IllinoisDave

+1 on Netflix. I've found quite a few Chinese movies on there. Not too many other places to find them. I do the same with subtitles on regular tv. Too bad Netflix doesn't have the capability yet.

My wife spoke pretty good English before she got here and has steadily improved. She enjoys the Mandarin channels on DTV but we also watch a lot of English-language stuff together. And even after 3 1/2 years here she still asks all the time what a particular word or phrase she hears on tv means. Which makes having a DVR with a pause function essential. For good or bad, you hear a lot of terms and sayings on the telly that just don't come up in everyday conversation. Being exposed to that has far outweighed any possible "negative" content she may be exposed to IMO. And sometimes the "unacceptable" stuff can be a good educational opportunity.

Not everyone comes to Candle to share details of their private lives with members of this forum, not matter how much they may like those members. Calling out those who may feel that way seems inappropriate. Dave you crack me up, lighten up. feel free not to share And fell free not to complain about it. B)

Not everyone comes to Candle to share details of their private lives with members of this forum, not matter how much they may like those members. Calling out those who may feel that way seems inappropriate.

Was this an actual quote form a government official? If that was an American official, they would be out on their butts for such a comment. I'd love for that official to have an "engineering accident". After all, they are just a "common" city official. it was a sarcastic comment from a chinese netcitizen.... in my experience chinese people are aware that the government and really rich do not put too much value on a person's life ... they did not just discover this ... they have known it for years ... and not just this current governement Quite so... And people seem to be waking up to the fact that they shouldn't have to put up with it any more... Well, some people anyway.

I'm sorry Dave but we are kicking your butt 766 - 701...GO BADGERS!!! We're still waiting for some late results from Cook County. Yeah but some of those people in Illinois had probably already died of the flu last year, or caught the flu twice... So they won't mind if we count 'em twice.

I'm sorry Dave but we are kicking your butt 766 - 701...GO BADGERS!!! We're still waiting for some late results from Cook County.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Now that I'd like to see.

Here's a state-by-state breakdown of reported cases. We're No. 1. http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm

We were so close to traveling there in December - just so nervous about our upcoming interview that I don't think we would have had fun. It is on the list when we return! We were all set to spend a week there on my second trip until my wife's classmates talked her into taking me to Beijing to see the national treasures instead. I'm glad they did but hope to go to Lijiang some day as well.

Lijiang, Yunnan province, is supposed to be very nice. http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/lijiang/lijiang.html http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/lijiang.htm http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&...=4&ct=title

The first claim in patently false. I watch the news every day and I see the numbers updated on one source or another on a daily basis. I'd like to know how they define "US" when they make the accusation that the US is suggesting that China is overreacting. Just because a few bloggers or pundits suggest it hardly constitutes a whole country. Seems like just more of the typical propaganda the CCP-controlled media passes off as information.

Congratulations to both of you. 2nd anniversary will be much better.

No one here said it shouldn't be a Chinese-American. Nice straw though. The point was that suggesting it wasn't a Chinese-American because of a 127 year-old law that was repealed in 1943 is, on it's face, a ridicuous suggestion. Just as it would be ridiculous to suggest that it wasn't a Japanese-American because of Pearl Harbor, or an African American because of The Fugitive Slave Act. But then I'm confident anyone posting that suggestion knows that and only did it to take a cheap political shot.

Congrats and good luck!

And getting back to the ambassador. The family business http://www.huntsman.com/china/ has a large presence in China so he's familiar with the business climate as well. I don't think it would be a fun job at all. If you think about it, anyone with that job will be constantly stuck in the middle attempting to clarify the intentions and culture between two countries that couldn't be more different. But couldn't that be said of many ambassadors around the world? And this is one reason why I think his background will be an asset. I mean somebody's got to do it right? Why not somebody who at least has some knowledge of the country and the region? Let's face it, that job would be a huge challenge for anybody in this day and age. There's no guarantee he'll succeed just as there wouldn't be for anybody else. But I think he has a better chance of hitting the ground running than a lot of others would've had.

And getting back to the ambassador. The family business http://www.huntsman.com/china/ has a large presence in China so he's familiar with the business climate as well.

If only they'd leave the intolerence and hypocrisy of their respective religions, not to mention their diseases, behind. And that's quite a statement from someone who preaches so longly and loudly about how "outsiders" should leave China to her own devices. So now I guess you'd be all for unlimited access for missionaries of all faiths to spread their various brands of hope, help and better lives to all the people of China?

First of all, most know that I'm probably the least religious person here so I didn't include the missionary part of his resume to boost his creds. Personally I think missionaries of all religions have done more harm than good in most of the places they've invaded. But that's a different discussion. I listed it along with the other things to point out that he's at least lived in that part of the world and must have a modicum of knowledge about China. That's more than can be said of many ambassadors who've been appointed solely on family or political ties over the years. I think the "Chinese exclusion act" crack was unnecessary and beneath this discussion. Some people would find fault with any pick the President made just because they want to.

For crying out loud! I"m arguing in the guy's favor! Read my post: Since the attempt to be less contentious with my original post obviously didn't work I guess I'll just have to spell out my meaning. I'm saying that if/when Zhao's book starts to get more publicity, the CCP will no doubt come out and try to discredit him by smearing his character any way they can and by shifting the focus from what they did in Tiananmen and subsequently to him to the old argument about them being able to to anything they want to keep "civil control." And then I said that it wouldn't take long for people to help them in that effort by defending the CCP position and justifying their actions. We'll have to wait and see on the first point but the second has already been borne out, at least here in this thread. As for "my man", are you referring to President Obama? He's not my man, he's the President of the United States. And I'm not really sure why you chose to include him in this discussion, as he has nothing to do with it.

Most people just use the more understood definition of the term apology: An apology is a justification or defense of an act or idea, from the Greek apologia (απολογία). An apology can also be an expression of contrition and remorse for something done wrong. Read my post again. Read the definition again. Apologist is exactly the word I meant to use.

Glad to hear you made it. Enjoy yourself and post as much as you can. We live vicariously through everybody who goes.

I'd have to agree with your colleague. Very inappropriate IMO for a company to be dictating personal priorities that include religion. And there's a bunch of stuff I'd put on that list ahead of work, like almost everything. When I"m at work they get more than an honest day's work from me and the work I do is thorough and accurate. But when I leave, I leave it all behind. The other 15 to 16 hours of the day are mine. Now I do realize that I'm very lucky to have a job where that's possible and that not everyone is so lucky.

Welcome to Candle.Tman.