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BEIJING — While visiting relatives a year ago, Du Haipeng, 5, came down with a sore throat. Doctors prescribed a Chinese antibiotic, Xinfu. The boy’s reaction to the drug was so violent, he had to be taken to a nearby hospital.

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China's Silent Victims

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A Chinese Reformer Betrays His Cause, and Pays (July 13, 2007)

“I remember clearly that I was shearing sheep when I got a call from my sister and her husband,” said Du Xinglong, 36, Haipeng’s father. “When I rushed to the hospital my son had already fallen into a coma.”

A week later, regulators banned Xinfu. Authorities eventually determined that the State Food and Drug Administration had granted the drug’s maker a seal of approval, even though Xinfu was not properly produced or sterilized.

The scandal was just one symptom of an ailing regulatory regime. Last year, the government uncovered 167,000 examples of illegal production and trade in medicine and medical equipment. In some cases, illegal factories are fined or closed; but their owners rarely face prosecution, and the problem persists.

Because of the public furor Xinfu set off, its producer, the Anhui Huayuan Worldbest Biology Company, was an exception. Several senior executives at the company were dismissed; its production license was revoked; and last November, according to state-run media, the company’s general manager committed suicide.

That was too late for a 6-year-old named Liu Sichen. She had been given Xinfu for a tonsil infection. Soon she fell into a coma, and after several days she died.

“She was about to go to elementary school,” said Sichen’s mother, Guo Ping. “Her father bought her a new pink backpack.”

In the end, at least 14 people died after taking Xinfu, and perhaps hundreds more were severely sickened. Du Haipeng woke from his coma after 22 days of emergency treatment. But he wasn’t himself. “He didn’t recognize us,” said his mother, Fu Liguang, 38. “Over the next two and a half months, he didn’t say a single word.”

Today, the boy rarely speaks. He wets his pants, and his doctors say he may have permanent brain damage.

His father has no sympathy for Zheng Xiaoyu, the State Food and Drug Administration’s former chief, executed on Tuesday.

“If he hadn’t approved that company our family wouldn’t be shattered,” Mr. Du said. “He should have been killed a long time ago.”

Rujun Shen contributed reporting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/13/business/worldbusiness/13victims.html?n=Top%2fNews%2fWorld%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fChina&pagewanted=all

Yet Another News Story...

BEIJING, China (AP) -- Chopped cardboard, softened with an industrial chemical and flavored with fatty pork and powdered seasoning, is a main ingredient in batches of steamed buns sold in one Beijing neighborhood, state television said.

The report, aired late Wednesday on China Central Television, highlights the country's problems with food safety despite government efforts to improve the situation.
Countless small, often illegally run operations exist across China and make money cutting corners by using inexpensive ingredients or unsavory substitutes. They are almost impossible to regulate.

State TV's undercover investigation features the shirtless, shorts-clad maker of the buns, called baozi, explaining the contents of the product sold in Beijing's sprawling Chaoyang district.
Baozi are a common snack in China, with an outer skin made from wheat or rice flour and a filling of sliced pork. Cooked by steaming in immense bamboo baskets, they are similar to but usually much bigger than the dumplings found on dim sum menus familiar to many Americans.
The hidden camera follows the man, whose face is not shown, into a ramshackle building where steamers are filled with the fluffy white buns, traditionally stuffed with minced pork.

The surroundings are filthy, with water puddles and piles of old furniture and cardboard on the ground.

"What's in the recipe?" the reporter asks. "Six to four," the man says.

"You mean 60 percent cardboard? What is the other 40 percent?" asks the reporter. "Fatty meat," the man replies.

The bun maker and his assistants then give a demonstration on how the product is made.
Squares of cardboard picked from the ground are first soaked to a pulp in a plastic basin of caustic soda -- a chemical base commonly used in manufacturing paper and soap -- then chopped into tiny morsels with a cleaver. Fatty pork and powdered seasoning are stirred in.
Soon, steaming servings of the buns appear on the screen. The reporter takes a bite.

"This baozi filling is kind of tough. Not much taste," he says. "Can other people taste the difference?"

"Most people can't. It fools the average person," the maker says. "I don't eat them myself."

The police eventually showed up and shut down the operation.

Latest News From The US Embassy

July 05, 2007
Subject: How To Deescalate Conflicts

The Embassy has seen more and more cases of minor confrontations
involving American citizens escalating into serious altercations. In a
few cases arguments over as little as 10 RMB have led to injuries,
property damage, police involvement and restitution. Identifying
potential confrontations before they become physical and extracting you
from the situation before blows are exchanged is the wisest course of
action. Becoming involved in a physical confrontation over 10 RMB just
isn't worth it.

While more easily said than done, this approach could require taking a
non-confrontational attitude even when you are in the right, and backing
down to someone in the wrong when the circumstances require it to avoid
physical contact.

The fact is that getting involved in a "fight" with someone anywhere is
a dangerous undertaking, but it is made even more dangerous by the
willingness of bystanders to get involved without warning.

To avoid situations that might lead to a physical confrontation we ask
that you please consider the following:

- If you become the target of attention of a drunken group or
individual, leave the area immediately. Do not try to talk to them,
reason with them, or argue with them. Once targeted, staying in the
same area and "ignoring" them normally makes matters worse. Get away
from them as soon as possible.

- Avoid situations involving individuals who are intoxicated,
arguing, and/or causing a disturbance. Leave the area before they
involve you in "their" problem.

- If you find yourself in a challenged situation, it is far better
to disengage immediately and leave the area. Fighting over a bump, a
perceived slight, a parking spot, 10 RMB, or a stare just isn't worth
it.


- Avoid putting others into a situation where they feel challenged
and required to act. Be apologetic if the situation warrants, and do
what you can to indicate that no offense was intended.

- If someone tries to engage you in a fight, back away and remove
yourself from the area immediately. Should a confrontational situation
occur involving someone in your party, companions should, if the
situation permits, immediately step in and extract any would-be
combatants as quickly as possible. Once disengaged, leave the area
immediately.

- If you are out with friends or acquaintances who drink to excess
urge them to return home as soon as possible. Many of the
confrontational situations reported to us involve those who have
consumed so much alcohol that their judgment is impaired.

Should you find yourself engaged in an altercation despite your best
efforts, do your best to defuse the situation as quickly as possible and
leave the area as soon as the situation allows. If the Police are
called to the scene, "fight" participants are normally taken to the
local police station to determine fault or work out a settlement. If
injuries are claimed the police may require the claimant to go to a
hospital to determine the severity of injuries. The severity of
injuries will determine the seriousness of any crime committed.

Cry Baby

I caught Chase practicing her fake cry the other day.
She was standing in front of a mirror, pretending to cry.
When I said, "Chase, what are you doing?"
She gave me a little coy look and then laughed.
I have to say, I wonder where this behavior originated.
It's not like Hubs and I stand in front of the mirror and pretend to cry.

All I can say is watch out boys!
This one is going to be able to turn the tears on without a problem.

Pick Of The Day

I came across a new (well not so new) singer, Brandi Carlile.
Kind of a cross between the Indigo Girls and Cowboy Junkies.

I especially like The Story (lyrics below) and Wasted (written by her about her brother wasting his talent).

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true...I was made for you

I climbed across the mountain tops
Swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you
Because even when I was flat broke
You made me feel like a million bucks
Yeah you do and I was made for you

You see the smile that's on my mouth
Is hiding the words that don't come out
And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed
They don't know my head is a mess
No, they don't know who I really am
And they don't know what I've been through but you do
And I was made for you...

She's sort of tough, but her voice cracks (which makes her more real to me) and she has been known to yodel on occasion. Gotta love her.

Jet lag, night terrors, tantrums before bed...

Chase has had a hard time readjusting to life in China. The time change really zapped her. Last night was the first night that we slept through the night in over a month.

Chase has had a really tough time getting to bed recently; she has actually started throwing tantrums - and then, an hour after she has fallen asleep, she wakes up screaming (even though she's not really awake).

Night terrors are one of the strangest, scarriest things I've encountered in child rearing. Our little darling isn't awake (we can't actually wake her no matter how hard we try). Her eyes are open but she doesn't see us.

It's like a scary movie, but worse, it's real. She's somewhere else and we can't seem to reach her or help her. The good news is that she settles down after about five minutes, but during that time we are so helpless. All we can do is hold her close and whisper "it's okay, you're okay, wake up, wake up...." We've tried turning on the lights, and using a cold, wet washcloth on her face. Nothing works.

I just can't imagine what is so big and bad and scary - what terrifies her beyond reason. What could possibly be so bad? She has never, ever, cried like that while awake.

So I read a book about night terrors. It recommended waking the child 15 minutes before the night terrors begin. But Chase's don't happen at the same time every night, so there is no way for me to do this.

Any tips? Anyone?

Nicholaas: Chase's Best Friend

Have you ever wondered how green tastes?
Chase did. So into her mouth went a green marker.
As a result, she has a slightly vampy look in the photo below.
The rose was a gift from Nicolaas.
His parents are hopeful they will marry soon so he can get his green card (joke!).

Our Chinese Dinner Party

I tried to prepare the meatballs ahead of time. Good thing I did, because they were horrible. I mean really bad. I'm sure they tasted just fine, but they didn't want to be balls.

So I begged Flora to cook a beef dish, over the weekend, as I figured it would probably be a good idea to have one meat dish that was Chinese - to ensure our guests didn't starve to death.

I consulted with my friend Kathy again - I needed a pep talk after failing miserably at meatballs. After our conversation, I realized I had to make yet another trip out to the store, to pick up pickled things and boiled peanuts for appetizers, rice bowls, soup bowls, soup spoons (I forgot the chopstick holders), beer, and egg custard tarts for dessert.

The rest of the dinner preparation was comical at best - the bell peppers I bought (to make a bell pepper salad - my second veggie dish, because you have to have two veggie dishes) were rotten on the bottom (so out they went). We made camponata instead. The rice had bugs in it (GROSS!), so off Hubs went at the last minute to find some new rice - he ended up returning with the rice, and our guests. Chase was going wild the whole time, taking everything that we were trying to put away - out again - until she finally fell asleep, just five minutes before everyone appeared.

I'm happy to report that the dinner went well. We had WAY too much food (which is what you strive for, otherwise you are rude), because neither of the wives came, which brought the count down to 4, from 6 - and I cooked for 8, to be safe.

Perhaps the hardest part of the evening was the fact that one of the guests did not speak English, so trying to include him on things was difficult. They ended up not eating much rice, not using the rice bowls, or the soup bowls, or drinking any beer.

I'm so glad we had this opportunity, and they were good guests, but there are a lot of cultural differences. For example, they went to take off their shoes to come in, and hubs said "don't worry, you can leave them on." It was pretty clear they were torn and that keeping their shoes on went against everything that was right in the world. I'm sure it's considered rude, and probably dirty, to keep shoes on in the home.

Hubs also noticed that they were having a hard time eating with our chopsticks because there are little blue knobs at the top, which makes it almost impossible to put the chopsticks together.

I'm sure they left thinking, "those silly Americans."

It's a good thing they didn't know we actually bought those chopsticks in Thailand, which is silly in itself, as the Thais do not use chopsticks.

Dinner Party

On Saturday, we are expecting two couples (both Chinese) for dinner.
One couple speaks English; the other does not.
I must make them dinner.

Now I'm stressing.

Why? Because I want to make a dinner that they will like, which is actually quite difficult given (a) the Chinese palate - they enjoy pickled, salted and soyed dishes, (b) there needs to be excessive amounts of food, with many options - to showcase our greatfulness to them and (c) the fact I only have a tiny oven and two burners on my stove-top.

So I consulted a friend who has lived here for two years and she told me:
(a) Make spagetthi and meatballs
(b) Don't serve bread, they won't eat it
(c) Consider serving cold pork roast as well - there should be at least two meat dishes
(d) Serve a hot vegetable
(e) Do not serve Western-style salad (uncooked veggies are not really consumed here)
(f) Serve fruit and egg custard pies for dessert
(g) Make sure there are many different dishes - lots of food - as it is VERY bad if you offer small portions or if you (G-forbid) run out of food. There should be lots left over.

So I had a quick chat when I got home with Flora. She confirmed it all - especially the part about having a lot of food on the table. She said to make sure I had at least two vegetable and two meat dishes. Egads.

So here's the plan:
-Spaghetti with meatballs
-Roasted carrots and leeks
-Cold, cooked vegetable salad
-Some kind of chicken dish

Dessert: fruit

Anyone know a good one pot, Italian, crock pot, chicken dish? Maybe I should roast a chicken with vegetables, but I'm afraid it won't fit into my easy-bake oven.

Dearest Daughter: 16 Months

Dear Chase,

You would not believe how much happiness you bring to your father, myself - not to mention everyone you meet. You're like magic. You actually sparkle. People can't help themselves when they are near you. They love your smile, your eyes, your fearlessness, your adventurous spirit, how happy you are, how sweet you are, how clever you are and your sense of humor.

I can only hope that as you travel through life that you retain these qualities. That you approach all challenges in life as you have in the past 16-months. Nothing phases you. If you fall, you stand up, brush yourself off, and continue what you were doing. You are already proving to be so resiliant.

You travel as if you were born to see the world. And while we are scaling down on our trips, you have already been to four cities in China, Thailand and Singapore in the last 8 months.

Your father and I just celebrated 12 years of knowing each other (8.5 years of marriage) - and of the things we've seen and done, we are most in awe and the proudest of you, my dear.

We love you so.

And Another Report...

Jul 04, 2007 - The Straits Times - BEIJING engineered the removal of nearly a third of a World Bank report on pollution in China due to concern that findings on premature deaths could provoke 'social unrest'.

The report, produced in cooperation with Chinese government ministries over several years, found that about 750,000 people die prematurely in China each year, mainly from air pollution.

China's State Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) and Health Ministry asked the World Bank to cut the calculations of premature deaths from the report when a draft was finished last year, according to World Bank advisers and Chinese officials.

Advisers to the research team said ministries told this information, including a detailed map showing which parts of the country saw the most deaths, was too sensitive.

'The World Bank was told that it could not publish this information. It was too sensitive and could cause social unrest,' one adviser to the study told the Financial Times.

Sixteen of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China, according to previous World Bank research.

Mr Guo Xiaomin, a retired Sepa official who coordinated the Chinese research team, said some material was omitted from the pollution report due to concern that the methodology was unreliable.

But he also said such information on premature deaths 'could cause misunderstanding'.

'We did not announce these figures. We did not want to make this report too thick,' he said in an interview.

The pared-down report, titled Cost Of Pollution In China, has yet to be officially launched but a version, which can be downloaded from the Internet, was released at a conference in Beijing in March.

Missing from this report are the research project's findings that high air pollution levels in Chinese cities are leading to the premature deaths of 350,000 to 400,000 people each year.

Another 300,000 people die prematurely each year from exposure to poor air indoors, according to advisers.

In addition, around 60,000 premature deaths were attributable to poor-quality water that caused severe diarrhoea as well as stomach, liver and bladder cancer.

The mortality information was 'reluctantly' excised by the World Bank from the published report, according to advisers to the research project.

Sepa and the Health Ministry declined to comment.

The World Bank said the findings of the report were still being discussed with the government.

A World Bank spokesman said: 'The conference version of the report did not include some of the issues still under discussion.'

She said the findings of the report were due to be released as a series of papers soon.

FINANCIAL TIMES

http://news.asiaone.com.sg/st/st_20070704_135558.html

Mosquitoes

So it looks as though bathing Chase in mosquito repellant, using the mosquito zapper and the mosquito tent will keep the pests away from our little sweetheart.

Unfortunately, it was I, who was bitten last night. Three times. The bumps are huge.

2 a.m.

Chase made the time zone transition from China to the US without a problem, but she is having a hard time making the adjustment back.

I foolishly believed we kicked it yesterday. She was doing really well - and then fell into a deep slumber from 4:30 p.m. and slept until 2 a.m. Hubs and I couldn't wake her. We even tried the ole, "look, there's Santa!" routine. Not even a flicker of the eye lashes. She clearly needed the rest.

And so, at 2 a.m. when she awoke, we did some dishes, re*organized* the cabinets, colored, and I tried my hardest to bore her to sleep, which finally happened at 4:30 a.m. She proceeded to sleep for another hour and a half, and as I could not drag my sorry, sleepy body off the bed, Hubs took the 6 a.m.-7:30 a.m. shift, at which point he woke me as he needed to go to work.

It was about this time when I noticed she had four new mosquito bites on her legs, which means she now has a total of about NINE bites (at least). After seeing (the day before) she had been bitten, I went out and bought an electric mosquito killer, one of those thingies that kills mosquitoes using high frequency. Unfortunately it wasn't on all night - or maybe one of those mosquitoes was immune to the pitch (although I did find two dead mosquitoes on the window sill this morning). So now I have mosquito repellant (to soak her in before putting her to bed) and a full blown mosquito net that is set up like a tent over her bed.

I remember thinking a while back how "cool" those nets are - (I've always seen them in movies so there is something in my brain that links them to hot, romantic nights) and now that we actually need them, I'm not loving them so much. In fact, they now create more problems, because I have to zip Chase into her bed at night - not something that is easy to do - and I know it will drive her NUTS if she wakes up and is suddenly stuck in her bed.

At any rate, Chase managed to get through the morning without a nap and then fell asleep when the clock struck noon. She slept poorly for about 30 minutes and is now running around, trying so hard to keep her eyes open. We have a play date at 3 p.m. with Ho Di - and frankly, I feel as though I'm going to fall asleep before she does.

Seems odds are very high she'll crash at 4 p.m. today, too.

So the question becomes - do I wake her after an hour or let her sleep?

Back To Dalian

After flying for what felt like f-o-r-e-v-e-r, and a very long, unexpected delay in Korea, we finally rolled into Dalian around 9 p.m. last night.

Chase, unfortunately, had no intention of sleeping (having slept quite a bit on the plane, unlike her parents). She wanted to play with all of her toys- at least twice. She was wound up like a top. Spinning out of control until almost 2 a.m.

Finally she crashed. But woke up screaming about 20 minutes later. After a little snuggle, she slept again until about 3 a.m. Waking up once again by screaming. I ran to her room and found her standing up, in the corner of her room (I'm pretty sure she sleepwalks). She fell asleep once again and then woke up for good at about 4:30 a.m.

I was so tired I was completely disoriented when I woke up.
Hubs confided in me that he was too.

Returning to Dalian filled me with mixed emotions (strong perhaps due to sheer exhaustion). This city is great. The people are wonderful. Our lifestyle is outrageous. But I miss the US. I miss how easy everything is there; how safe everything feels (latest news here is the FDA has banned the purchase of fish and shrimp from China, which just happens to be what we have been living on for the past 6 months).

I feel more confident, now that I am armed with hydrogene peroxide (for removing pesticides from vegetables) and a heavy-duty water filter, which I have already put to use -- we found green algae growing in our *drinking* water bottle this morning.

Calgon, take me away.

Missing Out

Confession: I feel like I've been missing out a little on the new mum scene. You know, meeting other mums over coffee, play dates, baby yoga, swim, etc.

However, while I was in Portland, I overheard two new mums gossiping over coffee...

"You know Lisa just shows up like she rolled out of bed. I mean, what's with her hair? I know she has three kids, but she should really have her act together by now."

I couldn't stop listening. Neither could Hubs. Seriously. We didn't say two words to each other for about a half hour as the ladies dished on their *best friends.*

I came away feeling pretty happy about my little playgroup in Dalian.

Cravings

After nearly three weeks of eating everything I've craved over the past six months, I think I've gained about 20 lbs.

Really.

The only thing left on my list of things to consume is a hostess fruit pie. Lemon if possible. If there is no lemon, I will settle for Apple.

I can't really explain my Hostess fruit pie craving. All I know is that I get it every year.

There's just something about that pie shell - all glazed with sugar. The way it cracks open. The way the gooey inside pulls apart (I'm drooling just thinking about it).

Updates

So much has happened, following are a few highlights.

- Flying with a toddler is WAY different from flying with an infant. To all my friends with infants - travel NOW. Go see Europe. See Asia. Do it now, before your child can walk. Take it from me, the "fasten seat-belt sign" means nothing to a toddler.

- On my (10 hr) flight to Portland (via Beijing and San Fran), a woman sitting next to me was kind enough to point out there was a row of seats (about 10 rows back) that was wide open. She told me, with pursed lips and forced kindness, "I have a two year old and I find it helpful to fly with as much room as possible." I replied, "thank you, but I prefer the bulk head."

- My high school reunion was good, although only 6 other people showed up for it.

- Living in Europe just doesn't give you the same level of culture shock upon return as living in China. The thing that hit me most is how overweight Americans are... and I'm in Oregon - with loads of active, physically fit, granola crunchers. And I was still blown away. I shouldn't be talking, because I'm no skinny Minnie, but coming from a city where you just don't see much in the way of extra weight on people...well it really struck me. And the kicker is that I just really "got" for the first time how much it is part of our culture - sure you 'know' why it happens, but the portion sizes are super huge - I found myself stuffing a massive chimichanga into my body, packing it in, as if I had to make it fit. Hubs and I decided to gorge ourselves - as you can't get Mexican food in China - and I actually ate spoonfuls of guacamole - alone, with nothing else. It was so good. The point is, I understand why Americans are heavy. Food (especially anything processed and full of sugar, salt, starch) tastes so good. But comparing what we eat in China (rice, tofu, fish), to what a typical American eats, it sure makes me want to stick to a Chinese-type diet (even after we return).

- Hubs flew out to PDX for my Dad's wedding (photos to come when I've downloaded everything from our camera). We had a great time with family. It was wonderful. The wedding was at the Coast, so Chase got to play in the sand for the first time. At first she didn't know what to do, she didn't like the sand in her toes, but 10 minutes later she didn't want to leave - ever.

- Nana Cris has really been working overtime to keep Chase busy. She set up "learning stations" all over her house. Little pitchers filled with rice. Different spoons for Chase to carry rice from one bowl to the next. Clear plastic tubes for Chase to roll marbles down. A box with smaller boxes in it, to be sorted. Lots of water play. A very special thanks from me to Nana Cris for rearranging her schedule so that I could get my hair cut, go to dentist appointments, etc.

- Grandpa Mark also gets a big thanks for all his time playing with Chase. And for the lovely building blocks he created for her. They are wonderful! Thanks Dad!

- And of course I need to thank my little cousins, Sean and Julia, for all the time they played with Chase too!

- Other than that, we mostly spent our days on the road, visiting friends and family. I'm on a red-eye to Mississippi tonight. Good times. Here's to hoping my daughter sleeps right through it.

Photos From Portland

Radio Silence

Will post updates as soon as I can *find* the time. Departing Portland tomorrow - to Jackson, MS.