How The Coronavirus Stole The Grinch

                 A few months ago, I was contacted do a four-afternoon, three hour unit program based on Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Who Stole Christmas for a middle school in Miaoli during the lunar New Year break. The school wanted written and oral presentations on the fourth afternoon so I would divide the fifteen students into groups of four for cooperative learning, the writing process, phonics, and reported speech. If I could incorporate some improv (role plays) that would be great but it may be too much to ask. I would make a PPT and call it "The Grinch Symposium" A symposium is a meeting at which specialists deliver short addresses on related topics and publish a collection of their work. Yes, we could produce a collection. That was before the coronavirus scare hit Taiwan. All winter break programs have been cancelled and classes, scheduled to start February 10th have been pushed back to February 25th. Life goes on.

   An appropriately-titled book

           I went with my wife to the Westside of Taichung yesterday for Korean lunch with business re-opening ceremony lions and drum corps dancing nearby. I walked to Eslite and found an interesting book, Season of the Witch; How the Occult Saved Rock 

and Roll. An appropriate title for this eerie season of coronavirus outbreak. There is going to be plenty of time to read it with the school in Miaoli cancelling next week’s four day twelve-hour “Grinch Symposium” due to the panicky precaution. Meanwhile, the Taipei International Book Exposition I'd been looking forward to has been pushed back to May and my language exchange partner is uninterested in having meet-ups next week. 

Back to business, maybe. 

As late as yesterday afternoon, the contact from the United Daily sponsored enrichment at Da-Tong Middle School in Miaoli was advising us that all students and staff were being required to wear facial masks as a precaution against the coronavirus. In fact, a few students of Chinese origin had recently returned from the Mainland. I was being asked again to provide materials to be copied and the PowerPoint presentation I was going to show. I was going to finish the PPT in the evening and send it off but when I woke up from my nap, everything had changed; the program was cancelled, if not by the Dept. of Ed. Or by Miaoli, then by the school itself; I’m not sure which. I lost the four-day twelve hour program I was looking forward to facilitating. 
  For myself, and for every teacher and worker in Taiwan who will lose money for their lost time and effort, we should not let bosses and managers get away with it; even if it is "an act of G-d" such as an epidemic that causes the cancellation of work hours. I spent more than three hours planning and writing the PPT I would use with the students next week and I expect to be paid for it; we should not work for free. I will ask for two hours wages, wages that can be subtracted from the twelve hours at a future enrichment program  unless  re-scheduling is for the summer break making teaching The Grinch That Stole Christmas irrelevant.  

"I've got my mask on; do you?" 

Yesterday, the World Health Organization said the virus represents a risk outside of China as the United States reported its first case of person-to-person transmission. The number of deaths in China reached 300, with confirmed infections near 20,000. However, the virus does not seem to be as deadly as SARS, which killed 774 people from 2002 to 2003. SARS had a mortality rate of 9.6%, whereas about 2% of people infected with the new coronavirus have died. But the number of people infected after one month has already surpassed the SARS outbreak's eight-month total. While the world isn't taking precautions, it is an all out panic in Taiwan, perhaps for political anti-Chinese purposes. Many patients with coronavirus have already made full recoveries. According to Chinese officials, most of those who've died were elderly or had other ailments that compromised their immune systems. It is overkill here and inconveniencing everyone.

In Taiwan, the ninth case of coronavirus was reported; a carrier who passed it on to his spouse. Meanwhile the Ministry of Education announced a temporary ban of Chinese trainees and exchange students and suspended applications for Chinese nationals to participate in trainee or exchange student programs. Earlier, the entry of degree-seeking Chinese students was postponed for two weeks. It remains to be seen if public school classes will resume on schedule, Feb. 10th, after the Lunar New Year break. Bushibans (cram schools) will be cancelling classes, too. 

Glad at least the pool re-opened!

I have to find ways to keep busy with my plans compromised over virus outbreak precautions. I have Chinese studying to do, music to listen to, books to read, and I love to swim in a private pool a fifteen-minute bike ride away; nothing better to do with the coronavirus scare closing almost everything else. The pool reopened a few days ago and I hope it stays so. There is always bike riding up the Han River to stay active, TV and YouTube to entertain us in the evening. We watched a 60's American TV drama called Wild Wild West to start things off. Ironically, we saw an episode in which Michael Dunn, who played mad scientist Miguelito Quixote Loveless, wearing the same surgical mask that is flying off the shelves in Taiwan now. 

"This coronavirus will torpedo David's plans!"

"Put your mask back on; you fool!" 

          The news about the coronavirus, stressing its origin in China, is unrelenting in Taiwan media; they mention "Wuhan" every chance they get.  Of the six TV news stations, there is no mention in the media comparing the 8,000 dying of the flu in the U.S. this winter; that is more important news that China cares for the health of its people more than the U.S. does. The “Epidemic Center” (as it's called)  spokesman we see on TV assures Taiwanese that Taiwan will  kill the yellow peril across the Strait and set up isolation tents outside certain hospitals just in case, but they want their Taiwanese businessmen back anyway, infected or not.
           One gallivanting Taiwan businessman came back infected from China and shared his disease at a dance hall infecting a pitiful prostitute. He was fined hundreds of thousands of Taiwan dollars for trying to hide his fever with Tylenol at the airport. The PRC is taking the threat seriously and is throwing every resource it has at containing the deadly virus while Taiwan mimics U.S. media contention that China is incapable of handling it. 

          The TAIEX stock market yesterday lost 696.97 points, or 5.75 percent on panic selling as worries over the coronavirus outbreak deepened. Taiwanese firms in China extended the Lunar New Year holiday until next month.

          The government plans to purchase 4 million masks a day to ensure continued supply and availability. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday announced that it would be releasing 6 million masks a day onto the market for three consecutive days.There was still a shortage of masks though more than 19.7 million masks were distributed to convenience stores and pharmacies.

          It is inconvenient for everyone. For me, it looks like my proposed trip to Beijing and Hunan in late June may be out until the coronavirus abates. There was a chance of meeting up with a Brooklyn College friend settled in Budapest but in China for a week on a teacher exchange; even the possibility of sharing a ferry from there to Taiwan.

Chairman Mao Revolutionary Tour &

 Nanjiecun People’s Commune Pre-Tour Information

John McGovern Sales & Personnel Manager M: +86 19991452995 Email: John@YoungPioneerTours.comWeChat: johnmcgovern “budget tours to destinations your mother wants you to stay away from”

Hi John: I don't want to leave you hanging so I'll tell it to you straight. If I go on any tour in China, your Mao tour will be the one. I have one consideration; time. How much leeway do I have to get the visa and send the down payment to make this happen. Sometime after the Lunar New Year I will know for sure and make arrangements. Is that okay? I appreciate your prompt response and will be in contact. Thank you. 

          Wuhan, where the virus broke out, is on the high speed rail line from Beijing to Hunan. It would be risky to plan my trip there until the epidemic is under control. It's amazing how many times life has gotten in the way of my visiting China. I originally came to Taiwan in '79 because I couldn't get a visa to study there. And now this with the virus. My proposed trip to China from June 29-July 6 is out until further notice. Glad I decided to wait to pay until after the new year. Whew!
       So goes my trip north to spend a day in Taipei at the International Book Exhibition; it will have to wait until May. [NOTE: The Expo was cancelled completely] I only hope the Green Day concert we are going to in Taipei March 17,[NOTE: The concert was rescheduled for March 16, 2021] or their other eight Asian tour dates aren't affected as other entertainment and sports events have been, cancelled, postponed or moved elsewhere. Let's hope the outbreak reaches its peak in the next few weeks and subsides. 

There goes my trip to Taipei, too!

Is it the “Season of the Witch” or only witchcraft by unscrupulous anti-Chinese governments spreading panic to defame China when they should be helping? It is one thing to be precautionary, another to inflate a danger for political purposes; either way, the common people suffer as the coronavirus, the Grinch that stole this season, moves on as the world  does its best to cope with the outbreak caused by foolish people at an illegal Wuhan market selling and buying meat from infected wild animals. 

www.readingsandridings.jimdo.com

Purchase "Unnatural Beauty;Poems from the Han Riverside" here.

Copyright © 2020 by David Barry Temple. All rights reserved 

Cesspool Shithead

Look at what the scumbag did. This scumbag that lives in the corner of our building over the cesspool, that cesspool that blew up last year because the superstitious schmuck wouldn't let the workmen empty it. He called some fuck face sewer rats to cover the holes that would clean the shit from under his useless garage after the community board agreed to spend plenty money remedying the problem he caused a few years ago. This is Taiwan. No law that can't be broken. Let's hope this shithead gets a heart attack and cleanses our building of his putrid presence.   

These asshole workmen won't get paid by the building and won't be paid by shit head. In other words, they're assholes. But not to worry. The boss will simply not pay the workers and run away with any money he has left. Fucking stupid workmen! Let the all die in a pool of shit. 

Leona had  no choice but to call the cops and file a report of these fuck offs that thought the three holes to relieve the sewer pressure was ruining their health., What fuck off schmucks! But they gave my wife extra work having to sue them.  

 Look at these idiots. The community board didn't approve of what he thinks would resolve his failing health. Chinese gets in the way of intelligence. Most Taiwanese workers are stupid. They are exploited and cheated every day because they are stupid. 

Look at that ugly piece of shit. Arrogant ignorant useless slime ball scumbag 

Can I shove shit in his mouth, please??? Can I see him die under the wheel of one of his stupid customers? Can I laugh and remain calm knowing such a shit wad lives in our building, that most tenants don't have the nerve to tell him what a shithead he is and put him in his place! 

Can his stupid wife be stupider than a slug? 

Taiwan is a fucked up place. Most people here are stupid or stupider than this superstitious scumbag 

     The trouble started October 30, 2019. It started with the laying of waterproofing cement and new tiles in the meeting room. That Wednesday, the road outside our condo was paved after seventeen years. The possibility of extra asphalt laid in front of our driveway or entrance was thwarted by Motorhead's meddling to have his private project done; the worker said he couldn't do it because Motorhead wanted it, too. The next day, Dr. Know confronted Leona with accusations outside the doorman's office and Leona handled it well. He came to be on her side, apologized, and without any names being mentioned, blamed his old friend, Motorhead, instead and complimented her on her good job. The following day, Motorhead's wife corralled her and started sobbing  how the three cesspool holes drilled into the veranda in front of his tire shop a few years ago was causing him illness; he had not used his universal card until that. My wife had to take her aside and console her suggesting everyone was getting old, the sewer holes were not the problem, and suggesting it might be time for Motorhead to hang up his tires and move back to Pingtung. Thank Goodness she has the energy to fight back without losing it. 

          On November 23, she got a call that the obnoxious tenant  had the cesspool holes outside his tire repair shop removed without the community board's permission; My wife is the manager of the board. We came home and visited our assemblyman who advised her to call the police, file a report, and then sue him. She was on the verge of a showdown and was strong enough to pull it off. 

     That night, out of nervousness, I couldn't sleep. I was upset because my wife, Mr. Mao, and Ms. Shi decided to dissolve the community board over the building's disregard for its authority, lack of confidence or participation. This could be a good thing for her and the others allowing them to stand back from the gossip of unappreciative tenants; they really don't deserve her dedication, but we live in this building. I'm concerned what will happen when responsibility is relinquished, but not what will happen to the building for it will take an earthquake to reveal its cracks and tear it down. 

     It could be a good thing for her and us; more travel, more peace, but there was a fight to be won to establish modern management methods for decision making and maintenance in our condo. Two years ago, Mr. Pig was elected manager and didn't maintain the lawn, repair the meeting room, or cooperate with the treasurer promptly causing her to resign after for years only to be urged to return; she was manager by default. Perhaps that is what is going to happen again when she announces the decision not to run at the yearly meeting in a few weeks. The last straw was Shithead (nee Motorhead) unilateral decision to have dismantled the emergency access to the cesspool under his storefront; put to its "original condition" because the new fengshui was bad for his health. Though she had called the cops to file a report, she was backing off after consulting  her lawyer friend who said she was in a lose-lose situation; Shithead had the right to dig it up unilaterally since it is in front of his property. The ugly side of Taiwan hit home. 

      All week long, every noise that came from Shithead's tire repair shop was more annoying since his removing the cesspool access manholes on Saturday morning. My wife has been livid about his disregard for her authority as the community board manager and is tending her resignation in a letter to all residents, her refusal to have anything to do with the committee in the future. Ms. Shi is resigning, too, her treasurer job, with two terminally ill members of her family to care for. She barely completed the financial reports. Shithead was having the cement ground four floors down, annoying at any hour, but it was only 7:30 am.  People say there is too much liberty in Taiwan (outside of Taipei) but I will take this chaos to NYC's choke hold. 

     As with everything else he's done, and everything every inconsiderate slob in Taiwan does, no one told him to stop; they don't want make waves; they go around it like they do motorcycles, shops, and restaurant kitchens on sidewalks blocking verandas. Our next door neighbor says she scolded Shithead. She told my wife she called the government bureau and they were sending someone to inspect it.

          On the 27th it was quiet when I went out on the patio. so far this morning unlike the day before until there went the whining of the sander again; It was cool out, anyway, so I went inside. We could hear the whining inside, too. 

          Shithead thinks he will get the money from our building to pay the sewer rats for their work; I am sure of it. My wife said the doorman heard someone say Happy Farmer was secretly going into the office to get the chop to sign the agreement to pay so she had the locks changed on the office door. The building was going to waste a lot of money without someone responsible stopping them. I hoped my wife would get convinced to stay on as manager and be the one to do it. There would be no Christmas tree put up this year otherwise.

          On the 28th, she contacted the waterworks department. They were sending a representative to talk with our neighbors about the price our building would incur for attaching five cesspools to the new sewer system. Shithead was spreading rumors that it was free and we denied him a connection out of spite. The connection should be to his mouth! My wife was so upset that her good name was being soiled by him and the other prejudiced scumbags in our building. One bitch, the one that once complained my bike was in the meeting room, actually denied the proof she showed her, to her face! 

      Too bad that all the slime balls in our building, the majority, never attended a community board meeting or participated in upkeep of our building. Leona, Ms. Shi, the doorman, and Mr. Ma and No-Pain-No-Gain's mom had been actively talking to neighbors in the lobby coming home from work. In any event, she and Ms. Shi would not accept a nomination to return to the committee.

      Only Mr. Mao said he would help. I was not happy about that.  She realized he made a mistake not getting a petition signed to do the emergency cesspool work a few years ago. The storefront slobs would deny asking him to take action to repair the popping sewer hole cover on the veranda.  She was  asking Mr. Mao to call the sewer company that did the emergency fitting to come and explain their procedure our ignorant neighbors; why there had to be three holes and why covering them up, as Shithead has done, is wrong and dangerous

          On November 28th, we had a rally outside Shithead's tire shop yesterday with four supporting tenants and six representatives from waterworks and a cesspool excavator company confronting the rumor-mongers at Renoir Condominium.  My wife and I  took videos.  Mr. Mao and Ms. Shi assisted her with the doorman directing traffic, handing out water, and stopping fights from escalating to confront Shithead and his Slug wife, Happy Farmer, and Forkman, the forklift slob,  came to fork himself. with the truth about no free sewer-solid city hook-up and the dangers of methane gas build-up from three sealed cesspools under Shithead's feet. 

     We got, on video, the technicians explaining to the peanut gallery whether or not they accepted the truth, which they didn't on the spot, but at least two dimwits were possibly enlightened that they had been lied to by Shithead. Shithead and his Slug accepted that they alone would pay for the dismantling and recovering of the cesspool access holes; they had threatened to have our building foot the bill. They took the fifth in admitting they were spreading rumors but Leona was unrelenting; they admitted by omission of response, only changing the subject and averting a direct response. We got it all on cellphone video and audio but one ten-minute clip of mine was inadvertently muted. Leona has it all though. The next step is to get written reports from the govt. agency and the sewer experts for presentation in our annual community board meeting in two weeks. 

          My wife stood up for me when Forkman raised his voice and cursed me in Taiwanese for video backing Shithead. I understood to say just as loudly that it was my freedom to film him in a public meeting. My hand was shaking as I prepared for a fight I wasn't backing off from. He wised up and moved his ass back into the safety of the storefront with other jackals. I also got into an argument with Happy Farmer for filming him and both me and Leona told him not to dare raise his voice at me. I heard that he quieted down to listen to reason of the experts. One storefront jackal using the disposal of her garbage was also quieted by our community board in reasonable discussion. She said she had told Shithead not to unilaterally dismantle and recover the cesspool access on the veranda outside his shop. The miserable bitch that had scolded me for my bike passed through the lobby and was still in denial waving off the community board  and scurrying away after being shown proof the city sewer line hook-up was not free and would bankrupt our building if we went on-line. I was glad to see my little dance a few days ago on the veranda disturbed The Slug enough to bring it up in grievance. 

          I am proud of my wife for leading this fight to save our building from tyranny and her good name from being soiled by these ignorant neighbors. She has done more than anyone to safeguard the treasury and protect our little condominium from foolish expenditures realizing our aging building needs all the funds it can keep for emergency repairs. When she and Ms. Shi announce the end of their year as manager and treasurer January 1st the building will have to find its own people to run it. Let Mr. Mao be the watchdog but not share his connections that have saved us money. Leona is adamant she is finished being lied around and unappreciated. Let Marble Lady climb six flights when the elevator breaks and there's no money left to repair it. Let the water pumps break, security compromised when the doorman leaves and the cleaning lady isn't paid. Let the bills go unpaid, maintenance fees go uncollected, and the building show its age outside our humble abode. It can't depend on three largely unappreciated residents volunteering their time and effort when there are fifty units of people that live here, too. 

International Baseball Comes to Taichung

I rode to the Taichung International Stadium along the Han River and onto a path under highway #74 arriving 
early expecting long lines for general admission 1000 NT
 seats; there were none. I walked around, bought a cap and tried to find the way in. I was led away from two ticket takers
 to the back of the stadium. I learned that my seat was in the bleachers with had no access to the grandstand to sneak into. 
I sat in the first row behind the left field fence.

The final score of 6-1;  four unearned runs due to errors.

Read Taipei Times article here. 

Taichung International hold 12,000. 
I'd say there were 7,000 people last evening. It was so far from home plate; that and a double echo from two sides of the grandstand that sounded like how Ebbets Field sounded. It was hard to see the battery.. 

The LED scoreboard was behind us; 
I had to turn to see the image. 

Here is the opening ceremony of the series.
They played 'anthems' from both team's home. 

Read "Extra Innings and Outings" here.

The President of WBSC, Riccardo Fraccari

Outside ground level ticket booths, shops and food court. 

If Taiwan can hold on, they can go to Super Round in Japan. 

With franchised food stands upstairs on the rotunda, I got
 home-made duck wraps before I went into the bleachers 
where one ah-ma was selling guava and corn dogs. I had 
brought two tall cans of Taiwan beer to wash it down.  My 
dinner last evening was two hot dogs on buns from 7-11 
and two tall cans of Taiwan Beer; together 160-$5.33. 
That would be at least $21 at Yankee Stadium. The best thing about Taiwan is you can legally bring food in from outside. There is no searching of bags or metal detectors, and few police!

Jesmuel Valentin had a hard time at second base making three errors and being involved in a fourth. "Chinese Taipei" had four unearned runs and won needing only four hits. 

"Chinese Taipei" has just beaten Venezuela and goes
 on to "Super Round" in Tokyo Nov. 11-16

Read Taipei Times article here.

More people the second night, perhaps 10,000.  International games are different from local CPBL in that there is no noise when the foreign team is batting. The go-go dancers on the Taiwan team's dugout (left-home team against Puerto Rico, right-visitors' dugout against Venezuela. You could hear a pin drop .The brass band was quiet, too, and moved with the team. 

A group of men, smoking, having a good time, stand
outside locked doors sneaking a free peek at the game
through a clearing near the left field foul line.

The Venezuela bullpen was used with too much finesse;
five times to support starter, Alvarez, who was removed 
in the fourth inning; he hadn't given up any runs 
and only three hits. 

At both games, fans got a two-color print "scarf"
when entering with the flags of the teams home.
Each read:"NA NA NA HEY HEY HEY GOODBYE";
 a "NA" was missing 

Pinch-hitter V.H. Chu's double that scored
the first Taiwan run in the seventh.

Relief-pitcher Miguel Socolovich, who gave up
 two doubles and a walk in his 1 2/3 innings, was the loser.

     Taiwan, or “Chinese Taipei” as it’s called, beat Venezuela 3-0 and goes on to the next round in Japan. It is so cool to sit in the stadium and watch a game instead of staying home. The bleacher seats will not be occupied by me in the future. I had thought the lowest price tickets would put me in the grandstand where I could choose a vacant seat but there was no connection but a closed walkway. I made the best of it and had fun.I am going to go to a lot more baseball games next season and will keep my eyes open for more off-season games.

www.readingsandridings.jimdo.com

Purchase "Unnatural Beauty;Poems from the Han Riverside" here.

Copyright © 2019 by David Barry Temple. All rights reserved