Those of you who have tried to open Blue Kennel have just been greeted with a surprise. Yes, my newly redesigned website is now here HowardAhmansonJr.com. We chose that domain so that way people who are curious about me (and […]
Personal
I Became a “Decline to State”
Nine years ago I became a nominal Democrat, a DINO [Democrat in name only] as I called it. I did so because it seemed to me at the time that the Republican party was being taken over by a group […]
A Manifesto: Important Events That Shaped My Political Views – Howard Ahmanson
As I reflect upon the beginnings of my present political views, I believe that three specific events shaped my way of thinking. The first was my conversion to Christianity. The second was my introduction to ‘Reconstructionism’ and my subsequent move […]
Rich Kid at Work – Interview: Howard Ahmanson, Jr.
Interview from July / August 2002 issue of Philanthropy magazine Howard Ahmanson Sr. was a pioneer in California’s postwar savings and loan industry, financing much of the state’s housing boom in the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. He left his estate split between the Ahmanson Foundation […]
Some General Observations about China: Languages, Romanizations, Air Quality, General Appearance
I am late getting out this post, which should be my last about China. China does not feel like Europe. It feels like America in some parallel universe. I had always hated the science fiction tales on TV that had […]
Beijing – At the End of the Road
Because Beijing, as the capital and second largest city, gets the most media attention, most people go there first. We made a point of going there last. The first surprise is that the air there was the clearest we had […]
Our China Journey, Part IV – Henan, The Center of the Universe
We bundled our luggage into a van and got on a train and headed for Luoyang, Henan, a place which has frequently been the capital of China, though a bit of a backwater now. Here were a number of things […]
Our China Journey, Part III – Xi’an and Yan’an
From Nanjing we got on a plane and flew 600 miles to the northwest to Xi’an, Shaanxi. This city is now a second tier city about the size of Chicago, but during the Tang dynasty [618-907] it was Chang’an, the […]
Our China Journey, Part II – Shanghai and the Lower Yangtze Region
SHANGHAI We next flew to Shanghai, though the largest city in the country it is not in its core area historically Chinese. Shanghai was a small town until 1842, when just north of it two large concession enclaves were carved […]
Our China Journey, Part I – Singapore and Guangzhou
SINGAPORE David, Roberta, and I started our adventure in Singapore, which is a 75% Chinese city but was ruled by the British from 1818 to 1957 and after 1965 by the late great Lee Kwan Yew, who established English as […]