I know my wife does not expect to ever get anything as she is now an American
Citizen and the Chinese passport was never returned to us.  In fact all of her
possessions that were left in her apartment located in the Hospital dormitory
disappeared.  Fat chance anything will come her way from the government.

john     Life's a journey not a destination, help others along the way.

>Does you wife get anything for retirement after moving to another country?
>
> thanks
> Ron

Or you could use a VPN service. I use ExpressVPN (www.expressvpn.com) ... $12.95
amonth/$69.95 for 6. Money back guarantee; AND the IP address says you're in the
U.S., so you can view a lot of the sites that don't work outside the U.S.

KTF
RAY

Sheila wrote:
 
Hopefully you'll get it soon, or a resend.....
>
>
I've asked my invitation to be re-sent so many times and I've asked it to be
sent via Fedex or UPS because I have seen their vehicles several times rolling
through my hometown.
 
I'm thinking maybe my letter is somewhere on the US mainland since it is cheaper
to send stuff to Hawaii from Shanghai via New York?  Go figure that one out!
 
Jada
 


 




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Susan,

There is a way to get around the "Chinese Firewall" when it comes to blogs.

Find some Chinese computer majors/geeks/students to tweak your computer and you
should be OK.

I had my Peking University students, majoring in computers, show me how to do it
last January. You need them because Chinese is needed to tweak the computer to
fly over the firewall.

One of the joys about working in a Chinese University is the abundance of free
help you have for your computer. If you sneak these student's a tip, (majority
will not accept a tip and will give it back to you) they will love you for life.

They say you know you have a friend if they will help you paint or help you
move. Well, sneak these computer guys a tip and you make some new loyal and real
friends.

I'll have to ask some of my computer friends to look into the blog issue and get
back to you. Let me know what you find out on your side.

Best,
Mike
Dezhou University

--- Susan Kelly <skellyatsogang@...> wrote:

From: Susan Kelly <skellyatsogang@...>

It's frustrating as many professional information is found in blogs.
Just now I couldn't get into Shutterfly. Is that a fluke or another blocked
site?

Dave Kees wrote:

*A few blogs are blocked in China but the word "blog" does not trigger any
blocking. For example, these blogs are easily assessable:

**http://www.typepad.com/* <http://www.typepad.com/>*
**http://www.livejournal.com/* <http://www.livejournal.com/>*

And this,
**http://blogsearch.google.com/*
*
*

I wouldn't say 'a few', since 95% of my attempts to open a site containing the
word 'blog' have been unsuccessful.

The links (*http://www.typepad.com/ and http://www.livejournal.com/) are
probably blog spaces, but the domain name does not contain the dangerous word.

http://blogsearch.google.com/ is accessible just for a demonstration
of openness or for some other vague reason. (The BBC was blocked a couple of
years ago, too, but now http://www.bbc.co.uk/ is open.)*

I don't believe Mr. Peachey's helpful sites have anything to do with
politics in this country, however they ARE inaccessible. Why? Why do they
trigger the Golden Shield?

Try them. They could be blocked only in Guangdong and open in other
provinces.

Nik Peachey | Learning Technology Consultant, Writer, Trainer
Teacher Development: http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/
News and Tips: http://quickshout.blogspot.com/
Student Activities: http://daily-english-activities.blogspot.com/
On Social media: http://bloggingandsocialmedia.blogspot.com/

Google's blog is also inaccessible: http://www.blogger.com/

Greetings from
Steve NoNes

I have just found out that Dave Kees' blogs are also inaccessible from my
computer. Why?
---
GUANGZHOU, CHINA
Email - DAVEKEES@... <DAVEKEES%40gmail.com>
Chat - Skype:DAVEKEES QQ:897869963
*X* Blog - http://DAVEKEES.blogspot.com <http://davekees.blogspot.com/>
Podcast - http://gcast.com/u/DAVEKEES

INSIGHTS INTO TEFL
*X* Blog -
http://INSIGHTS-INTO-TEFL.blogspot.com<http://insights-into-tefl.blogspot.com/>
Podcast - http://gcast.com/u/INSIGHTS_TEFL
---

Steve NoNes

Dave Kees wrote:
>
> I use Blogspot, a Google blog site, which has been blocked and unblocked
periodically. It has most recently been blocked for several months.
>>>

My comment:
Actually Dave it may depend on where you are in China. Your blog has been
blocked and still is today, I just tried it without success and to echo what
another poster wrote about Nik Peachey's site, if he and maybe you too Dave
could consider using some other more easily accessible forum it would be
appreciated. I have tried free proxy servers to get to Dave's and Nik's sites
without success too and I am very reluctant to pay for what should be free for
all. And I'm not even Scottish (apologies to the Scots)

Russ Taylor

MODERATOR NOTE:  A thread on blocked blogs is being moved from the TEACH list to
the LIFE list.
------------------------------------------

I have been able to log into shutterfly but not upload photos since May.  Maybe
the problem's on my end, but I have tried using different computers which makes
me think it's not.

Charlotte

I think my gifts home took 2 weeks, the general answer on the list so far. I
even got a wedding invitation the week it was posted from the U.S.! Hopefully
you'll get it soon, or a resend.....

sheila swanson

------------------
Aloha,
"I'm still having trouble getting a letter of invitation from my prospective
employer in Nanjing.  According to her she posted it Oct. 19th......"


.






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

SURE!

Les Chouans,NB,China

>
> When she retires, does she lose her pension after moving to another
> country.
>

--
Wenphey Les Chouans (ZHOU Xian-wu)
Junior College, ZJ Wanli University,ZJ
Faculty of Foreign Languages,Ningbo University,ZJ
College of Teacher Education, NBU

>Btw, the univ always sent their docs to me via Fed Ex.

Yes that's the short answer. Use a courier. DHL or anyone.

However 4 years ago, or 5, the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu did accept
Faxed docs, I think because a fax is not easily fiddled with.

And that was 5 years ago...but was from Public Security University :-)

Dave Nevin

At the Tour of Hainan, The plan to make team staff as well as race
staff get H1N1 injections was abandoned after the third foreigner to
get the shot (me) was sent to the hospital with a seriously bad
reaction.

Marian Rosenberg

Satina Anziano wrote:
> Report from Changzhou: At my college, students lined up to get the vaccine. I
don't know about the Chinese teachers, but the foreign teachers were not offered
the vaccine.
>

Hi,

is anyone in Hunan, CHangsha, Zhuzhou, Xiangtan, Jishou?

I've a few questions , fairly polite :-)

I was in Changsha 2003/4 and want an update on a few things..Orange
Island, the hill behind Hunan Normal U, etc

cheers
Dave

When she retires, does she lose her pension after moving to another country.

thanks
Ron

-------------
John said:
It is the local government that checks and makes the decision to deny an exit
approval.
>

China has scholarship arrangements with MANY African countries -- they make a
big deal of it in the media (i.e., CCTV-9).

Most of the students here in Nanchang are from Cameroon, Ghana, and Burundi ...
and yes many of them seem to come from "wealthier" families.

Kinda makes sense, since many are grad students, so would have had to come from
families who could afford for them to go to college at the undergrad level.

KTF
RAY

--Karen wrote:
>
> Evidently China has given scholarships to Namibians to study in China:
> http://tinyurl.com/yh64vc5
>
> This would seem like a good thing, but it appears that the scholarships were
given to the children of wealthy, powerful Namibians, and not to Namibians who
are unable to afford college/university

Evidently China has given scholarships to Namibians to study in China:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/world/asia/20namibia.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
or
http://tinyurl.com/yh64vc5

This would seem like a good thing, but it appears that the scholarships were
given to the children of wealthy, powerful Namibians, and not to Namibians who
are unable to afford college/university (a large portion of the population). 
When a Namibian newspaper published the story, quite a few Namibians were upset.

Karen

Jada wrote:

I'm still having trouble getting a letter of invitation from my prospective
employer in Nanjing.  So, how long does it take a letter that is unregistered to
be air mailed to the States from China?
---------------


I am surprised that they mailed the letter by regular post.  All of my letters
of Invitation were sent by express mail a courrier such as DHL.  I lived in
Beijing.  None of my letter ever took more than ten days to reach Illinois or
Ohio.  Good luck with this.

Tom Krickl, Chicago

Report from Changzhou:  At my college, students lined up to get the vaccine.  I
don't know about the Chinese teachers, but the foreign teachers were not offered
the vaccine.

Satina





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re Shanghai Disneyland plans.   A colleague tells me he saw an ad from them. 
They plan to teach their employees English, and are looking to hire someone full
time to manage that department.  It pays BIG bucks, according to him.  I do not
have a source for that, if you cannot track it down I will try again to ask this
absent-minded colleague to help track it down.

Satina in Changzhou





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Last Feb. the U.S. mail did lose my entire visa package including my U.S.
Passport.  Fortunately I kept quality copies of everything and when I got my new
p.p. I wrote  a letter with the new package (copies and new p.p) addressed to
the Chinese consulate in Houston explaining the situation and time restraints I
was under. This time I used UPS and an agent in Houston and paid extra $$ for
express handling including extra fees to the consulate and all went well even
tho I was 4 days late for arrival to the univ.  I ended up eating the costs for
all this but learned a lesson. Btw, the univ always sent their docs to me via
Fed Ex.

Don

Karen wrote:

Is it at all possible for the school to scan a copy of the letter and end it to
you as an email attachment (possibly as a PDF file)?  What I mean is, would that
stand up in visa red tape as a legitimate letter?
----
 
I've asked that of the passport agency I'm in contact with.  So far no answer
yet.  Forget asking the consulate either.  They don't answer my queries.  I hate
to send an e-mail or scanned copy only to find out they require the original
from the school.  After all it costs $250 to have it expedited.

A  Hui Hou!
 
Jada

Hi Jada,

I used to live in Nanjing and now am back in California. I¹ve sent and
received well over 50 letters and packages to and from Nanjing in the last
four years. None have taken over two weeks coming from there to the U.S.  On
the other hand, a few never made it from her to the recipients in Nanjing, I
have no idea why.

David Mc Daniel
California


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>
> I'm still having trouble getting a letter of invitation from my prospective
employer in Nanjing.  According to her she posted it Oct. 19th.  I checked with
my local post office here in Hawaii and they said international mail usually
takes at least two weeks to arrive in the States.  However, when I mentioned
China he gave me the "oh,CHINA" look and said that China Post is the exception
in that mail from China takes longer.  When I told him that my prospective
employer posted a letter from China about a month ago he said that it is not at
all unusual for a letter from China to take a month or more to arrive.
>

Jada,

Is it at all possible for the school to scan a copy of the letter and end it to
you as an email attachment (possibly as a PDF file)?  What I mean is, would that
stand up in visa red tape as a legitimate letter?

Karen

If your wife is using a personal passport, then she will need to get the PSB to
approve her leaving after she receives back the approval visa.  The PSB will
then do an internal check and will also call her employer if they are government
owned.  So if she is employed by a government agency or group, there could be
some possible harassment.

In my wife's situation, her employer, a local hospital told the PSB that they
didn't want their employee leaving China and asked the PSB to quietly lose the
passport.  So we had to move ahead with another process.

It is not the central government that intervenes, unless she is a very public
figure.  It is the local government that checks and makes the decision to deny
an exit approval.

john     Life's a journey not a destination, help others along the way.


--- On Thu, 11/19/09, trumptch2001 <teryfree@...> wrote:

>   Does the chinese government
> prevent the woman from leaving china.  what is the
> procedure in the wife leaving china to canada.
> thanks,
> ron

Aloha,

I'm still having trouble getting a letter of invitation from my prospective
employer in Nanjing.  According to her she posted it Oct. 19th.  I checked with
my local post office here in Hawaii and they said international mail usually
takes at least two weeks to arrive in the States.  However, when I mentioned
China he gave me the "oh,CHINA" look and said that China Post is the exception
in that mail from China takes longer.  When I told him that my prospective
employer posted a letter from China about a month ago he said that it is not at
all unusual for a letter from China to take a month or more to arrive.

I'm not sure if his assesment is correct.  Last September, one week before the
presidential election, I posted my absentee ballot at my local China Post.  I
got a letter in early December from my state's elections office dated November
17th.  It took my ballot between 2 to 3 weeks to arrive in Hawaii.

So, how long does it take a letter that is unregistered to be air mailed to the
States from China?

Jada Rufo

Ron,
 
Yes, there are barriers to getting your wife out of China. The barriers are set
by Canadian Immigration rather than the Chinese government. Yes, there are hoops
to jump through with the Chinese end of it, police reports, birth certificates,
medical clearances and other such stuff.
 
You need to contact the Canadian Embassy/Consulate in China and get the straight
facts on what is required, time, expenses and all the paperwork.
 
While I am an American, it took almost a year to do all this through the
American Immigration folks. So if you are planning to do it, get the facts and
money together and go through the process.
 
David Kasper




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Are there barriers getting your chinese wife out of china.  Does the chinese
government prevent the woman from leaving china.  what is the procedure in the
wife leaving china to canada.
thanks,
ron

>> - How much discrimination is there against ethnic
> minorities indigenous to China, but who can be identified as
> non-Han Chinese by their appearance?

A truthful answer to the first? hmmm...
The second, I"ve noticed my students all have brown/light brown eyes !
whereas Chinese have black eyes.
Uighur can look like my uncle, or your uncle...
Some Russian ethnic who've lived in China a hundred years or more..blue
eyed and blonde. (Xinjiang borders)
Koreans look like Koreans but maybe I couldn't tell the diff.
A small ethnic in the north use birchbark the same way some north American
indians did, but I don't know what they look like.

Have a look for a book by Colonel Leonard Clarke, 1948, on Qinghai. Worth
reading :-)

Dave Nevin

This is an interesting, albeit, a most rhetorical subjict. Indeed, the majority
of mainland China is Han at about 90% and they do tend to inter-marry within the
Han ethnic group. China boasts about 55 other ethnic minorities and officially
they are given some special legal advantages. I stress the word "officially"
simply because that is a political utterence and not necessaily a matter of
practice. The fact is the majority of Han are predjudicial against their fellow
Chinese minorities..As a side note, America has it's own ethnic  predjudices
that remain a fact even tho much denied from a social-political facade. I
understand fully why this girl was/is subjected to animosity once she reached
national attention. Truly a pity but I understand it after a number of
discussions with personal Chinese friends and all are Han.

My above opinion was reinforced over the years by becoming friends with minority
student races whom generally complained of predudice. I think this is
characteristic of every culture including the world of Islam.  I philosaphize at
times that the world may finally be at peace when we are all of a coffee colored
complextion....Naaa!

Btw, last summer I had lunch with a dear Chinese lady friend at a KFC. As a
couple we appear about the same age. The restaurant was crowded with no seats
open. My friend went to stand in line and order while I waited for an open
table. I noticed a good number of stares when we came in as a couple. While
standing a couple of girls motioned me over to give us their seats as they were
about to leave. I accepted with a smile and thanks. Two Chinese ladies remained
at the table and when my friend joined us, we got into discussion and they were
curious as to/if we were husband and wife. I asked...Do you think we make a good
looking couple? They smiled and vigorsly shook their heads in the affirmastive.
I then asked if they approved of a white American marrying a Chinese. Yes again.
I then asked if they would feel the same if I were Japinese, or black or South
Korean? I could see I had touched a nerve here and both ladies were
uncomfortable to the change in
  conversation.

Don


________________________________
From: karenstanleyma <karen.stanley@...>


- How much discrimination is there against ethnic minorities indigenous to
China, but who can be identified as non-Han Chinese by their appearance?
- How much intermarriage is there between Han Chinese and ethnic majorities (or,
for that matter, between different ethnic minorities)?
Karen

This is an interesting subject for me here in the Northeast. I have lived here
for several years and, probably increasing visual sensitivity over time, have
noticed the variety of physical types that are called "Han" Chinese up here. I
have noticed that along with what are traditionally considered Chinese physical
traits i.e. eye fold, dark straight hair, sparse body hair, "yellow" skin color,
etc., here we have also skin color which is quite "white", high-bridged, long
noses, etc.  Historically, there have been repeated influxes of different
populations into this area over the years, e.g. Han Chinese mainly from Shandong
and Hebei, Koreans, Manchus, Mongols and, in recent times Russians from Siberia.

From talking to my Chinese colleagues about what it means to be "Han", it seems
that as long you have most of what I have called the "traditional" physical
traits you can be considered Han, both generally and legally. Fact is, if you
have these "traits" and want to be considered different, you have to go out of
your way to state so. Example, the Hui, I have several students here who come
from Hui backgrounds but for all appearances are "Han". This distinction is more
important to the Hui (who seemingly don't consider themselves "Chinese").

I know that I have rattled on a bit about different things here, but my point is
that relative to my country, the US, whose white population makes many
distinctions between each other, e.g. Irish, German, Italian, Spanish, English,
Polish, etc., the Chinese seem to make far fewer distinctions among their fellow
countrymen from their familial extraction, that is as long as they fall within
the basic parameters (with the language also, of course).

Tim
Changchun