July, 2009

 Illegal file sharing websites such as Napster, Bit torrent, Kazaa, Limewire and The Pirate Bay are now universally popular among Internet users and the bane of the music industry. While I have never (ahem) used any of these websites myself, they are nonetheless widely used by pretty much everyone else.

The problem, it seems, is pretty bad in China. Facilitated by infamously relaxed attitudes to intellectual property rights, “China rejoices in being bottom — 24th — of the trademark, patent and copyright indexes” for GIPI (Global intellectual property index). Never afraid of a good deal, Beijingers are making the most of this online treasure trove. During a 24-hour period in February, The Pirate Bay discovered 3.3million unique users in China, 22.4% of which were on their particular file-sharing site. I don’t want to be a whistle-blower but chances are your kid’s downloading music illegally, don’t worry though, everybody is.

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Reuters.com: Swine flu striking pregnant women hard: CDC study
Some rather ominous news from Reuters: “Pregnant women infected with the new H1N1 swine flu have a much higher risk of severe illness and death, U.S. government researchers said on Wednesday, confirming a trend that has worried global health experts. While pregnant woman have always had a higher risk of severe disease from influenza in general, the new H1N1 virus is taking an exceptionally heavy toll, the researchers said. "We do see a fourfold increase in hospitalization rates among ill pregnant women compared to the general population," Dr. Denise Jamieson of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a telephone interview. "We're also seeing a relatively large proportion of deaths among pregnant women. We report 13 percent in the paper, but that is a very unstable number based on a small number of deaths reported," said Jamieson, whose study appears in the journal Lancet …”

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Being married to a member of the Hui Muslim minority means that I've had my share of Chinese-style halal (qingzhen, 清真) meals. Although my in-laws are not the most orthodox of practitioners (my wife and mother-in-law will occasionally eat pork, while my father-in-law does not), they still maintain many of their culinary traditions.

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Don’t miss this week’s five excellent events that are fun for the whole family. E-mail newsletter@beijing-kids.com to get each issue sent to your inbox, or check the beijingkids website for full event listings online (www.beijing-kids.com).

Thursday July 30 – Piano Concert by the Wu Family A concert to showcase the talents of Wu Ying, dean of the Central Conservatory’s piano department, his wife Shao Dan and their daughter Wu Peixi, who has performed in Vienna since she was five. This might inspire a family concert of your own. For tickets, call 6417 7845 or visit www.piao.com.cn. RMB 10-100. 7.30-9pm. 

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While scanning through  the life & style section of the UK Times Online, I couldn't help but be drawn to this gem of a headline: 'Women are Getting More Beautiful'. "Oh, really?" I found myself thinking. Based on whose version of beauty? My brain then filled with an internal feminist rant encompassing everything from the invention of corsets to breast implants. Though I find it very easy to argue with myself, the one thing I find difficult to argue with is science. Being a strictly liberal arts kind of gal, the quickest way to shut me up is by citing a scientific study, of which this article has plenty. Once I finished reading, I felt that my internal rant didn't hold quite as much water. Here's a snippet:

"One finding was that women were generally regarded by both sexes as more aesthetically appealing than men. The other was that the most attractive parents were 26% less likely to have sons.

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Teachers at international schools sometimes get a bum rap. The idea that people who teach overseas are somehow less professional or qualified than educators back home is a common misconception – perhaps due to an unfortunate confusion with certain less-than-stellar overseas English teachers who get hired by dubious organizations simply because they were born speaking English, or even worse, due to their ethnicity.

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More research on baby communication reveals that infants can "match the sounds of an angry snarl or friendly yap with photos of dogs showing the corresponding body language" – a finding that suggests babies “can decipher emotions even before they learn to talk.”

The study, described in an article in livescience.com, involved 132 infants from four age groups (6, 12, 18 and 24 months) and found that even the youngest of babies could associate the sounds of an angry bark with a picture of an aggressive dog, the only difference between the age groups was in how quickly the older kids lost interest.

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Everyone living in China should be familiar with the concept of healthful eating to balance out body humors and improve your qi. In the same vein, eating certain foods can build up a stronger immunity to invading germs and bacteria. Although this is by no means as effective as medicine, the following wholesome foods can lower your chances of catching this threatening flu.

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Everybody loves a cute baby, but there's more to that innocent vacuous gaze than you might think – behind those doe eyes is a whirlwind of cognitive activity that puts even the mightiest supercomputers to shame.

Consider how an infant learns language – this amazing feat is one of the most defining aspects of human existence, and the process (and speed) through which a baby learns the nuances of speech, grammar and syntax from mere observation and imitation is truly astonishing. But what's even more remarkable is the ease of which very small children can become bilingual.

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Thursday July 23
Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint Marc
The boys choir from Lyon’s Saint Marc’s college perform pop songs, classic works and a short opera in their second China appearance at the National Center for the Performing Arts. RMB 80-400. 7.30-9pm.
Don't forget: Take the Tiananmen West exit of Line 1 of the subway. 

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From the Darwin Awards Dept. comes some sound advice for parents: 1) television, movies and other forms of entertainment can have a strong influence on a child's decision-making processes, and 2) drinking gasoline does not turn you into a powerful robot.

According to an article in the Shanghai Daily, a 14-year-old boy in Sichuan Province has been sneaking sips of gasoline for more than five years in an effort to become like one of the robotic superheroes in Transformers and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

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Heads up everyone. In case you didn’t know already, the longest and most complete solar eclipse of the 21^st Century is happening tomorrow. While Beijing is not the best viewing grounds for this extraordinary event, you should definitely still try to see it. Here are some eclipse-watching gatherings happening around town.

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As a follow up to my last post about taking care of your baby's "business," I looked into a comment made by reader lioralourie about "Elimination Communication" – a potty training practice that's catching on in the West, which apparently has roots in traditionally diaper-less places like China.

Here are a few informative links on the subject:

Diaperfreebaby.org
An American based "network of free support groups promoting a natural approach to responding to babies' elimination needs. This practice is followed worldwide and is known as Elimination Communication, Natural Infant Hygiene, and Infant Potty Training. The process involves observing one's baby's signs and signals, providing cue sounds and elimination-place associations, and can be done with or without any diaper use."

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Split pants: We've all seen them and perhaps even scoffed at them – but I'm writing this in defense of what I've concluded is one of the most sensible practices in Chinese child rearing.

Yes, I realize that to most Westerners, the sight of a three-year-old running around in what is essentially a pair of ass-less cotton chaps can be a bit jarring; but there is a distinct reason and method to the madness.

It all boils down to perception: I submit that when it comes to their babies, local parents have a more “organic” (and I don’t mean that in the “fertilizer-free” sense) notion of that most basic of human functions than us Westerners – after all, what comes out is “perfectly natural” stuff that is as harmless as the drool trailing from their little mouths.

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I couldn’t help but feel a little offended, a little sympathetic and a little found out when I read 101 Uses for a Woman in the UK Times Online.

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 Don’t miss this week’s five excellent events that are fun for the whole family. E-mail newsletter@beijing-kids.com to get each issue sent to your inbox, or check the beijingkids website for full event listings online (www.beijing-kids.com).

Thursday July 16 – Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Harry Potter mania! The much-anticipated sixth installment of J.K. Rowling’s magical series opens this week. Watch Harry, Ron, and Hermione swish their wands against the evil Lord Voldemort and his gang of Deatheaters. Showings every hour at Megabox at the Village. The Village at Sanlitun, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District. Don’t forget: Dress appropriately for the chilly air conditioning.

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Here's a quick review of our weekend trip to Shanghai (with apologies to Harper's Index).

7: The number of hours, in total, that our flights to and from Shanghai were delayed

2: Total hours spent sitting in the plane on the tarmac in Shanghai

4: Total hours in flight

3: Total hours spent sitting in the plane on the tarmac in Tianjin after being diverted from landing in Beijing due to bad weather/electrical problems

5: Total hours that the air conditioning was not working while we were sitting on the tarmac in Shanghai/Beijing

.5: Total number of hours that air conditioning was working while we were on the tarmac in Tianjin

25: Number of irate passengers who stormed to the front of the plane complaining about the lack of air conditioning while on ground in Tianjin

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Calling all aspiring artists and would-be watercolorists...

Take part in beijingkids’ Blue Ocean, Blue Dream painting competition for an opportunity to get your masterpiece exhibited in the Beijing Aquarium, and give yourself a chance of winning some great prizes.

- 3 lucky winners will receive a Beijing Aquarium 2010 family passport valued at RMB 660

- 5 runners-up will receive a Beijing Aquarium tickets package, valued at RMB 360

- 10 third place prizes will be awarded in the shape of Beijing Aquarium 10th anniversary special presents

- 100 highly commended entrants will earn a Beijing Aquarium ticket each or a Beijing Aquarium 10th Anniversary Celebration ticket.

For a chance to win of one of those great prizes, send your painting (minimum of A3 size) by mail to: Suite 2801, Bldg 10 Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100022, or submit a scanned copy (300dpi minimum) to marketing@beijing-kids.com. All entries must be in before July 28th.

Good luck!

China.org: Will Smith in Beijing for Kung Fu Kid

"Oscar-nominated American actor Will Smith was spotted in Beijing on Wednesday with his wife and children. But this time, he was not the biggest star. Smith was escorting Jaden, his 11-year-old son, to meet the crew of the upcoming Sino-American film "Kung Fu Kid", which will feature the award-winning child actor, Sohu.com reported. The Smiths also met with Jackie Chan, who will play Jaden's mentor. Will Smith will play the antagonist and is also one of the film's producers."

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Don’t miss this week’s five excellent events that are fun for the whole family. E-mail newsletter@beijing-kids.com to get each issue sent to your inbox, or check the beijingkids website for full event listings online (www.beijing-kids.com).

Thursday July 9 – Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
The third installment of the Ice Age movie series is released this week. Follow Manny the mammoth, Scrat the squirrel and Sid the sloth as they dodge dinosaurs and run amuck. Take the kids along to the Shijingcheng Wanda IMAX Theater to behold the movie in all its 3-D glory. Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District.
Don’t forget: Those with weak stomachs can check out the normal 2-D version Megabox at the Village, Sanlitun.

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Afternoons spent at Tuanjiehu Park’s beach, lazy weekends poolside at the Splash Recreation Club, sweltering Beijing temperatures. It’s official – bikini season is here. Most women have, at some point or another, had the word “diet” flash in and out of their minds with every bikini season.

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The annual AmCham-China July 4th event has established itself as something of an Independence Day institution in recent years, and with the help of beijingkids’ team of face painters and temporary tattoo artists, Saturday’s celebration at Ch'ien Men 23 was yet another all-out success.

Were you there? Check out the photos from the day in our online gallery to see if you were snapped!

The Kempinski Sanya is offering a value package tailor-made for families at their resort on the scenic beaches of Sanya.

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We're heading down to Shanghai for a wedding this weekend. Been down a dozen times before so in theory this trip should be no big deal – but this time, it very much is. Soon, we will join the ranks of parents who have braved the skies with their toddlers in tow.

Many of you, especially those who have done the trans-Pacific/Eurasia treks with your tots multiple times, may roll your eyes at my apprehension. And perhaps rightfully so – it is, after all, just a plane ride, right?

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