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NEWS

Each month I will keep a running list of news items, including info on my schedule, etc. It's in order from LATEST entry at the top on down to the OLDEST entry at the bottom. 

Here are the "News" archives, feel free to browse them for some interesting tidbits:

***This is the archive of the June-July 2004 news***

21 July 2004

This website has recently obtained video footage secretly gathered by a PEEDA operative (PEEDA = "People for the Ethical Eating of Dead Animals"). 

This clandestine operation began when the operative began working at a KFC restaurant in Hoboken, NJ. The grisly video reportedly shows numerous images of patrons at KFC restaurants -- and this is difficult to even report -- but these people, these SAVAGES -- well, I guess I just have to come right out and say it -- they were EATING the chickens!!!!!!!!!!! This, after the chickens had already been cruelly killed, cut into pieces, with their severed body parts beaten and rolled into a batter with eleven "secret" herbs and spices. 

This reporter wonders aloud, "What is this world coming to?!?"

20 July 2004

Well, the last few weeks have FLOWN -- and I still have no time to update you. Not tonight. 

But I wanted to say that starting EARLY tomorrow morning I'm going to Macau for a few days with the teenagers from Yao Dao CP Church. So if you try to reach me by phone or e-mail, I won't be around to answer you.

And I promise, if I'm not completely exhausted after 5 days with these kids, I will give you a nice, long update when I get back... 

3 July 2004

I just returned from visiting Cindy, and I'm SO relieved to tell you the news is quite good!

As opposed to my expectations (everyone's expectations), she seems much stronger, and though still weak she is doing a THOUSAND times better than even yesterday. 

The bottom line is that her situation is quite stable, and is no longer "life-threatening" in the immediate sense -- this is a dramatic change from just a few days ago, when we thought we might lose her so suddenly. 

To see her tonight, color in her face, and to look her in the eye, and see her smile -- it was just a great thrill for me, it really was. I've been so worried over her, and somehow SEEING her, and seeing her doing better, is just like a burden lifted from my shoulders. 

NOW, the future is still grim, and I believe she is very afraid of the treatments coming (chemical? radiological?). Please help us to continue to pray for her, that she will have strength, even in the face of some family problems that add an extra burden to her immediate situation. 

A THOUSAND thanks to God for his healing, help and peace... 

2 July 2004

First things first -- I have a little bit more info on my friend Cindy today -- her surgery was really successful on Wednesday night, and they are all very happy that she's stable. But she's not GOOD -- just stable. Not to get too graphic on you, but they cut a big chunk of intestines out and also some of her liver -- maybe snipped a bit more in there. It will take a few days to get results back from tests on all that tissue. One thing they are glad about is that they did not have to leave her with a colostomy bag -- that's very good, of course. 

But this girl is still on the edge, basically. There are a number of aspects of her situation that I dare not share here -- issues with her family, for instance -- things I don't feel free to discuss -- but it all goes to make me want to ask you even more to pray for this girl. She is tough, and she is strong -- but she's also sweet and tender (she is to ME, anyway), and I'm asking people all over the world to jump in and help on this. 

NEXT, we also just found out my Aunt Linda, in Tennessee, has cancer -- she is having surgery for that today. It was discovered in a routine checkup, a TOTAL shock to us all. They will do tests on lymph nodes to see if anything has spread -- we're very concerned. I mean, we've been crazy with concern over my Uncle David for MONTHS -- he has an extremely rare kind of aneurysm which has us all on edge for his health -- and just when he seemed to be getting stable, at least, then here comes THIS. 

1 July 2004

Our dear sister Cindy (see below) was transferred yesterday to Queen Mary Hospital, and underwent surgery from about 6pm until midnight last night. The situation is that the cancer is, as they said it, at "stage 4", and has spread to her liver. Clearly it does not sound good. She is still very, very weak, and that's all I know -- they should brief her family today on the details, and then we'll know a bit more about the future, I suppose. 

Her father has already returned to HK (from the UK), and her mother and brother are scheduled to arrive today -- NOT because of her illness, ironically -- her family had already scheduled a visit back to HK before any of this came up. 

Of course, in typical style, I had been told (TWICE) that she could "not in any way" have any visitors at all -- but come to find out just about ALL the teachers have been down to visit, and are even taking shifts to help care for her. One teacher, Yim Pu Yi, even stayed all night the other night. So at least I will go with Grace (the Rev. Grace Yu) on Saturday to visit -- I'm happy for that. 

I tell you, my heart is just breaking over this strong, vital, 25-year-old girl going through this. I beg you to join us in prayer...

29 June 2004

6:45am:

This is not a joke -- the HK Observatory has actually issued a warning for today's weather which uses this image as it's icon:

There's just something about the cartoon-ish nature of that icon that is horribly incongruous with the message behind it -- don't you think? Like maybe they stole that logo from the "spicy wings" ad at KFC or something... 

. . .

Update -- 4:30pm:

At about 8:10am this morning, they came into the teacher's room and announced we were having an emergency meeting of all staff. We all tensed up because we are only a week and a half from the one-year anniversary of our friend Erica's death (last July 10th) -- when a similar "emergency meeting" presaged the horrible days of grief which were to come. 

The news today was only a little better than that day's events. 

It seems that Cindy Tsoi, one of our P4 (fourth grade) teachers, is terribly ill. Now, what some of the other teachers don't know (but I do), is that Cindy has been sick for a long time -- months, actually. I think it was back before Christmas when she first started telling me about the stomach problems she had, and how she had been diagnosed with some kind of chronic disorder which I can honestly say I'd NEVER heard of -- but the thing was, in typical Cindy style, she said it with a smile on her face, and she always assured me she was "okay now, it just flares up sometimes"... So whatever it was that she thought she had, she always made me feel like it was nothing to worry about.  

But Cindy's been gone from school since last week -- and today they told us that they believe there is an "80% chance" that she has intestinal cancer. 

Okay, okay, nothing's conclusive yet -- apparently they are awaiting test results TODAY to know more -- and even if they find out it's a worst-case scenario, there is still surgery and treatment to deal with. But it's a hard blow for us all. 

But the MAIN thing (for ME) is that this year she had taken it upon herself to be my translator for meetings. This is NOT a small thing -- it's hard work sometimes -- and I don't mean to make it sound casual, either, like, "she always ended up being my translator" -- NO, she announced back in August, "I'm going to translate for you, okay?" -- and she's been true to her word ever since. Every Wednesday, at 3:44pm (one minute before the meeting), I could count on her calling me to task -- "GLENN!" she'd shout -- and then, very gently and sweetly, "C'mon, it's time for the meeting!" -- and she'd spin and be out the door. In all this year's meetings, only ONE TIME was I fast enough behind her to help find a seat -- all the other times, I'd arrive in the room to find her already staking out our spots (in the back, of course -- "it's easier to laugh in the back"). 

I tell you -- those times, sitting in the back of the meeting, whispering and joking with Cindy, were among my favorite times each week. 

They told me that Cindy is very weak, and can't accept visitors -- also, she may be moved to another hospital in the next few days. I'll try to keep you updated but I thank you ahead of time for helping us out on this one -- your prayers really make a difference... 

27 June 2004

Quote attributed to economist Milton Friedman from a FOXNews interview:

25 June 2004

I pity the fool who ain't seen THIS video yet...

20 June 2004

It seems my nephew Andrew is finally HOME, and doing quite well, thank you. Photos will be forthcoming as soon as I can see them myself -- which I haven't -- seen them myself, I mean -- the photos... I haven't seen ANY of them... None... Even though he was born over a WEEK ago... 

Just so you know... 

. . .

Theoretically Speaking
I have a new theory. This theory has not been scientifically tested, but I welcome any federal or international funds that come my way to study this subject. 

Now, my theory is exactly this -- that you can judge a city's "hipness" factor by the names of it's most popular bands. 

I'm not sure if I've written very much about HK having a fairly lame "indie" music scene, because I don't want to sound like some know-it-all dolt when obviously I do NOT "know it all" -- but I've been around, okay, and the fact is that pretty much everyone knows that the HK scene is lame -- everyone except, apparently, HK musicians -- HALF of which are balding 40-something expats who apparently get their kicks playing old Eagles and Billy Ocean tunes on the weekends. And the Hawaiian shirts, dude... don't forget the Hawaiian shirts... It's practically the UNIFORM of expat cover band musicians.

But my point, originally -- before I got off on the shirts -- is that for some reason, in HK they lump COVER BANDS into the same category as original bands!! Don't misunderstand me, there is some great local talent here -- I think of my friend Frances Chiu, then there are acts like the Pancakes and In Love, as well as some GREAT western-style rock bands, namely Uncle Joe and the dramatically-maturing Whence He Came (whose new CD is really SPECTACULAR, and I'm not kidding -- blows me away, in fact -- it's truly EPIC, I think). But besides this tiny, tiny number of great-sounding, original bands, almost everything else in HK that is commonly referred to as "the local indie scene" seems to be either 1) kids who just rented a guitar last week, or 2) the aforementioned cover bands. They can't help it, folks, HK has NEVER had a "band culture" -- it's just starting to develop... So don't think I'm "blaming" anyone for the lameness -- it just "is"... 

But back to my theory... 

A few weeks ago there was this annual music-fest-type thing over in Wanchai, it's called "Wanchai Live" and supposedly this was the ninth year. I think the reason behind it is to raise money for charity, so who can knock that? But I saw an ad for the bands that played, and just to give you an idea of the accurateness of this theory, I will list the worst offenders. Remember, these are all actual bands that get billing on one of the most important HK local-music events of the year (apparently):

Pull Your Socks Up
Led Zebra (remember they pronounce zebra as "zeh-bra" here) 
The Darkroom ("The Darkness" was already taken)
RotoToms ($5 says there are two singers named Tom in this band))
Mr. Softee
The Pyknics 
We Shot Kennedy ("We shot Kennedy, now here's "Desperado"!)
Da Guelos ("gweilo" is Chinese for "white ghost", more or less)
Night Flight
Mono (short for "mononucleosis"?)
Spank
The Causeway Bay City Rollers (C.Bay is a place in HK)
Flowers of Babylon (sound like nice girls, donnit?)
Nude
Dirty Sanchez (isn't this a famous wrestling move?)
Yelling Deaf Ants (oh, the irony)
Deja-Blue
Shockin Rockin Donkeys
Garoupa (i.e., popular fish on HK menus, by the way)
Mydriff (dude, there BETTER be a GIRL in this band!)
Tunnel Vision
SKiNC (huh?!?)

Now, it's not ALL bad -- these bands were also playing: 
    Kaiserschmarn -- how can you dislike those guys?!? -- "Der is bands, und der is KAISERSCHMARN!"
    Struttnik -- wish I'd thought of that one, actually... 
    Los Tabernacos -- there are a LOT of spanish-sounding band names in HK, not sure why... You can't get a taco in this town to save your LIFE. 

Anyway, there's my theory, and I'm sticking to it. 

. . .

Looo-hooo---hooo-hoo-hooooo---SER!!
I saw a thing on TV the other day about the Polish community of Berlin. Seems they've started a new day-long bus tour in Berlin to visit major sites of the Polish-German community -- it's to promote cross-cultural understanding between native Berliners and Polish immigrants, and it's all in fun. 

Well, one place they go to on this tour is called the "Polish Loser's Club" -- it's an actual building with a staff and everything -- and in this TV report, they show a whole bus-load of people crammed into the reception room. 

So, the docent was giving a bit of light-hearted banter about how beneficial the loser's club was, and how it helps to come out and admit when you are a loser, "because you can only go up from there!"

One of the Germans asked, "So what's the difference between a Polish loser and a German loser?!?"

The docent calmly replied, "Why, German losers are more punctual!"

It's completely NOT funny now, but at the time I literally cracked up... 

. . .

Also, this headline on the internet the other day, from the "Totally Expected News Channel" (i.e.-- "Yahoo! News"):

"Octopus Lays Eggs After Successful Mating"

Is that really "news"?!? I mean, wouldn't it be more newsworthy to tell a story about "Octopus Lays Eggs After NOT Mating"?!?!? Dude, now THAT's a story... 

I wondered if next I'd see the headline: "Man Sits Down After Getting Tired" -- or maybe, "Woman Seems More Attractive After Putting On Make-Up"...

Now, of course, I assume this was a story about some octopus in captivity, and I imagined it told how they'd tried for years to breed one of these guys and finally -- FINALLY -- it worked!! The species is saved!!

Just thought they ought to make it sound more like NEWS, that's all. 

Oh, and just to confirm the near worthlessness of their headlines, I literally JUST NOW saw this headline:

"Clinton: Iraq Needs Stable Government"

Wow, we were just talking about that today -- "I wonder if Iraq REALLY needs a stable government?" -- thanks for clearing that up.

. . . 

One last thing -- check this if your connection is fast enough -- the biggest dirt devil you will EVER see:

http://fun-film.ecdisk.com/docu/079700_b.wmv

16 June 2004

Did I type that correctly? The SIXTEENTH of June?!? This year is FLYING by...

My quick update for you on my new nephew Andrew is that the issue with his lungs is "resolved" -- now they are just trying to get him stabilized and strong. It seems they gave him his IV feeding tube into his HEAD, which sort of freaked my sister and brother-in-law out -- obviously -- but they said it's better than putting it in their hands or feet because those MOVE so much... Okaaaay..... makes sense, sort of..... 

So if I ever have to get an IV ("God forbid"), I'm gonna ask them to put it in my head -- "so I can still do my dancin'"... 

14 June 2004

The doctors say Andrew still has a small place in his lungs which is not expanding properly when he breathes. They put him on 100% oxygen for a long time, hoping that would do the trick, but it hadn't when I got the last word. As I understand it, this is not necessarily a big deal, but it just may take time. They said, "there's a procedure for this, but they want to avoid that." Sounds good to me. 

13 June 2004

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL day today, just amazing -- too warm, but not by too much, with a fresh breeze blowing that almost kept off the suffocating veil of smog... I didn't say it DID remove the smog, but it ALMOST did. But really a great day today, I was so happy to be out and about. 

. . .

News from my new nephew Andrew (see yesterday's post) is that they actually had to put tubes into his lungs to help remove the fluid, and they have given him some medicine for that, too. But apparently he is progressing as normal considering he is 4 weeks early, and there is nothing to be afeared of yet, they tell me. 

Speaking of Andrew, I found this recent photo of his big sister, my niece Madelyne. I assume this is not a "posed" shot, 'cause if you knew this girl...

. . .

My friend Mora is back in the hospital with a problem that she fought off about 18 months ago. She is scheduled to have surgery on the 25th, I think, to remove some bleeding tumors (which is not a pretty thought)... but we sure would appreciate your prayers for that. I have not talked to her for weeks, but I have no doubt she's nervous. The doctors have told her it's a very rare condition, only about 100 cases ever in HK, so they don't have a lot of experience dealing with this particular situation. 

. . .

My friend Kam Miu finally got her visa on Thursday -- this means she is free to travel to the USA next month to represent the HK churches at the Youth Triennium up at Purdue. It is really an answer to prayers. 

Meanwhile, my friend Ken (Miu's older brother) had his second interview at the HK Academy for Performing Arts yesterday -- he and I spent HOURS this week working on some music demos for him to submit, but so far, over 24 hours later, he still hasn't called to even tell me how it went... Hmmmm -- I think it's not a good sign -- but I sure do hope he can find a way to pursue music and recording, as he has a real gift in this area. 

. . .

Yesterday I posted a link to some photos from Emily and David's wedding (which was last Saturday -- link is HERE) -- okay, but here are three more shots from OTHER photographers that I want to share: 

	Here's a shot of "the guys" -- strangely I wasn't included (insert sound of baby crying -- "Waaaa!!")... But anyway, it's a fun group and I love these guys -- all from Shatin CP Church...
	Me posing happily with Iris, one of the teenagers from Shatin Church.
	LEFT: David kissing Emily -- they are married.  RIGHT: Barry kissing He Man -- they are NOT married.           (And YES, his name really is "He Man")...

12 June 2004

WELCOME to little Andrew Harris Boehnlein!!! 

Born to my sister (and her husband) via emergency C-section at around 10pm on 11th of June, 2004, in Louisville, KY. 

Because he was about 4 weeks too early, they say he's only 6 lbs. and a tiny guy at this point. He has some fluid in his lungs, and may have trouble feeding for a while -- but I got the impression that they feel all is well, considering. 

. . .

I also have the photos from my friends Emily and David's wedding last Saturday. This was a GREAT time, and I hope you'll take a few minutes to look through. There are a lot of interesting things about the HK traditions that are different from the U.S., and if you'll check out the photos you'll learn about some of them. 

See the photos of the wedding HERE.

4 June 2004

Remember June 4th. 

The most famous image ... from 1989.

What has changed? ... this is from 2004.

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