You're going to have to imagine a really striking series of photos of my kids here with the three lions from the Lion Dance at our local FCC's Little New Year picnic over the weekend.

Daughter, she loves dancing, but especially the lion dancers. Son (son!) liked the food and the running around on the playground.

And Lulu, the dog, she likes chewing things. Son (son!) helpfully procures things to chew on -- things like, oh, camera cables. So if you've been wondering when the cute pictures of the cute kids are going to be reappearing on this space, well, you'll have to bear with us.

Happy Year of the Pig! It interested me to meet as many waiting families as... more

Like the previous hexagram, kan (and, for that matter, like the first two hexagrams in the whole book), this is a hexagram made by repeating the same trigram twice -- in this case, double li, the essence of fire.

According to some commentators, li and kan are what everything is made from. While all-yang qian... more

If you happened to be one of the American families lucky enough to have referral paperwork hit right during the 2 weeks of Chinese New Year, you should be in for a fun ride next week.

After Dick Cheney practiced his version of diplomacy, China tells America to butt out.

A spokesman for the foreign ministry in Beijing accused the US of acting like a nosy neighbour.

China's policies were aimed only at defence, said Qin Gang, rejecting claims of opaque spending policies.

"What's your response if your neighbour keeps peeking into your house through a crack in the door... more

This Saturday, there's going to be a special red lantern hanging up for the end of the New Year season -- a total lunar eclipse for the first full moon of the lunar new year.

It will be the first total lunar eclipse in two-and-a-half years and the spectacle can best be viewed along the east coast of Canada and the U.S. as well... more

A boy and his globe, Topaz, Utah, 1943

I still don't understand what just happened in China with the markets and Alan Greenspan (?!) and all, but it looks like gas is going to get a little bit cheaper.

Which is something, I suppose.

... more

Jan Risher of The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, Louisiana, has some familiar things to say about child-rearing, tantrums and the need for a proper goodbye:

After a big Mardi Gras celebration last week, by... more

Been to China between February 1996 and November 2006?

Spend money with a Visa, Mastercard or Diners Club card?

You could be in line for some money back.

I haven't been through this system yet, so I don't know how easy it is, but hey, it's worth a shot, isn't it?

The end of the New Year season is almost here. 15 days after the Lunar New Year is the "Little New Year," after which everything goes back to normal.

It's Lantern Festival time.

During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying bright lanterns.... more

Once again, I've spent the weekend reliving the Chongqing pneumonia. Everyone in the family got the cold. Some got it with a sore throat. Others got a bit of a fever. And some (the smallest and mightiest among us) seem only to have gotten a bit of a blocked up nose.

Me, though -- once again, straight to the lungs. (OK, the bronchial tubes, but still....) Rales. Wheezing.... more

There seems to be more emotive language flying around the world of Chinese adoption lately.

Like this Asia Times article on China's Lost Girls:

Whether the new rules for foreign adoptions are truly intended to safeguard the adopted children or, rather, to change what Beijing perceives as the demeaning image of China as America's favorite orphanage, many would-be mothers... more