenth essay reads as follows:  "We are walking through the Yu Garden in Old Shanghai.  The buildings of the Yu Garden were all of vintage Chinese style with dark brown tile-like, fancy roofs, white sides, and perched on stones.  Most overlooked small pools of large, golden carp, and the pools were outlined in rocks of various sizes and shapes, brought down from the surrounding mountains.  Some rocks, our tour guide said, were taken from the mountains then put into lakes for 200-300 years so that the weaker soil and rock would be eroded away and an artistic limestone shape was left that revealed holes and crevices that made them especially attractive and unique.  Some of these were massive in size, and the garden area was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful — a clear reason why the crowds of tourists were there."
                                       

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

Even though we missed a great deal, we had a valuable and worthwhile opportunity to see downtown Shanghai and where it is heading as well as various parts of Old Town.  This was not just an adventure but a real look at contrasting cultures where a city treasures and preserves its past while moving rapidly into the future.

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the twelfth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the twelfth essay reads as follows:  "This essay on Shanghai could just as easily be two completely different essays about the same city, because Shanghai is cut in half by the Huangpu River (a tributary of the Yangtze), and on one side is Puxi, the old area lying on the west side, and on the other, Pudong, the new development zone lying on the east side.  The contrast between these two sides is not just a “conversation piece”; it is real, dramatic, and startling — the obviously modern versus the clearly traditional.  (I have written two essays on Shanghai; however, they don’t divide the city into two parts.  The essays simply divide the information on Shanghai into two parts.)"

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

Yu Garden is considered landscape art.  It is meant, throughout, to perfectly balance the yin and the yang.  Each garden within the walls “must have several elements, the main ones being plants, rock, water, and pavillions, in order to make it harmonious,” says our Beijing Encounter guidebook — which includes information on Shanghai.  Our guidebook pointed it out: “To make it harmonious, the gardens are built . . . for promoting the flow of qi [energy flow] as they are to be an aesthetic pleasure.  The hardness of the rock (yang) should balance out the softness of the water (yin)” (p. 124).

The gardens within the Yu Garden are stunning in their beauty, and I will continue my discussion of them (briefly) in the second essay on Shanghai.

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And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the eleventh of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the eleventh essay reads as follows:  "You do not get a fair view of the main island of the Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, with just a half-day stay and no excursion, but that is what we did.  Some could probably argue that you can’t even get a fair view of anywhere without an extended stay — and that is probably an accurate point of view.  We did not exchange enough money (we had just 2,000 Japanese yen — $22.6 U.S.) which was not enough for a taxi ride to and from Shuri Castle or the World War II Memorial.  They are both a fair distance from the downtown area of Naha, the capital, where our shuttle from the ship dropped us off (a mere 15-20-minute drive), and the time to get there (to the castle or the memorial) and back could have prevented a walk down the main shopping street.

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

For all of the immigration papers we had to fill out, the fingerprinting, pictures, and thermal scanning (all before going ashore), you would think we had planned to stay on the island for some time.  It is too bad that we did not have a chance to see their pottery, textiles, or glass making (products they are known for).
    
Even though we got but a meager glimpse of Okinawa, the lack of big high-rise buildings, the palms along the streets, the modern bridge connecting the port with the city, made this an interesting place to visit, but for us, it remains undiscovered, unexplored, and unexperienced.

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the tenth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first two paragraphs of the tenth essay reads as follows:  "We’re in Taipei, Taiwan, the capital of the country.  TAIPEI is mnemonic for Technology, Art, Innovation, People, Environment — something I only discovered after I Googled it when I was writing this essay back at home.

Tour with me for a moment.  Pretend you are standing in the middle of a large esplanade (courtyard) — open space.  At one end there are massive white gates, and if you’re looking at those, behind you there is the white and blue mausoleum containing a bronze statue of Chiang Kai Shek..  The mausoleum stands like a modern block-house on a huge raised pedestal.  The pictures at the Taiwan Taipei website , “Chiang Kai Shek Memorial,” are outstanding."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

There is no question that Taiwan is a jewel just waiting for greater discovery.  It’s especially nice, too, when you get a proud, knowledgeable, well-informed excursion guide who not only points out the sights along a walking tour of the city but, too, talks about all the other things that make Taiwan the jewel that it is.


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And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the ninth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the ninth essay reads as follows:  "“Undiscovered jewel” is how our tour guide, Jan de Vries, described “his” island.  Married to an extroverted, lovely, Taiwanese woman, Jan, with his Dutch ancestry, is an assistant Professor and Lecturer in Aviation, Travel, and Tourism, and he loves his island.  Even with its earthquakes, cyclones, tornadoes, tsunamis, and storms (driven to the island from mainland China), and potential volcanic eruptions, it is truly “his” jewel.  Having been connected with the airline industry and traveling extensively (especially with the airline, KLM), he tried to promote “his” island wherever and whenever he could."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

The expansive esplanade separates the white gates at one end from the large memorial building — sitting like a modern block-house on a pedestal, topped by another royal-blue, tiled roof with a red doorknob-like structure on top.  See a picture of it at the Sinotour.com website, and read the essay there entitled, “Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.”
   
As I wrote this essay I was unaware of its length; thus, I continue it in my Taiwan Essay 2.  In the second part of the essay I discuss my seven reasons why Taiwan is a jewel — an undiscovered jewel.


And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the seventh of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the seventh essay reads as follows:  "When we saw very few motor cycles or scooters in Singapore or later in Hong Kong and we saw thousands in Saigon and Nha Trang, we realized it says something specific about Saigon and Nha Trang — motor cycles and scooters are the transportation choice for people with little money.  In Vietnam, they are ubiquitous [seeming to exist everywhere]."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

Nha Trang is a big city, a worthwhile tourist destination, and a valuable cruise stop.  It is much cleaner than Saigon, and had we been left with Saigon as our only Vietnam experience, our views of Vietnam might have been quite different.  The thousands of motorcycles present no problem when seen from the window of a “luxury” tour bus.

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the sixth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the sixth essay reads as follows:  "I hesitated before using that title [Vietnam I: Saigon is a City of Filth and Poverty] for this essay, but, unfortunately, the negative value conveyed by the title is well-deserved and well-earned over and over.  I asked a couple seated next to us in the diningroom for their impressions of Saigon (Ho-Chi Minh City) and they said, “the tremendous poverty and filth.”  It is inescapable and omnipresent.  One problem for us is simply that our last port was Singapore, which is completely the opposite: by 180-degrees.

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

Our self-tour of Saigon included seeing Reunification/Independence Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Opera House, the Rex Hotel, and the local market (covered, hot, dark, ventilated with small fans, full of all kinds of merchandise from souvenirs, fresh produce, fish, and food for lunch).  With aisles barely wide enough for a single person, it was smelly and dirty.

The filth and poverty could not be escaped or overlooked.  It was an eye-opener, and as our Princess cruise lecturer, Petra, explained to us when describing Vietnam, it is a genuine “step back in time.”  Indeed it was.

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the fifth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the fifth essay reads as follows:  "Singapore was our second stop after Bangkok on our Southeast Asia cruise, and the differences between Singapore and Bangkok are enough to overwhelm you — especially when one city directly follows the other.  Neither place, I suppose, offers the visitor a completely fair and balanced look at what comprises a Southeast Asian city, and yet, here they stand in very sharp contrast to each other."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

There are numerous other contrasts such as the existence of sidewalk vendors in Bangkok and none in Singapore, the “smart casual” dress of the people we observed in Singapore and the dress of those in Bangkok which far better represented a cross-section of the whole Thai population, and even the language — those in Singapore spoke fluent English and those in Bangkok spoke little (some very broken) English.  There were even great differences in modes of transportation as noted previously.

Just from these examples alone, you can see that the differences between Singapore and Bangkok are enough to overwhelm you.  Remember, however, that our two experiences were different in the amount of time we spent in both places and with that, our limited ability to make a thorough investigation.  Just the same, it was an enjoyable and thoroughly interesting juxtaposition.

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the fourth of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first two paragraphs of the fourth essay read as follows:  "At the end of essay one on Bangkok, my wife and I were touring “high-end” stores so our tuk-tuk driver could get 'gas coupons.'  When our tuk-tuk tour ended, we gave our driver 60 bahts rather than the 40 negotiated at the beginning of our trip.  Still, at 60 bahts for over 1 1/2-hours of travel, the cost in U.S. dollars was less than $2.00 (about $1.86 to be exact).

"Back at the Grand Palace (once the official home for the Kings of Siam), which was our original destination when we left the Four Season’s Hotel in the morning, our intent was to see the Emerald Buddha located within the Palace walls.  I’m not quite sure why our focus was on seeing a wide variety of Buddhas; however, that was what was happening."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

Despite not getting out of the city, however, we noticed the contrast between the traditional and the modern.  For us, one of the best symbols of this contrast was seeing one of the women sidewalk vendors toting her wares in bamboo woven baskets, attached to a bamboo pole, carried over her shoulders, then selling her wares on the sidewalk beneath a large, modern, skyscraper.  Where else in the world but Bangkok?

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the third of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the third essay reads as follows:  "It was dark when we landed at the airport, and we could see little (or nothing) during the shuttle ride from the airport to our hotel just outside the main areas of most interest (e.g., the Old City, China Town, and sights along the Chao Phraya River).  After a 21-hour, 36-minute (total) series of flights (3 different aircraft) — 3 legs (Detroit-Chicago, Chicago-Tokyo, and Tokyo-Bangkok) — we were dead tired and ready to check in to our Princess-cruise arranged, Four Seasons’ Hotel, which we did around 2:00 a.m.  We slept in until 9:30 a.m. the following day."

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

This essay will be continued in a second essay on Bangkok — which was not planned when the original essay was written.  Looking back on our entire Southeast Asia trip, both my wife and I agreed that Bangkok was our favorite city of the nine we visited.  Perhaps, this is the influence of first impressions; however, it could have been our freedom (and time) to explore the city on our own, the experiences we had there, the friendly and helpful people we met, or, as I most suspect, it could have been the exciting, interesting, and obvious contrasts this big city offered.

And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

This is the second of 17 essays that cover our Southeast Asia cruise (March, 2010).  The first paragraph of the second essay reads as follows:  "Just for the fun of it, I pulled out a 20 Chinese Yuen at a cash register in a local store, and because I had just returned home from China, I told the cashier where I got the money, and she said, 'You know, I’ve never had any desire to leave this country.'  I responded saying, 'It is a positive experience, and it makes you proud to be an American.'"

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

My list could go on to mention 5,000-year-old traditions and beliefs, population density, societies that depend on class consciousness, or the garishness of religious symbols, but I want to add a final note.  We enjoy traveling widely, and our trip to Southeast Asia was no exception.  Just because I observed differences between cultures, does not mean I disliked anything I observed.  It comes back to the old cliche: “Nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”  “While no nation is greater than another,” one writer on the Internet said when I Googled, “Proud to be an American,” “and no nationality is superior to another, I am happy to be among those who call the United States their home.” .My conclusion is simple: “It sure makes you proud to be an American.”

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