I’m a little teapot short and stout, here is my handle and here is my …. oh, hi there …

No, I am really not a teapot.  I wish I was a teapot, but I am not.

But this post is about tea pots.

For a gift for the folks back home, think about buying them a small size, medium size tea pot set from China. They pack nicely in your suitcase, your mother, father, girlfriend or boyfriend will never know how little you paid for them, and they are beautiful. See this recent NY Times article on Chinese tea pots, Purple Clay, a Pot of Tea and Thou, O China.

And bargain hard on price. Do NOT buy the first one you see!

Who would have ever thought that some of the best news reporting of the day would come from society’s comedians? Folks like Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, who address controversial issues through their sarcasm and humor, rather than the major news organizations?

Check out this short Jon Stewart on Crossfire video where he pummels bow-tied Tucker Carlson. It is priceless and speaks volumes about where we are as a society.  This tit for tat in American politics can make it very challenging to work with countries like China and India from a geopolitical standpoint.

And also check out the following short video from Stephen Colbert titled, Heated Debate: College Students Should be Unformed Lumps of Clay Fired in the Kiln of Unchallenged Thought. After you click on this link and get to this Comedy Central site, type “college students” into the search line in the upper right hand corner of the page, then click on the search icon, then look for the “Heated Debate …” description heading, and watch and enjoy away. [Carr 12-17-07 update -- be sure to read my Comment No. 6 or 7 below, in case this link is not working where you can read the interview and get the crux of it]

To the extent global warming and China are linked, this video is relevant.  It is also relevant from the standpoint that I have found that on trips like this sometimes a student or two may refuse to accept data of new information that does not jibe with their preconceived ideas of placed like China or India.   Aside from all of this, it’s a hoot to watch and was just too darn good to not put up a post that links to it.

Yep, Colbert and Stewart are gods.   (For any literalist readers, note that I used the small “g” on the word “God”.)

Professor Carr Addendum: See also this related POST I just made on Jon Stewart on China and the Olympics.