I'm thinking about buying a car, but it just seems like such a nightmare. I'll see. I don't really need one for work. But I've always had one and it seems odd not to have had one during the years I have lived in China. When I look around and see all the resource assigned to having a car, the sparsely spaced filling ... Full Comment>>

I don't know. I guess I see it all very simply. It's crime. To say that this one man was trying to enforce Chinese laws opens the door for discussions that end up being about race and politics. He broke the law. And on the other side of the coin I've read posts from local people, well meaning Chinese folks, who ... Full Comment>>

Yeah, just stay away. He and a group of people from where he lives have been expressig their dislike for him all over the intenet. They offer what they call "background" on his life and then seem to think that his bad character changes what the real issue is. I understand the anger . . . but man, they have ... Full Comment>>

Well said. Thank god for other writers who seem to see what is really the issue. Yes, vengeance and revenge is a big issue here in China. People take the law into their own hands all the time. I remember, the first time I had an argument with a Chinese person. I tried to walk away and he wouldn't let me. He ... Full Comment>>

You seem to have a very narrow understanding. For you it is seems "black or white": either agree with you and be right or disagree with you and be wrong. But you are not even thinking about other peoples words. You are just judging them based on how closely they agree with you. Who cares about the details ... Full Comment>>

"Fact, if don't like it why be here." This is not a fact. God, hahahaha. Where do you come up with these statements. This is more like an excuse and it is very niave. Life is not as simple as "just leave if you don't like it." We all live in the same world. Racial bias or a desire to seek revenge ... Full Comment>>

"Fact, in this country, noone wants to be told how to do their thing and it isn't an outsider's right, nomatter how some feel frustrated." -- But if you had good strong laws, no one wouldn't matter if "none wanted to be told what to do. They would have to follow the law, even if they didn't want to. ... Full Comment>>

"Fact, a crime is a crime, even if the intent of one crime is meant well." -- I don't think you really noticed, that other writers were saying this same thing. No one is defending him: the bigger picture is about justice. And how can you agree with MeiMei who constantly refers to this guy as a foreigner ... Full Comment>>

So, you have clarified, that if wasn't actually you who gave that advice here last night? Good. Thank you. My assessment is not at all one sided: have a look at the China Daily site -- that is one sided. Could you tell me the name of the other website you mentioned: are the folks there just local Dalian people, only ... Full Comment>>

The idea of consumerism is becoming unpopular. It seems to me that the real issue for developing economies, and always has been, throughout World Version 1.0, 2.0, and now 3.0, is that the developing economies get locked into a process of chasing after the trends that made the more developed economies leaders. And ... Full Comment>>

Okay, here's a simple question: what matters most to you? Full Comment>>

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. Yes, exactly. It it a fact that our culture has gotten us us to where we are now, good or bad, in any country. We expats need to be more careful about patronizing the present culture, because there are lots of Chinese out there who want to change the very things we may be patronizing. Culture ... Full Comment>>

Guest7816 ASK: "the topic is about his crime, no?" My reply: First of all, it's hard to know if you mean "topic" or "issue". If you mean issue, then no . . . the issue, could never, by simply logic, be about one man's crime. Now, any "topic" ,any where, might be about Mr. ... Full Comment>>

AND YOU NEVER RESPONDED TO MY QUESTIONS. Full Comment>>

GUEST 7815. You have to be, you must be, purposefully looking for loopholes, are you? There is no way you could think from my comments that I am taking a "step down". And what things am I saying. I never said anything about anyone. I didn't write that post on China daily. I referred to the young women as ... Full Comment>>

SOMEONE IS POSING AS ME ON THE CHINA DAILY SITE. I NEVER WROTE THIS : "As I have mentioned on the echinacities website, the young girls whom claim to have been attacked by Mr. Hale are making a big messy embarrassment of themselves. They have no proof and why should we accept their word over his? Crying wolf ... Full Comment>>

Guest 7816. I hope you read my reply to your excellent questions above. But I hope you will be mindful of the risk I am taking speaking as I do. You know, every time I go online to make the comments I have made, I worry that someone may be monitoring my comments. You see, I am talking about issues that can be vey ... Full Comment>>

I hope you finally see, now, that you folks have made the story a story about Mr. Hale. "This story" you say, is about Mr. Hale's "exact and unique" experience. The story is neither unique in China, where justice is weak and that causes people to over-react all the time, nor is it ... Full Comment>>

Watchful . . . and what they are doing is a classic example of the negative effects of "uploading identity" I wish they would go and do a bit of research into what that means. Full Comment>>

Watchful. Oh my heavens, I wish I would have thought of what you said. I was at another site. I just got here and read your words. EXACTLY, EXACTLY, EXACTLY. It is only because these people in Dalian have inside knowldege about Mr. Hale that they make all this discussion and assumptions about Mr. Hale. And then, ... Full Comment>>

This comes from an unrelated article: "Chinese law forbids hacking and any other actions that damage Internet security," the Defense Ministry said. The articles, about a man-who-scratched-some-cars, don't mention Mr. Hal's name or anything about his personal life, so it seems clear that those who wrote the ... Full Comment>>

I'm not nearly as certain, as some people are, about what are facts and what are rumours. And maybe the mixture of rumours and what might be facts is why the discussion has become pretty ugle at times. I just wonder what the writers of the articles intended. If only for the obvious fact that news websites offer a ... Full Comment>>

Guest7816: I hope you will forgive me for adding my comments to your reply to Alexander. I was very pleased to final see some comments about the real issue. When you write about "how difficult it can be to do the right thing," clearly you are referring to the same sort of circumstance that I have been. So ... Full Comment>>

Yes, indeed, it does feel like biting off more than we can chew when we try to do what is right (if you will allow me some self-affacing humour, I have experienced that on this site). That feeling is especially common, wouldn't you agree, when there is no proper procedure for doing what is right? That is why it ... Full Comment>>

Alexander: Take a look at the distracting comments above, comments such as: how Chinese people don't say what they mean -- without any suggestion as to how limited freedom in China may make this largely true, that make such comments simple racism; or comments about how foreigners are all the same -- without any ... Full Comment>>