Recorded on Friday, October 16, 2020.
It’s pretty common while travelling to meet some interesting “characters”. Some you want to meet again, others you wish go away and are never seen again. My guest today, Denny Goin, belongs in the former category of people who you meet and you know is a bit of a character, but not in a bad way at all. He introduced me to the idea of buying gold and that it’s even possible to move to an island in the south Pacific. Sound crazy? That’s only some of the things we talked about in this episode. I highly recommend you listen to the whole thing as you’ll get the whole intonation and meaning of what the conversation consists of.
1.20 – Introductions and Hello’s from across the pond, Beijing to Nevada
2.00 – Area 51 (83 miles north-northwest of Las Vegas)
5.08 – Coronavirus and Trump’s handling of it, how the media portrayed it
7.09 – 2009 saw the H1N1 flu hit China and how the US dealt with that, Denny just finishing up working in Oman
9.00 – South Korea
9.58 – Denny started off in the ESL in 2004 when he went to Harbin, China (he was 21 years old when he started!)
11.47 – “Wait a minute, this is a job where people will pay me to come to their country”
13.40 – Winnipeg has a hockey team and the history of how hockey moved down into the southern United States and why the Winnipeg Jets left
17.30 – The Original Six of the NHL
-Toronto had two hockey teams?
19.48 – Other professional hockey teams in the US and Europe, the difference between European and North American hockey
-how hockey changed over the years in North America
26.00 – the Stanley Cup dynasties
29.54 – travelling and keeping up with sports is difficult
31.22 – Kim Yuna is the South Korean figure skater Steve is talking about
31.45 – Denny starting out in Harbin
-the history of Unit 731 (a Japanese unit in World War 2)
-how the fall out from World War still affects that part of the world
-the “research” that this group performed
36.35 – What are the Rules of War?
⁃ See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions
⁃ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_war
-John Wayne never liked Clint Eastwood’s movies
39.00 – What is the current relationship between China and Japan as Denny has seen develop over time?
-war reparations over time
42.00 – The shrine that the Prime Minister of Japan keeps visiting, this antagonizes other countries
-it’s a recognition of military service throughout history, not a specific war
43.50 – Social media and “The Social Dilemma” – is it really a problem?
-presidential politics has gotten dirtier over the years, but Denny disagrees!
-how politics has always been dirty
-the media has never been completely truthful
***Denny adds: “I was off on the years, but not the story about the mudslinging between Addams and Jefferson—if there needs to be an asterisk for the notes for the recording. It was 1788 and 1792 that were uncontested. It was the elections in 1796 and 1800 that were ugly.”
47.12 – Deep fakes – but it this technology viable?
-Forrest Gump’s representation of deceased people
-the skewed representation of videos online today
48.46 – The Caucasus is now getting hot
49.39 – How travellers can see differences in what’s represented in the media and when you actually talk to someone from there
-conflicts that have gone on for decades
51.30 – Denny has lived all over the US and has talked to a lot of different people, people from Kansas don’t like people from Los Angeles telling them how to live their lives, why would people around the world want that to happen?
52.02 – Everyone wants to move to the US
52.24 – “I am a true American patriot, but I want to be clear what I mean by this.”
-the American experience
53.05 – The foundations of the United States of America
-the government was intentionally planned
-the history of voting in the “modern world”, ie, when the USA was founded
-voting in the ancient world
57.40 – “The American Republic was an experiment, and it worked! The Constitution was flexible enough that it did recognize the rights of everyone.”
58.19 – The Bill of Rights and what are they?
-it gets tough to remember them all
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights/what-does-it-say
-1.00.00 – Canada’s foundational issues, especially with respect to treaties with Indigenous tribes
1.00.52 – War of 1812 – White House was burned down… and the States still won the war!
-How “Canada” is usually perceived overseas
-eg, Nataly’s desire to immigrate to Canada (Episode 17)
1.02.35 – The foundation of the United States and the people who made up the country at that time
-The integration of the French in Canada, did they have to be integrated?
-The level of grade 10 language learners, whether it’s French or English
1.04.45 – “The Frog’s time is done!” (Can you even say that?!)
-Is French still relevant?
-what’s going on in North Africa now?
1.06.46 – “Economics always wins the day in the end!”
-Will Steve give up learning Chinese?
-Denny says learn Arabic instead
-the differences between Mandarin and Arabic, and Russian
1.08.30 – Yet, English is the universal language
-whatever happened to Esperanto?
-Denny: “Language, of course, evolves.”
-how far can we go back in history and still be understood in English?
1.10.55 – Is it Eskimos? Or Inuit? Aleut?
https://www.uaf.edu/anlc/resources/inuit_or_eskimo.php
1.11.20 – The future of language? Eg, the TV show Firefly
-this happened in Blade Runner, too
1.13.20 – China funds Confucius Institutes overseas, but don’t other councils do the same thing?
-Denny clarifies what was actually demanded of those Confucius Institutes
-but isn’t this still the same of other institutions that are sponsored by outside sources?
1.18.00 – Why does the States have to be involved in anybody else’s negotiations?
-Sun Yat Sen (Sun Zhong Shan in Chinese)
-the nine-dash line
1.20.20 – passport after birth, this is a privilege, not a global phenomenon
-is it just a tax grab?
1.22.10 – It’s always the Americans who start up new businesses in a new country
-is this the American entrepreneurial spirit?
1.23.30 – genetics – people chose to move to the US, though not the African slaves
-Steve challenges this notion, argues for the environment that these people grew up in
-nature vs nurture
-Steve’s theory of who moves away is usually the youngest, not the eldest
-what are Denny’s sources?
1.28.40 – Steve demands sources! Don’t just say “Google it!” It’s a cop out!
- LINKS later sent by Denny:
https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20150410/personality-traits-differ-significantly-per-region-in-great-britain - https://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/2019-01-14-large-study-identifies-genetic-variants-linked-to-risk-tolerance-risky-behaviors.aspx
1.31.15 – Where else has Denny gone and what pushed him to travel?
-don’t say the word “schmuck!”
-interest in seeing other places, being repentant for the United States’ actions?
1.35.45 – Does Denny feel personally responsible for the US government’s decisions?
1.38.10 – What made Denny search online for these jobs in the first place?
-got a CELTA in 2005
-verify what you find on Dave’s ESL Cafe!
1.43.00 – Why hasn’t Denny ever gone to Africa or South America?
-picking a place to work
1.46.00 – What did Denny say the first time he met Steve in China?
-gold & Fiji!
-Denny’s future plans
1.47.32 – How can someone immigrate to Fiji?
-what is the immigration scheme to the USA?
1.51.33 – why would someone want to move to the USA?
1.52.40 – Current value of Fijian dollar to US dollar
-how does the deposit work to Fiji?
1.57.05 – Is the fact that people like Denny moving to Fiji screwing over the local population at all?
-they live like “natives”, as in, they are aware of the differences of their lifestyles and the rest of the world
-no property tax in Fiji!
1.59.20 – Why Fiji?!?!
-Denny originally wanted to move to the Azores
-comes down to agricultural land
-also cost more in the Azores
2.03.25 – Why not St. Kitts and Nevis?
“What I like about Fiji is that I don’t have to worry about hurricanes.”
2.04.00 – What Denny’s house will have once it’s finished
-it will have a bomb shelter
-will Denny be neighbourly in his new living place?
2.06.05 – What are the connections like from Fiji to other places? (Ie, Australia)
2.07.40 – What skills Denny will need to have in order to live this future life
-EMT training
-will also learn how to fly an airplane
-what to look for in a pilot’s school
2.09.39 – Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is only available on Windows computer, not Mac-based computers
-Steve was going to go Los Angeles because it was cheap and easy
List of pilot schools worldwide:
https://www.faaflightschools.com/airplane-schools/
2.13.10 – Why doesn’t Denny go to Australia to learn how to fly in the conditions similar to where he will be living, instead of in the US?
-FAA’s standards are pretty much globally accepted
2.16.33 – What timeline is Denny following now?
-the Coronavirus screwed up income
-how will gold and silver will react
2.18.00 – “Well, I’m a good Jew. I can squeeze money out of a rock!”
-living in Beijing, having a “home” of sorts
-how much would someone pay for rent if they wanted to save money?
2.19.45 – What will Denny be doing in South Korea?
-tangent on to ANTIFA
-is that the real reason Denny is going to South Korea?
-nope, it’s the zeitgeist in the US!
2.23.00 – Denny’s leaving because things are just too crazy in the US, but his ultimate goal is to get to Japan
“Because, in a time of crisis, Orientals, East Asian people, don’t usually go crazy.”
2.25.22- Are there any jobs in the States that Denny could do?
-why Denny never did a Masters degree
2.28.40 – How can Denny be a patriot and still want to flee his country?!
“Because of the people of the country no longer care about the principles upon which it was founded.”
2.30.30 – Somebody threatened to shoot Denny, and sooo…
-how PACs work in the USA (Political Action Committees)
-the story of the gun threat
2.43.00 – afterwards, did he cry or panic?
“Is there anything that would stop me from getting a job?”
“This interview?”
Find Denny on Twitter @airapets