On Wednesdays we study the Constitution. These days, I’m learning about the second article of seven, which deals with the presidency. Last week I looked at Article 2 §2.1, the commander-in-chief clause. This week it’s Article 2 §2.2. It’s about treaties.
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Treaty Powers – Constitution Article 2 §2.2
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Commander in Chief Clause – Constitution Article 2 §2.1
On Wednesdays we study the Constitution. These days, I’m learning about the second article of seven, which deals with the presidency. Last week I looked at Article 2 §1.8 which contains the presidential oath of office. This week I’m moving on to the second section of the second article. This section begins to enumerate presidential powers. Article 2 §2.1, which gives the president power over the military, is also known as the commander-in-chief clause.
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Mall Walrus
I’ve mentioned before that animal care standards in China are not quite the same as in the U.S.
And I’ve mentioned their shopping malls that put ours to shame.
These two facts collided on the third day that my daughter and I returned to the brand-new MixC mall in Qingdao. She wanted to go ice skating. The mall had only been open for a couple of weeks, and on this Sunday it was celebrating the new ice rink. So, while she and dozens of others skated, a corner of the Olympic-sized rink was walled off from the skaters. Shoppers piled up along the rink wall to watch the show. First some penguins were trotted out on the ice to run around. Then a trained walrus from one of the city’s multiple aquariums was brought out. Among the walrus’ many tricks, he was trained to dance to the then-top hit “Gangnam Style.”
My daughter and hundreds of local shoppers were charmed. I was so shocked I didn’t even think to complain that it should have been the Lobster Quadrille.
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Oath of Office – Constitution Article 2 §1.8
My failure to post Constitution articles the past couple weeks may be evidence that even I am starting to get bored by this series. But I’m stubborn, and maybe a little OCD, so I’m going to keep on trucking. The blue wave (or was it just a splash?) on November 6 was a sign that people haven’t completely given up on American politics, but it in no way equates to “Mission accomplished.” And what good is studying the first article and a half of the Constitution? You kind of need to understand the whole thing. So I’m picking up where I left off, with Article 2 §1.8, which deals with, um… the oath of office.
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Water Dragon
I took this photo of a dragon fountain in Qingdao. I think it was on an easy hike through a famous park right next to our hotel. But I can’t remember for sure. Anyway, it’s a nice fountain.