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The Cultural Revolution Cookbook :: Interactive Expat (Feb 2)
Sorry for the lack of posts recently. My son will be 16 months this week and while I usually am chasing him all over creation, he has been sick for the past few days. During a break from the crying and Motrin dispensing, I was able to read the Cultural Revolution cookbook.Despite having lived in China, I never learned how to cook any authentic Chinese food. I like to cook, but for some reason I have always been intimidated to cook Chinese food, even though it's authentic dishes are usually simple to prepare. Maybe it was the time consuming Jiaozi assembly process that put me off a bit...anyway, I was very excited to see this book available. Not only is it a cookbook full of delicious recipes, author Sasha Gong includes her personal account about what it was like to grow up in China during the Cultural Revolution. The book is also full of other interesting bits about what was happening in China during the time, it's like a culinary history lesson.Here's an excerpt from her NPR interv...


Return to the Peach Blossom Spring (Chapter 2) :: (Jan 31)
When Jin passed through the long passage, he noticed that he could not see light from the village behind him when he turned his head back to look. A current seemed to propel his boat quickly through the tunnel, and he shot out the other side with a splash, finding himself in the ocean, with a rocky shore on one side and the wide, wide ocean to the other.


American Football is the most watched sport in America and growing! :: (Jan 31)
According to Wikipedia: ...The Super Bowl has frequently been the most watched American television broadcast of the year. Super Bowl XLV played in 2011 became the most watched American television program in history, drawing an average audience of 111 million viewers and taking over the spot held by the previous year's Super Bowl, which itself had taken over the #1 spot held for twenty-eight years by the final episode of M*A*S*H. The Super Bowl is also among the most watched sporting events in the world, mostly due to North American audiences ... 2011's Super Bowl XLV holds the record for total number of U.S. viewers, attracting an average audience of 111 million viewers, making the game the most viewed television broadcast of any kind in U.S. history. From The Nielson Company: Prime-time television viewership numbers compiled by The Nielsen Co. for Dec. 26-Jan. 1. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership for the week. The Top 5 programs were: "Sunday Night Football," NBC,...


I LOVE The NFL PRO BOWL! :: (Jan 28)
I love it! The best of the AFC vs. the best of the NFC. A forced 4-3 Defense (which I prefer to the 3-4 even though Green Bay runs it exclusively). In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League (NFL). Since the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference (AFC) against those in the National Football Conference (NFC). Unlike most other sports leagues, which hold their all-star games during (roughly) the halfway point of their respective regular seasons, the Pro Bowl is played at the end of the NFL season. The NFL's all-star game has a tattered image. It is the only major all-star game that draws lower ratings than its regular-season games. However, the biggest concern of teams is to avoid injuries to the star players. The first "Pro All-Star Game," featuring the all-stars of the 1938 season (as well as...


My AFC Team for 2012: The Miami Dolphins :: (Jan 28)
I love the placement of the uniform stripe on the Miami Dolphins' uniforms. I think the future of the uniform stripe is right there at the end of the sleeve with the trend of sleeves getting shorter and shorter every year. The Miami Dolphins just took the Green Bay Packers' Offensive Coordinator and made him their head coach. Matt Flynn will either be franchised by the NFC's Green Bay Packers and traded or become the hottest free agent in the NFL. Either way, logic says he goes to the AFC's Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins already have a number 10, so the question is, will Matt Flynn take over #10 as a 'Fin, or will he change numbers? Either way, Matt Flynn will join the ranks of my favorite non-Packers players in the NFL: Troy Polamalu and Rob Gronkowski. I just will have more love for the Miami Dolphins than either thePittsburghSteelers or the New England Patriots! Hey, we could maybe even have a Green Bay Packer vs. Miami Dolphins Super Bowl next year! I'd love it!


Costs of Raising Kids in Beijing :: Interactive Expat (Jan 23)
A few days ago, a friend in Beijing sent me the following article that was written up in The Beijinger. I found it really helpful and maybe you will too.It's expensive to raise kids anywhere, but it takes extra money and consideration when thinking about school options in China.My husband is a teacher and we would most likely choose the home school option after our son was able to experience kindergarten and get better socialized, not to mention better his Chinese skills.If you're raising kids in Beijing or elsewhere in China, please feel free to give your opinion on the article! Is It More Expensive to Raise Kids in Beijing? bypjsheeps| Posted on Jan 17 2012 | See All1Photos One of the things that I feel most guilty about is…well, me. More specifically, all of the wonderful things that my parents had to give up in order to have and raise me: extravagant trips around the world, an ocean-front villa in Thailand, fancy date nights, etc. For those who think that I’m exaggerating...


Stop SOPA :: (Jan 18)
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Chinese Food, Snacks and Trains, oh my! :: Interactive Expat (Jan 17)
Just read your blog and wanted to thank you for all the useful tips!We are Americans who have been living in India for the last 5 years. I have a daughter, 11 and a son, 6, and we will be taking a family trip to China in April.I did have a few questions for you, if you don't mind,First of all, I am concerned about food. My children are fairly picky eaters. My son will eat chicken in any form. My daughter will want to eat mostly vegetarian. Both can be kept full at least with peanut butter and nutella! (I probably sound like a terrible mother...but it is what it is!) So first question - are PB and Nutella available in China? What about other basics like bread, crackers, etc?Also, we plan to do so train trips (Beijing to Xian and Xian to Guilin). What do you think? How comfortable/clean are the trains? Our standards are pretty low (remember..we are in India!)Any other tips you might pass on would be greatfully accepted!!- Cammie, via emailThanks for your email! Glad you like my blog a...


China's med-tech market to grow 17% in 2012 | MassDevice.com :: (Jan 16)
January 12, 2012 by MassDevice staff The Chinese medical device market is slated to grow 17% in 2012, survey says. MASSDEVICE ON CALL —China's medical device market is set to grow 17% in 2012, according to a Citigroup hospital survey. Major medical equipment in the Chinese market include medical monitors and life support, diagnostic imaging, in vitro diagnostics and therapeutic systems. GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) leads the Chinese medical equipment market, but in orthopedics and drug-eluting stents, Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Stryker (NYSE:SYK) take the lead, according to the report. Sign up to get our free newsletters delivered straight to your inbox Similar entries White House defends Obamacare insurance mandate in Supreme Court brief | MassDevice.com On Call Supreme Court adds Medicaid challenge to docket | MassDevice.com On Call Raising the Medicare eligibility age would save $148B | MassDevice.com On Call Medtronic ups the ante on Capitol...


Han Han’s anti-censorship tactic: publish padding before the point :: (Jan 14)
Han Han, the influential writer, race-car driver, and now social commentator, tells Southern Metropolis Weekly (English | 中文) that some of his recent commentary was designed to deflect the immediate deletions that come with controversial statements on Chinese web platforms: Q: You once said that the first two essays were padding, while the last essay was the end goal?A: If you only write the last essay (including ), it will surely be deleted.  When something gets deleted, it has no value.  You can boast on the heroes’ honor roll that you wrote another censored essay and that you were victimized once again.  Many rightists rank themselves on the basis of the degree of persecution.  This is a somewhat pathetic ranking.  The ultimate height in sexual intercourse is the climax.  You cannot let someone climax as soon as they read it.   You need your padding. 南都周刊：你曾说前面两篇文章是铺垫，后面一篇才是目的？ 韩寒：你光写后面一篇文章，包括现在的《我的2011》，肯定会被删掉的。当一个东西被删掉了，就没有什么价值了，也只能在英雄谱上把自己说得更牛一点— 老子又写了一篇被删掉的文章，老子是受害者。很多右派是按照被迫...