SATW- Is Fair and Balanced!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I submitted my September 17th blog post "It's the Economy and Foreign Policy Stupid!" (with a few minor changes) to the editor of the Lansing State Journal.  It was published on September 22, 2008 under a different title, "World worried over our election nonsense: Can candidates, voters engage on real issues?"  I received a number of positive comments through e-mail and facebook.   In the spirit of full disclosure, I have had two detractors; one e-mailed me his concerns and the other sent a letter to the editorial board of the LSJ.  In an effort to be fair and balanced, I thought I would give them the space in my blog for their opinion.

Sam,
 
Having just read your opinion piece about our country's falling image abroad, I urge you to come home. Unless you find a way to balance your surface complaints about the flaws in our country's politics with a healthy respect for the overall value of the system, your apologetic demeanor can only reinforce the poorly-formed views of others.
 
Have you ever considered asking people to name a political system that has provided more individual freedoms to succeed and - yes - to fail? Can you think of a way to prevent failures without undermining the freedom to take the risks necessary to succeed? Do you recognize that mistakes will be made? Do you place accountability on the fact that mistakes were made instead of on whether lessons learned help fine tune the system?
 
Our system is imperfect, it is inefficient, and - combined with irresponsible journalism - it can be extremely shallow during major elections. These factual observations do not diminish my personal opinion that, warts and all, I can't think of a better system anywhere in the world.
 
I, too, travel internationally - but for business. I, too, have heard the same type of angst about the US. Sometimes I think people simply repeated the surface criticisms they read in the news just to get my view. Instead of apologizing for my country - or defending her -  I ask people to take a broader view of the United States, the good with the imperfect today, and over time. In statistics, we call this a representative sample. Instead of being embarrassed by my country, I am able to defend her by simply asking people to consider a broader view than a minute example ot two from current events.
 
There are a lot of things our country needs to do to improve. But having a roving apologist is not one of them.
 

Come home.

 

Bob

Portland, Michigan

I responded to Bob via an e-mail because I felt he missed the point of my editorial.

Dear Bob,

Thank you for your response to my editorial.  I guess we do not see eye to eye on the issues.  I can appreciate that you think our foreign policy and economic policy are on the right track.   I simply disagree (the beauty of democracy). Asking the media to focus on global issues rather than the ones they have since the conventions is because I care about where we are headed as a nation.  I believe in our democracy and I have actively participated in it on many levels.  I don't know if I would call asking my fellow citizens to achieve more in order to better our global position a "roving apologist." The term that comes to mind is an engaged citizen but imagine we would disagree with that as well.  Anyways, all the best.   Sam

The next detractor came from a small township right outside of Lansing.  I think she made my case quite brilliantly that many Americans have a narrow perspective on our role and impact on the global stage.  This is good example of why there is still 25% of Americans who feel we are on the right track and support the President.

Regarding Sam Singh's Sept. 22 Viewpoint: I couldn't care less what "the world" thinks of America. Humans always hate fellow humans of whom they are jealous. "The success of one is a rebuke to all."

The incredible success of capitalism and democracy in America just burns up those, both here and abroad, who want socialism to succeed. If America was such a bad place, we wouldn't have long lines of "the world's" people waiting to be Americans, nor so many sneaking in illegally. People vote with their feet.

A word to "the world": no criticizing America and then sticking out your hands for our money and our military.

This is the most generous and big-hearted nation on Earth. It shares its wealth, adopts the world's children and sends our children to protect the world. No amount of biased, liberal, America-hating "journalism" is going to change that fact. God bless America!

Carol
Delta Township

Anyway,  I wanted to share these two perspectives with you because they have had me chuckling for the past few days. A roving apologist and an "American hating" journalist all in the same week.  It is my Best Week Ever!

I almost "suspended" my trip around the world last week to head to Washington to work on the economic bailout proposal.  I am glad I didn't go now because it would have made me look real foolish!

Instead, I am on alert this week because I might be contacted if Putin rears his head. I know what you are thinking, "Sam doesn't even live near Russia" but since I drank vodka at a Russian wedding this summer, my advice is in demand by both candidates.

Be happy only 35 more days of this nonsense!

Hong Kong Wrap Up

MSU Football on the Road

I have pretty much ignored US sports since I have been on the road.  It is just too difficult to find it showing in other countries or the time zone differences don’t make it feasible.  The only thing I was able to watch was a few of the MSU Basketball team’s games during the NCAA tournament.  With the exceptions of missing the Superbowl and the Red Wing’s Stanley Cup run, I have been content with being without access to live American Sports.

With the onset of college football, I have been missing MSU Football.  No matter how much I have been abused by the past few years of mediocre play, I still miss being there to watch it in person.  On the morning of the MSU first home game, I put a call into my roommate Patti Dolan to see how things were going.  For many of our friends, we start the day at Crunchy’s restaurant before we head to our tailgate.  I don’t remember when it started but it has become our tradition.  Patti was holding down the tradition with our friend, Molly.  After we talked, she passed the phone to a number of people who were there. It was good to talk to Viv Milligan, the owner, to see how the start of the year was going in East Lansing.  It was almost like I was there.  Because of the time difference, I went to bed as everyone else went to the tailgate and the game. 

The next week was a different story.  After reading on the internet about Notre Dame’s beat down of the University of Michigan, I knew I needed to find the MSU/Notre Dame game.  I woke at 4 am and began scouring the web.  Walt Sorg, who hosts the morning news show that I occasionally do an interview on, saw that I was online through Skype.  He gave me an update on the score and then reminded me that WJR Detroit has live radio feed on the internet.  The guys didn’t let me down.  Now, I just need to find out where I will be for the U/M game.

Meeting New and Lifelong friends
Though I found Hong Kong to be more westernized than what I expected, I still had a good experience.  Once again, my friends and family connected me to a number of great people who make Hong Kong their home. 

Meet Doug and Kathy Dean

My friend, Rachel Hoke, told me that I should look up her sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Doug Dean, when I made it to Hong Kong.  Rachel is a hard core Spartan Fan.  She joined our tailgating madness in Honolulu during the MSU/Hawaii Football debacle in 2005.  Her football fandom intensified recently when she married Tommy Hoke, an MSU strength and conditioning coach.

Kathy, Doug and their daughter were great hosts.  They had me over for a few days.  It was fun and I thought I stepped into the Democratic Party War Room.  The TV was on CNN and NPR played via the internet.  Sarah Palin’s foreign policy experience and John McCain’s selling out his long term belief’s to cozy up to far right of his party was common banter during the dinners I shared with them and their friends.

Every morning we hiked up to Hong Kong’s Victoria’s Peak, though I didn’t get see much of the famed views because of the pollution.  They were very gracious when I knocked down their wi-fi system.  I thought it would be no problem to help them make the changes they wanted to their system.  I forgot a simple fact---I don’t know anything about wi-fi systems.  Luckily, I had it up and running the next morning.  If you need any help with you wi-fi port let me know because I am now a pro.

Meet Darin and Sarah Baur

My friend, Annette Coffee, let me know her brother lived in Hong Kong and that I should look up him and his wife up when I was in town.  We met up one day for lunch at their favorite dim sum restaurant.  The two of them are originally from Lansing and were Waverly High School grads.  After lunch, we toured parts of Hong Kong as they did their weekend errands.  At one point, we stopped for slurpees at a 7-11.  I hadn’t had one in years so it was a great treat. 

They became the first beneficiary from a gift from my friend, Vivian Milligan, from Crunchy’s.  Vivian had made a generous gift to the Singh Around the World paypal account and asked that I buy a beer for Spartans that I meet on the road, especially, if they had been to her restaurant.   Sarah, an MSU grad, worked at the first Beaner’s Coffee shop when it opened in 1995 and therefore knew their neighbors at Crunchy’s very well.  We figured out we must have been at Crunchy’s at the same time during a football Saturday at one point or another.

Meet Ajay and Priya Singh
The last people I caught up with in Hong Kong were long time family friends.  My mother and Priya’s mother went to boarding school in India together and remain close to this day.  We would see each other every few years when we were growing up when they would visit the US or when we went to India. It had been a few years since we last saw each other.

We didn’t see each other until the end of time in Hong Kong because Priya was dropping her eldest son off to boarding school in Canada when I first arrived.  Their youngest son was still in Hong Kong and was impressed with his bachelor globe-trotting “uncle.”  As with any Indian family, I was quickly questioned about when I was going to settle down and start a family. It was good to be around family again all technicalities aside.

Ajay is in investment banking and it was very interesting to get his perspective on the emerging American economic crisis.  I was at their place on the first day the Hong Kong markets opened after the Lehman Brothers announcement.  He was still fielding calls from clients at 10 pm that night as we finished dinner.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures before I left.

 

100 Things to Do Before You Die

I read a number of books over the years to help keep me motivated about my journey.  One of my favorites was "100 Things To Do Before You Die" by Neil Teplica and Dave Freeman.  It  listed a number of festivals that I had on my worldlist and after reading it my list ended up getting a little bit longer.  Unfortunately, Dave Freeman died last month in a freak accident. He died by falling and hitting his head in his home in California.  His father said that Dave had the opportunity to hit about half of the items on his list.  "He didn't have enough days, but he lived them like he should have," said his father.  It is a sad reminder that we need to live life to its fullest. 

As you know, I have kept my worldlist and my journey is a way of attempting to do some of them.  My question to you is what is on your worldlist?

Hong Kong Nights

I made it to Hong Kong after four plus weeks in China and it was a culture shock.  It was very western.  More than I anticipated. I wonder what will happen when I head back to the states.  At least I have a six months to worry about that issue.  After spending so much time in China and struggling with the language this was a walk in the park.  Everywhere I went people spoke English.  There were American chain restaurants on every street.  The store, 7-11, is on very third corner.  There are more 7-11s in Hong Kong per capita than anywhere else in the world.  I assume it is mandated by law.

I describe Hong Kong as "China Light."  A friend, who works there, says it reminds him of a large China Town in the US because it feels like an American city with a Chinese influence.  I needed to be there because I was getting my visa for India and it would take a week.  I didn't have any choice so I made the best of it.

I ended up living a very western lifestyle while I was there.  I joined a health club that had daily passes.  At least, the club was endorsed by Jackie Chan and it was helpful to get into my routine for my marathon training.

I saw two American movies over the ten days that I was there (The Strangers and Bangkok Dangerous).   Neither of them were good but it still was a movie in a theater.  Seeing a movie in a theater is one of the few things that I do miss while I am on the road.

I frequented an Irish pub that was near my hostel and made friends with the bartender and few other travelers. I had a place to go to where people knew my name.  I quickly made friends with Vanessa, one of the bartenders, and she took out a crew of us to an all night karaoke joint after one of her shifts.

Every morning, I would have a western omelet and read the Hong Kong papers.  Little did I know the short story on the economic woes of the company Lehman Brothers was going to spiral out of control over the upcoming weekend.  The crisis began to play out over the weekend of Hong Kong's Mid-Autumn Festival.  The Hong Kong stock market was closed for the festival that Monday so they delayed their crash by one day.  It was torture for those in the investment banking market as they watched the drama play out across the world.  They knew their pound of flesh was coming but they had to wait out the festival. The big treat during the festival is moon cakes but they did not bring any solace to those waiting for their financial ruin.  It was informative to be in Hong Kong as the economic meltdown happened because, as one of the business hubs of Asia, I was given first hand view of its scale and impact.It is now one week later and it is amazing that this American made crisis is wrecking such havoc all over the world.  We are living in interesting times. 

China- It's a Wrap!

How do you ask for BoRics in Mandarin?
The funny thing about travel is that often the most mundane things can be an adventure within itself.  It had been six weeks since my last haircut and I was getting a little bit shaggy.  I was little bit nervous because of the language barrier but I figured they couldn't screw my hair up too much.  The worse case scenario was that I had a baseball camp that I could wear for the next week if things didn't work out well.  I walked into the barbershop and there was no one who spoke any English and the signs didn't clearly delineate the price.  I hope this is not an expensive place.

Before I could figure out the cost, I was whisked into a chair for a shampoo and head message by the woman who greeted me when I walked into the salon.  There were other customers in the store and I could tell that everyone was talking about me.  Oh this is going to be expensive.  After the shampoo, I was taken to an overly dramatic stylist.  I showed the stylist through gestures the length I wanted cut off and the style that I wanted.  The scissors started to cut and hair was flying everywhere.  Oh, boy this is not going to work out well.

At one point he kept asking me a question and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what he was saying.  I thought he was angry because he stormed off only to return with a phone. I put the receiver to my ear and said, "Hello?"  The person on the line spoke English and said that my stylist wanted to know if he could dye my hair to get rid of the gray. "He thinks you you will look much better and look much younger."  I tried to explain how I liked my salt and pepper hair but they kept asking, "Don't you want to look young again?"  Again? Again?  I look young now.  You are on the phone so how do you know what I look like?  Many things were racing through my mind but I very meekly told the person on the phone, "No, thank you."

In the end, the haircut looked good.  We were able to manage without understanding each other.  After the cut, I was given a second shampoo and head message.  Now the million dollar question-well hopefully not a million dollars- but what was this going to cost me? The woman at the cashier told me that I owed 28RMB.  28 RMB?  28 RMB?  A smile came across my face because that my friends is equivalent to four American dollars.

Buddhist Pilgram is a Jackie Chan Fan

On my way down from my hike to Mt. Emei, I met a Buddhist pilgram that was decsending the mountain as well.  Because we were headed down the path that was surrounded by monkeys it made sense for us to walk together.  Safety in numbers. Neither of us knew each other's language but we appreciated each others company.  He was walking in the traditional earth tone robes that you find Buddhist monks wearing in that part of China.  The hike was long and it was a hot day.  Later on the hike, I looked over and he was in a t-shirt.  I don't know what I expected from a Buddhist devotee but I was amused by his Jackie Chan t-shirt. 

Detained by Chinese Immigration
On my way to Hong Kong through the city of Shenzhen, I was stopped by the Chinese Immigration.  It was a routine stop between countries that I had made many times before. Technically, I wasn't going to another country because Hong Kong is now an Administrative Region of China. Though Hong Kong has different requirements than mainland China, I wasn't concerned because I had the difficult to obtain multiple entry Chinese Visa.   I stood in the line for foreign passport holders and presented my passport to the man behind the counter.  He looked at the passport a number of times and ran it through the system. He had a perplexed look on his face.  Perhaps, he was wondering why I don't dye my hair black to hide the gray.  Maybe it was gas.  Soon his supervisor was over to his station and they were discussing my passport.  At points they would stop and just stare at me.  The supervisor motioned to me to follow him.  He took me to another section of the immigration station.

This can't be good.  Ok, what could be wrong here?  I didn't over stay my visa.  I am sure I had a sixty day multiple entry visa.  I don't need a visa to get into Hong Kong.  I did have a multiple entry visa, right?

Now-- there were three people reviewing my passport.  They would talk amongst themselves and then look up at me.  Every once and awhile one of them would shake their head.  Eventually a woman came up and asked if I had any other identification.   I showed her my credit cards but she wanted another form of picture ID.  I explained to her that it was stolen when I was pick-pocketed in Spain.  This of course made them even more suspicious.  I asked what was wrong with the passport and she replied that I didn't look like my picture.

I started to laugh. I assured them it was me but that I had lost fifty pounds since the picture was taken.  I could tell that one of the immigration officials was still skeptical while the woman who spoke English was amused.  She took great interest in how I lost the weight.  I regaled her on my running regimen and my nine months of travel while her two colleagues kept looking at the passport and then at me,  Eventually, they became bored with me and let me through immigration.  Now-- I know when I walk through immigration to puff out my cheeks and my stomach and hope that they let me through!

Hey! Are you following me?
It is common to bump into the same people a few times during a trip.  Most countries have a tourist trail that people follow to see the sites and the cities of interest.  When I was in Beijing, I shared a room with a British couple, Ross and Becky.  Little did I know that we would see each other in three different cities after that.  We ended up staying in the same hostels in Xi'an, Chengdu and Mt. Emei and even hiked to Mt. Emei's peak with one another.

"Oh Canada! My Home and Native Land."
I had a great discussion with a European woman one night at a bar near my hostel.  I should have been wary of her from the beginning because the Bush Administration had deemed her country, in the lead up to the war in Iraq, as one of the stalwarts of "Old Europe." She was surprised when she found out I was American.  "I usually don't like talking to Americans. They are really full of themselves but you are not like that.  You are pretty cool.  It is almost like you are Canadian." I think there was a compliment in there somewhere.  It might have been wrapped in a mystery inside of an enigma.  Needles to say, if anyone has an extra Roots shirt and a maple leaf patch for my backpack, I would greatly appreciate it.

Leshan, China- The Home of the Giant Buddha

 
My last tourist stop in China was in the city of Leshan, which is famous for the Giant Buddha statue that is carved into the cliff.  It was a quick hour bus ride from Mt Emei.  My tired muscles from the three day hike needed a break and this was the perfect one.

Along with the Giant Buddha, there are a number of Buddhist temples in the scenic area.  I went to the Lingyun temple and witnessed the monks during a time of prayer.  The temple was adorned with a number of beautiful statues and their were incense and candles being burned by worshiping visitors to the temple.

After the temple, I made the easy hike to the top of the Giant Buddha and eventually walked down the 71 meters to the base.  It is an amazing site to behold.  According to the legend, the Giant Buddha brought prosperity to the area once it was built. 

"Construction was started in AD 713, led by a Chinese monk named Haitong. He hoped that the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the shipping vessels traveling down the river. When funding for the project was threatened, he is said to have gouged out his own eyes to show his piety and sincerity. Construction was completed by his disciples ninety years later. Apparently the massive construction resulted in so much stone being removed from the cliff face and deposited into the river below that the currents were indeed altered by the statue, making the waters safe for passing ships." (Wikipedia)

It's the Economy and Foreign Policy, Stupid!

The past nine months of traveling around the world have given me an interesting perspective on the upcoming presidential election.  The primaries of both parties, though filled with plenty of rhetoric, dealt with many substantial issues such as foreign policy, energy policy and the economy.  Since the conventions, the candidates and the media have lost touch with these issues and have fallen into the similar routine of “gotcha politics.”

The general election campaign that I have viewed from the other side of the world, illustrates how Americans tend to focus too much on internal and cultural issues at the expense of more important issues such as foreign policy and our role as a global economic power.  There is a place for abortion and creationism in our political process but as a country we are at a crossroads and that should be the central issue of this campaign.

It has been interesting and slightly embarrassing to see my international friends and the foreign media grapple with the relevant issues of “lipstick on pigs” and “celebrity.”  In reaction to the coverage, I was asked by a banker in Hong Kong, “If Americans understood that America is not what it was twenty years ago.”  His point was that our influence, both from an economic and foreign policy perspective, has been greatly diminished in the past decade.

The respect for our foreign policy across the world is at the lowest point in decades.  Our military is stretched with its current deployments and the resources they need to effectively complete their mission are often time not adequate.  Both issues have emboldened countries like Iran, North Korea and Russia to flex their military muscles.

The lack of strong business leaders has led to irresponsible business practices with the aim for quick profit versus long-term sustainable growth.  Just during this political season, we have seen government intervention with Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG insurance.  Storied financial institutions, such as Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers, are facing insolvency and bankruptcy.  Corporate oversight by board of directors, the rating agencies and the government has been superficial and in many cases nonexistent.  The ramification of the US economic crisis has had ripples across the world economy and many are asking if this is the beginning of the end of the US being the world’s economic super power.  With the rise of China’s economic base, we should have strong reason for concern.

I hope that the electorate and the media can take the warning signs of the Russian/Georgian conflict and the economic meltdown and shift the questions about this campaign and the candidates to issues of substance especially what the US role should be on the global stage.  If we don’t make course corrections with foreign policy and domestic/international economic policy our future is in jeopardy.  We are electing the person who can best position our country on these fundamental questions and if we fail, we won’t have anyone else to blame but ourselves.  Perhaps Pogo was right when he said, “I have met the enemy and he is us.”

Hiking the Sacred Mt. Emei- Part 2

 

The second day's hike was less intense than the first day because I only had to hike 17 kilometers to reach the peak. The hike was mostly an ascent with a few monasteries along the way.  I didn't leave with my group in the morning because I was finishing my book but caught up to them right before reaching the peak.  I finished the hike in about six hours and was treated to the beautiful monastery and Buddha statues at the peak.

 

We stayed the night at the peak and enjoyed a quiet dinner.  The group consisted of two British, one Israeli and two Americans.  Our conversation quickly turned to politics and everyone wanted to know my take on the upcoming US election.  It wasn't surprising that they too were following the election but as usual they were quite surprised at the length of the election process.  Iraq, Bush and the poor economy dominated the conversation but I was able to get their perspectives on their leaders both of which were going through difficult times politically.

We woke an hour before sunrise so we could be well positioned to watch the sun come through the clouds.  The sunrise was amazing and well worth the two day hike up the mountain.  I have been very fortunate this journey to see some of the most beautiful places in the world and watching the sunrise at the peak of Mt. Emei is one of my favorites so far. 

The hike down the Mt. Emei was a quicker decent only lasting five hours.  I had a quick pace and decided to attempt to jog portions of the trail.  It was a good idea at the time but because my legs aren't used to decline my muscles ached for the next two days.

Hiking the Sacred Mt. Emei- Part 1

After my time in Chengdu, I took a two hour bus over to the Teddy Bear Hostel at the base of Mt. Emei in the Sichuan province.  The Teddy Bear hostel is run by a great local couple and is the starting base for many hikers.  Since it is highly recommended by hikers and the guidebooks, I wasn't surprised to see a number of people that I had met in Chengdu staying there.  After dinner, we went over the different ways through Mt.Emei and compared notes on which trails we were going to hike. 

Mt. Emei is the most sacred of the Four Buddhist Mountains in China.  The first Buddhist temple in China was built at the peak of Mt. Emei in the first century.  Over time a number of additional temples were built throughout the trails on the mountain making it a popular place for Buddhist pilgrims.  Since I had hiked one of the sacred Taoist Mountains, Mt. Huashan, the week earlier, it only made sense that I would add a Buddhist mountain to my worldlist. 

Since I had started training for my marathon, I decided to make the hike on Mt. Emei an aggressive one.  I was going to hike at a quick pace but at the same time I wanted to enjoy the scenery around me.  I started hike in the mid morning, letting the others get a head start. We were going to be staying at the same place on the mountain so it didn't matter if we hiked together.  The first day's hike was twenty four kilometers and went by a number of monasteries and rock carvings.

There was a section of the trail that was highlighted as being dangerous because it was a congregating spot for monkeys.  This portion of the trail had rangers that carried big sticks to scare off the monkeys.  A solo female hiker asked me to accompany her through that section of the trail.  As a gentleman, I took my job seriously until we were chased by two monkeys and then we both ran down the trail yelling and laughing.  Luckily, one of the rangers came to our rescue shaking his stick and yelling in a booming voice.  These monkeys were not friendly like Sr. Mini Loco.

I made it to my destination a little bit before dinner time.  We stayed in Buddhist monastery that rented very spartan rooms to pilgrims and hikers.  We had a basic dinner  and called it an early night as our muscles were soar due to the ascent. I was awoken at 4 am by a drum beat which was followed by chanting and prayers by the Buddhist monks and pilgrims.  It was a good way of being woken up though I would have preferred a couple of more hours of sleep.  I had a breakfast of rice and milk and then I was on my way for day two of the ascent.  Staying in the monastery was a very peaceful experience .  As one could imagine, it was a simple place but the people had a sense of calm and were very accepting of us interlopers.  It was one of the highlights of the hike. 

Sam Singh vs. the Kung Fu Panda

After my trip to Xi'an, I took a cheap flight to Chengdu in the Sichuan Province.  I organized my first day in Chengdu so I could go the the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center.  The Research Center is a great facility and is doing  incredible working in trying to increase the numbers of pandas so they can be removed for the endangered species list.  You can not help but smile when you see a panda.  They are such docile creatures and their movements are so exaggerated because of their size.  I never saw the  movie, Kung Fu Panda, but I was told that the main character was from Chengdu! 

"Giant Pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. They once lived in lowland areas, but farming, forest clearing, and other development now restrict giant pandas to the mountains.

The Giant Panda is an endangered species and highly threatened. According to the latest report, China has 239 giant pandas in captivity and another 27 pandas living outside the country. It also estimated that around 1,590 pandas are currently living in the wild. However, a 2006 study, via DNA analysis, estimated that there might be as many as 2,000 to 3,000 pandas in the wild. Though reports show that the numbers of wild pandas are on the rise, the International Union for Conservation of Nature believes there is not enough certainty to remove pandas from the endangered animal list.

While the dragon has historically served as China's national emblem, in recent decades the Giant Panda has also served as an emblem for the country. Its image appears on a large number of modern Chinese commemorative silver, gold, and platinum coins. The species is a favorite of the public, at least in part because many people find that it has a baby-like cuteness. Also, it is usually depicted reclining peacefully eating bamboo, as opposed to hunting, which adds to its image of innocence. Though giant pandas are often assumed docile, they have been known to attack humans, presumably out of irritation rather than predatory behavior. (From Wikipedia)"