Local Story

Nicoloro family now adopting third daughter from China: After prominent careers in television on every network, in film and on stage, with a variety of titles and multiple Emmy nominations and awards, producers James Nicoloro and his wife, Kathleen Heller, are now enjoying parenthood. They are very happy to have the titles of "Momma" and "Poppa" to their 5-year-old twin daughters, Leigha and Juliette, adopted in China when they were 12 months old. The couple is now planning to adopt a third child, Wen Tao, 9, a special needs child also from China.

Jet Li and WuShu

King of the Kung-Fu Stars: From Shaolin Temple, to the series of Once Upon a Time in China, to the recent Danny the Dog and Fearless, Jet Li is a name closely connected with action movie, kung fu, and wushu (or martial arts).

[If you've never seen WuShu in action, check out this google video of the Beijing WuShu team.]

Local Story

Child and prejudice: With Mother's Day approaching, Emily Buchanan recalls the suspicions and bureaucracy she had to overcome when she adopted two Chinese girls and brought them to Britain.

Hollywood News

Jessica Simpson ready to adopt baby: Jessica Simpson is thinking about joining the Hollywood adopt-a-baby-from-a-foreign-country club. "I want to adopt, and I plan to adopt before I have my own kids," the 25-year-old star tells TV's Extra.

News

Name for baby? Check out national database: Chinese parents may have to ponder less longer over their babies' names with a regulation on name registration being drafted. Instead of using whatever characters they want, parents might choose from a special database.

China's home-grown tech firms: Despite China's image as the sweatshop of the world, the country's homegrown technology sector is beginning to bloom.

China bans sale of organs in effort to control chaotic transplant industry: China said it would ban the trade in human organs, amid domestic pressure to regulate the chaotic industry and reports that Japanese and Malaysians had died from botched Chinese transplants.

Asian-American Statistics

The following was sent to me from a professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Because of length considerations, I did not include the info on Pacific Islanders, and I removed source information.

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2006 statistical portrait of the Asian American and Pacific Islander populations produced by the US Census Bureau for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which will take place in May, 2006. The portrait provides current census data, population projections, and internet links that should be useful for research, planning, writing and general educational purposes.
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Asians

14.0 million
The estimated number of U.S. residents in July 2004 who said they were Asian or Asian in combination with one or more other races. This group comprised 5 percent of the total population. California had both the largest population (4.8 million) and the largest numerical increase (123,000) of people of this group since July 2003; Hawaii is the state where Asians made up the highest proportion of the total population (58 percent).

3.4%
Percentage growth of the Asian population between 2003 and 2004, the highest of any race group during that time period.

Education

49%
The percentage of Asians, age 25 and older, who have a bachelor's degree or higher level of education. Asians have the highest proportion of college graduates of any race or ethnic group in the country.

87%
The percentage of Asians, age 25 and older, who are high school graduates.

20%
The percentage of Asians, age 25 and older, who have an advanced degree (e.g., master's, Ph.D., M.D. or J.D.).

The Asian population is comprised of many groups who differ in languages spoken, culture and length of residence in the United States. This is reflected in the demographic characteristics of these groups. For instance, 68 percent of Asian Indians, age 25 and older, had a bachelor's degree or more education and 37 percent had a graduate or professional degree; the corresponding numbers for Vietnamese-Americans were 24 percent and 7 percent, respectively

Income and Poverty

$57,518
Median household income for Asians in 2004, the highest among all race groups.

Median household income differed greatly by Asian group. For Asian Indians, for example, the median income in 2004 was $68,771; for Vietnamese-Americans, it was $45,980.

9.8%
Poverty rate for Asians in 2004, down from 11.8 percent in 2003.

Businesses

1.1 million
Number of businesses owned by Asian-Americans in 2002, up 24 percent from 1997.

$343.3 billion
Receipts of Asian-American-owned businesses in 2002, up 13 percent from 1997. An estimated 319,911 Asian-owned businesses had paid employees; and their receipts totaled $307.6 billion, or about $961,379 per firm.

* About 28 percent of Asian-American-owned firms were in health care and other services, with another 14 percent each in professional services and retail trade.

* Asian-American-owned firms accounted for 45 percent of businesses in Hawaii, 13 percent of firms in California and 9 percent in New York.

Languages

2.3 million
The number of people age 5 and older who speak Chinese at home. After Spanish, Chinese is the most widely spoken non-English language in the country. Tagalog and Vietnamese also have more than 1 million speakers.

Coming to America

8.7 million
The number of U.S. residents who were born in Asia. Asian-born residents comprise one-fourth of the nation's total foreign-born population.

52%
The percentage of the foreign-born from Asia who are naturalized U.S. citizens.

1.8 million
The estimated number of foreign-born people from China. Following Mexico, China is the leading country of birth for the nation's foreign-born. Other nations contributing at least 1 million foreign-born to our nation include India and the Philippines. The estimate for China includes Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Serving Our Nation

282,000
The number of Asian-American military veterans.

Families

60%
The proportion of Asian households consisting of a married-couple family.

Jobs

46%
The proportion of employed Asians 16 and older who work in management, professional and related occupations, such as financial managers, engineers, teachers and registered nurses.

Counties

1.4 million
The number of Asians in Los Angeles County, Calif., which tops the nation's counties. From 2003 to 2004, this county also experienced the largest numerical increase of Asians (25,200).

Age Distribution

26%
Percent of people on July 1, 2004, identifying themselves as either Asian or Asian in combination with one or more other races who are under 18; 8 percent are 65 or older.

Note: American Community Survey estimates are based on the population of one race only and do not include those living in group quarters.

News

China reports 11th bird flu death: A 29-year-old woman has become the 11th person to die from the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu in China, state media have reported.

China's tax burden lower than world average: China's tax burden is still lower than that of most developing and developed countries despite its rapid growth of tax revenue in recent years, the State Administration of Tax (SAT) said in a report published over the weekends.

China military buildup destabilizing: China's growing military strength and its tense relationship with Taiwan are major destabilizing factors in East Asia, according to a strategy report issued on Monday by a think tank affiliated with Japan's Defense Ministry.

A quarter of Chinese study English: More than 300 million Chinese people, or nearly a quarter of the country's population, have studied English either as a major course or as an elective subject.

Story on International Adoption

Adoptions [without] borders: Parents say international route presents fewer roadblocks in journey toward happy families.

China Related TV

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Featured Flickr Photo

Girl & Water Buffalo


(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

Lowest-Priced Digital Prints

Day-in and day-out, Photomax offers a super low price for digital prints -- 12 cents!

If you order a lot of digital prints (or would like to start), Photomax has a subscription plan where you get 100 prints a month for $9.95. That works out to less than 10 cents a print.

In addition to the great price on prints, the subcription plan gives you an additional 10 Gb of on-line storage, members-only promotions and discounts, and preferred pricing, where you get up to 25% off normal prices on other gift items. (This is a great deal -- the $10 you will save on a Movie Magic DVD pays for a month's subsciption right away.)

Once you log into Photomax, you can find the subscriptions page by clicking on the "Product Center" tab and clicking "Memberships" on the right of the page (near the bottom).

If you haven't already, check out the Photomax Registration page, where you will get 20 free 4x6 prints and a free 8x10 for creating an account (as well as 5 Gb of on-line storage for your photos).

I've been a very happy Photomax customer for the last couple of months. If you have any questions, send me an e-mail.

Local Story

Adopted in China, Seeking Identity in America: Molly Feazel desperately wants to quit the Chinese dance group that her mother enrolled her in at age 5, because it sets her apart from friends in her Virginia suburb. Her mother, though, insists that Molly, now 15, will one day appreciate the connection to her culture.

[Update: Ray points out in a comment that the New York Times version of this article has a nice audio slide show narrated by the author, Lynette Clemetson.]

Dog Flowers

These pictures are not necessarily China-related, but a friend sent them to me and I thought I'd pass them along.

Child Theft

Chinese government stealing children, demanding ransom for return: Farmers accuse family planning officials of taking away children born outside the 'one child policy' and demanding payment to return them. Victims are baby girls who are sent to unknown orphanages.

Local Story

Adopting children from other countries a balancing act: After adopting two infants from China, Jeff and Heidi Summey were determined to help their daughters feel comfortable with their dual heritage.

Off for a Week

I won't be posting to the weblog again until Saturday March 25. I hope everyone has a great week!

Updated News

China Says No Babies Improperly Adopted: The Chinese government says that an investigation found no children involved in a recent baby-trafficking case were adopted by American families, a U.S. State Department official said Wednesday.

Featured Flickr Photo

Green Sinkhole
The Karst region consists of socalled sinkholes. Here is an example, with the ricefields that are so characteristic for this area.

(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

Local Story

Families celebrate upcoming Chinese adoptions: Like most first-time mothers, Christi Gardner said she was shaking when she saw her daughter Grace's face for the first time. But a picture is all she has so far - Gardner will have to wait until May to hold the little girl. That's when she and her husband plan to travel to the Fogang orphanage in Guangdong Province, China, to pick up the daughter that the couple has waited a year and a half to meet.

China Related TV

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Child Theft

Stealing Babies for Adoption: On a muggy evening in July 2004, on a concrete lane reeking of raw sewage and chemicals from surrounding factories, a stranger leapt from a white van. He yanked 16-month-old Fei Mei from the arms of her 8-year-old cousin and sped away.

Featured Flickr Photo

At the farm
The rice fields come right up to your doorstep. Pls. click 'all sizes' for a better view of all that's there...

(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

Photomax Movie Magic DVD

I've mentioned Photomax in previous posts. Today I'm going to highlight a Photomax product that should be of interest to many people who read this blog.

Movie Magic DVD takes your selected pictures and sets them to the music and background of choice. It's far more than just a slide show, with professional effects and transitions. The best way to get a feel for what it looks like is by viewing a sample (Quicktime format; select high or low bandwidth):

• [high] [low] Mother's Day
• [high] [low] Love
• [high] [low] Christmas
• [high] [low] Outdoors

This month, Photomax is having a contest for the best Movie Magic DVD. The winner receives a trip to the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. More details . . . (And, FYI, anyone who enters will be competing against me! )

The Movie Magic DVD is another great reason to use Photomax to preserve and share your memories. If you haven't already, check out the Photomax Registration page, where you will get 20 free 4x6 prints and a free 8x10 for creating an account (as well as 5 Gb of on-line storage for your photos).

News

Virtual Heroes: Chinese society has changed so much that citizens don't know what makes a legend anymore--whether online or in real life.

Beijing's Trendy 'Chinese Style Western Food': Many Western style restaurants in Beijing have taken the path, one after the other, of serving "Chinese style Western food", with the result of easier acceptance by Beijing residents of this type of localized Western menu.

China reports 10th bird flu death: A child in south-east China has become the 10th person in the country to die of bird flu.

China shuts down outspoken blog: One of China's most outspoken and widely read blogs has been closed down by the authorities.

Sandstorm

Sandstorm hits North China: Many areas in the northern and central parts of China are being hit by sandstorms, which are expected to last over the weekend and bring falling temperatures and strong winds.

Featured Flickr Photo

Dawodang farm detail


(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

News

China reports 10th bird flu death: A nine-year-old girl from Zhejiang province died on Monday, becoming the 10th person in China to die of bird flu.

China's rural millions left behind: The tens of millions who have moved to the cities find themselves treated like second class citizens there too. In a system akin to South Africa's apartheid, people born in rural China find it almost impossible to become full urban residents.

China moves to curb mining deaths: The governor of China's biggest coal producing province has said he plans to slow expansion in the industry in a bid to curb the number of mining deaths.

Young Chinese struggling for jobs: A decade ago, a university education meant a promising future as only a handful of elite students had the chance to enter college, and every graduate was guaranteed a life-long job in government organizations or state firms. But these promises ended years ago when the government decided to let students find jobs themselves.

Black and White Pictures

Photography of China

We are in the process of adopting our first child from China. Our application was officially "logged-in" in China on October 10, 2005. Since that time, however, there has been a significant slowdown between the time an application is "logged-in" in China and the time a family is actually referred a baby. During this extended waiting period, we have decided to post this very basic Web site as a venue for selling some of our photography to help raise the additional money we will need to complete the adoption process.

News

Baby Adoption Case Draws Scrutiny in China: Liang Guihong is a goodhearted 56-year-old woman who finds homes for abandoned infants. Or she's a leader of a gang that sold abducted babies, some of whom were adopted abroad.

The Geopolitics of Sexual Frustration: The lost boys of Prof. Albert Macovski are upon us. Twenty years ago, the ultrasound scanning machine came into widespread use in Asia. The invention of Macovski, a Stanford University researcher, the device quickly gave pregnant women a cheap and readily available means to determine the sex of their unborn children. The results, by the million, are now coming to maturity in Bangladesh, China, India, and Taiwan. By choosing to give birth to males--and to abort females--millions of Asian parents have propelled the region into an extraordinary experiment in the social effects of gender imbalance.

News

Long Corridor at Summer Palace Gets Face-lift: A 720-meter long corridor at gorgeous Summer Palace in the western suburbs of the national capital Beijing is undergoing an overhaul to protect the dainty paintings on its ceilings and beams against the rain.

China confirms new bird flu death: A man who died last week in the south Chinese province of Guangdong has been confirmed by the health ministry as the country's ninth victim of bird flu. [Related MSNBC Article]

China teaching how to spit, sit for 2008: The government is teaching citizens "the right way to spit." A college is showing students the right way to sit. Two years ahead of hosting the Olympic Games, people across Beijing are on an all-out drive to mind their manners.

Meg Ryan

'I was destined to adopt a baby': Meg Ryan knew she was destined to become the mother of her adoptive daughter Daisy after an epiphany in India 10 years ago.

China Related TV

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Featured Flickr Photo

Inside The Forbidden City


(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

Local Story

Adoption of Chinese children becomes more popular: In an informational session last week at the Mystic-Noank Library, China Adoption With Love Inc., a non-profit adoption agency that has placed more than 1,500 children since its start 10 years ago, gave prospective parents a look at the facets of child adoption in China.

Featured Flickr Photo

Guiyang streetlife
Still life - but not quiet.

(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

News

Unlocking the 'Forbidden Garden': The Qianlong Garden in the northeastern section of the Forbidden City will receive a US$12 million face-lift by the Palace Museum, administrative organ of the Forbidden City, and the New York-based World Monuments Fund.

The high price of illness in China: Today the old system providing near-universal access to basic healthcare has been dismantled, as the government tries to spread the cost of providing healthcare to more than one billion people.

Incredible Pictures of China

These are the most incredible pictures of China I have ever seen.

News

China says it may deport badly behaved foreigners: China may deport foreigners who buy or sell sex, steal or get involved in fights under new laws that come into effect on Wednesday, state newspapers reported.

Did China invent golf?: Famously, they gave the world gunpowder. They also came up with the wheelbarrow, the umbrella, printing and paper, phosphorescent paint and something called land sailing. But golf?

China fights to hold back sands: China declared its first victory in a centuries-old war against the desert yesterday after a campaign to plant 12bn trees in five years finally made a small green dent in an ocean of sand dunes and dustbowls.