Bragging Bad: My Predictions About Finale Flop

By Rick Warner • September 18, 2013

Nostradamus, I’m not.

Most of my predictions about last week’s episode of “Breaking Bad’’ were as accurate as Bush II’s claim that Iraq had WMDs.

I said Hank would survive. He was shot, execution-style, by Todd’s ruthless uncle Jack.

I said Todd would die.  He didn’t.

I said at least one of the neo-Nazi thugs would be killed. Nope.

I said Jesse would live. True, but barely. Now he’s at the mercy of sadist Todd.

I said Gomez was a goner. Bingo, I nailed that one.

The lesson here is, never bet on my predictions and never try to guess the outcome of an unpredictable TV show.

***

Few buildings in Zhengzhou are handicap friendly, but the sidewalks are.

Many of them include separate ridged or raised walkways to help blind people, who use the indentations as a guide to know where the sidewalk ends and the street begins. A Chinese friend told me they are sometimes referred to as “blindways.’’

Though I’ve never seen them before, a quick Internet search showed there are similar sidewalks in Japan, Colombia and even my home state of New Jersey. In fact, a 2006 article on the subject in North Jersey’s The Record was headlined “Braille for the feet.’’

***

Our teaching group went to the Zhengzhou Public Security Bureau yesterday to apply for our residence permits. Even if you have a work visa, you must get a residence permit to stay in the country longer than 30 days.

Unfortunately, they took our passports and will hold them for the 2-3 weeks it takes to process the paperwork. My friend Damian and I had planned to visit Xi’an later this month to see the famous Terracotta Army, but I may not be able to ride the train without my passport. (It’s hard to get a clear explanation in China. Some people tell me you need a passport to ride the train, others say a photocopy will do and a few claim you don’t need a passport at all. I’m still searching for a definitive answer.)

I’m pretty sure the Terracotta Army will still be there whenever I visit. The 8,000 or so life-size clay soldiers, each with different faces, have been around for more than 2,200 years, though they weren’t discovered until 1974  — by farmers digging a well near Xi’an. The sculptures, which also include horses, chariots and weapons, were made to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.

As far as I know, the Terracotta Army has never lost a war.

Tagged as: blind, Breaking Bad, China, Colombia, handicapped, Henan University of Technology, Japan, Nostradamus, passport, residence permit, Terracotta Army, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou Public Security Bureau

Categorised in: China, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou

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