Monday, May 09, 2005

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Happy Mother's Day


And I'll express heart-felt sympathy for those I know who have recently lost their mother. I'm truly sorry for your loss.

Local Story

Parents nurture bond between Chinese toddlers: The two dark-haired toddlers looked at each other and smiled. They held hands and played with a Fisher-Price phone together. When one walked away, the other followed.


Saturday, May 07, 2005

News

Zhang Ding's masterpieces on display: Zhang Ding was born in northeast China in 1917. He established his fame for his skill of drawing caricatures, and later shifted to design. At the beginning of 1960s, Zhang Ding made innovative changes to Chinese painting by using western painting techniques as a reference.

Chinese Classes Grow in Popularity with U.S. Students: Mandarin Chinese classes are growing more popular with U.S. students. Tara Siler visits students at a public high school in Oakland, Calif., and has this report. [NPR Audio]

China Braces for a More Valuable Yuan: As speculators across Asia place ever larger bets on a revaluation of China's currency soon, investors and corporate executives alike are trying to prepare for what a more valuable yuan will mean for stocks and companies.


Local Story

Mother's Day blessings from China: Since China opened its borders less than 10 years ago to international adoptions, the United States has become the largest participant in Chinese adoptions, averaging 6,000 per year. Knox County is seeing its own population boom of families with adopted Chinese daughters. To date, there are at least a dozen families with 14 Chinese daughters, and more are on the way. Recently area mothers and their daughters gathered to discuss thier Mother's Day blessings from China.


Friday, May 06, 2005

Birth Moms

Remembering the other mother on Mother's Day: I'm not sure if they celebrate Mother's Day in China. But there is a mother somewhere in Hunan province I will be honoring this week as we approach the second Sunday in May. Actually, the woman my family calls "China Mommy" is someone I think about virtually every day, not just on the designated date each year that marketers want us to send flowers and cards with standardized sentiments. It's impossible not to wonder about her each time I dress my daughter, or brush her silky, straight black hair, or listen to her enthusiastic belly laugh. I wonder if she looks like her birth mother and if I'm seeing China Mommy's face when I gaze at my daughter's.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Blogging Baby

Blogging Baby has links to some very interesting content.

Blogging Baby is a blog -- an online magazine -- about pregnancy, baby care and parenting. We cover what we think is interesting as parents ourselves.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Local Story

Family's adoption story spans the world, Web: Just to get to China, they spent 26 hours in airplanes and airports, starting in Greensboro and ending in Beijing. Two weeks later, Larry and Rebecca Weisberg, plus sons Aaron, 14, and Cutter, 10, would repeat the same tedious routine en route home. Only this time, the Weisbergs had a new family member -- 2-year-old Lexi -- along for the ride.

Monday, May 02, 2005

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Here is a link that provides the history of the event:

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month May 2005: In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important anniversaries: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and the completion of the transcontinental railroad (May 10, 1869). In 1992, Congress expanded the 10-day observance to a month-long celebration. Per a 1997 Office of Management and Budget directive, the Asian or Pacific islander racial category was separated into two different categories: "Asian" and "native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander."

PBS is running some shows on the subject:

PBS TO OFFER SPECIAL PROGRAMMING FOR MAY 2005 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH: In honor of APA Heritage Month, PBS is proud to present a number of programs on topics ranging from Filipino American soldiers who became General Douglas MacArthur's secret weapons in World War II to the dance stories of the Pacific Islands to a fascinating portrait of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos. Reflecting the diversity of ethnicities, experiences and regions with a breadth that can't be found anywhere else, these compelling programs examine the rich history, cultural contributions and distinguished heritage of Asian Pacific Americans.

(Thanks asa from APC!)

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