Saturday, August 29, 2009
I've been a slacker blogger
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Why I am staying in Shanghai for May Holiday....
http://gunsella.interproit.com/yellow.htm
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
China's Middle Class
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/05/china/middle-class/leslie-chang-text
Friday, April 17, 2009
Follow up...
Here's the story posted on Shanghaiist.com:
"Hundreds of parents set to the streets on April 15th in a peaceful march, begging for help in finding their missing children. Originally reported by the New Express (translated by Danwei), the parents claim that about 1,000 children have gone missing from the Dongguan area since 2007. At their wits end, they've set out to draw more attention to the apparent, widespread abduction problem.
Neither the New Express nor the Shanghai Daily piece on these families' plights suggest a reason for the kidnappings, but according to the New York Times, many of the children are being sold off to other Chinese families desperate for a male heir. The children, most of whom are young boys are also suspected of being sold to buyers in Vietnam, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
"Male heir" is probably one of the better outcome for these children, otherwise they often end up as indentured servants, for-hire beggars, or prostitutes. The lucky ones get sold to orphanages for adoption to wealthy foreigners.
The police at Wednesday's march appeared sympathetic to the parents' ordeal, escorting them peacefully down the street. According to a number of marchers however, the police and government have been mostly unhelpful in tracking down the missing children. In a case cited in the Shanghai Daily article, a child was located and brought to a local police station, but before his parent could claim him, an impersonator took the child as his own.
The Chinese government claims that total abductions number about 2,500 people per year including both women and children, but some non-profit organizations argue that the number might possibly be upwards of 100,000.
Either way, the number is too high. More attention needs to be paid to this issue both here in China and elsewhere in the world where human trafficking is an issue. Both buyers and sellers of other human beings need to be tracked down and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Read all about my hometown!
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/travel/escapes/17Amer.html
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Interesting China News....
Read more here:
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/04/10/help_wanted_ambassador_to_beijing
Some good news for those of us who own Real Estate in China:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123961738509213209.html#mod=residential_real_estate
Monday, April 13, 2009
Hainan Island - Girls Weekend!
Basic Stats on Hainan (Hai = Ocean, Nan= South) Island:
Location: Hainan Island is located in the South China Sea, separated from Guangdong's Leizhou Peninsula to the north by a shallow and narrow strait. It has an area of 33,920 square kilometers, making China's southernmost province also its smallest. Hainan is comparable in size to Belgium.
View Larger Map
Native Peoples: Hainan first enters written Chinese history in 110 BC, when the Han Dynasty established a military garrison there. Settlement by mainlanders was slow however and from early on the island was considered to be fit only for exiles. It was in this period that the Li people arrived from Guangxi Province and displaced the island's aboriginal Austronesian-speaking peoples.
Tourism: We will be staying in Sanya, a town on the southern tip of the island, Sanya is supposedly the most common tourist-y location with nice beaches, hotels, outdoor activities, etc. We're looking forward to spending a lot of time on the beach, reading and relaxing away from the craziness of Shanghai.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Emotional Pitfalls of Living Abroad
Here is the obituary that ran in her local newspaper, I think my mother did a wonderful job writing it. She will never be far from our hearts and minds.
"Dorothy Roady Wilson, 102, of Bowling Green, died at 9:50 pm on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at a Bowling Green nursing home.
The Alton, Illinois native was born on July 4, 1906, a daughter of the late Charles Henry Roady and Nell Rowena Roady. She was the wife of the late George T. Wilson, Jr., and was also preceded in death by her brother, Paul W. Roady, of Alton, II., and a sister, Blanche Roady Clark, of Woodriver, Illinois.
Mrs. Wilson was a secretary for the Owens Illinois Glass Company and later worked at the Vanderbilt University Bookstore in Nashville, Tennessee. She was an avid gardener, reader, and bird watcher. She was a graduate of the Alton High School and a member of the Episcopal Church. Mrs. Wilson was a loving mother and grandmother who outlived many of her friends.
A family memorial service will be held at a later date. Johnson-Vaughn-Phelps Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to the following: A Voice for Animals (270-783-9195); Bowling Green/Warren County Animal Adoption Center, 1925 Old Louisville Road, Bowling Green, KY, 42101; Rainhill Equine Facility, 11125 Highway 185, Bowling Green, KY, 42101
Survivors include her daughter, Dorothy Demuth Wilson, of Bowling Green; two grandchildren, Emily Slaten Lopez, of Mountain View, California, and Lilia Roady Lopez, of Washington, D. C.; two nieces, Nell Foster Waltz, of La Jolla, California, and Jane Louise Wilson, of Center Tuftonboro, New Hampshire; two cousins, Judith Schlieper Laronge, of Vancouver, Washington, and Gary Cummins, of Denver, Colorado."Monday, April 6, 2009
Kidnapping in China on the rise...
From today's New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/world/asia/05kidnap.html
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Emily's Cupcakes at Kid Expo this weeekend
Hope to see you there!!
The Details:
What: Kid Expo
Where: Shanghai Exhibition Center
When: March 28-29
Why: Have fun, get your kids out of the rain, and see what Shanghai has to offer expat families!!!
http://www.kidexposh.com/Visitors.html
Chinese 'find' radioactive ball
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7967285.stm
Monday, March 16, 2009
Indoor Air Quality or Lack of...
The IQ Air is supposedly one of the best, and comes in many different versions to best suit your needs. The other day we noticed that one of our filters needed to be changed, this is the first time we've had to change so we had no idea what to expect.
Here are the photos of our filter - it's truly disgusting. I'm glad none of this stuff made it's way into my lungs but who knows what else I've ingested that didn't make it into the air filter.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The truth about moving back home....
Here's an article I just read in the NYtime about the problems that come with "going home".
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/business/10home.html
Thursday, March 5, 2009
China clampdown on Tibet
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/world/asia/05tibet.html
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Cupcake Contact Information
Happy eating. :-)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
China's new fleet of mobile execution chambers. No, Seriously.
Check it out here:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-14-death-van_x.htm
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Chinese New Year - Welcome the Ox
A and I spent our Chinese new year vacation in Italy and Germany, it was a wonderful trip and we ate our weight in cheese, cured meats and shnitzel. Italy in January, while not at it's best as far as the weather is concerned, is still breathtaking. Germany even with snow on the ground runs efficiently and makes eating a warm pretzel in the afternoon the best snack ever.
We are off to Hong Kong this weekend, and I'll be sure to post photos of our eating escapades, we can't wait to indulge in a weekend of fresh seafood!
Emily's Cupcakes coming soon....
Currently, I'm in the final stages of opening a small business here in Shanghai - "Emily's Cupcakes" will be open soon and I'll let you know as soon as our website goes live and you can order online or over the phone!
Ever since I moved here a little over a year ago, I've been thinking about starting my own cupcake business. With my culinary background in catering and as a personal chef as well as my background in Marketing and Advertising it seemed like a great idea! Plus, I love cupcakes - they're adorable and bring back so many childhood memories. We aim to be open for business in 2 weeks, so keep your eyes open for some new delicious treats on the Shanghai scene!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Ring in the new year with homemade yogurt!
So, I was really excited when I ran across an article in City Weekend magazine written by food writer Crystal Mo who tells of how she bought her own yogurt making machine from taobao.com for only 28RMB. That's only US$4! Woo hoo! She also explains exactly how she makes it from fresh milk, I'm pretty pumped to try this homemade yogurt making experiment out myself!