tbjkids blog - Latest posts

Last week’s New York Times article (What Is It About 20-Somethings?, Aug 18, 2010) on the alleged phenomenon of young people in the US who are either unwilling or unable o cut the cord and assume full-blown adulthood (i.e. financial and domestic independence) has succeeded in ruffling a few feathers.

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China Hearsay has an interesting piece discussing a recent China Daily/Xinhua story on the jurisdiction of divorce settlements between Chinese nationals and foreigners.

According to the China Daily article: "Chinese nationals married to foreigners will have to settle any marital conflicts according to the law of the country where they live most of the time under proposals that went before Chinese lawmakers Monday" -- a motion that clears up (somewhat) a long-standing ambiguity about how divorce settlement laws are applied in these instances. Or, as ChinaHearsay puts it, "The point is that this sort of thing tends to be messy, and judges here do not like dealing with foreign-related family law issues."

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Editor’s Note: Lauren McCarthy, our intrepid writer, went to check out the “Happy Magic Water Cube Waterpark” yesterday. Here is her take on the experience.

Earlier this month we blogged about the opening of the Magic Happy Water Cube Waterpark and we recently had a chance to check it out (and see if it’s worth the RMB 200 admission).

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The Global Times and other Chinese media outlets have announced free measles (ma(2) zhen(3), 痲疹) shots for kids from September 11-20 for "children from 8 months old to 14 years old at 535 vaccination sites and 178 hospitals" due to an anticipated outbreak this fall.

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After reading numerous articles about the over-the-top kitsch, long lines, overpriced food and generally poor organization of the Shanghai Expo, my wife and I have spent the majority of this summer resisting the idea of going. And were it not for my insistent in-laws (who really, really wanted to go), we very well would have not. But in the spirit of filial piety we finally succumbed this past weekend and went along with our daughter to witness “Le Grand Spectacle.”

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The Beijing summer heat will make anyone reach for whatever drink is cold and handy, but as the New York Times recently reported, we rarely stop to think about what we use to quench our thirst. Sodas, energy drinks and even antioxidant filled tea beverages can be packed with sugars and empty calories. The US’s depressing dependence on soft drinks is illuminated by one statistic: at 7.1%, “sweetened sodas are the single largest source of calories in the American diet.” An innocent-looking 20oz Mountain Dew can set you back 290 calories and an incredible 77 grams of sugar.

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For wealthy Chinese who amassed their fortunes by taking advantage of the government’s support of private enterprise in the 1980s, it is a harsh reality that of their children and heirs, an impressive 95% have no interest in continuing the family business. However, not to worry. Starting on July 16, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and the China Association for the Promotion of Non-Governmental Sci-tech Enterprises are co-sponsoring a three day training class that will whip their children into shape by teaching them how to be as successful as their parents.

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In response to an increase in cases of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD), Beijing Children’s Hospital is expanding its clinic area. The hospital, the city’s only dedicated to children, currently treats 50% of the non-adult patients in Beijing. From the beginning of the at-risk summer season in May, Beijing Children’s Hospital diagnoses from 2,000 to 3,000 new HFMD cases each week. These numbers are even higher than last year, reflecting a 90% increase in total cases according to the Beijing Health Bureau.

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A new marketing campaign in the US is encouraging kids to eat their onions using everyone’s favorite ogre, Shrek. With the recent release of the fourth movie in the series, “Shrek Forever After,” an association of onion growers who specialize in a sweet onion local to Georgia, the Vidalia Onion Committee, have found a way to get kids to eat their vegetables. Capitalizing on the movie’s connection between the layers of an onion and the layers of getting to know an ogre, Vidalia has experienced demand of up to 35% for their Shrek-packaged onions. Vidalia onions are now an exciting food for children, causing them to shriek with delight as they enter the produce section of the grocery. Who knew that all it would take to get kids to eat their vegetables was a friendly green ogre?

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If you’re looking for a way to reconnect with Beijing’s unique cultural history, the Wall Street Journal recently suggests a one day walking itinerary for some of the city’s most interesting hutongs. Whether you’re an old hand at hutong history or have yet to experience Beijing’s famous ancient neighborhoods, this travel article is definitely worth a read.