Wednesday, April 30, 2008
National Geographic on May 4
If you get the National Geographic channel, you might want to tune in on Sunday night, May 4, starting at 8:00 pm EST for a 3-hour China spectacular.
At 8:00, a show entitled “China’s Secret Mummies” will air. In a remote Chinese desert, archaeologists have unearthed mummies that are thousands of years old and completely misplaced in this part of the world.
At 9:00, watch “Building the Great Wall”. Take a trip back more than 2,000 years when emperors began constructing the defensive walls that would one day become the Great Wall of China. Visit ancient remains and learn how this venerated world icon was built.
“China’s Warrior King” will round out the evening at 10:00. NGC goes inside the massive mausoleum of Qin, China’s first emperor, using the latest archaeological research and imaging techniques to get an unparalleled glimpse of the treasures in the emperor’s tomb.
{extended}Monday, April 28, 2008
If it’s good enough for Eliana…
Andrew Zimmern in Guangzhou
We enjoy watching the Travel Channel and one of the shows I’ll catch occasionally is called Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
. It’s one of those shows so disgusting at times that it’s simply hard to turn away.
Tonight at 11:00 pm EST, Andrew is in Guangzhou, China. Cantonese food originates from Guangzhou, the city that used to be called Canton. A popular saying describes Cantonese food like this: “Anything that walks, swims, crawls, or flies is edible.”
Our experience in a Guangzhou restaurant last September was interesting to say the least.
{extended}Sunday, April 27, 2008
She’s a magician
After church this evening, we went out to eat with the usual Sunday evening crowd at one of our usual Sunday evening restaurants.
We ordered Karys a plate which included a nice portion of macaroni and cheese. As soon as her food was brought to the table, I scooped a big forkful and stuffed it in her mouth. Before those little lips even closed , I thought, “Aww man…Carmi gave her some bubble gum and I’ll bet she was still chewing it.” My thought was confirmed when one of the teenage girls in our group said, “Doug, I think Karys’ had gum in her mouth.”
“Oh well”, I replied. “It’ll come out one end or the other.”
A couple of minutes later, I could tell she had finally swallowed the mac-n-cheese. When I asked Karys to open her mouth for a look-see, there on her tongue was the wad of gum.
She’s a magician.
{extended}Friday, April 25, 2008
Up the Yangtze
A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze - navigating the mythic waterway known in China simply as “the river.” See it while you can. The Yangtze is about to be transformed by the biggest hydroelectric dam in history. At the river’s edge - a young woman says goodbye to her family as the floodwaters rise towards their small homestead.
The Three Gorges Dam - contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle - provides the epic backdrop for Up the Yangtze, a dramatic feature documentary on life inside the 21st century Chinese dream. Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang crafts a moving depiction of peasant life, a powerful narrative of contemporary China, and a disquieting glimpse into a future that awaits us all.
Up the Yangtze premiered in January at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in the Documentary Competition program. A trailer is viewable on the website.
The seven most unhealthy choices at a Chinese restaurant
The next time you’re at a Chinese restaurant, back away from the fried rice and think twice about General Tso’s chicken—many dishes are loaded with sodium, oil and carbs, says Jayne Hurley, a senior nutritionist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Hurley and Bonnie Liebman published Chinese Restaurant Food: Wok Carefully, an analysis of options from national Chinese food chains, last year. Her picks for some of the worst offenders on the menu, as well as a few ways to make your meal a little healthier:
1 and 2. Fried rice and lo mein: “Those dishes are basically three quarters of a day’s calories, and you’re just getting four or five cups of white rice or white noodles with oil and a sprinkling of vegetables,” Hurley says. They’re especially dangerous because they’re often served alongside people’s main orders, she says, and deliver “not much more than a smattering of vegetables or protein from the meat.” Hurley thinks people should steer clear entirely of the noodle dishes and instead focus on choices that’ll deliver a few more nutrients, such as mixed vegetables or tofu.
3. Chow fun: This dish is made of wider rice noodles and might taste more healthy than lo mein, but it’s not. “The noodles are thicker, but they’re going to do the same damage to your belly and blood pressure as the lo mein,” she says.
4. Crispy (orange) beef: Many meat-based menu items simply offer “hunks of fried meat,” she says. “What you’re getting is three quarters of a pound of deep-fried meat, garnished with vegetables,” she says. The same goes for sweet and sour pork.
5. Lemon chicken: A plate of lemon chicken contains 1,400 calories, two thirds of a day’s fat and no vegetables. “It’s like eating three McDonald’s McChicken sandwiches and a 32-ounce Coke,” Hurley says.
6. General Tso’s chicken: Though some restaurantgoers think chicken is a healthier option than pork and beef, it isn’t necessarily. General Tso’s chicken features breaded, deep-fried chicken chunks that are then soaked in sauce; Hurley and Liebman found that one plate has about 1,300 calories and half a day’s worth of saturated fat—“so about the same as pork,” Hurley says.
7. Barbequed spare ribs: These “appetizers” pack a punch—one plate of spare ribs carries two thirds of a day’s worth of saturated fat and 600 calories. That’s the same amount of calories as in two pork chops, Hurley says. “I don’t think people would eat two pork chops as an appetizer, but they sure do eat four spare ribs,” she says. Dumplings, steamed or pan-fried, are much more health-friendly, she says.
The best way to cut the sodium out of your Chinese restaurant meal is to opt for steamed vegetables, but that’s no fun. Luckily, Hurley’s quick to offer healthier and still-delicious options. Stir-fried dishes, such as shrimp with garlic sauce, Szechuan shrimp, moo goo gai pan and chicken with black bean sauce all contain less than 1,000 calories a plate, she says, and vegetarian dishes such as Buddha’s Delight, stir-fried mixed vegetables, ma po tofu and Szechuan string beans also are healthier. Still, she cautions that these alternatives are all still heavy on the salt, so think about ordering the sauce on the side.
[source article from Newsweek]
{extended}Thursday, April 24, 2008
Watching Curious George
Carowinds 2008
We bought season passes to Carowinds today for the four of us. Woohoo!!
It’s been at least 15 years since Carmi and I last visited the park but Eliana is itching to go. Carmi said she asks about the rides almost every night at bedtime.
I should be fine as long as they don’t spin me around or turn me upside-down. Hmmm. Maybe I should stick to the shows?
{extended}Google translates Chinese
This should come as no surprise but Google can translate written Chinese characters into English sentences..
Google seems to do a better job than Babel Fish. Plus with Google, you can directly link to translated pages, making it easier to share translations with friends and family - like documents and announcements and such.
Just one more way that Google is taking over the world.
{extended}New Chinese children’s books hit the shelves
Everyone’s heard the benefits of teaching your child Chinese, which is expected to become the most widely spoken language in the world. But who knew it’d be so hard to find books for the budding polyglot.
Detroit-born Taiwanese American Chris Lin faced exactly this problem. Lin adopted his now-three-year-old daughter Mandy from China and hoped to teach her Chinese. He scoured bookstores in New York and Chicago but did not find suitable Chinese language books for Mandy’s age. What little he did find was culturally inappropriate, with cartoon characters sporting “googly eyes” that he did not want his daughter to emulate.
So instead, he created his own line of books featuring Mandy and her imaginary friend Pandy as main characters. In the first book, Mandy and Pandy Say ‘Ni Hao Ma’, the duo describe things they like, such as French fries, swimming, and their friends, whom in the pictures are a multi-cultural crowd. And that’s what’s unique about the Mandy and Pandy series—it’s tailored toward American children, who Lin hopes can identify with Mandy.
With thick cardboard pages, pastel colors and accompanying finger puppets of the lovable characters, the books feature simple sentences in simplified Chinese. Most importantly, it’s fun, and parents and kids alike can testify. All of thirteen buyer reviews on Amazon.com gave the books five out of five stars.
“Mandy’s been through this book several times, but then she got in front of her classmates, [and] would lead the class along with me reading it … It was very exciting for the both of us.”
The problem with the traditional teaching model in Chinese schools is that there’s no “positive reinforcement or incentive to learning,” Lin said. Curriculum is instead taught in a rigorous, methodical, non-interactive way reminiscent of the old country, he said.
To bridge the gap, Lin and Mandy’s Chinese teacher, Jing, created audio CDs that accompany each book. Jingles and rhythmic clapping help guide the child through the CD, thereby learning pronunciation of the Chinese words.
“Some kids will listen to the CD four times in a day,” Lin said. “That’s how excited they get learning it and challenging themselves with it.”
The Mandy and Pandy series aims to help young children associate learning Chinese with fun at an age when their minds are like sponges. “Early on is when you want to give them two, three or even five language, then they’re prepared and they can see which ones they like,” Lin said.
Only two books are out in bookstores so far, but already they have won an iParenting Media Award, whose reviewers consist of parents and licensed child education experts across the nation.
Lin and his ever-growing team plan to roll out 24 books over the next five years, and create videos and activity books for the series.
The books are available at Borders, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and the Mandy and Pandy web site.
[source]
{extended}Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The Forbidden Kingdom
A 21st Century American teenager takes a spellbinding, dangerous journey into martial arts legend in the new action/adventure epic The Forbidden Kingdom. Shot on location in China, The Forbidden Kingdom marks the historic first-ever onscreen pairing of martial arts superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and features the awe-inspiring action choreography of Wo Ping (The Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
).
While hunting down bootleg kung-fu DVDs in a Chinatown pawnshop, Jason makes an extraordinary discovery that sends him hurtling back in time to ancient China. There, Jason is charged with a monumental task: he must free the fabled warrior the Monkey King, who has been imprisoned by the evil Jade Warlord. Jason is joined in his quest by wise kung fu master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) and a band of misfit warriors including Silent Monk (Jet Li). But only by learning the true precepts of kung fu can Jason hope to succeed - and find a way to get back home.
This movie, rated PG-13, opened nationwide on Friday the 18th and was #1 at the weekend box office, debuting with $21.4 million.
{extended}Monday, April 21, 2008
China in National Geographic
The current issue of National Geographic - May 2008 - is wholly devoted to China. This special issue takes an in-depth look at subjects such as tensions facing a traditional rural village, China’s emerging middle class, the pollution of the Yellow River and the burgeoning architecture in Beijing. Readers will find a current, engaging primer on issues affecting everyday life in China and analysis of what the future may hold.
In addition to feature coverage, the all-China issue includes a series of short essays on topics ranging from the copying of art masterpieces, political dissent and concerns about the shrinking workforce to the emerging car culture, energy consumption and environmental, health and cultural issues. Also included are maps showing the Great Wall (actually many disconnected sections snaking across and around the country) and the ethnic make-up of the country, as well as a snapshot of the percentages of Chinese practicing various religions.
A special pullout supplement features a map of China on one side and the Forbidden City on the other.
{extended}Friday, April 18, 2008
Home study 2008
A lady from our agency paid us a (scheduled) visit late this afternoon along with her husband. They are both social workers who administered the requisite home study.
Tough questions but we made it through.
{extended}Thursday, April 17, 2008
Human Space Invaders
For those like me who are nostalgic for the 80s, here’s one of the all-time great video games…with a twist.
You can’t make any better use of the next 1 minute and 55 seconds.
No…really…
{extended}Monday, April 14, 2008
Starting the week off right
