Awkward Moments In China’s Car Culture Frenzy 36
Cyclist in Shanghai – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country (2010) As a Canadian ex-pat currently residing in China, there are moments where my culture and values clash with Chinese culture. A recent situation at a dinner with my wife’s family and friends surfaced the importance placed on car ownership in Chinese culture. ...
Canada’s Magnificent Scenic Wonders 12
Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country A few months ago I came across this Canadian Tire Corporation poster from a 1936 store catalogue and I snapped a photo of it on my phone. The poster had been all but forgotten when it resurfaced again while I was sorting through the photos on my ...
Our Streets Are Like A Giant Lollipop 4
Photo from Sotres, Asturias, ES courtesy of pablerax In North America there is a common perception that drivers “own the roads” and deserve as much surface area as can be paved. This perception exists despite the heavy subsidization that drivers receive through motorist socialism, which ironically, is prevalent in the United States where socialism is ...
Want to Get Rich? Open a Gas Station in China 37
Cars lined up at a Haikou, China gas station – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country (Jan 2012) Want to get rich? Open up a gas station, a car wash, or an auto repair garage in China. Car culture is sweeping through China as car ownership becomes affordable to countless new Chinese families. ...
81-Year-Old Gene Hackman Hit On His Bike 102
Gene Hackman in 1993 (AP Photo/File) On Friday at approximately 3PM, Oscar-award winning actor Gene Hackman was hit by a pickup truck on his bicycle in the Florida Keys. The incident was covered widely by the media which made sure to point out that the 81-year-old Hackman was not wearing a helmet. Though true, this ...
Sunday Afternoon Traffic in China 22
Pedaling in Haikou, Hainan, China – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country Last Sunday afternoon I hopped on my Giant folding bicycle and headed from where I am living in the “suburbs” and headed into downtown (a 5 kilometre jaunt). What ensued was a thrilling ride among a myriad of other two-wheeled travelers ...
Canadian Cyclist Harassed At U.S. Border 25
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers on the lookout for “terrorists” – Photo by Mateus_27 With the United States mulling over the possibility of building a fence across the Canada-US border and a Secretary of Homeland Security falsely claiming some of the 9/11 terrorists entered through Canada, it’s not surprising to hear about Canadians encountering ...
We’ve Been Carjacked 12
Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile & Its Effect On Our Lives – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country I finally picked up a bunch of copies of the book Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives. The book is written by Catherine Lutz and Anne Lutz Fernandez, ...
Confessions Of A Bad Driver 27
Road Rage photo by Irish Typepad I grew up in a car-dependent town, in a car-crazed family, within a car-addicted culture. It’s no wonder that I first learned to drive at 12-years-old and had already owned 2 cars before I turned 16 years old (the legal age to drive). As such, I often drove faster ...
The Chinese Car Obsession 18
Beijing motor traffic and wide segregated bicycle infrastructure – Photo by Saad Akhtar It is now official: The Urban Country is headed to China for four months this winter, beginning in January. We will be primarily staying on the southern island of Hainan in the South China Sea for the four months in Hainan’s capital ...