Link: http://blog.foolsmountain.com/2009/04/15/how-should-foreigners-feel-about-being-called-%E9%AC%BC%E5%AD%90-%E9%AC%BC%E4%BD%AC-%E8%80%81%E5%A4%96-etc/

I always found it amusing when my parents (of Chinese heritage) referred to non-chinese as "foriegners" 外国人， while living in the US. It seems i am not the only one as Fools Mountain a blog about China and such made mention of it this week too!

So how about it? My expat friends are mixed about the usage of "laowai" and whether or not they take it as offensive. I personally see that the term is neutral and that it depends on the usage. Better than the terms used in Hong Kong any how "guailow" 鬼老 which has a much more negative connotation even before considering the usage.

Anyhow any thoughts?

http://blog.foolsmountain.com/2009/04/15/how-should-foreigners-feel-about-being-called-%E9%AC%BC%E5%AD%90-%E9%AC%BC%E4%BD%AC-%E8%80%81%E5%A4%96-etc/

Just had to laugh at this really well made sign at a restaurant out near Brilliance West Mall. I guess depending on how one reads the actual works in Chinese, the English translation could be considered correct. But I suppose its better than the Error Message translation sign I saw on another blog. Anyhow amusing nonetheless. :)

OpenSim -- like the SecondLife platform that it evolved from -- is not an easy system to master.

Sure, setting up an account takes second, with a few minutes to download the software. (Here's how.)

But once you arrive inside, it may feel as though you've just landed in a new city, in a foreign country -- one where you don't know the language.

Oh, and you're wearing really bad clothes.

Many people wander around a little bit, look at some things, get bored, and go home.

It's easy to miss the business potential of something that looks like a read bad, boring video game -- one which has no point and no destination.

Over the last couple of days, I've been showing business people around OpenSim.

Both had the same problems -- where to go, who to talk to about how this all works, and, most importantly, what to wear.

I'm going to have to change my approach a little bit. Instead of telling people to download the software and then join me in OpenSim, I'm going to do a little more to make it easier.

If you want to come visit, please email me at maria@korolov.com. I'll set up an account in your name, and outfit you with a basic set of belongings -- clothing, gestures, and facial expressions. Then we'll set up a time for a tour and I'll take you and maybe just two or three other people into the OpenSim Grid. I'll show you my house and office and meeting center. And my duck pond. And I'll take you the Stargate that connects to the other worlds -- other grids in the hypergrid, as the geeks say. I like to think of it as trans-dimensional travel.

I'll show you a couple of educational facilities. A community gathering place and live music venue. And the central control and conference room of the OpenSim Grid.

If you're interested in exploring further, I can then introduce you to some of the people who make the grid work -- including developers who are building the software platform on which it is based, and people who are hosting regions of the grid. They'll be happy to set you up with a small plot of land to experiment with, or with your own server, if you decide you want your own region -- or an entirely new grid, connected to ours by a Stargate.

Development land on the OpenSim Grid is free -- as long as you're willing to put up with the occasional outages as the land owners upgrade and modify the software that runs the world. Eventually, their work will make the OpenSim universe a more stable place, more scalable, and more rich and detailed.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for a stable, business-ready environment, I recommend picking a host that runs a slightly older version of the basic software, one that has been tested and proven stable.

Or you could join a small special interest group, whether in Second Life or OpenSim, or make plans to attend occasional events such as conferences or training session -- even social events like live music performances. This will give you an opportunity to keep an eye on the technology as it develops, and improve your own skills in navigating this world.

I, for example, am organizing an OpenSim business discussion group, aimed primarily at people already running real life businesses -- but also open to virtual entrepreneurs as well as OpenSim service providers.

Stay in touch.

The Last Survivor Of The Titanic Has To Auction Her Mementos

London- Millvina Dean, 97, the last survivor of the Titanic is auctioning her mementos to pay her bills and being able to stay at her nursing home. – Understandable but somehow sad. =/

Inmate dies out of the blue in Shangbancheng Jail, Hebei Province

On April 14 the young Li Zhiqiang, 21, died suddenly in a prison. According to the fact there was blood found in his mouth, ears and nose, as well as bruises on his back, his family doesn’t think his death was natural. The investigation is ongoing.

Rest In Peace, Cleopatra

In the near of Alexandria, Egypt Cleopatra’s tomb may have been found by an archeological team. Her last resting-place might have been in a temple of Taporis Magna.

Wet? Not wet? Not good for formula race cars to worry about but at least its warmer! And either way it WILL be warm (yes, yes, back to my weather thoughts ;)) this weekend so be prepared as we expect highs in the mid 20’s this weekend! ☺ Alas spring starts and summer will rear its hot head.

Weird week this week as it started out quiet but then got busy by mid week. Given this pattern, it will be a great weekend! Had a chance to check out a new club on hengshan Rd called Soho and despite its billing to be a foreigner’s bar/ club, its distinctly Chinese in the way its put together. I do give the management credit though for getting their staff professionally honed to provide adequate service at their pre-opening/ grand opening event, something many clubs fail at. But the place is kinda tacky in my opinion.

Another more fun pre-opening I attended was Eduardo’s new Vargas Grill tasting where I got to hang with certain food writers from several expat magazine and such, to taste some preliminary dishes Eduardo is considering for his place. Some 16 dishes and 30 wines later…it was an experience. Vargas Grill will be located at where the late-Bambou was on Dong Ping Rd and will open soon.
http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/articles/blogs-shanghai/shanghai-the-dish-new/
http://shanghai.urbanatomy.com/index.php/component/search/apple%20mandy?ordering=&searchphrase=all

Lots happening this weekend. Cheer leaders at Sashas, eco design Fair by the Creek, and race cars a plenty with racers and race fans in town for formula one!

This weekend will be interesting as the weather will also likely improve to accommodate all these events. Cool.

So here are some upcoming Events, this Weekend & beyond:
Friday, April 17, 2009, 7:00pm - 10:00pm @ Zapata's & Sasha's
Roots and Shoots Charity event featuring the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders! The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, in Shanghai, one night ONLY! April 17th 2009 Sasha's & Zapata's! Meet the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders & Celebrate the Great American Experience!! 7pm-10pm, 150rmb entry including 4 drinks. Proceeds from the door go to support Shanghai Roots and Shoots. Tickets are limited, so hurry up and reserve yours now! More info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=62706999118&ref=ts

Eco Design Fair Spring 2009 is happening this Saturday at Anken Green! Come check out the latest green and eco-friendly products for health, home, life and building. Being presented this time at a new venue, Anken Green, an Eco-friendly building project located at the edge of the Suzhou Creek. Eco products, Organic farmers market, Green Home products, Healthy water solutions, and various workshops and presentations about living healthy and eco-friendly in Shanghai. A silent Eco-Auction will run thru the entire event for a list of great prizes and gifts. From 10-5 Saturda, come check it out! For more info: www.ecodesignfair.cn

Friday-Sunday, April 17-19, 2009 @ Shanghai Circuit in Anting Town JiaDing. Formula One (F1) Shanghai happens this weekend starting with Practice runs on Friday, Qualifiers on Saturday and the race on Sunday. May be wet for practice runs, but it’s looking like good warm weather for the qualifiers and race day so for those of you headed out, bring sunscreen and expect warm weather with highs of 24-25˚c. For those interested but have not gone out to get tickets, don’t despair, scalpers with decent tickets are usually easily found at the bus station for the shuttles to the track and at the track it self.

Saturday & Sunday April 18-19, 9pm till late @ Four Seasons Hotel – Beyond the Line Grand Prix party. For more info check out Riviera Events’ site at http://www.rivieraevents.com .

Saturday , April 25, 2009 Next Saturday Mirage Events presents Temptation at Sin Lounge which will feature live performance actors from Ibiza re-enacting Adam & Eve’s experience in the Garden of …well anyhow. It will be unique and I may just go see what all the hoo haa is about.

Saturday , April 25- Community Center Hong Qiao Grand Opening CeremonyGrand Opening of CCS Hongqiao! - The Grand Opening of CCS' new Hongqiao Center will be celebrated with an 'Open House & Ribbon Cutting' on April 25 from 5:30pm to 8pm. CCS welcomes SCIS as the Hongqiao Center’s founding partner. Come meet the CCS Puxi team, enjoy food and refreshments and meet other members of the international community.

[sponsor] Come to the Eco-Design Fair at Anken Green this Saturday and check out Directway’s “Water is Life” products. Come taste the healthy drinking water from the reputed Atlantis Drinking water purifier, and see the range of water products you may ave read about online. Directway will have English and Chinese speaking reps on hand to explain the products and how they can improve you and your family’s quality of life!
Come to Booth #37 as you come the the Eco-Design fair to check out so many eco and health friendly products for living in Shanghai! The Eco Design Fair is being held at Anken Green, 668 Huai An Rd at West Suzhou Creek Rd. For more info come to www.obusiness.com.cn and see the Info pop up window for more details! Or contact us at englishinfo@yourhh.com or 6218-7799 x 175 or 195 . [//sponsor]

Charity announcements:

Help save the lives of babies in need of critical life saving medical procedures. Two of the co-founders of this foundations are friends of mine that I have only the utmost respect for in that they truly work hard for what they believe in, saving children’s lives, one at a time. Please check out the BaoBei Foundation and donate to a good cause… Give the gift of LIFE! http://www.baobeifoundation.org

Helping Hand Shanghai is distributing an environmentally friendly re-usable shopping bag that can be bought to benefit a choice of Shanghai charities: Shanghai Sunrise, Charity Carnival, Second Chance Animal Aid or Roots and Shoots. Just go to the link for more details: http://www.helpinghandsh.com/ .

Regular event announcements:

Saturday Mornings: The Original Saturday Morning Coffee Meet – this event is an informal place where expats and friends can come and meet old friends and new expats, to compare notes of just simply chat over coffee. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Zhong Shan Park’s Cloud Nine Mall graciously hosts the event and offers attendees a discount on drinks and food during the event, every Sat morning from 10:30-12:30. Informally, many in the group will continue onto have lunch together before splitting off to the many activities of the weekend. A great way to start off each weekend. Feel free to contact me about this event as I personally host this one.

Sunday Brunch at XinTianDi is hosted by ShanghaiExpat at the Coffee Bean there.. This event goes from 12 noon- past 2pm and is also a good place to meet up with those in the community .

Wednesday Night Mixers at Malones has been on going now for four years and running strong. Every Wednesday night, Shanghai Expat and Malones come together to host this mixer as a great place to come for food, friends, and fun. Located on the third floor, the mixer is a private space for Shanghai Expat community members new and old to get together and relax and chat. Runs from 9-12midnight, weekly , 3rd floor loft at Malones, 225 Tong Ren Rd near Nanjing Rd .

Ok that’s all folks! Have a great weekend and enjoy the races and fantastic weather (wishful/ hopeful thinking as I really want to see sunshine all weekend!)

Cheers!

Ed

15.04.09

Cemetery Instead School

Due to the death of the principle’s mother-in-law pupils were helping at her funeral instead of attending their classes in Fujian Province. It’s not clear if they did it voluntarily or were called to.

Chinese Merchant Ships Saved By Dolphins

While passing the Gulf of Aden of the Somali coast, Chinese merchant ships had almost been attacked by Somalian pirates. They were only stopped by thousands of dolphins which sprung up the water between them.

Girl Fell From School Building

For unknown reasons a girl fell from the fifth floor of her school building this morning. She was immediately sent to hospital but her state is still unknown.

Beijing Records Fewer Tourists

While other countries are more and more visited, the tourist rate of Beijing fell by 11 per cent in February. One of the reasons might be the mistrust of people in Chinas food safety. China is trying to attract more foreigners by presenting Beijing as a good destination for business tourism

Link: http://www.china-speakers-bureau.com/blog/2009/04/global-china-chat-on-tourism-transcript_05.html

As rising cities such as Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are aggressively promoted as tourist destinations within China, the number of visitors to the capital Beijing has recently decreased. According to China Daily, the number of tourists to Beijing fell by 11 percent-- to 436,491-- in January and February of 2009, as noted by Gu Xiaoyuan, Deputy Chief of Beijing Tourism Administration. This decrease is due in large part to the drop in tourists from Japan and South Korea, which have represented close to half of the inbound travel market in past years. In addition to the economic crisis, other factors such as concerns about food safety in China seem to have deterred visitors from abroad.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/regional/2009-04/10/content_7666346.htm

Now, different and fresh, more exotic places,such as Guizhou and Yunnan are becoming increasingly trendy and adventurous tourist destinations. With a rapidly growing middle class, more and more people of varying ages are acquiring the means to travel; in turn, less traditional destinations and tours are being created to cater to China’s increasingly diverse tourism market. While China’s major cities Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai remain the greatest tourist draws, adventure travel to more remote, less-trodden areas of the country that can offer a variety of outdoor activities, interaction with nature, wildlife viewing, and are home to China’s many minority populations, are becoming increasingly popular and mainstream; this is especially true for China’s younger generations of travelers. Travel expert and businessman Roy Graff noted in the Global China Chat last week, “ On the whole, the main attractions are still Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, and then Guilin. But, there are many attractions that are easier to get to now more than ever, like Sichuan (Chengdu, Jizhaigou, Wolong), Yunnan (Shangri-la, Dali, Lijiang, Xishuangbanna), Guizhou.
These places are no longer just for the super adventurous, although travel to them does require more time and patience.” http://www.china-speakers-bureau.com/blog/2009/04/global-china-chat-on-tourism-transcript_05.html

Other new frontiers that may require more planning but can be well worth the extra effort, according to Graff, include Xinjiang, Tibet and the Silk Road—all on the western side of the country: “Watch Western China carefully. After the earthquake, tourism to Sichuan and nearby provinces was hit, but it is now coming back...Sichuan and Yunnan have so much to offer to the tourist in therms of scenery, minority cultures, food, and the weather is pretty good. Guizhou and Gansu are not very developed and offer very good insight into the ‘other’ China.”