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Mandarin Superpowers And More On China

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From the blog Simpson's Paradox, please comment here:

TalkTalkChina Is Back!

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8 ) Caramel Apple Crack at Starbucks.

I don’t know if the Starbucks in China has this, because I was too busy slurping up all the real-bean coffee and then getting the jitters. I don’t know what’s in it, either. I asked Stick and he thinks maybe it’s sunshine and rainbows and highly addictive chemicals.

Note: This is not a paid advertisement, but if Starbucks would pay me I would totally advertise the Apple Crack. In fact, I’d even call it by its proper name.

7) Not working retail on Black Friday. It’s been years now that I haven’t BUT I still feel good waking up the day after Thanksgiving and knowing I don’t have to ring up frazzled shoppers. If you are such a shopper, be extra nice to the sales assistants. I’m also thankful for not having to shop on Black Friday.

6) Being back in the land of English bookstores. And libraries. And newspapers. And Cosmo magazine, wait, I mean all magazines. I think I have to change this one to all English printed matter.

5) Freakishly good weather here in Nascar land. I think I’ve wore a hat one morning so far.

4) Getting the gig with the Middle Earth poster. You know when internships talk about how valuable the experience is, how much you’ll learn, and all the mentoring you’ll get, and that’s why they don’t have to pay any money? This job is like that, only they pay me.

3)  My Stivison family and my Malavette family.

2) Western food. No, wait, what I really meant was Southern food. Apparently food needs a compass direction to be extra tasty. I was in Yantai and Beijing for the last two Thanksgivings, and while I wouldn’t miss my China holidays for anything, I’m excited about eating some deep-fried turkey. [not hyperbole]

1)  Stick.

From the blog Simpson's Paradox, please comment here:

Thanksgiving

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Ethiopians claim they hate condoms because the smell of latex sickens them. To combat the odor, DKT International, a United Sates nonprofit, created coffee condoms. These dark brown condoms allegedly (I’m not testing the products) taste and smell like the favorite coffee of Ethiopia—the macchiato, an espresso with cream and sugar. … These condoms bolster national identity because Ethiopians claim to have invented coffee. DKT International also created flavored and scented condoms for Indonesia (durian fruit) and China (sweet corn).

Yes, that’s right. Durian fruit flavored condoms.

Durian is a strange Asian fruit, which is either considered a delicacy or one of the most revolting smells on the planet. I fall into the second category… I still regret once putting my nose near a durian just to see if that funny spikey fruit could really be making that sickening rotting smell. (It was!) Even in countries where durian is eaten, durian are not allowed in public places, like on subways, or on planes, or into hotels or hospitals because of the smell.

I find that retching and gagging discourages romance, but to each his own, I guess.

Via mental_floss Blog » 5 Innovative Ways to Encourage Safer Sex

From the blog Simpson's Paradox, please comment here:

Durian Romance

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The Republicans paint the Alaska Governor as the moose-hunting hockey mom the whole party can love. The Democrats seem to be employing a shoot-the-moon strategy, trying to raise enough doubts about Palin that she becomes a major liability.

If I were Obama, I’d ignore her. Why? The media will investigate Palin on its own, as any young journalist worth his salt will vie to be the One Who Brought Her Down. This isn’t the “liberal media”, simply how things work in a competitive industry.

Couldn’t agree more, Matt!

Via Matt Schiavenza – Ignore Her

From the blog Simpson's Paradox, please comment here:

Quick Couple Lines on Palin

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Edit 7/24: Other bloggers talking about my post.

Imagethief

James Fallows

Luke Gedeon

From the blog Simpson's Paradox, please comment here:

One World, One Dream, No Visas

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Teachers were affected about a year ago when the government stopped processing visa renewals and work permits regionally. Now, all education hires must be processed outside of mainland China. In Guangzhou, a highly qualified business visa holder could once have lectured at a college or university and bypass myriad education ministry rituals meant to ensure teacher quality with their “foreign expert” certification requirements. But the police searched records this year and several local colleges were forced to let go of instructors, some in the middle of their teaching semesters. Ironically, the new rules have not upped the standards, but have driven institutions scramble and they solicit anyone (anyone white) and with a pulse for positions. And because institutions know that the new teachers won’t be around for long, especially now, the foreigners are generally saddled with mind-numbing oral English classes even if they hold credentials or have experience that qualify them for other jobs.

He also says:

And this week I volunteered my time to a new NGO that asked me not to recruit too many expats. They expressed concern that if too many foreigners became a part of the relief efforts in Sichuan that the government might revoke their politically fragile charter.

It is really rough that visa difficulties are affecting expats like Lonnie Hodge and company.  Lonnie’s worked for children’s libraries in China and for earthquake relief, and given so much time and effort and love to China.

Michael of The Opposite End of China is having his own troubles on his visa vacation:

I went into New York yesterday to drop off my application and paperwork for a Z (working) visa and was completely and utterly rejected. Seems that my working permit indicates that I’ll be living in China for purposes of employment, while my invitation letter says I’ll be participating in a vague-sounding “exchange program”.

My employer ensures me that this is the same phrasing they’ve used to obtain Z visas for other foreign experts in the past… but as you all know, what used to be good enough isn’t cutting the mustard these days. A new invitation letter is on the way, but since it’s issued by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs there’s no telling how long it’ll take. My flight back to Beijing on July 17 is in serious jeopardy.

Michael has lived and worked in Xinjiang for a couple years, and has volunteered there, and has brought the world of Uighur music and culture to the ‘net, and just been an amazing travel blogger. (I seem to remember you were on a Korla documentary, as well?)

China was kind of due for a cleanup, any expat will tell you about the fly-by-night “language centers” and  “English teachers” who’d be completely unemployable back home. But why toss out the folks who’ve really invested into China?

Flotsam of the Chamber of Ten Thousand Flowers has a good theory on the new visa restrictions:

To speak to a native Beijinger a reporter will probably need an interpreter, and the native Beijinger will probably already know what he must [and not] say to foreign reporters. To speak to a foreign resident would not be quite so irksome – and finding foreigners is remarkably easy, just stand in the high street of any large city and see how easy it is to spot the laowai amongst the surrounding sea of jet black hair and tanned faces – and if the questions became too probing who knows what might be said and then reported? Do you now begin to see the danger? So, to present the world with a picture of an unflawed harmonious society the way ahead is to make sure that the only people available on the streets are re-educated natives and first time tourists, that way there will be no embarrassing stories to deal with.

Time will tell.

From the blog Simpson's Paradox, please comment here:

Other Bloggers On Visa Changes

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