Houston News | Chinese Community News http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston_chinese_community_news.htm 11/20/2009-- At first, Rao Yuansheng didn't even realize he was doing it. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mandarin-cantonese-language.htm 11/19/2009-- The global economic downturn has not affected the personal wealth of the rich in China that continued to expand this year and also opened up more opportunities for private bankers, said a recent study. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-millionaire-club.htm 11/18/2009-- Taiwan plans to recruit Chinese mainland college students to study in graduate schools by the end of next June, according Xinhua News Agency. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-recruit-students.htm 11/17/2009-- There are many mountain ranges in China. Mountainous land and very rough terrains make up two-thirds of Chinese territory. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-mountains.htm 11/16/2009 SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- China and Taiwan signed long-awaited memoranda of understanding Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-taiwan-landmark-deal.htm 11/13/2009-- Some employers are blocking social networking sites over fears that employees are spending more time socializing online than they are on their jobs, China Daily reported Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-employers-social-site.htm 11/12/2009-- Some employers are blocking social networking sites over fears that employees are spending more time socializing online than they are on their jobs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/socialize-online.htm 11/11/2009 Houston—The Glassell School of Art’s Core Exhibition Program presents the most recent body of work by Los Angeles-based artist Jennifer Pastor. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dead-landscape-mfah.htm 11/10/2009-- The study of Chinese has become increasingly popular in France, says a French sinologist. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-language-france.htm 11/6/2009-- The number of buildings in Taiwan receiving or being pre-approved for green building certification has risen almost 70 times in eight years. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/green-buildings-boom.htm 11/5/2009-- More and more investors are parking their money in Asian markets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-markets-overheating.htm 11/4/2009-- Visitors will have to wait until early next year for the opening of the world's tallest building in Dubai. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dubai-tallest-tower.htm 11/3/2009-- Apparently, China is impervious to Apple iPhone’s charm. Apple’s local partner. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-apple-iphone.htm 10/30/2009-- The ancient Chinese exercise practice Tai Chi can reduce pain, preserve functionality, and improve personal well-being among subjects with knee osteoarthritis. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tai-chi-arthritis.htm 10/29/2009-- Before dawn, on a mountainside in rural China, a 15-year-old doctors’ daughter from the city of Guangzhou. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-changed-music.htm 10/27/2009 Houston, TX -- Understanding Poverty, a compelling documentary photo exhibit by award-winning photographer Ben Tecumseh DeSoto, will be displayed in the City Hall Rotunda of the City of Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/understanding-poverty-houston-exhibit.htm 10/26/2009 HUANGPING, China — All the students at Luolang Elementary School, a yellow-and-orange concrete structure off a winding mountain road in southern China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-student-salute-car.htm 10/20/2009-- Tourists from as far as the US and Japan are flocking to see a mosaic created totally from pumpkins on the created on the roof of a farm. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/pumpkin-house-halloween.htm 10/19/2009 HOUSTON – New research from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business shows that the diversity of foreign invested firms’ national origin helps businesses in China benefit from foreign direct investment. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-firm-investment.htm 10/18/2009 HOUSTON– Floating sculptures depicting a polar bear, sea horse and pirate ship took top honors at Bayou City Art Festival. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-winners.htm 10/16/2009 JINAN, East China (Xinhua) -- One year after the hosting of the exceptional Beijing Olympic Games. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/national-games-china.htm 10/14/2009 Houston, Texas – Beautiful costumes, cultural music, pink fire trucks and fun are all part of this year’s 6th Annual Gulf Coast International Dragon Boat Regatta. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-dragon-boat-regatta.htm 10/13/2009-- THE Chinese super-rich have bounced back from the financial crisis with a vengeance http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-billionaires-up.htm 10/12/2009 China-- Basketball superstar Yao Ming and famed soprano Peng Liyuan Monday became the new faces of China's anti-smoking campaign http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-anti-smoking.htm 10/9/2009 China-- Wang Dengfeng works as an interior decorator, but he is never splattered with paint at the end of the day and he has not once hurt his back moving furniture http://www.chinatownconnection.com/online-business-job-seekers.htm 9/15/2009 Houston, TX-- Chinese culture comes to life when the Shanghai Dance Company takes the stage at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Splendid China IV on October 9 and 10, 2009 http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-dance-company-houston.htm 10/7/2009-- It is not the Harry Potter kind of witchcraft, but it's equally spellbinding, say elders in Taiwan's Paiwan tribe. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-aborigines-witchcraft.htm 10/6/2009-- China celebrated its rise to a world power over 60 years of Communist rule on Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-anniversary-pride.htm 10/5/2009-- Color symbolism in Chinese culture in many respects differs from the Western one. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/color-chinese-culture.htm 10/2/2009 TAIPEI (AP) - Taiwan's National Palace Museum said Friday it will open its first-ever joint exhibition with China next week, 60 years after they split amid civil war. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-national-palace-china.htm 10/1/2009 TAIPEI-- Taiwan on Thursday reacted to a call by Chinese President Hu Jintao to move towards reunification by stating that the island is. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-china-independent.htm 9/30/2009 China - Beijing virtually closed its downtown yesterday, closing the Forbidden City and shops and hotels near Tiananmen Square. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-giant-party.htm 9/29/2009 Houston, TX – The 13th Annual Bayou City Art Festival Downtown won’t miss a beat with 15 multicultural musical and dance groups, plus its first-ever culinary arts presentations, to showcase continuous entertainment October 10-11. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-bayou-city-art-2009.htm 9/28/2009 Houston, TX— This October, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, presents Chaotic Harmony: Contemporary Korean Photography. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-korean-photography.htm 9/26/2009 (Xinhua)-- A Great Confucius Statue will be dedicated in Hermann Park, Houston of Texas on Sept. 26, 2009, Saturday and the day has been proclaimed as Great Confucius Sculpture Day in Harris County, Texas. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-confucius-hermann-park.htm 9/24/2009 Austin, TX-- Hello, my name is Hannah Lee, and I am a research assistant to Dr. Eun-Ok Im at the University of Texas at Austin. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/study-physical-activity-minorities.htm 9/24/2009-- Nothing gets the stomach juices flowing quite as well as a ring of shrimp with tails dangling in the air and heads swaddled in tubes of cheese-stuffed dough. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-pizza-crusts.htm 9/23/2009-- Chinese cities are encouraging people to leave their cars in the garage on Tuesday as part of the world's car-free day. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-car-free-day.htm 9/22/2009 BEIJING -- China has closed Tibet to foreign tourists and deployed soldiers armed with machine guns in the streets of Beijing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-foreigners-tibet.htm 9/20/2009 CISHAN, Taiwan - Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, under pressure over his government's response to the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, on Friday estimated that more than 500 people had died in flooding and mudslides. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-flood-death-toll.htm 9/18/2009-- About 60,100 cars were sold last month in Beijing - the city’s largest monthly car sales this year and nearly double the sales volume of a year earlier. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/car-sales-beijing.htm 9/17/2009 Houston-- Saturday, September 26th & Sunday, September 27th 10 am - 6 pm Aerosol Warfare Gallery will become AW Garage Sale Fundraiser. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/aerosol-warfare-fundraiser.htm 9/16/2009 SHENZHEN, China — Ren Wanhui is in the market for a sleek smart-phone packed with applications. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/apple-iphone-china.htm 9/15/2009 Houston, TX-- Chinese culture comes to life when the Shanghai Dance Company takes the stage at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Splendid China IV. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-dance-company-houston.htm 9/14/2009-- A Taiwanese woman's ambition to kiss 100 men in Paris has become an overnight web sensation after she provided details of the quest on her much-visited blog. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-woman-kissing-quest.htm 9/12/2009 BEIJING — Former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian was handed an unexpectedly stiff sentence Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-ex-president-life.htm 9/11/2009-- China's economy is on track to grow 8 percent in 2009, as new data suggests Beijing's massive stimulus spending continues to offset drops in exports. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economy-grow.htm 9/10/2009-- Wind power alone can potentially allow China to reduce emissions by 30 percent in about twenty years, according to a prominent science magazine today. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/wind-china-power.htm 9/9/2009 Houston, Texas – The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Asia Society, New York will present an unprecedented exhibition of ancient art from Viet Nam. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/vietnamese-art-houston-museum.htm 9/8/2009-- The Chinese man has built himself his very own sub all on his own, spending two years and 30,000 yuan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-farmer-submarine.htm 9/4/2009-- Some 20 years later, the Chinese government, emboldened by its economic prowess and global political importance. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-new-journalists.htm 9/3/2009 Houston— To mark the 40th anniversary of man’s landing on the moon, this September the MFAH presents The Moon Houston, Tranquility Base Here. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mfah-moon-landing.htm 9/2/2009-- In January at Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Sony gave the tech industry a glimpse of the future of their Bravia series HDTVs with a number of prototype 3D-displays. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sony-3d-tv.htm 9/1/2009-- With its narrow, courtyard-lined dirt roads and gangs of dusty workers in slippers digging ditches, Mawu village seems a world away from the modern hustle. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-robot-farmer.htm 8/31/2009 HONG KONG — China is set to tighten its hammerlock on the market for some of the world’s most obscure but valuable minerals. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-rare-minerals.htm 8/28/2009-- China will have 64.9 million online gamers by the end of 2009, in a market that is growing at an incredible rate. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-online-gamers.htm 8/27/2009 --Earlier this week, China Unicom confirmed that it would be discussing the iPhone in a Friday briefing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/iphone-debut-china.htm 8/27/2009 --Earlier this week, China Unicom confirmed that it would be discussing the iPhone in a Friday briefing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/iphone-debut-china.htm 8/26/2009 Houston— Opening September 6 and on view through November 29, 2009, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will showcase a selection of key paintings by Joaquín Torres-García. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/joaquin-garcia-mfah-painter.htm 8/25/2009 (Houston, TX) -- Approximately 700 students at Foerster Elementary School, 14200 Fonmeadow, Houston 77035 in Houston ISD’s West Region will receive pre-packaged school supplies, donated by the Chinese American Relief Effort. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-students-care-supply.htm 8/25/2009 Houston, Texas and New York, NY – The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Asia Society, New York will present an unprecedented exhibition of ancient art from Viet Nam. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mfah-vietnamese-art.htm 8/24/2009 China-- A new center for baby pandas opened to the public in Sichuan, Chinese State Television reported on Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/panda-baby-center-china.htm 8/23/2009 San Dimas, CA - Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan with strong winds and heavy downpours on August 7. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tzu-chi-typhoon-relief.htm 8/17/2009 LOS ANGELES -- The morning after Y.E. Yang became the first Asian golfer to win a major championship. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yang-wins-golf.htm 8/13/2009-- Chinese food and drug regulators are required to report food accidents to their superiors and local health authorities within six hours. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-food-accident.htm 8/12/2009 Houston-- In an effort to increase public safety and crime prevention awareness in Houston,the Houston Police Department (HPD) has launched the first phase of a new interactive crime tool for citizens. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hpd-crime-website.htm 8/11/2009-- During summer holidays, prestigious universities like Peking and Tsinghua Universities become a favorite tourist spot. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tourists-beijing-university.htm 8/10/2009 ATLANTA — Last year, after running for 30 years, Chris Lahowitch heard her doctors say she had to give it up for good. Her arthritic knees couldn’t take it. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tai-chi-healing-power.htm 8/8/2009-- The Texas Shakespeare Festival brings the world of Shakespeare to East Texas http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-shakespeare-festival.htm 8/7/2009 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It's a role that introduced U.S. audiences to Bruce Lee, and now Taiwanese singer and actor Jay Chou will play martial arts master Kato http://www.chinatownconnection.com/jay-chou-kato.htm 8/6/2009-- China is winning a global race to create green collar jobs, six months after countries worldwide launched 500bn spending plans to drive a low-carbon economy http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-green-jobs.htm 8/3/2009 Houston—The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s curator of modern and contemporary decorative arts and design, Cindi Strauss, has hand-picked a selection of the most significant decorative art objects to have entered the collection in the past five years for Recent Accessions in Design http://www.chinatownconnection.com/accessions-design-mfah.htm 8/4/2009-- Dell apologized Wednesday for online pricing snafus that have hit its Web sales in Taiwan over the past week, and moved to settle the issue as the island's Fair Trade Commission launched a probe http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dell-taiwan.htm 8/3/2009 YOKOHAMA, Japan -- Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn made a quiet entrance Sunday at the Japanese automaker's new headquarters building http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nissan-electric-car.htm 7/31/2009 New Delhi, (PTI)-- Amid rising hopes of global economic turnaround Indians have emerged as an optimistic lot than their Chinese counterparts when it comes to trust in business http://www.chinatownconnection.com/india-china-business-trust.htm 7/30/2009 HOUSTON – Houston’s nationally ranked Bayou City Art Festivals continue their award-winning ways by bringing home a record eight 2009 Texas Festivals Events Association (TFEA) honors http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-tfea-awards.htm 7/29/2009-- You could get a free (and illegal) copy of Windows 7 Ultimate if reports of a leaked OEM product activation key are accurate http://www.chinatownconnection.com/windows-7-hacked.htm 7/28/2009-- Microsoft Corp has started accepting submission of mobile phone software applications from registered developers http://www.chinatownconnection.com/window-mobile-app-store.htm 7/27/2009-- The leaders of Taiwan and China yesterday exchanged their first public messages in 60 years. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-taiwan-exchange.htm 7/25/2009 Taipei - Taiwan plans to send out one million postcards to foreign countries to lure foreign tourists to visit the island. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-postcard-tourists.htm 7/24/2009-- Shanghai authorities are urging eligible couples to have a second baby, after years of following a one-child policy. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-ends-one-child-rule.htm 7/23/2009 MANILA — The latest economic indicators from the world's advanced economies remain mixed. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asia-economic-recovery.htm 7/21/2009 Bellaire – Community National Bank (CNB) will sponsor its eighth annual Free Child I.D. Kit Day Saturday, August 8, 9 a.m. to noon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/child-id-kit-houston.htm 7/22/2009 TOKYO, Japan (AP) - Millions of Asians turned their eyes skyward Wednesday as dawn suddenly turned to darkness across the continent in the longest total solar eclipse this century will see. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asia-solar-eclipse.htm 7/21/2009 HOUSTON (Reuters) - Chinese center Yao Ming underwent successful surgery to repair the left foot fracture that has ruled him out for the whole of the next NBA season. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-foot-surgery.htm 7/20/2009-- As astronomers and amateur stargazers stare heavenward at the total solar eclipse tomorrow in eastern China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/eclipse-china.htm 7/18/2009-- Each of Orlando's theme-park resorts is promoting new attractions this year, but it's something that won't open until next year that really has people talking. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/potter-theme-park-orlando.htm 7/17/2009-- An airline in China is mulling over plans that would allow passengers to stand during short flights and pay less than those who have seats. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-airline-stand.htm 7/16/2009-- The first competition group from the Chinese mainland -- a 10-member climbing team -- arrived at the Kaohsiung airport in Taiwan at 11:20 p.m. Thursday for the 11-day World Games. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mainland-china-world-games.htm 7/15/2009 (Houston, TX) -- Due the sluggish local job market, the members of the Vietnamese American community of the Houston metropolitan area have announced holding a Job Fair to assist local English-challenged job seekers in the Asian American communities. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-asian-job-fair.htm 7/15/2009-- Chinese scientists have adopted the principle of the coal mine canary to monitoring water quality by using fish to test for pollutants http://www.chinatownconnection.com/fish-water-quality.htm 7/14/2009-- President Ma Ying-jeou will officially open the World Games in Kaohsiung tomorrow http://www.chinatownconnection.com/president-ma-world-games.htm 7/13/2009 BEIJING - Jackie Chan will play the wise kung-fu master in a Hollywood-Chinese remake of the 1984 hit The Karate Kid http://www.chinatownconnection.com/jackie-chan-karate-kid.htm 7/11/2009-- Aerosol Warfare Gallery has the privilege to host the final leg of Texas’ first traveling graffiti art exhibition http://www.chinatownconnection.com/pieced-together-houston-texas.htm 7/10/2009-- A Chinese iPhone is due by the end of the year, and possibly sooner, according to Wedge Partners http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-iphone.htm 7/9/2009-- The international community should make more efforts to cope with climate change and jointly protect the earth, Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo said in L'aquia on Thursday http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-climate-change.htm 7/7/2009 SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Over the next five years, the Taiwan government will invest a total of NT 45 billion http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-green-technology.htm 7/6/2009-- The Dalai Lama celebrated his 74th birthday on Monday in a typically jocular mood http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dalai-lama-birthday.htm 7/2/2009 Beijing-- The heat wave continued in Beijing and several other northern provinces yesterday, while rainstorms drenched at least half of the country http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-heatwave-continues.htm 7/1/2009 HONG KONG -- Tens of thousands of people took to the sweltering streets of Hong Kong on Wednesday for an annual pro-democracy march. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/democracy-hong-kong.htm 6/30/2009 --Taiwan has partially lifted its decades-old ban on investment in the island by Chinese companies. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-lifts-ban-china.htm 6/29/2009-- Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming's broken left foot could be a career-threatening injury the NBA team's physician. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-career.htm 6/25/2009 New York - As they work to unravel the mystery of Air France Flight 447, aviation analysts and pilots are now urging investigators to focus attention on the plane's tail fin. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/air-france-crash-cause.htm 6/24/2009-- Chinese basketball megastar Yao Ming will act as a special guide to introduce the upcoming Shanghai 2010 World Expo, China on July 5th, the shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post reported on Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-expo-yao.htm 6/23/2009-- WB vice president shows optimism on China's economy. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economy-bottom.htm 6/22/2009-- US telecom carrier T-Mobile announced on Monday that the latest version of a touch-screen smartphone featuring Google's Android software would be available in August. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/google-phone.htm 6/20/2009-- The richest families in Taiwan earn 62 times more than the poorest five percent - a record gap in income levels, a report citing government figures said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-income-gap.htm 6/19/2009 BEIJING (AP) -- Houston's Yao Ming has called a possible move to Cleveland an "unknown," but did nothing to dampen ongoing speculation that the Cavaliers' new Chinese part owners want to sign him. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-cleveland.htm 6/17/2009 GUANGZHOU, China — Residents in a Chinese city are trying to come to grips with a strict regulation on dog ownership that's set to take effect soon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-one-dog-policy.htm 6/16/2009 Taiwan-- Ashin and Sandee Chan each won their respective awards at the ceremony of the 2008 Best Ten Songs Albums of Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/best-songs-taiwan.htm 6/15/2009-- A Newton-based firm has created a list of the world's "germiest" destinations. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/germ-tourist-destinations.htm 6/13/2009 Houston, TX-- Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin will give a talk and sign copies of his new memoir, MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION: the Long Journey Home from the Moon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/buzz-aldrin-houston.htm 6/12/2009-- The forthcoming Taipei Arts Festival will engage and enchant the widest possible audience with Shakespeare's dramas in new, modern and original ways. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taipei-arts-festival.htm 6/11/2009 BEIJING (Reuters) - One of China's most sought-after actors is starring in an animated short film about human trafficking and sexual exploitation, issues that have plagued the country, and the rest of Asia, for decades http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mtv-china-human-trafficking.htm 6/10/2009 Houston, TX-- Aerosol Warfare has teamed up with toy designer Jamungo to bring you a unique exhibition featuring customized urban vinyl toys. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/aerosol-warfare-houston.htm 6/9/2009-- The temptation to prop the nipper in front of Teletubbies and finally read Saturday’s paper on Wednesday is both understandable and, if the alternative is screaming at the little lovely out of exhaustion, probably preferable. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/television-bad-children.htm 6/8/2009 BEIJING — China is requiring personal computers sold in the country to carry software that blocks online pornography and other Web sites. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-pc-software.htm 6/6/2009 BEIJING-- Relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan have improved over the past year, observers say. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-taiwan-improve.htm 6/5/2009 BEIJING (AP) - Having appeared in a documentary and played himself on "The Simpsons," Houston Rockets star Yao Ming. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-film-camp.htm 6/4/2009 Katy, TX – Two Katy families touched by an autoimmune disease that causes severe hair loss have teamed up to chair Houston’s first-ever Tortoise and Hair 5K and 1 Mile Run/Walk benefiting the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/katy-tortoise-hair-event.htm 6/4/2009 BEIJING-- China will be at the forefront of the economic revival, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economic-revival.htm 6/3/2009- The abiding image of the Tiananmen Massacre is that of a man, identity never known, standing in front of a line of tanks with two shopping bags in his hands http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-20-years-later.htm 6/2/2009 DETROIT/NEW YORK -- General Motors Corp said on Tuesday it reached a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand to a privately held Chinese company http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gm-sell-hummer.htm 6/1/2009 WASHINGTON (AP) - Bits of pottery discovered in a cave in southern China may be evidence of the earliest development of ceramics by ancient people. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-pottery-discovered.htm 5/28/2009-- While automotive sales flounder in the U.S., rural China has seen an unprecedented explosion of car buying. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/rural-china-car-owners.htm 5/24/2009 (Houston, TX)-- The Houston Public Library invites the community to the opening reception of the photography art exhibition Enchanting Taiwan. The 38 photos in this exhibition, each taken by one of Taiwan s top photographer. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/enhancing-taiwan-houston-photo.htm 5/21/2009-- A visit to mainland china, to the interiors of Chinese homes, will enlighten you on the reasons for their orienting doors and windows. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/positive-chi-kids.htm 5/20/2009-- The international fast food giant McDonald's has announced that following a one year trial in Shanghai, it will launch its 24-hour delivery service in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mcdonald-china-delivery.htm 5/19/2009 Houston— North Looks South: Building the Latin American Art Collection, opening June 7 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), celebrates the museum’s major Latin American art acquisitions since 2001. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/latin-art-houston-musuem.htm 5/18/2009-- Beijing will have to jam on the economic brakes to save Chinese cities from bankrupting themselves, a top Chinese adviser says. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-economic-recovery.htm 5/15/2009-- It’s a beautiful spring day in Beijing – one of those rare blue-sky, clear, crisp days where it’s a joy to be outdoors. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-wall-windmills.htm 5/14/2009 Houston— The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is the second and final venue for the first major museum exhibition in the continental United States in almost two decades. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/korean-art-houston-museum.htm 5/13/2009 Houston— To mark the 40th anniversary of man’s landing on the moon, this September the MFAH presents The Moon: Houston, Tranquility Base Here. The Eagle has Landed. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/museum-fine-arts-houston-moon-landing.htm 5/12/2009 Shanghai (Gasgoo.com)-- BMW AG announced the opening of BMW Shanghai Training Center, the biggest BMW training center in Asia on Monday, reported Xinhua news agency. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bmw-training-center-shanghai.htm 5/11/2009-- SIMULATED versions of acupuncture may be as effective at treating chronic back pain as the ancient Chinese needle therapy, a new study has revealed. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/fake-acupuncture.htm 5/8/2009-- BEIJING'S meteorological department will attempt to disperse any rain clouds that will interrupt planned National Day celebrations, weather officials said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-stop-rain.htm 5/7/2009-- Taiwan's exports fell for the eighth consecutive month in April, plunging 34.3 percent to $14.85 billion. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-exports-plunge.htm 5/6/2009-- Acupuncture is an ancient technique in which a skilled practitioner inserts hair-thin needles into specific points on the body to help prevent or treat illness and diseases. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/acupuncture-cancer.htm 5/5/2009 SHANGHAI -- Taxi passengers in Shanghai could be forced to pay higher fares during rush hours, it emerged Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-taxi-rate.htm 5/4/2009 TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - A Taiwanese business tycoon has criticized Omaha investor Warren Buffett's decision to invest in a Chinese battery and car maker allegedly involved in stealing trade secrets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-tycoon-investments.htm 5/3/2009-- THOUSANDS of Beijingers joined domestic and international tourists to catch a glimpse of six newly arrived pandas. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/quake-panda-zoon.htm 5/2/2009 CHICAGO (Xinhua) -- Americans eager to learn Chinese and Chinese culture are growing in number despite the obstacles they face. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/americans-study-chinese.htm 4/30/2009-- China has launched a museum celebrating its spy history but, amid repeated complaints overseas about alleged modern-day Chinese espionage efforts. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-banned-spy-museum.htm 4/29/2009-- Taiwan will open its stock and futures markets to qualified direct institutional investors (QDIIs) from China later this year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-firm-markets-open.htm 4/27/2009 Houston—The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s collection of Indian art, which ranges across media and over two millennia, will have a permanent home at the museum beginning Saturday, May 16. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nidhika-pershant-mehta-art.htm 4/27/2009-- China's Ministry of Health (MOH) is developing a diagnostic reagent for use in testing for swine flu, which has killed more than 100 people in Mexico, an MOH spokesman said Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-swine-flu.htm 4/23/2009-- Beijing is looking to lure more domestic tourists to the city's top attractions via a massive giveaway of 2 million entry tickets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-tourists-free-attractions.htm 4/22/2009-- Thousands of dolphins blocked the suspected Somali pirate ships when they were trying to attack Chinese merchant ships passing the Gulf of Aden. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dolphins-block-somali-pirates.htm 4/20/2009 Houston— North Looks South: Building the Latin American Art Collection, opening June 7 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), celebrates the museum’s major Latin American art. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/latin-art-houston-museum.htm 4/20/2009 SHANGHAI — World automakers were launching 13 new models Monday as they converged on China’s commercial capital for the Shanghai Auto Show. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-auto-expo.htm 4/15/2009 ATLANTA (AP) - Thousands of protesters have staged "tea parties" around the country against taxes, government spending and bailouts. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tea-party-protest.htm 4/14/2009-- Hong Kong has retained its position as the most competitive Chinese city in 2009. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-chinese-city.htm 4/13/2009-- A Chinese monk fends off criticism to bring Buddhism to a new audience with his modern musical take on traditional teachings. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-monk-rock-out.htm 4/9/2009-- The National Institute of Korean History yesterday released a copy of the Chinese-language version of the first edition of the Independence Newspaper. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-independence-paper.htm 4/8/2009 NEW YORK– The USA Bid Committee mailed letters last week to public officials and stadium operators in metropolitan markets across the United States in an initial and important step toward preparing a formal bid to play host to the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-venues-world-cup.htm 4/6/2009-- Healthcare is the No.1 concern among Chinese, ranking above security, education and even employment http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-basic-healthcare.htm 4/6/2009 Houston, Texas – Houston-based Amy Blakemore takes photographs in order to explore the ways in which memory both records and transforms visual information http://www.chinatownconnection.com/photographer-amy-blakemore.htm 4/2/2009 Houston, TX -- Houston-area citizens can help protect themselves against personal identity theft, one of the nation’s fastest growing crimes, at the Great Bellaire Paper Shred April 18 http://www.chinatownconnection.com/great-bellaire-paper-shred.htm 4/1/2009 TOKYO - Japan is offering 3,000 USD for a plane ticket home to some foreigners who have lost their jobs, a sign of just how bad the economic slump has gotten. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-jobless-go-home.htm 3/31/2009-- Though it might have some entertainment value, a musical performance by Bao Xishun, who the Guinness Book of World Records currently recognizes as the world's tallest man. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tallest-man-earth.htm 3/30/2009-- Taipei's plan to be an international metropolis is a trilogy, namely to host the 21st Summer Deaflympics in September. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-international-metropolis.htm 3/26/2009-- Drinking hot tea may cause throat cancer, say Iranian researchers, suggesting people let their steaming drink cool before consuming them. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-world-trade-center-lease.htm 3/25/2009 NEW YORK (AP) - A Beijing real estate company is becoming the first corporate tenant to sign a lease at ground zero. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-world-trade-center-lease.htm 3/24/2009-- China has blocked access to the world's most popular video-sharing site, YouTube. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/youtube-china.htm 3/23/2009 HONG KONG (AP) - Japanese cinema has dominated the third Asian Film Awards, with Tokyo Sonata winning best picture. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tokyo-sonata.htm 3/20/2009-- An oil painting of 100 historical personages is one of the Internet’s newest sensations. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/famous-face-painting.htm 3/19/2009-- On top of the $8.5 trillion dollars the U.S. Federal Government has obligated itself to spend in the foreseeable future. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/stimulus-payment.htm 3/18/2009-- Tourists from the Chinese mainland visit the Sun-Moon Lake in southeast China's Taiwan Province March 18. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mainland-tourists-taiwan.htm 3/17/2009-- Two Chinese dietary staples - mushrooms and green tea - may have the power to ward off breast cancer, mounting evidence suggests. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-food-breast-cancer.htm 3/16/2009-- Taiwan plans to cut its troop numbers by about a fifth to create a lean and mean fighting force. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-lean-army.htm 3/12/2009 Taipei - Taiwan is opposed to China's plan to extend China's national railway network to Taipei, calling it unnecessary. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-china-rail-link.htm 3/11/2009-- China will spend 60 billion yuan 8.77 billion U.S. dollars annually on its greening, or tree-planting. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-tree-planting.htm 3/10/2009-- Rumors of an Apple netbook gained momentum Tuesday as the Dow Jones financial news service confirmed earlier reports that the company will launch a touchscreen-based computer. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/apple-netbook.htm 3/9/2009 (Houston, TX) – Members of the Asian American Business Council (AABC) held a regularly scheduled meeting on Friday amidst an email hoax that claimed of bold robberies at two Asian restaurants in the Houston Chinatown area. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinatown-restaurant-robberies.htm 3/8/2009-- Barbie shunned New York, London and Paris to open in China with a six-storey building, as the world’s biggest toymaker, Mattel, looks to China for growth. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/barbie-store-china.htm 3/6/2009 TAIPEI-- There's poop everywhere! Y-u-c-k says 6-year-old Jordan Lien as he and his family dine at the Modern Toilet, a popular Taiwanese restaurant chain. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-toilet-restaurant.htm 3/6/2009-- Asia’s final outbound travel figures for 2008 and prospects for 2009 will be revealed in the ITB World Travel Trends Report 2009 to be presented at ITB Future Day. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-travel-demand-slows.htm 3/4/2009 BEIJING (Reuters) - China is ready to create the conditions needed to reach a peace agreement with Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-peace-taiwan.htm 3/3/2009 BEIJING - It is China's $586-billion question and outsiders are watching this week's legislative meeting for details of how Beijing is spending the stimulus announced in November. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-legislature-stimulus.htm 3/2/2009 BEIJING - THE world is watching to see if China pours trillions more yuan into its economy this week as the country's biggest political meetings kick off today. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-stimulus.htm Gentlemen: In response to your request to contact legislators and ask for a bailout for the Big Three automakers please consider the following, and please pass my thoughts on to Troy Clarke, President of General Motors North America. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/auto-supplier-letter-gm.htm 2/26/2009-- Barber shops across China saw one of their busiest days of the year Thursday, the Dragon-Head-Raising Festival according to the lunar calendar, when Chinese believe a haircut will bring good luck http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-lucky-haircuts.htm 2/25/2009 HOUSTON -- Watercolor artist Larry Stephenson toys around his studio with antique marbles, model planes and cars, wind-up tin men and old-time funny papers http://www.chinatownconnection.com/day-airport-bayou-city-art.htm 2/24/2009 BEIJING: China has closed Tibet to foreign tourists ahead of next month’s highly sensitive 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, tour agencies and other industry people said yesterday http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-tibet-closed.htm 2/20/2009-- Honeywell plans to ship LCD TVs at sizes up to 82 inches on the diagonal, the company has confirmed in spec sheets posted on its Web site. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/82-inch-lcd-tv.htm 2/19/2009-- Global markets have stumbled because the very nature of our market-driven economic system is unsustainable, according to two political thinkers who spoke in İstanbul on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/economic-social-change.htm 2/18/2009 SHANGHAI (Reuters) - When Chinese businessman Roger Zhang needed a bridging loan for his steel company, he went to a pawn shop to get a cash flow injection to keep his business afloat. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-businesses-loan.htm 2/17/2009 (Bloomberg) -- Taiwan’s economy probably shrank at the fastest pace on record last quarter as a slump in exports pushed the island into its first recession since the technology bubble burst in 2001. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-economy-shrank.htm 2/16/2009-- Foreign investment in China has declined for a fourth month. The January figures showed investment fell 32.6 per cent to $7.58 billion from a year earlier. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/foreign-investment-dry-up-china.htm 2/14/2009 SHANGHAI, China-- Down an alley from a KFC, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut here, Li Hong sat inside a dingy little storefront that serves full-course dinners for a dollar. Her tray was filled with cabbage, carrots, potatoes, a chicken leg and rice, plus soup. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-appetite-fast-food.htm No matter where in the world, love exists. Some celebrations are low-key while others are full-fledged feats. Let's look at some of these festivities. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/valentine-celebration-world.htm 2/11/2009-- The US Senate has taken an important step in the fight against recession by passing the $838-billion economic stimulus bill, but the bill's protectionist clauses could backfire and hamper the country's recovery, Chinese economists said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/stimulus-backfire.htm 2/10/2009-- A former Taiwanese first lady has pleaded guilty to money-laundering and forgery but denied embezzlement charges in a high-profile corruption case. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-ex-first-lady.htm 2/9/2009 BEIJING (UPI) -- A Chinese government official said China would not follow the United States' lead by putting a protectionist provision in its economic stimulus package. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/buy-china-policy.htm 2/6/2009-- Chinese parents have found it difficult but necessary to teach their children some financial lessons, starting tightening their purse strings amid the worsening financial situation. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/kids-save-financial.htm 2/5/2009 BEIJING (Reuters) - Millions of migrant workers may be out of a job and China's once booming economy may be locked in a downward spiral as the global economic crisis bites. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-funny-crisis.htm 2/4/2009-- The latest manufacturing data in China suggest that the world's third-largest economy is showing some signs of recovery. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economy-recovery.htm 2/3/2009 NEW YORK – More and more elders are going to the gym, once the domain of young fitness-goers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-elders-gym.htm 2/2/2009 CAMBRIDGE, England -- A protester hurled abuse and then a shoe at China's prime minister Monday while he delivered a speech on the global economy at Cambridge University at the end of his trip to Britain. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/protester-hurl-shoe-chinese.htm 1/31/2009 Houston, TX-- On a picture perfect day, the Lunar New Year festival celebrating the Year of the Ox was a sight to be seen. The annual event held at the Houston Chinese Community Center brought out tens of thousands of Houstonians http://www.chinatownconnection.com/lunar-festival-chinese-center.htm 1/29/2009 Houston— Centuries before photography and television, civilians got their first visual taste of war in prints made possible by advancement in the development of papermaking, and the invention of special printing presses. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/museum-houston-plains-of-mars.htm 1/28/2009 DAVOS, Switzerland - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo brought cautious optimism to the World Economic Forum Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economy-cautious.htm 1/27/2009-- According to statistics on birth registration released by the supreme court on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/popular-korean-names.htm 1/26/2009 BELLAIRE, TX— On Saturday, Feb. 14, two rose experts will share their knowledge of the traditional gift on St. Valentine’s Day: lovely, fragrant, popular, romantic roses http://www.chinatownconnection.com/teas-nursery-seminar.htm 1/25/2009 CHENGDU -- With red lanterns hanging from the eaves, the bangs of firecrackers outside, and tables of delicious food, Chinese people. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/celebrate-lunar-new-year.htm 1/24/2009 HOUSTON – Staples, Inc. Nasdaq: SPLS, the world’s largest office products company, today announced it will celebrate the opening of its fourth Houston store with a $15,000 donation from Staples Foundation for Learning to I Have a Dream - Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/staples-i-have-dream.htm 1/23/2009-- China has landed at the heart of America's theater scene --Broadway. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-culture-broadway.htm 1/22/2009-- Taiwan's jobless rate hit 5 percent in December last year, the highest for more than five years, the island's statistical department said here Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-jobless-rate.htm 1/21/2009 YUANLIN, Taiwan -- Japan's iconic Hello Kitty has been recruited to help calm anxious mothers at a maternity hospital in Taiwan where the cartoon image adorns everything from walls to newborns' blankets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-hospitals-hello-kitty.htm 1/20/2009-- As part of a class action settlement, $175 million worth of free cosmetics products will be distributed to members of the class. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/retail-stores-giveaway-cosmetics.htm 1/19/2009-- Chinese archeologists discovered in Shaanxi Province the earliest known cave dwelling residence complex to date. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-cave-dwelling.htm 1/16/2009-- THE key to a solution of the latest economic and financial problems facing the world is a double-pronged change – a fall in the currencies of the troubled and traumatized. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-consumption-savings.htm 1/15/2009-- An upward revision in China’s growth figures allowed it to leapfrog Germany to become the world’s third-largest economy in 2007. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-three-economy.htm 1/14/2009 BEIJING-- Taiwan’s biggest domestic box office hit, a love story involving its former colonizer Japan, will finally get a screening in China after a delay blamed on the movie’s historical slant. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-valentine-movie.htm 1/13/2009 - The choice between $75 prescription sleeping pills or a $5 herbal alternative is a no-brainer for Cathy and Bernard Birleffi, whose insurance costs have skyrocketed along with the nation's financial woes.. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/economy-sour-herbal-medicine.htm 1/12/2009-- Beijing authorities who control internet traffic blocked the portal Bullog.cn, a free blog publishing site highly valued in Chinese cultural circles. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-web-crackdown.htm Tax season is upon us and we here know how frustrating and intimidating taxes can be. The purpose of this site is to inform ordinary taxpayers of new tax law and changes for 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ihatetaxes.htm 1/10/2009 Houston-- In January 2009, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will unveil a pair of 17th-century six-paneled screens from its permanent collection newly restored by conservation experts in Japan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-japanese-screen-museum.htm 1/9/2009-- Given the success of Woo's high-stakes undertaking -- at $80 million, the most expensive Chinese-language movie ever. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/red-cliff-2.htm 1/8/2009-- The moon will look larger than it has in 12 years tomorrow night as it will be at its nearest point to the Earth, Xinhua News Agency reported today. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/largest-moon-appear.htm 1/7/2009 LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp plans to launch the world's lightest 8-inch notebook PC, taking aim squarely at a rapidly growing market for ultra-portalbe personal computers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sony-eight-inch-notebook.htm 1/6/2009-- There were more than 50 million bloggers in China by the end of November 2008, a growth of some 6.38 percent from the end of November 2007. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-web-bloggers.htm 11/5/2009-- Chinese officials yesterday launched a crackdown on "vulgar" websites including Google and the country's leading search engine, Baidu. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-vulgar-searches.htm 1/2/2009-- Chinese netizens have made their voices heard more loudly and their presence better recognized in headline news events over the past year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/free-internet-democracy.htm 1/1/2009 HONG KONG-- Hong Kong people are more gloomy about the prospects for 2009 than anyone else in the world. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/2009-pessimistic.htm 12/30/2008-- Whether counting down to 2009 at tried-and-true celebrations like New York’s annual Times Square extravaganza or by eating a grape for every stroke of midnight in Barcelona. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/top-new-year-celebrations.htm 12/28/2008-- A pair of giant pandas from China’s fog-shrouded mountains has reached an excited but wary Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-goodwill-panda.htm 12/23/2008 BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese capital Beijing will build a complex of 32 theatres dedicated to putting on musicals, state media said on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-chinese-broadway.htm 12/22/2008-- The Chinese government recently announced its intention to sue foreign businesses for leaving the country without permission. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/foreign-business-flea-china.htm 12/21/2008-- The theory of Asia ‘decoupling’ from the world recession is disproved, as China’s economy is rapidly slowing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economy-worries.htm 12/19/2008-- A famous saying in China goes People's life depends on eating. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-eating-habits.htm 12/18/2008-- The Chinese 25th Antarctic expedition team left Zhongshan Station Thursday for the highest icecap on the South Pole to set up the country's first inland Antarctic research station. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-antarctic-base.htm 12/16/2008 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Surgeons have replaced 80 percent of a woman's face, transplanting bone, teeth, muscle and nerve in the first such operation in the United States. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/face-transplant-us.htm 12/16/2008-- As the global economic downturn begins to bite, at least three in four Chinese place a high value on saving, according to a survey published on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/savings-chinese-people.htm 12/15/2008 Houston, TX – The Houston community is invited to participate in a brief program on Wednesday, December 17th, to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-exclusion-act-repeal.htm 12/14/2008-- Taiwan and China have launched direct daily flights and cargo shipping, the first time in nearly 60 years that such direct transport links been allowed. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-taiwan-flights-begin.htm 12/11/2008-- Many Chinese cities have raced to the top, vying with each other to build the tallest and shiniest skyscrapers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-city-tall-buildings.htm 12/10/2008-- The number of applications for new patents has risen rapidly in China, which is set to pull ahead of Japan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-world-patents.htm 12/9/2008 Houston, TX-- The Southern USA Falun Dafa Association is delighted to bring DIVINE PERFORMING ARTS,the world’s premier Chinese dance and music company, to Houston, on December 22 and 23, 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/divine-performing-arts-houston.htm 12/8/2008-- A two-year-old boy was orphaned in the southwest Chinese city of Chongzhou when his parents drank pesticide after a nasty row. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-suicide.htm 12/4/2008-- Beijing has started selling souvenir sets of left-over grass and steel from its famed Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium for 2,900 yuan (420 dollars) each, Chinese media reported Thursday http://www.chinatownconnection.com/birds-nest-offer.htm 12/2/2008 Los Angeles, CA -- With the economy slipping, charities across the nation are bracing themselves for declining contributions this holiday season.While individuals still want to support their favorite cause, they may not have the time or the money to do so. There is a solution. More than 70,000 nonprofits have partnered with a new Yahoo-powered search engine called GoodSearch.com http://www.chinatownconnection.com/giving-holiday-season.htm 12/2/2008-- The employment outlook is “grim” according to Yin Weimin, China’s minister of human resources and social security. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/great-wall-unemployed.htm 12/1/2008-- A Chinese business tycoon reportedly under police investigation for trading violations has disappeared, his company says. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-rich-man-most-wanted.htm 11/25/2008-- According to Taiwanese media reports, in celebration of the Chinese mainland's gift of Giant pandas to Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-sculptor-panda.htm 11/24/2008 Shanghai -- The auto industry in China is hopeful of getting help from the central government, which last week unveiled a large stimulus package focused on stock market, the real estate and fixed assets investment, Beijing News said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-automarket-bailout.htm 11/21/2008 BEIJING -- The spectacular fireworks were long over and the Olympic athletes had all gone home. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/birds-nest-china.htm 11/20/2008-- To go home, or not to go home: that is the question for China's Huang Bingnan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-migrants-economic.htm 11/19/2008-- A dose of the blues may help persistent sufferers of psoriasis, according to a team of Taiwanese researchers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dry-skin-indigo.htm 11/18/2008 BEIJING: Liu Xiang is expected to undergo surgery in the United States on a painful foot injury that forced the star Chinese hurdler to withdraw at the start line during the Beijing Olympics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-hurdler-liu-xiang.htm 11/17/2008 BEIJING (AP) - The risks of an economic downturn in China are growing and protectionist sentiment abroad could hurt global growth. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-centra-bank-risk.htm 11/14/2008-- Taiwan prosecutors on Friday questioned the son and daughter-in-law of jailed former Taiwanese leader Chen Shui-bian in connection with his graft case. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-leader-son.htm 11/13/2008-- Ye Jinxiang couldn't hide her joy while talking about a phone call she received from Luwan District Housing Security Centre on October 28. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-goal-house-everyone.htm 11/12/2008 Houston— Centuries before photography and television, civilians got their first visual taste of war in prints made possible by advancement in the development of papermaking, and the invention of special printing presses. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mfah-old-master-prints.htm 11/11/2008 TAIPEI, Taiwan - A Taiwanese court has ordered the detention of former President Chen Shui-bian on corruption charges. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-president-detained.htm 11/10/2008 TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Droves of visitors gathered outside Taipei City’s http://www.chinatownconnection.com/made-in-taiwan-crowd.htm 11/7/2008 HOUSTON, TX – Nova Arts Project, the Houston theatre company dedicated to recreating classics and inspiring new works in a fearlessly theatrical way, presents, in collaboration with the Asian/Pacific American Heritage Association the regional premier of The Gate of Heaven by Lane Nishikawa and Victor Talmadge at DiverseWorks Art Space http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nova-arts-project-houston.htm 11/5/2008-- I believe I discussed the Window Pane display from Samsung at FPD International 2008, and it appears this Tech show has brought another interesting piece of technology: a 2.8 inch LCD panel with the ability to scan fingerprints. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/lcd-panel-fingerprints.htm 11/4/2008-- Democrat or Republican? No matter which party enters the White House, China wants to continue improving Sino-U.S. relations. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-us-relations.htm 11/3/2008 TAIPEI- The most senior Chinese official to visit Taiwan since the end of a civil war 60 years ago said on Monday that historic talks to take place this week are the only way to build trust between the arch rivals. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-taiwan-talk.htm 11/2/2008 Taipei - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou on Sunday urged China and Taiwan to recognize each other's sovereignty. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-china-mutual.htm 10/30/2008 --Despite frequent calls for the government and society to take action, no serious efforts have been made so far to reduce child abuse in Taiwan. As a result, mistreatment of children has been increasing steadily on the island over recent years. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-child-abuse.htm 10/29/2008 BEIJING - China cut key interest rates for the third time in six weeks Wednesday in a bid to spur economic growth amid fears of a global recession that would hit its vital exports. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-cut-interest.htm 10/28/2008-- Asian American families have the highest personal savings, the highest home and business ownership, and achieve the highest post-secondary education on average. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-american-elections.htm 10/27/2008 LORTON, Va. - For a long time, says Loc Pfeiffer, his fellow Asian-Americans were passive participants in American politics. But things are changing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-american-vote.htm All ancient civilizations have their own slant of calendar record and almanacs in particular have been in existence since antiquity across the globe. The Chinese Almanac or " Ü", is a book, or table, containing forecasts and outlook for the year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-almanac.htm 10/24/2008 Houston— In January 2009, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will unveil a pair of 17th-century six-paneled screens from its permanent collection newly restored by conservation experts in Japan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japanese-screen-mfah.htm Taiwan is also known as Treasure Island for its beautiful scenery and landscapes. The island is a popular destination for tourists who want to enjoy its grand mountains, http://www.chinatownconnection.com/visit-taiwan-things-do.htm 10/22/2008 BEIJING-- Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang will head to the United States next week to seek advice on the Achilles injury that robbed him of the chance to defend his 110m hurdles crown at the Beijing Olympics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/liu-xiang-chinese-runner.htm 10/21/2008-- According to a report on Chinese minors' use of the Internet jointly conducted by the China Youth Social Service Center. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-children-internet.htm 10/20/2008-- Technology has opened online doors to a virtual version of the famed Forbidden City in China that served for centuries as an exclusive realm for the nation’s emperors. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-palace-virtual.htm 10/16/2008-- Since the first group of 30 Chinese schoolboys traveled to the United States in 1872 to study science and technology, and learn about life in America. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-overseas-study.htm CEO --Chief Embezzlement Officer. CFO-- Corporate Fraud Officer http://www.chinatownconnection.com/stock-market-terms-parody.htm 10/14/2008-- About 84.5 million Chinese were using their mobile phone to log onto the Internet. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-mobile-phone-net.htm 10/13/2008-- Black, white and the grey scale are in full expression in Beijing at an exhibition at which Chinese and Japanese painters are celebrating a common tradition. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-japanese-painting-tradition.htm 10/10/2008 Houston— In late November, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will open its Indonesian Art gallery, the second of five new galleries to showcase Asian art. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mfah-asian-art.htm 10/9/2008 Doha, QATAR – Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker has revealed the airline will postpone the launch of its third U.S. route connecting Houston and Doha to 30 March 2009. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/qatar-airways-houston-launch.htm 10/7/2008 Houston-- As Hurricane Ike flew through the Houston area, he made sure to visit the city’s three airports, leaving a reported $23 million worth of damages. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-airport-system-ike.htm 10/6/2008 BEIJING - China's Cabinet vowed a complete overhaul of the scandal-ridden dairy industry Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-overhaul-milk-industry.htm 10/3/2008-- Possibilities include overheating, social instability, corruption, pollution, debt crises, and a post- Olympics growth swoon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-wall-street-crash.htm 10/2/2008 -- The Japan Film Festival 2008 in Vietnam is co-organized by the Japan Embassy in Vietnam, the Japan Foundation, Vietnam Japan Culture Center and some related Vietnamese Ministries and Agencies to mark the 35th year anniversary of Japan – Vietnam diplomatic relation. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japanese-film-festival-vietnam.htm 10/1/2008-- This week’s third annual China Salsa Congress in Beijing, which features four days of performances and competition, highlights the growing popularity of salsa in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-salsa.htm 9/30/2008-- The relationship between mainland China and Taiwan has improved greatly since Ma Ying-jeou became president in May. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-needs-china.htm 9/29/2008 Beijing, China-- After clamping down on cars and the pollution that comes with them for the Olympics, China last week tried to keep the spirit alive with its second national Car Free Day. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-car-free.htm I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/aig-bailout-joke.htm 9/25/2008 NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington Mutual Inc was closed by the U.S. government in by far the largest failure of a U.S. bank. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/washington-mutual-failure.htm 9/24/2008 Editorial - Here is why this so called $700 billion dollar U.S. Government bailout plan will not work. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bailout-plan-government.htm 9/24/2008 SEOUL - SOUTH Korea has banned imports of Chinese-made food products containing powdered milk following the discovery of biscuits tainted with melamine. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/south-korea-bans-chinese-food.htm 9/23/2008 Houston — Opera Vista will present its second annual outdoor performance at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens at 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-bend-opera-houston.htm 9/23/2008 -- Taiwan fell five places in the latest annual ranking by the anti-corruption organization Transparency International, but still obtained the same confidence rating as last year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-corruption.htm 9/22/2008 BEIJING — The head of China's food safety watchdog resigned Monday for failing to stop the widespread contamination of baby formula as the number of children sickened in the scandal soared to nearly 53,000, including four infants who died. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-safety-step-down.htm 9/21/2008 Houston, TX-- Kimberly Sykes finally threw out the gumbo she made the night Hurricane Ike slammed this city. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-power-scarce.htm 9/19/2008 BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing began returning to its congested normal on Saturday after two months of traffic restrictions. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-olympics-normal.htm 9/18/2008 TAIPEI-- The United Nations has again ruled out a UN role for Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/un-taiwan-bid.htm 9/16/2008 Houston-- President Bush got a firsthand look Tuesday at the fury that Hurricane Ike unleashed on the Gulf Coast. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bush-houston-ike.htm 9/15/2008 Houston – Houston’s Bayou City Art Festival Downtown and Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park, the city’s premiere outdoor juried art festivals, have brought home three Pinnacle Awards. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-award-winner.htm 9/11/2008 Houston, TX-- Hundreds of thousands of people fled coastal areas in the path of Hurricane Ike yesterday as the storm gathered strength on a collision course with the Texas Gulf Coast. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ike-houston-texas.htm 9/10/2008-- Chinese scientists have given birth to the country's first test-tube monkeys, which is believed to be the first step to engineer gene-modified monkeys. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-test-tube-monkeys.htm 9/9/2008 DALLAS (UPI) -- A Dallas woman says she turned to the Chinese principles of Feng Shui to balance spiritual forces in her home and prevent another car from ramming it. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/feng-shui-car-home.htm 9/8/2008-- More Chinese enterprises are investing in Africa with their technological and personnel advantages and the abundant resources in Africa, said Wang Chao, assistant minister of commerce, here on Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-investment-africa.htm 9/7/2008-- A Chinese state media agency has reported today that the country will launch a three-man spaceflight this month and all systems are already in final preparation. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-spacewalk-plans.htm 9/4/2008 BEIJING -- Nearly four months after China's devastating earthquake, a government scientist acknowledged Thursday that a rush to build schools in recent years likely led to construction flaws causing so many of them to collapse. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-school-collapse.htm 9/2/2008-- The government may raise the poverty line to enable more people to get State benefits to meet their needs, officials and experts said Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-raise-poverty-line.htm 8/29/2008-- Around four million Chinese youths are addicted to the Internet and “unhealthy” online games. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-unhealthy-games.htm 8/21/2008 RALEIGH, N.C. - China is hoping that American college students watching the Summer Olympics will want to travel there, providing a bump similar to what Australia and Greece enjoyed in 2000 and 2004. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-us-college-student.htm 8/19/2008-- Although Taiwanese are generally happy, they are not very satisfied with the performance of the government, a survey showed yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/happy-taiwanese.htm The Olympic medals being flashed all across TV screens worldwide catch the eye and inspire the imagination. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-medals-made.htm 8/14/2008-- The Chinese government faces a repair bill of almost $150bn from the Sichuan earthquake. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sichuan-earthquake-cost.htm 8/12/2008-- Since the change in Taiwan’s government in May, there have been statements in the media about what the government plans to do.. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-waiting-game.htm 8/11/2008 -- It is rare to see an estate agent running out of his office after a prospective client, but the young man pursuing me down the main street in Shenzhen had that fixed smile of desperation on his face. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-global-downturn.htm 8/9/2008 NEW YORK - The colorful Olympics opening night ceremony from Beijing on NBC averaged 34.2 million viewers, making it the biggest television event since the Super Bowl. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympics-beijing-nbc.htm 8/8/2008 BEIJING -- "The most spectacular Olympics opening ever" http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-olympics-opening-ceremony.htm Houston, TX-- Labor Day weekend only, The Warehouse Sale's Premium Denim Sale will be at the Westin Oaks Houston, at the Galleria mall. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/warehouse-sale-houston-galleria.htm 8/6/2008 Houston—Offering a glimpse of the design collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, this August the MFAH presents Celebrating 10 Years of the Design Council, an exhibition of two dozen objects that pays tribute to the friends group funding design purchases at the MFAH. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/design-council-mfah.htm 8/5/2008 BEIJING-- China plans to launch its third manned space mission in October during which the country's astronauts are to undertake their first ever space walk. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-astronauts-space-walk.htm 8/4/2008 Shanghai, China - A new report by J.D. Power Asia Pacific said that nearly 80 per cent of Chinese respondents have reduced their vehicle usage. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/fuel-price-chinese-driver.htm 8/1/2008 BEIJING - In a matter of days, hundreds of thousands of visitors from more than 100 countries will flood into China's capital. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-foreign-visitors.htm 7/30/2008-- A 30-second video clip of a rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics has brought reactions of disappointment and anger from Games officials who had tried to keep the show secret. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-ceremony-unveiled.htm 7/29/2008-- The Beijing Summer Olympics was supposed to be a big international party. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-travel-visa.htm 7/28/2008 BEIJING — All tickets to Olympic events in Beijing have been sold, organizers said Monday, putting the games on course to be the first to sell out. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-olympic-events.htm 7/25/2008-- In the era of Mao Zedong, nationalism was condensed into a single slogan: the Chinese people have stood up. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nationalism-olympics.htm 7/24/2008 HOUSTON – This fall more than 300 fine artists from around the U.S. and the world will embellish the urban streetscape of the nation’s fourth largest city to create one of the premiere art festivals in the country: Bayou City Art Festival Downtown. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-bayou-art-festival-2008.htm 7/23/2008 Houston-The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is turning its Cameron Gallery into a stage this fall for contemporary guitarists, classical performers, jazz artists, country singers, and rock stars. The Sounds I See: Photographs of Musicians, opening September 20, presents more than 90 photographs from the museum’s permanent collection. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sounds-photographs-mfah.htm 7/23/2008 BEIJING-- Don’t ask a tourist’s age or wage, steer clear of sex and avoid religion. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-tourists.htm 7/22/2008-- Last December, a full seven years after the last summit of EU and African leaders held in Cairo in 2000, the long postponed EU-Africa summit finally took place again in Lisbon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-world-role.htm 7/21/2008 New Delhi-- A giant panda that miraculously survived the May 12 earthquake in the Wolong Nature Reserve has given birth to twins in Ya'an City in China's Sichuan Province. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/quake-hit-panda-cubs.htm 7/18/2008-- China independently researched and developed the world's first laser theater. It was launched on July 17, and marks an important step in China's laser technology industrialization. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/laser-theater-beijing.htm 7/17/2008 BEIJING-- China’s economic juggernaut slowed but still maintained double-digit growth in the first half of the year as it battled inflation and absorbed global setbacks, official data showed Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-economy-double-digit.htm 7/16/2008-- The United States has frozen arms sales to Taiwan following concerns expressed by China and amid warming ties between Beijing and Taipei. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/us-arms-sale-taiwan.htm 7/15/2008-- As if the U.S. economic slump, the housing crisis, surging oil and food prices, and a general sense that things are not going all that well weren't enough, a new study forecasts that China will become the "pre-eminent world commercial influence". http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economy-surpass-us.htm 7/14/2008 BEIJING -- China now has more than 100 million people with no siblings since introducing rules in the late 1970s that limit many couples to only one child, a state news agency reported Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-siblings.htm 7/13/2008 Beijing - Zhang Jie and Ma Yue plan to be among the crush of love-struck Chinese getting married at the start of the Olympics despite a series of disasters that have cast doubt over the auspicious day. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/lucky-eight-china-lvoe.htm 7/10/2008 NEW YORK -- It's been a good year for touch screens. The launch of the first iPhone model a year ago boosted interest in the technology tremendously. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/apple-iphone-asia.htm Out of all of the herbal supplements on the market today, Ginseng is the most widely used. In earlier times Ginseng went by a different name, "man root." because the root resembled that of the shape of a man. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/herbs-ginseng.htm 7/8/2008-- China hopes to turn a dangerous "quake lake" that once threatened up to 1.3 million lives into a tourist spot as part of rebuilding efforts in its quake-hit south-west, state press said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-quake-lakes-tourism.htm 7/7/2008 NEW YORK (AP) - The image of Ted Koppel interviewing world leaders is so ingrained that it feels odd to see him wearing a hardhat for a nervous trip into a Chinese coal mine. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ted-koppel-discovery-china.htm 7/3/2008 BEIJING—More than 120,000 high school students whose university entrance exams were delayed by the massive Chinese earthquake in May finally sat down Thursday to take the tests that will dictate their future. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-students-quake-exam.htm 7/2/2008 BEIJING - Chinese state media is reporting that lavish fireworks, colorful ethnic dances and performances portraying 5,000 years of Chinese history are among the highlights of the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/fireworks-acrobats-olympics.htm 7/1/2008-- The technology used in the PlayStation 3 is being used to help explore and find oil much faster than before. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/playstation-3-oil.htm 6/30/2008 Beijing-- China sought to reassure Taiwan on Monday that its first tour groups to the island will behave well, and told tourists to be good ambassadors following a warming of ties between the two often bitter rivals. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-china-tourism.htm 6/27/2008-- Record heat could not keep an anxious crowd of over 1400 people from filling the Alex Theatre on Saturday night to see who would be crowned Miss Asia USA 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/miss-asia-usa-2008.htm 6/26/2008 SHANGHAI-- Almost one in two Chinese people now has a mobile phone, while the number of fixed-line subscribers has fallen, state media reported Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-people-mobile-phone.htm 6/25/2008-- Back in the days of the Cultural Revolution when Mao Tse Tung was still running China, people passed around bound notebooks of underground literature. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-authors-web.htm 6/24/2008 HONG KONG — Taiwan is considering letting mainland Chinese stars perform on the island amid warming ties between the two rivals, a Taiwanese official said Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-chinese-stars-perform.htm 6/23/2008-- As talks were being conducted between Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-chinese-gifts.htm 6/21/2008 -- Beijing is seeing a surge of couples registering to tie the knot on the auspicious Olympics opening date of Aug. 8, state media reported Saturday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-couple-wed-olympics.htm 6/18/2008 Houston-- Houstonians of international fame such as singer and actress Beyonce Knowles are no longer the only ones touting Houston as a tourist destination. The United States tourist program known as CityPass has just added the Space City as its 11th destination to offer the CityPass traveler packages. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-citypass.htm 6/17/2008 Houston-- In the wake of the catastrophic earthquake in China’s Sichuan province and on the eve of the Olympics this August in Beijing, Discovery Channel Managing Editor Ted Koppel presents KOPPEL ON DISCOVERY: THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CAPITALISM. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/discovery-channel-people-republic.htm 6/17/2008-- Flooding in southern China has killed at least 55 people and forced more than one million to flee their homes, the government says. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/south-china-flooding.htm 6/16/2008 Houston-- Coming July 13, In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers from Corot to Monet Exhibition celebrates crucial, fertile period in art history when extraordinary convergence of talent brought new ideas to landscape interpretation. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/forest-fontainebleau-houston.htm 6/16/2008 BBC- More than 4,000 children in China have been given the name Aoyun, meaning Olympic Games, in the past 15 years. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-baby-name-olympic.htm 6/14/2008 Chinese officials say torrential rains have killed a dozen people and destroyed 10,000 houses across five provinces since Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/rain-flood-china.htm Following are the traditional holidays not put in law, but observed by a lot of people. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/holidays-chinese.htm 6/10/2008 Houston—Just as Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption closes, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will open another show of treasures from antiquity that shed light on a long-forgotten culture. Wine, Worship, and Sacrifice: The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani, beginning June 21, 2008 http://www.chinatownconnection.com/golden-graves-ani-houston.htm 6/10/2008 HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston Rockets center Yao Ming created a foundation with a $2 million donation to rebuild schools devastated by last month's earthquake http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-donate-earthquake.htm 6/9/2008 IPS - China plans to triple its wind power capacity over the next two years in line with the central government's goal of promoting clean energy http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-wind-power.htm 6/6/2008-- Beijing Olympic organizers have unveiled a new four-part cheering routine for Chinese sports fans attending the August Games here, state media reported Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-cheering-routine.htm 6/4/2008-- Half the world's population benefits from energy subsidies, which translates into a quarter of the world's gasoline production, they say in a note to clients. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gas-prices-pushing-up.htm 6/2/2008 Beijing-- The organizers of this summer's Beijing Olympics have reminded foreigners coming to China for the Games to behave, warning them that everything from protesting without permission to sleeping outdoors is banned. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-olympic-games.htm 5/30/2008-- Taipei - A Taiwan man was dumbfounded to see on television that his lost Husky was caught stealing chocolate bars from a store in the central county of Taichung, local media reported Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dog-steal-chocolate.htm 5/28/2008 BEIJING-- A senior Chinese tourist official admitted on Wednesday that the storm of bad publicity surrounding China in the run-up to this summer’s Olympics could affect the number of foreign visitors to the Beijing Games. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-publicity-olympics.htm Dear Houston Community Members, Thank you for your generous donation to our street and on-site fundraisers to help those who suffer and struggle in the massive Sichuan 8.0 earthquake. The outpouring of your hearts is equally massive. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tzu-chi-houston-support.htm 5/27/2008-- China's leaders seem to be good at fixing big problems. They have transformed a backward economy into perhaps the most dynamic one in the world. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-bachelors.htm 5/23/2008-- China has found what it termed 50 "hazardous sources of radiation" due to last week's earthquake, a senior official said on Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-radiation-quake.htm 5/22/2008 -- Medics and specialists are reporting the health situation in the quake zones through text messages to the Chinese Center. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/text-message-disease-outbreak.htm 5/21/2008 Ningbo, China — The Olympic torch resumed its journey through China on Thursday after a three-day period of national mourning for victims of the country's devastating earthquake. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-torch-relay-resume.htm 5/20/2008-- Japan is appointing the feline cartoon character Hello Kitty as a goodwill tourism ambassador in China and Hong Kong. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hello-kitty-ambassador.htm 5/17/2008 Houston-- A devastating earthquake registered magnitude 7.9 rattled Si Chuan, China, on 5/12/2008. As many as 50 thousand people may have died; with many more were injured and lost their homes and all possessions. Representatives from Houston Chinese Church Ministers Fellowship (HCCMF), Light and Salt Association, Christian Communication Inc.(CCIUSA), and Harold Crusade Houston Division gathered to hold an emergency meeting at Tallowood Baptist Church http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chinese-christians-relief.htm 5/15/2008 Houston-- Beginning this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is accepting applications for its recently announced Global Entry pilot program, which is scheduled to launch this summer. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bush-airport-expedited-screening.htm 5/14/2008 Houston-- Tzu Chi volunteers across US are raising funds and well wishes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sichuan-china-earthquake-relief.htm 5/13/2008 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Chinese communities around the country are mobilizing to help victims of a catastrophic earthquake that destroyed countless buildings and killed thousands of people in China's Sichuan province, where many immigrants have roots http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-american-donate-quake-relief.htm 5/13/2008-- To many neighbors, Marina Ma of Long Beach is known as the mother of Yo-Yo Ma, the world-famous cello player. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yoyo-ma-chinese-quake.htm 5/12/2008 CHENGDU, China (AP) — A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants Monday in central China, killing about 10,000 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-earthquake-2008.htm 5/10/2008 Houston— The role of Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens as a major educational resource for the greater Southwest was furthered today when dignitaries from the city of Houston, the National Council on the Humanities. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/lora-jean-education-center.htm 5/8/2008-- The Olympic flame scaled the highest point on Earth as Chinese mountaineers carried it to Mount Qomolangma on Thursday - in what is the high point of the relay. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-flame-world.htm 5/7/2008 VATICAN-- Pope Benedict XVI listened to Mozart's Requiem and Chinese folk song Jasmine, performed by the China Philharmonic Orchestra http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-artists-pope.htm 5/6/2008 TOKYO - China is to offer a pair of giant pandas to Japan for joint research. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-panda-japan-joint.htm 5/5/2008-- The Chinese lottery player who won the highest sports lottery, 82.34 million yuan (11.76 million US dollars), in China's lottery history collected his prize on Sunday under police guard. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mega-lottery-winner-china.htm Houston, TX-- For Memorial Day weekend only, The Warehouse Sale's Premium Denim Sale will be at the Westin Galleria Houston, by the Galleria mall. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/warehouse-sale-houston-galleria.htm 5/2/2008 -- The Olympic torch will be carried through Macau on Saturday on its last stop outside China proper following a tortuous overseas leg that drew protests over Tibet and triggered retaliatory rallies by patriotic Chinese. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-torch-china.htm 5/1/2008 BEIJING -- China Thursday inaugurated one of the world's longest bridges, which will provide an important new route into Shanghai, Chinese media said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-largest-bridge.htm 4/30/2008 Houston —Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens has acquired 11 examples of rare 19th-century Texas-made furniture, a gift of Houston collector Williams James Hill http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-bend-houston-furniture.htm 4/30/2008 Taipei (CENS)--Foreign institutional investors believed Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. had won orders to make 25 million units of Apple's latest iPhone and would begin to ship the phones in June this year http://www.chinatownconnection.com/iphone-next-generation.htm 4/29/2008 BEIJING-- Beijing on Wednesday marks the 100-day countdown to the Olympics with songs, a mass run and even prayers, hoping to put behind it the tumultuous events of the past month http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-countdown-olympics.htm 4/28/2008 Houston—Audiences in Houston will have a fresh look at the radical London art scene when the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, presents END GAME – British Contemporary Art from the Chaney Family Collection http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mfah-end-game.htm 4/25/2008 (Reuters)-- Japan called for calm but braced for trouble with tight security on Friday, as low-key protests began ahead of its leg of the Olympic torch relay, following emotional scenes at other venues around the world http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-torch-relay.htm 4/23/2008 HOUSTON – Fresh off the success of its Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park, the Art Colony Association is accepting artists’ applications for Bayou City Art Festival Downtown, set for October 18-19, 2008 http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-fall.htm 4/23/2008 Taipei (Reuters) - Taiwan President-elect Ma Ying-jeou said on Tuesday he plans to roll out lighter tax rates and simplify regulations for the island's technology companies to encourage more firms to invest at home. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-president-tech-investment.htm 4/22/2008-- The Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation (VAHF) is pleased to announce that it is hosting an evening of entertainment and remembrance entitled The Longing Heart on April 26, 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/vietnamese-foundation-longing-heart.htm 4/21/2008 Houston, TX - Beginning on Tuesday, September 2, 2008, Cathay Pacific Airways will launch three weekly, all-cargo flights to Hong Kong from Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/cathay-pacific-houston-hongkong.htm 4/21/2008 (China Daily)-- Despite achievements in advancing human rights, the country does not ignore existing problems and pledges to solve them, a leading Chinese human rights expert said yesterday http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-human-rights-issues.htm 4/17/2008 Houston— Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, the American decorative arts center of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, continues a series of outdoor musical events with a performance by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chamber-orchestra-bayou-bend.htm 4/16/2008 Houston— Inspired by the possibilities of painting in nature, rather than in the studio, artists traveled to the rugged Forest of Fontainebleau near Paris from the early 1820s to the mid-1870s forging innovations in art that would resonate for generations to follow. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/forest-fontainebleau-houston-museum.htm 4/15/2008 (Taipei Times)-- Hong Kong’s tourism sector yesterday welcomed a proposal to grant Hong Kong visitors to Taiwan visa-free privileges and predicted that such a move would boost arrivals of tourists from the former British colony. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-taiwan.htm 4/14/2008-- A report from a China based research firm, Pearl Research has found that despite the iPhone not having been launched in the country - approximately 68% of the respondents have already heard of the phone. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-consumer-apple-iphone.htm 4/13/2008 BEIJING (LA Times) -- China's president met with the incoming vice president of Taiwan on Saturday, signaling a possible thaw in a frosty relationship between the rival governments that has lasted nearly six decades. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-taiwan-leaders-meet.htm 4/12/2008 Houston— Bill T. Jones, Colin Powell, Chris Rock, Toni Morrison, Al Sharpton, Richard Parsons, Lorna Simpson, and Thelma Golden are just a few of those whose faces are seen and voices heard in The Black List Project. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mfah-black-list-project.htm 4/10/2008 (China Daily)-- Up to 1,000 Chinese families will host foreign visitors to Beijing this summer as part of an Olympic Homestay program, the municipal tourism bureau said Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/families-foreign-visitors-beijing.htm 4/8/2008 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Officials say the planned closing ceremony for the Olympic torch at the San Francisco Bay waterfront is canceled and another one will take place at an undisclosed location. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-torch-ceremony-cancelled.htm 4/8/2008 HOUSTON – The Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park announced its Spring 2008 winners, with mixed media artist Joe DeCamillis of Birmingham, Alabama capturing Best of Show honors. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-art-festival-artists-award.htm 4/6/2008 Houston-- The weather was perfect for the 2008 Houston Japanese Festival. Tens of thousands of Houstonians came out to the beautiful Herman Park and the Japanese Garden to enjoy Japanese culture, food, and performances. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/2008-japanese-festival-houston.htm 4/3/2008-- China's ambassador to Britain has pulled out of running in this weekend's Olympic torch relay ceremony in the first indication that growing international concern at the country's recent actions in Tibet is starting to become a major source of embarrassment for Beijing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-ambassador-torch-relay.htm 4/2/2008 (Taipei Times)-- President-elect Ma Ying-jeou's office yesterday urged the state-run Taiwan Post Co to postpone plans to issue a set of memorial stamps celebrating Ma's inauguration on May 20. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-post-stamp.htm 4/1/2008 Houston, Texas-- Interview with Crystal Stewart, Miss Texas USA 2007, currently in Las Vegas competing for Miss USA 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/diane-yoo-crystal-stewart-interview.htm 3/31/2008-- Rising international rice prices are not a cause for major concern in China, Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/rice-price-spike.htm 3/28/2008 Houston-- Tzu Chi Foundation's Recycle Program at Houston Chinatown Area – A Community Green Effort. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-tzu-chi-recycling.htm 3/26/2008 (Xinhua)-- Hong Kong Disneyland will soon put on its own version of the miniature show. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-disneyland.htm 3/26/2008 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may be linked to a softening of bones in a baby's skull, Japanese researchers report. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/vitamin-d-baby-skull.htm 3/25/2008 WASHINGTON (AP)-- The Pentagon announced Tuesday that the United States mistakenly shipped to Taiwan four electrical fuses designed for use on intercontinental ballistic missiles, but has since recovered them. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/missle-taiwan.htm 3/24/2008 (China Daily)-- Chinese netizens including those studying overseas are fighting back to discredit often distorted, and sometimes dishonest, reports by Western media about the recent riots in Tibet. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/netizens-western-bias.htm 3/20/2008 WASHINGTON -- The State Department is advising Americans planning to attend the Olympic Games in Beijing to take care and be mindful that they could be under surveillance. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/us-warning-beijing-olympics.htm 3/19/2008 GENEVA –– Chinese and Indian carmakers struck a buoyant tone at the Geneva Auto Show Tuesday, fuelled by booming domestic demand but also with a cautious eye on established Western markets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asia-carmakers.htm 3/19/2008 Houston (AFP)-- Regular-season win leader Boston snapped the second-longest win streak in National Basketball Association history at 22 games here Tuesday with a 94-74 victory over the Houston Rockets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-win-streak.htm 3/17/2008 (Daily Times)-- A Chinese woman forced her boyfriend to have breast-reduction surgery because his man boobs made her look flat. Xiao Feng. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/man-breast-reductions.htm 3/16/2008 Houston-- From Bollywood to conjunto, flamenco to children’s choirs, Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park will offer a variety of arts presentations for Festival-goers’ musical and dance entertainment. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-entertainment.htm 3/14/2008 (China Daily)-- About 200 Japanese students and their Chinese peers held a "communication day" in Beijing on Friday, to explore ways to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between youngsters from the two countries. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-japanese-student-trust.htm 3/13/2008-- Cyndi Wang (born on September 5, 1982 in Hsinchu, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese pop singer and actress. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-singer-cyndi-wang.htm 3/12/2008 Hong Kong - Almost four out of 10 young people in Hong Kong are unhappy, making them some of the most miserable in Asia, a survey published Thursday claimed. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-youths-miserable.htm 3/11/2008 (Xinhua)-- The basketball star Yao Ming topped the Forbes list of Chinese celebrities for the fifth time, staying top of this year's list which was unveiled Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-forbes-list.htm The Chinese put great importance on numbers in their lives. Feng Shui and numerology are closely related, and Chinese people believe that it is possible to change their lives by using numbers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/feng-shui-lucky-numbers.htm 3/7/2008-- U.S. consumers believe Chinese products have the second best value in the world, only after the American goods, a recently released survey shows. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/consumers-chinese-product.htm 3/6/2008 Houston, TX -- Middle Eastern carrier, Qatar Airways announced today it will begin operating three weekly nonstop flights between Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Qatar's Doha International Airport (DOH) starting on Monday, November 10, 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/qatar-houston-doha.htm 3/5/2008 (AFP) NEW YORK - THE number of billionaires in Asia jumped more than 30 per cent last year, with tycoons from India and China leading the charge, according to Forbes magazine's annual billionaires list. In total, this year saw 1,125 people. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asia-billionaire.htm 3/4/2008 BEIJING - Chinese doctors are bracing for a hectic day on Aug. 8. It's an auspicious day, the long-awaited opening of the Beijing Games, and a day when many of their patients will demand cesarean sections to ensure a lucky birthday for their babies. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/baby-boom-china.htm 3/3/2008-- Suzhou is well-known as "city of gardens in China", which tops all others in both the number and the artistry of gardens. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-suzhou-garden.htm 2/28/2008 Houston — To address public safety issues in light of recent events and further enhance the security of Houston’s Southwest Chinatown, the Asian American Business Council (AABC), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the development of the new Chinatown, will sponsor a Safety Education Seminar on March 15, 2008 at the Chinese Community Center. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/aabc-safety-seminar-houston.htm 2/27/2008 Houston—This spring season the house and grounds of Rienzi, the MFAH’s historic house museum nestled in the heart of the River Oaks community, will be teeming with activity. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/spring-rienzi.htm 2/27/2008 BEIJING (China Daily) -- Yao Ming's season-ending injury has China thinking the once-unthinkable: The host nation's biggest, boldest and glitziest star might miss the Beijing Olympics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-break-olympics.htm 2/26/2008 (Reuters) Beijing- Chinese scientists have expressed full confidence that the Olympic relay torch can scale Mount Everest without sputtering out, a newspaper said on Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-torch-everest.htm This spring, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, takes filmgoers around the world, from Houston’s own Riverside neighborhood to far-flung, exotic destinations outside of the United States. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/museum-fine-arts-asian-cinema.htm 2/24/2008 Houston-- So which candidate best represent the Asian American Community. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-american-presidential-debate-houston.htm 2/23/2008 Sugar Land, TX-- This past Sunday, February 17th, the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra presented East Meets West, a concert celebrating a diversity of musical styles from different cultures. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/changlu-wu-pipa-music.htm 2/22/2008 (Xinhua)-- China's oldest folk library, Tianyige, resumed sinology classes after a 70-year interruption on Thursday in the eastern province of Zhejiang. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-library-confucius.htm 2/20/2008 Houston —Spring is the glory season for Bayou Bend Collections and Gardens, the 14-acre estate near River Oaks that is the American decorative arts center of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-bend-houston-spring.htm 2/20/2008 (China Daily)-- Big foreign labels such as Chanel and BMW continue to dominate as top brands for wealthy Chinese consumers, with their choices determined mainly by quality and environment factors, a recent survey has found. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/rich-chinese-foreign-brands.htm 2/19/2008 (China Daily)-- San Diego-based consultancy group - Global Language Monitor claims Chinglish is adding the most spice to the alphabet soup of today's English. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinglish.htm 2/18/2008 (China Daily)-- A Chinese firm yesterday announced a plan to build a full-sized replica of Beijing's famed Yuanmingyuan Garden in Hengdian, Zhejiang province this year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-firm-ancient-garden.htm 2/15/2008 Taipei - As Chinese Valentine's Day approaches next week a survey released on Saturday said that most young lovers in Taiwan would like to celebrate the day by making love. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-lovers-nookie.htm 2/14/2008 LOS ANGELES — Bai Ling's good looks and eccentric outfits have frequently put her picture in celebrity magazines, but that doesn't mean she can take the magazines for free. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/actress-bai-ling.htm 2/13/2008-- The call came out of the blue. A public relations executive for a New York City television show was looking for a feng shui expert to work with a couple willing to undergo a feng shui makeover of their bedroom. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/feng-shui-makeover.htm 2/12/2008 BEIJING (China Daily)-- The start of China's post-Spring Festival travel peak proved a relatively smooth affair as no major traffic problems were reported on Tuesday at a time when millions were returning to their place of work. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/post-new-year-china-travel.htm 2/11/2008 A total of 668 Chinese tourists aboard the Rhapsody of the Sea enjoyed a warm welcome yesterday soon after the largest ocean liner in Asia berthed at the Keelung harbor in northern Taiwan at 11 a.m., marking a historic visit to the island by the largest-ever Chinese tourist group. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-chinese-tourist.htm 2/10/2008 Houston-- This year's Lunar New Year festivities celebrated the Year of the Rat. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-lunar-new-year-2008.htm 2/8/2008 BEIJING (Xinhua) -- Chinese mobile phone operators will benefit from the country's tradition of exchanging greetings during Lunar New Year as more than 17 billion text messages are expected to be sent during the holiday season. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-text-message.htm "As this new year, the Year of the Rat, commences, I would like to salute the leaders and pioneers that have brought to our attention the history and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the United States. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nancy-pelosi-chinese-new-year.htm 2/5/2008 HOUSTON − The Asia Society Texas Center is hosting its Annual Corporate Conference on Friday, February 15, 2008 with a gathering of some of the most powerful and influential Indonesian dignitaries ever to assemble in Houston in the last two decades. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asia-society-indonesia.htm 2/5/2008 (AP) BEIJING - Driven from her home by the bitter cold, Shi Ying was lucky to find a room at a hotel with a generator. But other residents of the central city of Chenzhou will ring in the Chinese New Year by candlelight. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-new-year-power-outage.htm 2/4/2008 (Courant.com)-- The Chinese New Year arrives Thursday, bringing another challenge to stamp designers. The lunar years in Asia are named for animals, and the one just ending was the Year of the Pig. Now designers must find more clever ways to create designs picturing attractive-looking rats. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-new-year-stamp.htm 2/1/2008 Houston, TX -- Just two months after inaugurating historical new service from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). http://www.chinatownconnection.com/emirates-bush-airport-houston.htm 1/31/2008 (Earthtimes.org) Taipei - Taiwan's National Palace Museum, which holds the world's largest collection of Chinese artifacts, will hold an exhibition in Austria in February. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-museum-austria.htm 1/30/2008 Beijing-- Beijing must make sure this summer's Olympic Games are environmentally friendly and untainted by corruption, China's top decision-making body, the Politburo, has said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-clean-green-games.htm 1/29/2008 (China Daily)-- With Spring Festival just around the corner, the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala is also stepping up preparations. The CCTV Spring Festival Gala preparatory committee conducted the first and second rehearsals of the gala respectively last Friday and last Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/spring-festival-gala-2008.htm The assortments of Chinese tea that are made available are seriously extensive, and there are numerous distinct kinds that are grown throughout each of the Chinese dynasties in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-tea-history.htm 1/25/2008 (Daily Yomiuri Online)-- Taiwan's vice defense minister, Ko Chen-heng, expressed concern about China's recent expansion of submarine operations around Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-naval-taiwan.htm 1/24/2008 (The Age)-- Regularly drinking black tea could help prevent the onset of Parkinson's disease, a published study said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/black-tea-parkinson.htm 1/23/2008 (Xinhua) -- Chinese consumers have been spending a lot of money on Internet purchases. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-internet.htm 1/22/2008 (Variety) BEIJING -- The Motion Picture Association is teaming up with Chinese anti-piracy regs to launch the second annual nationwide anti-piracy video contest, which is aimed at raising awareness about piracy among China's 20 million university students. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-mpa-contest.htm 1/21/2008 (ChinatownConnection.com) - Many of you might be thinking, Houston has a Chinatown? Yes, Houston has a Chinatown, and it is not located in downtown Houston as suggested by some signs still point to downtown but located now in Southwest Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-wonders-chinatown.htm 1/21/2008 (Reuters) - Many Chinese celebrities have either changed their nationality or given their children a foreign nationality to skirt the one-child policy, state media said as it announced yet another crackdown. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-one-child.htm 1/20/2008 (IHT) Shanghai - After booming in recent years, China's own real estate market is finally beginning to feel the pinch from sagging demand and tighter controls. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-real-estate-cools.htm 1/17/2008 (Reuters) BEIJING - China said it would issue new rules cracking down on undesirable elements of online games amid fears of growing Internet addiction as the number of players soars, state media reported on Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-crackdown-online-games.htm 1/16/2008 (Chinatechnews)-- News from the China Internet Network Information Center is that by December 2007, Chinese mainland's Internet population had reached 210 million, which made China the second largest country in the world only next to the U.S. in terms of netizens. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-mainland-internet-population.htm 1/15/2008 WASHINGTON—A traveling exhibition of extraordinary archaeological treasures from the National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul, will begin a 17-month tour of the United States in spring 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ancient-afghan-treasures-museum-houston.htm 1/14/2008 (Xinhua)- The Chinese mainland and Taiwan will arrange 94 cross-Straits charter flights during the upcoming Spring Festival, China's General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) said in a circular released on its website here on Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-taiwan-flights-new-year.htm 1/12/2008 (BBC)-- Taiwan has begun voting to elect members of parliament in a contest seen as a barometer for the presidential election on 22 March. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-parliament.htm 1/10/2008-- BAIDU.COM will add video, travel and restaurant search functions on its Japanese site this month to gain more users in a market dominated by Yahoo and Google. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/baidu-japanese.htm 1/9/2008 Beijing-- Declaring war on the "white pollution" choking its cities, farms and waterways, China is banning free plastic shopping bags and calling for a return to the cloth bags of old — steps largely welcomed by merchants and shoppers on Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-shoppers-plastic-bag.htm 1/8/2008 HONG KONG -- Chinese video-sharing site Youku.com said Tuesday that it topped 100 million daily video views and 12 million daily users in December. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/youku-video-sharing.htm 1/7/2008 (Reuters)-- Chinese scientists have warned that climate change is hurting the most famous draw in the northern city of Harbin -- its annual ice sculpture contest. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-ice-festival-heat.htm 1/4/2008 BEIJING (UPI)-- Chinese in big cities are waiting longer to get married, with the average age for first-time brides and grooms rising two years in the past decade in Beijing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/urban-chinese-marry.htm 1/3/2008 Houston, TX - In a single eight hour shift the Intellibot IS800 scrubber can tidy-up roughly 70,000 square feet of floor space utilizing only one, 50 gallon tank of water. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/robotic-sweeper-iah-houston.htm 1/2/2008 BEIJING -- Chinese kung fu actor Jet Li made the most money in 2007 among China's entertainment elite, totaling some 465 million yuan, or around 62 million U.S. dollars. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/jet-li-income.htm 1/1/2008 New Delhi-- China has reportedly become the country with the second largest population of billionaires in the world, just behind the US. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-billionaire.htm 12/26/2007 Houston—Tradition and modernist sensibility merge with poetic results in Where Clouds Disperse: Ink Paintings by Suh Se-ok, opening January 27, 2008 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/museum-fine-arts-houston-korean.htm 12/27/2007 BEIJING (RIA Novosti) - A Chinese teenager was born with six fingers and toes on each hand and foot, China's Xinhua news agency said on Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-teenager-fingers-toes.htm 12/26/2007 — China hopes to grow its middle class to more than half of its population by the end of the next decade, a Communist Party planner said Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-middle-class.htm 12/23/2007-- China's shopping malls in late December leave little doubt that the country has been smitten by Christmas, if not in quite the way devout Christians might hope. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-christmas-shops.htm 12/18/2007 (China Daily)-- The value of the Chinese economy is overestimated by about 40%, according to a World Bank study on 146 national economies in 2005. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-economy-overheated.htm 12/17/2007 (China Daily)-- The methods used in the West to promote holidays and special events such as Christmas and Valentine's Day should be applied to traditional Chinese holidays, a survey has found. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-holidays-west.htm 12/14/2007 (Telegraph.co.uk) -- According to the Chinese calendar, 2007 was the year of the pig. According to technology experts, it was the year of Apple. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/apple-blossom-window.htm 12/13/2007 BEIJING-- Chinese researchers, using an animal model, found consumption of green tea may help protect brain cells against Parkinson's disease. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/green-tea-parkinson.htm 12/13/2007 CHONGQING (Xinhua) -- China's first self-produced hybrid-power sedan, the Jiexun-HEV, rolled off the production line on Thursday at a Chang'an Automobile plant in Chongqing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-hybrid-sedan.htm 12/11/2007 BEIJING --Chinese traditional medicines do not contain banned substances, a Beijing Olympics medical official said Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-herbal-medicine-probe.htm 12/10/2007 Houston -- The Chinese Community Center is offering Pre-Holiday Shopping Tours to Houstonians this holiday season. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chinatown-shopping-tour.htm 12/10/2007-- Wal-Mart will open its 100th store in China, the retailer announced yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/walmart-china.htm 12/7/2007 ZHENGZHOU (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have discovered nearly 1,000 tombs, some of which date back 2,200 years, in central China's Henan Province. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/imperial-tomb-china.htm 12/6/2007 Hong Kong - Coffee shops will double in number in Hong Kong over the next five years as office workers abandon green tea and jasmine tea for espressos and cappuccinos, a news report said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-coffee-tea.htm 12/6/2007 -- New research from Taiwan suggests that antioxidants put a halt to fat cell formation, at least in a laboratory. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/antioxidants-fat-cell.htm 12/4/2007 TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Culture.tw, a brand new website portal offering Taiwan culture, has come into being. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-culture-portal.htm 12/3/2007 -- Airbus said it signed contracts yesterday to sell 160 commercial passenger jets to China in a deal worth around US$14.8 billion. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-airbus-boeing.htm 11/30/2007 Beijing - He once was one of China's richest and most politically connected businessmen, a real estate tycoon who had started out selling noodles. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-tycoon.htm 11/29/2007-- The Taiwan government sees massive growth in its solar energy industry, forecasting the total value to hit $12.5 billion in 2015. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-solar-energy.htm 11/28/2007-- A group of Chinese investors will invest more than $75 million in the country for the development of an island in Palawan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-island-retirement.htm 11/27/2007 LOS ANGELES - Chinese star Gong Li and John Cusack are set to feature in a new period drama set in Shanghai during World War II, entertainment industry press reported on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gong-li-cusak-shanghai.htm 11/26/2007-- Chinese internet users are more likely to depend on their online experiences, and see the web as a key to socializing and sharing opinions, than their U.S. counterparts, according to a study. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-web-addicts.htm 11/25/2007-- CHINA'S leaders celebrated the first images sent from the country's first lunar satellite today, saying the country was in the front ranks of global technological powers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-lunar-debut.htm 11/21/2007 MANILA, Philippines — Li Changqing, a Chinese journalist who was imprisoned for alerting the public to an outbreak of dengue fever before the authorities, has been awarded the 2008 Golden Pen of Freedom. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-journalist-golden-pen.htm 11/20/2007-Apple Inc's iPhone is unlikely to hit Chinese shelves soon because of technical and fee issues, industry executives said on Wednesday, a day after shares in the U.S. company shot up on hopes of a deal with China Mobile. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/iphone-china.htm 11/19/2007 BEIJING (AP) - A daredevil French climber nicknamed Spiderman scaled part of a mountain in southern China using only his bare hands. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/spiderman-china-mountain.htm 11/15/2007 WASHINGTON -- A congressional advisory panel said Thursday that Chinese spying in America represents the greatest threat to U.S. technology. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-spying.htm 11/14/2007-- China Mobile is in talks with Apple on bringing the Apple iPhone in the Chinese market. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/apple-iphone-taiwan.htm 11/13/2007 BEIJING (AP) - More than 700 toy factories in booming southern China have been banned from exporting what they produce as part of a crackdown on shoddy products, the government said Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-crackdown-toy-factories.htm 11/12/2007-- Six Chinese, including two children, died from food poisoning after eating dumpling soup and two more remained seriously ill, local media reported yesterday, the latest example of food safety risks facing domestic consumers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bad-dumplings-death.htm 11/8/2007-- In China, Friday's NBA game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets is expected to draw massive TV ratings. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-yi-basketball.htm 11/7/2007-- Chinese tourists are expected to gain access to the United States soon as the two countries are likely to reach an agreement to grant the US Authorized Destination Status by the end of this year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-us-travellers.htm 11/6/2007-- Chinese banks had issued more than 1.3 billion debit, credit and semi-credit cards by the end of September, roughly one for every person in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-bank-cards.htm 11/5/2007 - The 8th China Arts Festival, the largest platform for Chinese performers to showcase their latest creations, opened Monday evening in central China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-national-arts-festival.htm 10/31/2007-- Lunar probe Chang'e I completed its fourth orbital transfer Wednesday afternoon, a critical step in the journey to the moon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-probe-moon.htm 10/30/2007-- The nomination of Gong Li, one of China's most famous actresses, in the country's "Green Chinese" awards in 2007 has drawn criticism. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gong-li-green-chinese.htm 10/29/2007-- The Taipei City Government held yesterday the preliminary round of a beef noodle cooking contest with 44 teams participating. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taipei-beef-noodle-festival.htm 10/24/2007-- "Chang'e", known as the legendary moon goddess in China for thousands of years, has been much talked about these days because of China's launch of its first moon probe"Change-1" on Wednesday evening. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chang-e-chinese.htm 10/23/2007-- China is the world’s biggest mobile market in both user numbers and handset manufacturing, the MII says. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-handset-users.htm 10/22/2007 BEIJING-- Anyone who has ever wondered what sound world champion Liu Xiang makes when he starts a high hurdles race will find out when Chinese composer Tan Dun’s music for the Beijing Olympics is unveiled next year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-composer-soundtrack.htm 10/19/2007-- As a part of the 2007 China-Japan Culture and Sports Exchange Year, the second Chinese Film Festival in Yokohama will be held in the central Japanese port city from Monday, according to organizer. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-film-festival-yokohoma.htm 10/17/2007-- The largest-ever Chinese Olympic contingent of 570 athletes will participate in next year's Beijing Games, sports chief Liu Peng said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-athletes-olympics.htm 10/17/2007-- A Chinese businessman confirmed to Xinhua on Tuesday that he has bought an artificial island in Dubai for 28 million U.S. dollars. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-island-dubai.htm 10/15/2007 HONG KONG—Kylie Minogue has recorded a duet with Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai that will be included in the Asian edition of the Australian pop diva's upcoming album. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/kylie-minogue-jolin-tsai.htm 10/12/2007 (AP)-- Beijing's air will be clean during the Beijing 2008 Olympics thanks to rules that will keep automobiles off the road during the games and the relocation of factories that cause smog, a top Chinese environmental researcher said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-air-clean-olympics.htm 10/12/2007-- Scientists have successfully completed the first sequence map of the diploid genome of an Asian individual. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-genome.htm 10/10/2007 BEIJING (UPI) -- China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said Wednesday that nearly 2,000 sexually suggestive TV and radio ads will no longer be broadcast. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-sexually-suggestive-ads.htm 10/9/2007-- The Chinese people led by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen succeeded in bringing to a close the Ching Dynasty on October 10, 1911. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-double-ten.htm 10/8/2007-- Chinese graduates are questioning the value of continuing their education for a master's degree. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-masters-degree.htm 10/6/2007 Houston – This fall, Houstonians can get a jump on the 2007-08 winter ski season and give a lift to the MD Anderson Rehabilitation Ski Trip for pediatric cancer patients during the Sun and Ski Sports Pre-Season SKI EXPO http://www.chinatownconnection.com/md-anderson-ski-expo.htm 10/4/2007 HONG KONG -- In the 1970s, Taiwan was the world's third-largest film production territory, making 200-300 films a year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-arthouse-mold.htm 10/3/2007 Houston-- The 2006 U.S. Census Population Estimate for Harris County including Houston is listed below http://www.chinatownconnection.com/harris-county-census.htm 10/2/2007-- For foreign news reporters in Hong Kong, a much- celebrated annual ritual is their Lunar New Year visit to a fung shui master. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/feng-shui-gains-ground.htm 10/1/2007 (MSN)-- The Geneva debut for Brilliance JinBei Automobile was, to be honest, a bit low key for what’s billed as the first Chinese automobile brand to conquer Europe. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-sports-car.htm 9/26/2007 HOUSTON – The Bayou City Art Festival Downtown will take to the streets of downtown Houston October 13-14. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-downtown.htm 9/25/2007-- China has 17 people named Chang E while 32,000 are named Wu Gang according to a survey by a service center in Beijing that offers information about domestic residents' identity card numbers, the Beijing Daily reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mid-autumn-festival.htm 9/24/2007 Beijing - Christian Science Monitor reports that the Chinese authorities are in the midst of an unusually harsh crackdown on the Internet, closing tens of thousands of websites that had allowed visitors to post their opinions, according to bloggers and Internet monitors in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-shutsdown-website.htm 9/21/2007 TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - The International Olympic Committee said Friday that negotiations between Taiwan and China on the torch relay route for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games are at a dead end, and the torch will not be coming to Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-torch-taiwan.htm 9/20/2007 TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Local consumers are unlikely to enjoy delicious hairy crabs from China, also known as Dazha crabs, during the Moon Festival on Sept. 25. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-hairy-crab.htm 9/19/2007 Houston- Touched by the city’s hospitality and the reception his photography exhibition received at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Chen Changfen decided the 70 images featured this summer in The Great Wall of China should stay at the MFAH. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chen-changfen-mfah.htm Travel Date: October 20th, 2007 Sat. ~ October 21st, 2007 Sun. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/rose-festival-tyler.htm 9/17/2007 BEIJING (AP) -- An Internet gaming addiction may have claimed a man's life. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-man-dies-gaming-binge.htm 9/14/2007 BEIJING- Houston Rocket Yao Ming slam dunked NBA legend Michael Jordan at a charity auction here, with a pair of the center's shoes fetching nearly 10 times more than a Chicago Bulls jersey. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-slam-dunk-mj.htm 9/13/2007 (AP)-- After a more than a decade of delays, China's tallest building is slicing through Shanghai's hazy, skyscraper-studded skyline a new trophy built by a Japanese property tycoon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-skyscraper-rent.htm 9/12/2007 (CBS)-- Floating was just about the last thing on Janice Grillo's mind 11 days ago. That's when she had surgery to replace both her knees. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-chi-gong.htm 9/11/2007-- A grand show by college students in Beijing debuted Monday night to promote the Olympic Games to be held next August in this capital city. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-students-olympic-games.htm 9/10/2007 Taiwan (BBC)-- So it is something of a surprise to discover that there is still one place where people live - along Taiwan's sparsely-populated east coast. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-dark-village.htm 9/7/2007 PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A Chinese woman who miscarried twins after federal authorities hustled her into a van and took her to an airport to deport her will be allowed to stay in the United States, an immigration judge has ruled. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-immigrant-mother-asylum.htm 9/6/2007-- On June 23, 2001, Italian opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti - as part of the Three Tenors - lent the considerable weight of his powerful voice in support of Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-fans-mourn-pavarotti.htm 9/5/2007 Taiwan-- Taiwan News Quick Take at ChinatownConnection.com http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-news.htm 9/4/2007 Houston —A unique and powerful photographic and sound installation by Chinese artist Wang Wei currently featured in RED HOT—Asian Art Today from the Chaney Family Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has been given to the museum by the Chaney Family Collection, Peter C. Marzio, MFAH director, announced today. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/wang-wei-mfah.htm 9/3/2007 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The traditional Chinese arts of tai chi and qigong may help boost older adults' immune response to the flu vaccine, a preliminary study suggests. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tai-chi-flu-shot.htm 8/30/2007 Venice (AFP) - Taiwan's Ang Lee, victorious in Venice two years ago with Brokeback Mountain, was back on Thursday, this time with erotic spy thriller Se, Jie. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ang-lee-lust-caution.htm Do you like sudoku games. I like it very much. But sometimes we're boring about some puzzles that we can't solve and no one can help us http://www.chinatownconnection.com/isudoku.htm 8/28/2007 (AP) BEIJING-- Police in China's capital said Tuesday they will start patrolling the Web using animated beat officers that pop up on a user's browser and walk, bike or drive across the screen warning them to stay away from illegal Internet content. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-virtual-web-patrol.htm 8/27/2007-- A Chinese girl has arrived in Beijing after running more than 3,550km (2,200 miles) from the southern province of Hainan in less than two months. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-girl-8.htm 8/24/2007-- When it comes to Chinese proverbs, Confucius quotes tend to be the most enlightening and entertaining. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/confucius-proverbs.htm 8/22/2007-- In an effort to boost defenses, Taiwan's Cabinet has announced an increase to its military spending. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/breast-bust.htm 8/22/2007-- In an effort to boost defenses, Taiwan's Cabinet has announced an increase to its military spending. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-military-spending.htm 8/21/2007 Houston —With the support of Target, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is enhancing its Family Day program beginning this fall by offering more activities, more time to participate, and free museum admission for everyone every first Sunday of the month. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/museum-fine-arts-houston-family-day.htm 8/21/2007 Tokyo (AFP)-- The head of China Airlines yesterday handed out apologies and cash to passengers who barely escaped a blaze that destroyed one of the Taiwanese carrier's planes on a runway in Japan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-airline-inferno.htm 8/20/2007 Beijing (AP)-- A bridge being built as a tourist attraction in central China collapsed, killing at least 22 people and leaving 46 missing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-bridge-collapse.htm 8/17/2007-- Beijing slammed Chinese instant noodle makers yesterday as being partly to blame for a surge in inflation, saying they illegally colluded to boost prices by up to 40 percent in a scheme that prompted a public outcry. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/noodle-inflation-china.htm 8/16/2007--Many Chinese use instant messenger tools such as MSN or QQ, listen to music on MP3 players and log on the Internet using ADSL - most without knowing the literal Chinese translation of the abbreviations. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/english-invades-chinese-language.htm 8/15/2007--Translation is not an art taught at Hogwarts - but impatient Harry Potter fans in the country posted the Chinese version of the last installment of the series online as fast as the Hogwarts Express. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/harry-potter-translations.htm 8/14/2007--Everybody today is talking all-natural. Everywhere you look you see ads and posters about eating, drinking and living more healthy...yet many fail in their efforts. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/healthy-life-green-tea.htm 8/13/2007 BEIJING (UPI) — Chinese President Hu Jintao has reportedly assured his military it will have higher budgets as the country enjoys double-digit economic growth. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-defense-spending.htm 8/12/2007-- About 40 percent of the top students in college entrance examinations have chosen overseas universities for their postgraduate studies, according to a survey. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-students-study-abroad.htm 8/10/2007-- With its reputation as an industrial wasteland, it comes as a surprise to learn that Taiwan is also one of the greenest countries in Asia. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/green-taiwan.htm 8/9/2007 Houston—In what has become the first posthumous retrospective, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will present the complete works of the legendary Italian filmmaker, Michelangelo Antonioni, who died on July 30, 2007 at age 94. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/retrospective-museum-fine-arts-houston.htm 8/7/2007 Houston, TX-Ready to make a creative splash. The Bayou City Art Festival Downtown has announced the call for entries for its third annual Art on Water floating art competition on the City Hall Reflection Pool at Hermann Square. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-bayou-city-art-on-water.htm 8/7/2007-- Yao Ming married his longtime girlfriend at a hotel in his hometown of Shanghai. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-married.htm 8/6/2007-- Tourists fed up with the beach and not interested in golf or tennis are finding a new reason to travel - food. They are going great distances to sample local cheeses, pastries and exotic delicacies. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/top-cities-food-wine.htm 8/3/2007 BEIJING- Still a year away, the Beijing Olympics are poised to be the grandest Games of all. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-2008-olympics-games.htm 8/2/2007 BEIJING-- As US crude oil prices hit new highs near 80 dollars, traders have little reason to fear a slowdown in use from China, India and the Middle East, where cheap fuel is driving half the world’s demand growth. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/barrel-oil-china.htm 8/1/2007 HONG KONG - The official Chinese translation of the final Harry Potter book won't be out for nearly three months, but eager fans have posted their own translations online. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-harry-potter-translations.htm 7/31/2007-- The 2010 Shanghai World Expo, China's next global party after the Olympics, will be going live online. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-expo-online.htm SAUD BEACH, PHILIPPINES On the northwest coast of Luzon, little-known Saud Beach at Pagudpud is a 2km arc of blindingly pure sand bordered by the blue of the South China Sea. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/top-asian-beaches.htm 7/29/2007-- An English village will soon open its doors in Taipei City to offer children and adults alike an all-English environment. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taipei-english-village-project.htm 7/27/2007-- The organizers of the Venice Film Festival yesterday changed the country of origin for Taiwanese director Lee Ang's new film Se, jie. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ang-lee-film-festival.htm 7/26/2007-- Amid spiraling food costs, Chinese authorities are concerned about a sudden spike in the price of instant noodles – one of the nation's most popular dishes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/instant-noodles-prices.htm 7/25/2007-- The Beijing Evening News prints one English sentence everyday following government’s order to tutor English to the millions of Chinese citizens. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-tutoring-english-newspaper.htm 7/24/2007 Houston —Opening July 22, 2007, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, RED HOT -- Asian Art Today from the Chaney Family Collection, is a sweeping overview of the spectacular rise of Asian contemporary art over the past decade. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/red-hot-asian-art-houston.htm 7/24/2007 BEIJING (AP) - Coming soon to China: A taste of the taikonaut life. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-astronaut-food.htm 7/23/2007 Taipei, Taiwan-- Officials said that 1,865 discs for Sony and Nintendo consoles it seized last week could sell for NT$2.6 million on the Taiwanese market. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-pirated-wii-discs.htm 7/22/2007-- Taiwan plans to revise school textbooks to drop references that recognize Chinese historical figures, places and artifacts as national, an official said Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-china-textbooks.htm 7/20/2007-- Across the country, something strange is happening. Bookstores are opening for business at 7 o'clock this morning, two hours earlier than usual. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-harry-potter.htm 7/19/2007 BEIJING -- A freelance reporter for a Beijing television station has been detained for faking a hidden camera report about street vendors who used chemical-soaked cardboard to fill meat buns, local media said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-cardboard-buns.htm 7/18/2007-- The latest report from the China Internet Network Information Center shows that as of June 30, 2007, there were 162 million Internet users in China, which made the country rank second in the world next to the United States in terms of Internet population. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-internet-population.htm 7/17/2007 SHANGHAI, China (AP) — Nike is suing two Chinese shoemakers and the local operations of a French supermarket chain over alleged illegal copying of its Air Jordan logo, local media reported Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nike=china-air-jordan.htm 7/16/2007-- Taiwan's College of Marine Sciences has staged its degree ceremony - underwater. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/underwater-degree-ceremony.htm 7/13/2007 SHANGHAI: A 10-month-old girl survived an eight-story plunge after her drunken father apparently threw her out a window during an argument with his mother-in-law, the Shanghai Daily said on Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-baby-falls.htm 7/12/2007-- The NBA will embark on its biggest promotional event in China when it rolls out a two-on-two competition in 112 cities involving up to 35,000 players. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nba-two-china.htm 7/12/2007 HANOI (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese people are top of the list when it comes to buying new technology after covering essential living expenses, according to the 1st Half 2007 Nielsen Global On-line Consumer Survey. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/vietnamese-tech-spending.htm 7/10/2007-- The empty lots, the tangle of highways above and below ground, and the power plant may not look like much. But everyone agrees it's prime real estate. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/land-squeeze-chinatowns.htm 7/9/2007-- Xiao Jinpeng, a 22 year-old Chinese man, has been killed by his Motorola mobile phone, the battery of which apparently exploded while in his chest pocket, causing rib fragments to pierce his heart. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/exploding-motorola-phone.htm Houston's Lee Golden Dragon Dance Troupe Wins Silver Trophy. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-lee-golden-dragon-lion.htm 7/7/2007-- NTDTV's Chinese Classical Dance Competition's first round showcased a high-caliber field of contestants say competition judges. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-dance-competition.htm 7/6/2007-- Jamie Lynn Donzanti doesn't believe all that stuff about the number seven being lucky, so she's amused at network TV stories about so many couples getting married Saturday because the date is July 7, 2007. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/couples-bet-seven.htm 7/5/2007-- Dell Inc., the world's second-largest computer maker, said Thursday it will soon start selling its laptops and desktops at Asian retail chains and stores. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dell-computers-asian.htm 7/4/2007 BEIJING -- Villagers in central China dug up a ton of dinosaur bones and boiled them in soup or ground them into powder for traditional medicine, believing they were from flying dragons and had healing powers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-eat-dinosaur-bones.htm 7/3/2007 Houston-- A car in Houston, as well as most cities in the nation, is not strictly a mean of transportation; it is an investment purchase. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-cars.htm 7/2/2007 NEW YORK - The Yankees and Mariners have become the first major league teams to sign Chinese players, so could baseball's version of NBA superstar Yao Ming be on deck. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-baseball.htm 7/1/2007 HONG KONG - Edward Yang, who won best director in 2000 at the Cannes Film Festival and was known for his realistic portrayals of modern Taiwan, has died of complications from colon cancer, a film industry consultant said Sunday. He was 59. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-director-yang.htm 6/29/2007 WASHINGTON -- The list of quality-compromised goods from China grew longer Thursday, as federal authorities slapped a highly unusual hold on shrimp and certain fish from that country after tests showed contamination from potentially harmful drugs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-seafood.htm 6/28/2007 HONG KONG/SINGAPORE-- The number of millionaires in Asia jumped last year, pushing their combined wealth up 10.5 percent to 8.4 trillion, but growth is expected to slow in line with a cooling global economy, a survey shows. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-millionaire-grow.htm 6/27/2007-- A UN agency says humanity will have to undergo a “revolution in thinking” to deal with a doubling of urban populations in Africa and Asia. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-double-population.htm 6/26/2007-- A 22-mile long bridge that its builders claim is the world's longest sea-crossing structure was formally linked-up Tuesday just south of the business hub of Shanghai. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-bridge.htm 6/26/2007 LOS ANGELES — Yi Jianlian (pronounced yee chon-len), the likely top-10 NBA draft pick from China, is billed as the next Yao Ming, but don't be fooled. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-nba-yi.htm 6/25/2007-- There's good news and bad news for Liz Donaldson and Duwayne Suprise on July 7, 2007. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/7-7-07.htm 6/24/2007 Hong Kong (dpa) - China's most famous sportsman, basketball star Yao Ming, is to marry his long-time girlfriend in August, a news report said Saturday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-wedding.htm 6/21/2007 Beijing - No more brightly dyed hair, flashy jewelry or smoking in public for China's police while they're in uniform, state media reported Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-cops-image-makeover.htm 6/21/2007 Bellaire, TX -- Free Child I.D. Kit Day will help kick off the National Night Out community crime prevention program Saturday, August 4, 9 a.m. to noon, at Community National Bank http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bellaire-child-id-kit-day.htm 6/20/2007-- China has started improving the road to Mount Everest on the Tibet side to make the trip to the world’s highest mountain easier for bearers of the Olympic flame, Xinhua news agency reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mount-everest-highway-olympics.htm 6/19/2007 Houston-- Homes in River Oaks are among the most sought after homes in the city of Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-river-oaks.htm 6/18/2007 BEIJING (AP) - China plans to develop a new generation of carrier rockets with a payload capacity large enough to launch a space station, state media reported Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-rockets.htm 6/16/2007 Sugar Land, TX-- The city of Sugar Land is located on the Gulf Coast of Texas. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/home-sugar-land-texas.htm 6/15/2007-- CHINA has censored part of the latest installment of hit Hollywood movie Pirates of the Caribbean for "vilifying and defacing the Chinese". http://www.chinatownconnection.com/pirates-caribbean-censor-china.htm 6/14/2007 BEIJING - Chinese health foods will no longer be allowed to make exaggerated claims about their effects or have names that are too long, too confusing or "feudal", according to new government rules. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-health-foods.htm 6/13/2007 HOUSTON (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- MetroCorp Bancshares, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:MCBI) announced today that MetroBank, N.A., subsidiary of the Company, is introducing the Cash Manager Plus, an online cash management product for its Business Banking customers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrobank-cash-manager-system.htm 6/12/2007 HOUSTON – The Art Colony Association, Inc., producer of Houston’s nationally Top 10-ranked Bayou City Art Festivals, has named Kimberly (Kim) A. Stoilis executive director. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-stoilis.htm 6/12/2007 BEIJING (AFP) - With more than a billion people now sharing just 100 surnames, Chinese authorities are considering a landmark move to try to end the confusion, state media reported Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-surname-shortage.htm 6/11/2007 China (Reuters)-- Guiyu is a modern day gold rush town. But instead of panning for gold, workers sift through piles of broken old computer parts, smelting down parts to extract valuable metals like gold and copper. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-e-waste.htm 6/10/2007 LONDON- Asian female-entrepreneurs are generating more wealth than women in any other region of the world, according to a new global survey of 600 wealthy people. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-women-wealth.htm 6/9/2007 TOKYO - A CHINESE man threw two plastic bottles at former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui as he was about to leave Japan on Saturday but both missed and Mr Lee was unhurt, airport police said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-president-lee-attach.htm 6/8/2007 TAIPEI - Notebook PC makers are stretching the boundaries of light-weight and low-cost computing, rolling out ever slimmer tablet PCs and mass market models costing as little as 200 dollars in their quest to find the next big thing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/laptop-size-price.htm 6/7/2007-- WANG Baoguan burned himself to death while being forcibly evicted from his Beijing home to make way for the city's construction project for the 2008 Olympic Games which China hopes will confirm its status as a global power. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-games-homeless.htm 6/7/2007 Taiwan (UPI)- A 5-year-old girl in Taiwan has died of injuries suffered by falling on a pair of chopsticks that punctured her throat and brain, it was reported Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/girl-fall-chopsticks.htm 6/4/2007 SHANGHAI- Chinese share prices tumbled 8.26 per cent Monday for the sharpest drop in more than three months on concerns the authorities will take more measures to cool a speculative frenzy, dealers said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-stock-decline.htm 6/2/2007 Houston --“China is a hot spot for business and many Houston companies are doing business there, sending staff over for a week or a month, and some companies are opening offices there. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-community-center-business-china.htm 6/1/2007-- FLYING into Hong Kong is not nearly as exciting as it used to be when your flight took you through the frighteningly narrow corridor between the steel and glass towers of the Kowloon Peninsula to Kai Tak airport. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong.htm 5/31/2007 BEIJING (AP) - The first panda bred in captivity and released into the wild has died in China after less than a year - the apparent victim of a fall. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/panda-dies-china.htm 5/30/2007 SINGAPORE - AS MISS Japan walked away with the fabled Miss Universe crown, trouble stayed to afflict the famous pageant. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/miss-japan-mori.htm 5/29/2007 Houston-- The Houston CPA Society, a chapter of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, raised 292,475 dollars for accounting student scholarships. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-cpa-society-scholarship.htm 5/29/2007-- Chinese investors should be suspicious of phone calls, online messages and websites touting highly profitable stocks, the Ministry of Public Security warned on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-get-rich-scams.htm 5/29/2007 BEIJING - THE number of registered automobiles in the Chinese capital, rising by more that 1,000 a day, has surpassed three million, according to official media. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-cars.htm 5/25/2007 HOUSTON - The annual Memorial Day service will be held in Houston next Monday at 5 p.m. Guests are invited to Joel Pinson Square and will be greeted by patriotic music performed by the Houston High School band. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-memorial-day-services.htm 5/24/2007 TAIPEI, Taiwan-- The former president of Taiwan's respected National Palace Museum was arrested Thursday on suspicion of corruption. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-palace-museum-arrested.htm 5/23/2007 HONG KONG - Asian stock markets slipped on Thursday after former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warned of a "dramatic contraction" in Chinese stocks, fanning concerns about China's red-hot markets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-markets-greenspan.htm 5/22/2007 ILAN, Taiwan (AP) - Anti-aircraft missiles streaked across a hazy sky Wednesday as Taiwanese forces confronted a simulated invasion from rival China in the island's biggest military exercise of the year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-military-exercise.htm 5/21/2007 Washington, D.C.-- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new consolidated Chinese-language Web site as part of its ongoing effort to provide environmental information in English, Spanish and Chinese. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/epa-chinese-website.htm 5/20/2007 Beijing (Xinhua)-- China was 'losing no time' in preparing its first lunar orbiter, Chang'e I, which will most likely be launched in the second half of 2007, a space official said here Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-lunar-probe.htm 5/18/2007 BEIJING- Chinese archaeologists studying ancient rock carvings say they have evidence that modern Chinese script is thousands of years older than previously thought. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-writing-old.htm 5/17/2007-- Chinese police have arrested a corpse trader who killed six women so he could sell their bodies for superstitious "weddings of the dead". http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-wedding-of-the-dead.htm 5/16/2007 China (Associated Press)-- Disney's latest China strategy doesn't involve Mickey, Minnie or Goofy. It's all about an enchanted vegetable. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/disney-strike-magic-china.htm 5/15/2007 -- Taiwan Business Hotel Taiwan tycoon to build copy-cat Dubai sail-shaped hotel epa photo to be available Taipei. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-dubai-sail-shaped-hotel.htm 5/14/2007 (AP) BEIJING-A private businessman has been fined 600,000 yuan (US$78,000) for breaking China's strict one child policy, state media reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-one-child-policy.htm 5/13/2007-- Yao Ming couldn’t quite carry his Houston Rockets into the second round of the National Basketball Association playoffs, but the Chinese star plans to carry the 24 Hour Fitness chain into China when it opens its first workout club in Beijing in August. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-fitness-clubs-china.htm 5/11/2007 BEIJING-- China’s April trade surplus more than doubled from March, the government said on Friday, as a purchasing mission on a US tour signed billion-dollar deals in a bid to narrow the yawning trade gap. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-trade-surplus-news.htm 5/10/2007 HONG KONG - Chow Yun-fat's last-minute pullout from John Woo's new Chinese historical epic, "Red Cliff," threatened to split up one of Hong Kong cinema's most famous partnerships. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/woo-chow-yun-fat.htm 5/9/2007-- International character sets such as Chinese and Arabic for domain names are still a year or more away, but one company has developed a workaround allowing Chinese users to send and receive emails in their own language. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinglish-launches-email.htm 5/8/2007 BEIJING (Reuters) - Pop culture offerings in China these days run the gamut from Hollywood blockbusters to domestic versions of "American Idol". http://www.chinatownconnection.com/anxiety-fuel-confucious-craze.htm 5/7/2007-- China is fast becoming the workshop of the world, renowned for its cheap labor and low-cost products. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/low-cost-china.htm 5/5/2007 Houston- Up 2-0 versus the Utah Jazz, most fans thought this year might be the year that the Houston Rockets make it out of the first round of the playoffs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-game-7.htm 5/2/2007 Houston-- The 7th annual Houston Dragon Boat Festival will take place Saturday, May 5, 2007 at Allen's Landing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-dragon-boat.htm 5/2/2007-- The race among the world's cities to build the ultimate record-busting, flat-out tallest skyscraper on the planet is fast and furious. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tallest-skyscraper-race.htm 5/1/2007 TOKYO-- Japan’s first “baby hatch”, where mothers can drop off babies they can’t care for, completed a test-run on Tuesday with a doll, clearing the way for the controversial facility to start operating in about a week. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japanese-hospital-baby-hatch.htm 4/30/2007-- "I get it," the Western man says, speaking heavily accented Chinese. Surrounded by beautiful Chinese women in the video advertisement, he grins with self-satisfaction. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/outgoogling-google.htm 4/29/2007 BEIJING (UPI) -- The Chinese government is launching a new plan to curb the country's population growth, Russia's Interfax News Agency reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-population-growth-curb.htm 4/27/2007 LOS ANGELES-- Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese low-impact mind-body exercise, provided significant health benefits for U.S. adults suffering from tension headaches. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tai-chi-headaches.htm 4/27/2007-- Chinese tourism authorities are seeking investment to build a novel concept attraction - the world's first "women's town". http://www.chinatownconnection.com/women-town-china.htm 4/26/2007 BEIJING -- In Chinese culture, it is often considered a blessing when it rains - but not on August 8 next year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-olympics-skies-clear.htm 4/24/2007-- The folks at Sony Pictures almost had a collective coronary today. The studio is denying a Reuters report out of Beijing that pirated DVDs of Spider-Man 3 are already showing up in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/spider-man-3.htm 4/23/2007-- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday launched a campaign to rid the country’s sprawling Internet of “unhealthy” content and make it a springboard for Communist Party doctrine, state television reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-censor-internet.htm 4/22/2007 SHANGHAI, China -- One experimental clean-energy car runs on natural gas. Another uses ethanol distilled from corn. A third has a zero-emissions electric motor powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-alternative-vehicles.htm 4/20/2007 -- Celebrating its 36th year, the 2007 Houston International Festival spotlights China from April 21-22 and 28-29 with art markets and craft demonstrations, interactive exhibits, the return of free Friday lunchtime concerts and plenty of food and fun for all. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chinese-wonderland.htm 4/19/2007-- A Chinese couple sued Yahoo and its Chinese affiliates on Wednesday, alleging the internet firms provided information that helped the Chinese government prosecute the man for his internet writings. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-sue-yahoo.htm 4/17/2007-- Chinese weather experts claim to have triggered the first artificial snow showers by releasing tiny particles into clouds over the Tibetan plateau. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-artificial-snowfall.htm 4/17/2007-- All across America, no doubt, non-Korean Asian-Americans are now heaving a sigh of relief. "Asian," after all, was the four-alarm-fire word we saw throughout the day after the shootings that took the lives of 33 people at Virginia Tech. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-massacre-virginia-tech.htm 4/16/2007 JAPAN – As reported by the Taipei Times: "The world's top casino operators are jockeying for a stake in a vast but untapped market as Japan moves closer to an overhaul of its strict gambling laws to lure rich Asian tourists and boost its economy. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-open-door-casinos.htm 4/15/2007 Houston-- This year's Houston Japanese Festival was a huge success. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-japanese-festival-sights-sounds.htm 4/15/2007 Beijing (Xinhua)-- Chinese nationals and foreigners living in China can now book more than seven million tickets available for the 2008 Olympic Games, the organizers said Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-olympic-tickets.htm 4/14/2007-- President Chen Shui-bian yesterday urged the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's presidential hopefuls to stop trading verbal blows with one another. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-president-chen.htm 4/13/2007 BEIJING (UPI) -- China plans to have more than 500 indigenously-made high speed trains in operation by this year, averaging speeds of up to 155 mph. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-fast-trains.htm 4/12/2007-- GERMANY retained its place as the world's largest exporter in 2006, according to a World Trade Organisation report published today, but China is gaining rapidly and actually surpassed the second placed United States in the latter half of the year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-no-1.htm 4/11/2007 -- Principal photography on the action epic “The Forbidden Kingdom” will begin on May 2 in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/forbidden-kingdom-chan-li.htm 4/9/2007-- You think TV is bad in America, and then you watch it someplace else. For all of its defects, American TV generally has high production values— attractive people to look at, sets and staging that don’t seem homemade—and it is often the place where new ideas get their start, just before they become worldwide clichés. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-reality-show.htm 4/8/2007 SHANGHAI -- Wu Meifen, 33, was seven months pregnant when she saw the short text message. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-women-divorce.htm 4/7/2007 BEIJING — Jackie Chan celebrated his 53rd birthday on Saturday by launching a Chinese TV competition aimed at finding new action talent. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/jackie-chan-kung-fu.htm 4/6/2007-China plans to build 12 new highways linking its northwestern Xinjiang region and Central Asia, state media reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-highway-central-asian.htm 4/5/2007- After years of staying slim on a humble diet of fish, vegetables and rice, Japanese are developing a sweet tooth. That's proving a business opportunity for Krispy Kreme and other chains from the U.S., a nation famous for knowing a thing or two about fattening food. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-fast-food-binge.htm 4/4/2007 Beijing - Chinese Internet users are turning to "online tombs" as an easier way to pay respects to deceased relatives and others during an annual festival to honor the dead, state media reported on Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-internet-offerings-dead.htm 4/3/2007 Beijing - A Chinese woman survived a fall from a sixth-floor balcony after she landed on a large pile of excrement dug up by workers clearing a septic tank, state media said on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/poo-saves-woman.htm 4/2/2007 HANGZHOU, China (Reuters Life) -- Restaurant chain Hooters Inc., famous for its spicy chicken wings and waitresses in skimpy orange runner shorts, will expand in China by opening two restaurants, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hooters-china.htm 4/1/2007 -- Three decades ago, fresh from the refugee camp of Vietnam, I was first made acutely aware of my own Asian looks by a schoolyard bully in my junior high. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-rich-old.htm 3/30/2007 -- WHEN she reached 50, the retirement age for many women in China, Chen Rui, a career accountant, immediately did what millions of people of her generation have begun doing: She scrambled to find a new job. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/cosmetic-surgery-asians.htm 3/29/2007-- Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art, may give older adults' immune system a boost. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tai-chi-immune-system.htm 3/28/2007 BEIJING-- The world's tallest man (7ft, 8.95in.), whose search for a bride covered the world, ended up marrying a woman from his home town nearly half his age and more than two feet shorter, Chinese media reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-tallest-man-bride.htm 3/27/2007- CHINESE investors are building a 21km concrete dragon to breathe fire into the tourism industry, but some experts have already branded it a cultural gaffe, a newspaper said today. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/concrete-dragon-tourism.htm 3/26/2007 Beijing - Panda breeders in the southern Chinese city of Chengdu are planning to produce souvenirs from panda excrement, the Chengdu Daily reported on Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/paper-panda-poo.htm 3/25/2007 Chinanews, Shanghai - With the rapid economic development of China, more and more Chinese can afford traveling abroad. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/travel-beijingers-shanghainese.htm 3/23/2007 (AP)-- Scientists now think they know what's causing that pet food crisis: rat poison. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/pet-food-poison.htm 3/22/2007 BEIJING -- The Beijing weather bureau apologized to the public on Thursday for making incorrect temperature forecasts for three consecutive days and vowed to improve their accuracy for the 2008 Olympics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-olympics-weather.htm 3/21/2007-- In health, if you're a fan of Chinese food a new study shows you may want to lay off the soy sauce. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-food-soy-sauce.htm 3/20/2007- In a newly released report, The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), the global conservation organization, listed 3 major China rivers are drying out and are threatening severe water shortages. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/drying-rivers-china.htm 3/19/2007 Newsweek - No task is too complex, no detail too small, for organizers of Beijing’s gala coming-out party, the 2008 Summer Olympics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-flowers-china.htm 3/18/2007 PARIS — Maybe it simply feeds modern society's obsession with lists and rankings, but more than 2,000 years after ancient Greeks identified the Seven Wonders of the World, millions of people around the globe are casting Internet ballots to update the list. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/new-world-wonders.htm 3/17/2007- Chinese officials have ruled that all vendors who operate on the Great Wall will be forced to relocate elsewhere by the end of the year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/vendors-great-wall-china.htm 3/16/2007 Anheuser-Busch Cos. will double the number of Chinese cities in which Budweiser is sold in the next five years as it expands in the world's biggest beer-drinking market. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/anheuser-busch-china.htm 3/15/2007 Beijing --- China plans tighter control of blogs and webcasts under a new Internet publishing law, state media on Tuesday quoted the country's top media supervisor as saying. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-blogs.htm 3/14/2007-- SHANGHAI, China-- Galleria.com.cn, China's first online luxury shopping site, is now available. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/luxury-shopping-china.htm 3/13/2007-As China's economic power grows, Chinese is becoming the new language of the future. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-schools.htm 3/12/2007 BEIJING (AP) - China expects to start making homegrown large commercial aircraft by 2020, an aviation industry official said Monday, raising the possibility of future competition for Boeing and Airbus in the country's booming market for new planes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-commercial-jet.htm 3/11/2007 BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese lawmaker revived calls for the removal of a Starbucks coffee shop from Beijing's famed Forbidden City, saying its presence was a smear on China's historical legacy, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-starbucks-forbidden-city.htm Houston, TX – Mar. 8, 2007 – The world will set the stage for the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park’s diverse performing arts presentations -- from MECA mariachis and Houston Salsa Dancers to Shaolin Kung Fu and Dance Asia; and from Celtic Bands to Eastern Indian dance. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-bayou-city-art-festival.htm 3/8/2007 Houston-- The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (MFAH), Texas in the United States will open a Korean art gallery in December in partnership with the National Museum of Korea. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-korean-art-gallery.htm 3/7/2007 CHANGSHA -- The beautician from Chairman Mao's hometown looks at herself in the mirror and bursts into tears of joy. Forty pounds lighter, jaw slimmer, eyes and nose refined, breasts lifted, 30-year-old Chen Jing has just been through an extreme makeover. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/wealth-fresh-face-china.htm 3/6/2007-- Many analysts argue that Chinese consumers are conservative spenders and not willing to buy on credit or engage in e-commerce. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-ecommerce.htm 3/5/2007-- China uttered a veiled military threat and condemned the efforts of Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian to promote Taiwanese independence. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-taiwan-anti-secession.htm 3/2/2007-- Having caught up with the world's leading economies in such a short space of time, China is reluctant to make structural reforms that are likely to destabilize its progress - as US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is about to find out. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-pragmatism.htm 2/28/2007-- Editor’s Note: Sixty years ago today, a brutal crackdown by the Chinese Nationalist government led to the massacre of as many as 30,000 people in Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-americans-massacre.htm 2/27/2007-- China's stock markets have dropped by about nine percent as investors sold shares to cash in on record high share prices. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-stock-market-crash.htm 2/27/2007-- Don't let the Houston Rockets record of 31-22 deceive you. They are not that good. If anyone watched the Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets game, you will understand where I am coming from. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-bad-team.htm 2/26/2007-- A Chongqing man won the heart of a beautiful Russian pianist, thanks to the help of a bit of home cooking. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sichuan-food.htm 2/24/2007-- Millions of Chinese crowded onto trains, buses and airplanes Saturday as the nation's post-Lunar New Year travel rush began, with many people struggling to get tickets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-lunar-new-year.htm 2/23/2007-- Asians the world over are obsessed with American pop culture, and that, of course, includes American films. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asians-oscar.htm 2/22/2007-- The world’s most populous country doesn't lack for young university graduates. What it does lack are young people who have the talent and skills necessary to land a job. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-talent-gap.htm 2/21/2007-- Chairman Yu Shyi-ken of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is on the verge of becoming the second DPP heavyweight to announce a presidential bid. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-yu-shyi-ken.htm 2/19/2007 Houston- Sights and sounds of Chinese New Year in Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chinese-new-year.htm 2/19/2007 BEIJING-- To understand China's basketball ambitions, look no further than the four Chinese characters that adorn 16 glass backboards in a sprawling sports complex near Tiananmen Square. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-basketball.htm 2/17/2007 Houston- The Chinese community in Houston celebrated Chinese New Year at the annual Chinese New Year festival on Saturday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-new-year-houston-community.htm 2/16/2007 - Are you a pig with your money? Do you like to hoard it and roll around in it? If so, this could be your lucky year, according to the Chinese calendar. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/year-of-pig-invest.htm 2/14/2007-- Nearly four decades later, the master sculptor from China's Hunan Province says he never dreamed he would have a role in creating a memorial to the slain U.S. civil rights leader. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-sculptor-martin-luther-king.htm 2/14/2007-- SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Chinese Web search leader Baidu Inc. said on Wednesday quarterly net profits quintupled, but stepped up investments and the impact of a late New Year's holiday season will cut sales growth early in 2007 http://www.chinatownconnection.com/baidu-profit.htm 2/13/2007-- As the second new moon arrives, the Chinese get ready to welcome a new year. Chinese New Year is one of the biggest holidays in Chinese Culture, and its celebration has become more popular as the Chinese population around the world has grown in recent years. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/celebrate-year-of-pig.htm 2/12/2007 DUBLIN, Ireland and WASHINGTON-- The company behind the first and only Internet address designed specifically for mobile phones, today announced that China's biggest music star, Wei Wei, has launched a website as the sole channel for the global debut of her new album. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-pop-star-wei-wei.htm 2/12/2007 BEIJING (Reuters) - Average life expectancy in China will jump 13 years to 85 years and all households will be lifted out of poverty by the middle of the century, Chinese academics forecast in a report issued in state media on Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-life-expectancy.htm 2/10/2007 BEIJING (Xinhua) -- China's four great modern inventions are hybrid rice, laser photocomposition system for Chinese character typesetting, total synthesis of bovine insulin and compound artemether, according to the country's netizens. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-modern-inventions.htm 2/9/2007 Houston- A Chinese zoo is running a Big Brother style competition with a difference - the contestants have to live in a monkey enclosure. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hang-monkey.htm 2/8/2007 Houston--The Chinese Community Center is offering Income Tax Assistance from February 3 to April 14, every Saturday from 1:00 – 5:00, free of charge. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/free-tax-preparation-houston.htm 2/7/2007-- The Kuomintang (KMT), which Chiang once led, said the move was another example of the ruling DPP party trying to cut off Taiwan's Chinese heritage http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chiang-kai-shek-statue.htm 2/7/2007 SINGAPORE -- A Chinese PC maker today introduced a low-cost PC designed for customers in rural China that can be used with a TV as a display. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-pc-system.htm 2/5/2007-- Wang Enming pauses as he emerges from the subway in Dongtan to listen to the sound of flocks of birds settling on the wetlands near the metro station, undisturbed by man as they prepare for a winter migration. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/carbon-free-living-china.htm 2/4/2007 HOUSTON-- MetroCorp Bancshares, Inc, a Texas corporation which provides community banking services through its subsidiaries, MetroBank, N.A., serving Houston and Dallas, Texas, and Metro United Bank, serving San Diego and Los Angeles, California, today announced net income of 3.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2006, up approximately 421,000 or 14.5 percent compared with the same quarter in 2005. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrocorp-bancshare-earnings-2006.htm 2/3/2007-- China is planning to bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, an official has said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-2018-winter-olympics.htm 2/1/2007-- Globalization is always a big topic here at Gadling. Sure, it's great that our fellow countrymen are running successful businesses abroad, but there are certainly times when I'm half way around the world and find myself cringing at a nauseating slice of pop culture or fast food imported from my homeland. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-forbidden-city.htm 1/31/2007 CHEVY CHASE, Md. — The have size, will travel basketball odyssey that's taken 7-foot-9, 370-pound Sun Ming Ming from China to California to Kansas to North Carolina made its latest stop Wednesday in the back room of a Chinese restaurant in this tiny Washington, D.C., suburb. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/7-foot-9-china.htm 1/30/2007-- The old Chinese saying "as happy as spending the New Year" might be outdated now in the busy modern world. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-spring-festival.htm 1/29/2007 TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan has conducted successful animals tests on a vaccine that could protect people against a yet-to-emerge pandemic strain of bird flu, and hopes to conduct human trials and be ready for mass production in two years, officials said Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-bird-flu-test.htm 1/28/2007-- Beijing- China's first high-speed "bullet" trains made their debut on Sunday between Shanghai and the nearby eastern cities of Ningbo, Nanjing and Hangzhou, state media said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-bullet-trains.htm 1/27/2007-- Early in January, jibing with the Western New Year spirit and no doubt thinking of the soon to start Year of the Pig, writers in China’s state news agency Xinhua announced the fascinating news that scientists had successfully bred partially green fluorescent pigs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-pig-ads.htm 1/26/2007-- At only 67 mm long and weighing in at 55 grams the Chinese Xun Chi 138 is about as big as your thumb and boasts at being the smallest mobile in the world. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/xun-chi-138-smallest-phone.htm 1/25/2007 Beijing - A Chinese man has pulled a car for more than 200m - with his ears - while riding a motorcycle. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/guy-pulls-car-ears.htm 1/24/2007 BEIJING -- Chinese Communist Party chief Hu Jintao has vowed to "purify" the Internet, state media reported on Wednesday, describing a top-level meeting that discussed ways to master the country's sprawling, unruly online population. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-purify-internet.htm 1/23/2007- China had 137 million people online by the end of last year, up by almost a quarter from 2005, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) said Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/internet-china-jumps.htm 1/22/2007 BEIJING- Responding to China's growing sex ratio imbalance, officials have vowed to crack down on sex-selective abortions and fetus gender testing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-distorted-sex-ratio.htm 1/20/2007 BEIJING (AP) -- McDonald's Corp. opened its first drive-through in Beijing on Friday, launching a partnership with a major Chinese oil company to exploit the country's growing taste for both cars and Western fast food. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-mcdonald-drive-thru.htm 1/18/2007 BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Monstrous malls in Asia have given new meaning to the phrase shop till you drop. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-shop-drop.htm 1/18/2007 - Houston Chinese New Year Festival going to be held at Chinese Community Center, Feb.17th, 2007. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chinese-new-year-festival.htm 1/17/2007 - A union affiliated with the government-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions was set up at a factory owned by Foxconn Technology Group in the southern city of Shenzhen on Dec. 31, reports Forbes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/union-chinese-ipod.htm 1/15/2007 SAN FRANCISCO – Looking back in 2006, one of the brightest new stars is 28-year-old YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, who led the second wave of the Internet. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-media-youtube.htm 1/14/2007 BEIJING - A court has ordered a Chinese television production company to pay damages to a man who received more than 3,000 nuisance messages after his mobile phone number was used in a police TV drama. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nuisance-text-message.htm 1/12/2007-- Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia, or Curse of the Golden Flower, is a good film. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/curse-of-the-golden-flower.htm 1/11/2007 Houston- CHINA FROM THE INSIDE on Houston PBS (Channel 8) Four-Part Documentary Includes Perspectives Ranging From Those of the Powerful to the Powerless, the Scholars and the Uneducated and the Supporters and Detractors of Today's China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-from-the-inside.htm 1/10/2007 WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2007 — The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today awarded the new nonstop U.S.-China route to United Airlines, reinforcing that the route will provide the greatest public benefit and promote the national interest by connecting two of the world’s most important capitals. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/united-airlines-washington-beijing.htm 1/9/2007 Hong Kong - A cell phone number with six consecutive eights has sold for $44 000 in eastern China, a Hong Kong newspaper reported on Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/lucky-cellphone-number.htm 1/8/2007 BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man has been jailed for four years for robbing two 12-year-old boys of the equivalent of seven U.S. cents, after a court decided his "outrageous" crime deserved a harsh penalty, the Beijing News said on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-man-jailed.htm 1/7/2007 Osaka, Japan-- Ramen noodles inventor and Nissin Food Products Co. founder Momofuku Ando has died in Osaka, Japan at age 96. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/instant-noodle-inventor.htm 1/6/2007 SHANGHAI (Reuters)- Chinese Web users lost around 10,000 Internet domain names due to disruption caused by last month's earthquakes off Taiwan, state media said on Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-lose-domain-names-quake.htm 1/5/2007 Shanghai-- A much publicized high speed Chinese rail planned to connect Beijing and Shanghai appears to have been delayed because of costs that have soared 50 percent over the original budget for the project, a report said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-railway.htm 1/4/2007-- Many adults in China express concerns about inequality, according to a poll published in China Youth Daily. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-wealth-gap.htm 1/3/2007-- The government’s plan to use a biometric identification system aimed only at Chinese passengers at nationwide points of entry will not breach human rights and will heed national security, Executive Yuan spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/biometric-plan-chinese-traveler.htm 1/2/2007 Seoul Korea-- For 2005, the Asia Pacific tourism industry growth rate was 7.8 percent. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/seoul-tourist-city.htm 1/1/2007-- More than 6,000 people attended on Sunday night the 2007 Beijing New Year Concert staged by the Beijing Symphony Orchestra and well-known Philharmonia Orchestra. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asia-new-year.htm 12/30/2006-- The top 10 news headlines in 2006 http://www.chinatownconnection.com/top-10-world-news-2006.htm 12/29/2006-- The number of Chinese fixed and mobile telephone subscribers has hit 830 million, while 132 million use the Internet, the state-run Xinhua news agency has reported, citing government statistics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-phone-online-users.htm 12/28/2006-- The popularity of Christmas in China has provoked a boisterous discussion over an invasion of foreign culture and the loss of China's own cultural identity http://www.chinatownconnection.com/confucius-santa-claus-chinese.htm 12/28/2006-- Much of Asia faces days of slow Internet connections and cut phone lines after a powerful earthquake in Taiwan disrupted telecommunications around the region. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-quake-telecommunications.htm 12/27/2006 TAIPEI (Reuters) - A major earthquake struck southern Taiwan on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami of up to one meter (3.3 feet) that could hit the Philippines, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/southern-taiwan-earthquake.htm 12/26/2006 NANCHANG, China, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Archaeologists have found a 1,700-year-old tomb dating back to the Jin Dynasty at a construction site in China's Jiangxi Province. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-1700-year-old-tomb.htm 12/25/2006 by J Lynn-- Merry Christmas everyone!! It's Christmas morning and I just finished talking to my parents and I thought I'd send some more love home (and to all of you everywhere else in the world!). http://www.chinatownconnection.com/christmas-in-china.htm 12/24/2006 HOUSTON -- Yao Ming will miss at least six weeks after fracturing the bone under his right knee in Houston's 98-93 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-fractured-leg.htm 12/22/2006 BEIJING (Reuters) - Ten doctoral students from three of China's top universities have posted an online petition slamming local Christmas celebrations and calling on people to resist Western cultural invasion, state media said on Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-students-christmas.htm 12/22/2006 BEIJING -- Chinese police have broken up a criminal gang that was controlling access to hospital doctors by scalping tickets and threatening violence against patients who resisted its rules. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-gang-hospital-tickets.htm 12/21/2006 -- Welcome to Hong Kong, where the A-list does its luxury shopping. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-treasure-island.htm 12/20/2006 -- The Sixth generation leaders have surfaced in Chinese politics. They are the newest generation of Chinese leaders who will lead China in the 2020’s, following the upcoming fifth generation in 2012. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-leaders.htm 12/19/2006 -- A Japanese woman trying on a pair of jeans in a shop got a shock when she was stung by a scorpion hidden inside. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japanese-woman-scorpion-jeans.htm 12/18/2006 China-- Acknowledging that the online auction market in China is enticingly fast-growing but frustratingly tough to crack, eBay will shut its main Web site in China and enter into a joint venture with a Chinese company instead, a person briefed on the plans of the companies said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ebay-china-auction.htm 12/17/2006 HOUSTON (AP) - Yao Ming always is looking ahead. Yao, the Houston Rockets center, is off to the best start of his career, averaging 26.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/year-of-yao.htm 12/16/2006 HOUSTON (AP) - When Jeff Bagwell joined the Houston Astros in 1991, they were a last-place team having trouble drawing fans to a stadium that had seen its better days. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/astros-bagwell-retire.htm 12/15/2006 China's National Center for Space Weather Monitoring and Warning forecast on Friday that another powerful magnetic storm may occur on Saturday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-magnetic-storm.htm 12/14/2006 SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Fire-breathing monster or supernatural symbol of harmony? When it comes to the dragon, East and West don't see eye-to-eye. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-dragons.htm 12/13/2006 China-- China's Press and Publication Administration has released a new notice that it intends to more tightly police content for online games - as it does with the country's newspapers, television and general media. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-police-online-game.htm 12/12/2006 China-- China said yesterday that creating welfare programs for its soaring numbers of elderly is a national priority, but warned that will be a daunting challenge in a rapidly graying society. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-love-boat.htm 12/11/2006 China-- Educated, overworked and looking for love, members of China's newly-rich gathered for what was described as the country's first dating cruise - open only to men worth at least two million yuan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-elderly-care.htm 12/10/2006 BEIJING, (Xinhua) -- China will expand its Beijing-based National Museum into the world's largest one within the next four years, according to curator Lu Zhangshen. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-national-museum.htm 12/9/2006 Houston-- Instead of a free toaster, TV or a stay at a luxury hotel, Upton, of Realty Associates, is offering officers a free Glock pistol with any home purchase of at least 150,000. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/free-glock-home-purchase.htm 12/8/2006 Houston-- Two days ago at approximately 6:30 p.m. my beautiful, 29 year old daughter was MUGGED at the FRONT DOOR of Dillard's at the Galleria. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-galleria-robbery.htm 12/7/2006-- If any U.S. Internet company should have done well in China, it's Yahoo! Inc. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yahoo-china.htm 12/6/2006 (The Associated Press) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Authorities in a Malaysian city have warned waitresses and female staff of retail outlets that they face a $138 fine if they wear revealing and tight fitting clothes, a news report said Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/malaysian-sexy-attire-fines.htm 12/5/2006 BEIJING - A 2-year-old boy from the Chang'an District of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, has learnt over 600 Chinese characters. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/baby-prodigy-chinese.htm 12/4/2006 BEIJING - A Chinese coal mine has made the news for a reason other than the grim series of accidents nationwide -it is claiming a world record for the the highest number of simultaneous weddings held underground. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/wedding-china-coal-mine.htm 12/3/2006 China-- News Corp.'s MySpace.com is in talks to bring the social-networking site to China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/myspace-china.htm 12/2/2006 China took the first gold medal and plenty more thereafter, the two Koreas marched together again and Japan overcame initial disappointments to grab a handful of medals on the first full day of competition Saturday at the 15th Asian Games in Qatar. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-games-china.htm 12/1/2006 Shanghai, China (by ELAINE KURTENBACH)— Even in anything-edible-goes-in-the-pot China, the Huifu Fine-food Restaurant is drawing attention with special menu offerings that include alligator kebabs and soup - complete with the endangered species' head and tail. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/alligator-soup-china.htm 11/30/2006 Houston— The Houston Chinese Community Center held its annual gala at the Intercontinental Hotel. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-asian-american-all-stars.htm 11/29/2006 China— Leading Chinese makers are to stop making DVD players from 2008 as part of China's plan to replace foreign technology with a new home-grown standard, an industry alliance chief said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-phase-out-dvd-players.htm 11/28/2006 by Komfie Manalo— More and more Chinese are turning to the Internet to release their emotional baggage such as cursing a mother, insulting a lover and ranting. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-internet-emotional-outlet.htm 11/27/2006— Vietnam is shaking off the vestiges of its war-wracked past, and achieving rapid economic growth. In the first of a series of reports, the BBC's Kate McGeown meets a new generation of young, outward-looking Vietnamese. Thirty-year-old Alan Duong owns a chain of shops in central Hanoi, selling up-market clothes and furnishings. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/vietnam-designer-alan-duong.htm 11/26/2006 Taiwan— One of the most important trends in the Asian in the last few years has been the increasingly good ties between Tokyo and Taipei, symbolized by the recent visit of former Prime Minister Mori Yoshiro and a set of Japanese art treasures to the Beautiful Island this month. Taiwan News editorialized http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-taiwan-ties.htm 11/25/2006 HOUSTON AP — The Houston Astros, the NL's worst hitting team, signed outfielder Carlos Lee and right-hander Woody Williams on Friday, bolstering its offense and a pitching staff that could be without Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/carlos-lee-houston-astros.htm 11/24/2006 Houston -- A word of warning to anybody who hasn't paid traffic tickets in Houston during the past few months. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-traffic-tickets.htm 11/23/2006 -- After a practice earlier this week, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets coach Byron Scott was asked if he thought Houston's Yao Ming had passed Miami's Shaquille O'Neal as the NBA's most dominant center. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-big-man.htm 11/22/2006 Beijing-- China has officially started the feasibility study on the construction of a 500 meter aperture spherical telescope (FAST), which will be the largest in the world. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-largest-telescope.htm 11/21/2006 -- Director Zhang Yimou says both Chinese movie stars Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi are passionate about acting and eager to do better, rebutting criticism that they are focused on advancing their personal fortunes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gong-li-zhang-ziyi.htm 11/20/2006-- Taiwan will host the 37th World Cup baseball games next year, the Central News Agency said yesterday, quoting Tom Peng (彭誠浩), acting president of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-world-cup-baseball.htm 11/19/2006 Houston, Texas. Via Colori, a Street Painting Festival, is a unique event attracting thousands of families throughout Houston to celebrate an artistic journey and make a difference to a truly worthy organization. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/via-colori-houston-photos.htm 11/18/2006 China (International Hearld Tribune) -- Internet surfers in China once again have unfettered access to Wikipedia, the popular free online encyclopedia, after the Chinese government quietly dismantled its digital barriers against the service, according to the founder of Wikipedia. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-wikipedia.htm 11/17/2006 Houston-- The 2007 Houston International Festival (iFest) will feature the Country of China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-ifest-2007-china.htm 11/17/2006 Beijing, Nov 18 (Xinhua)-- About 1.24 million Chinese college students will graduate this year but are not sure of finding jobs suiting their qualification. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-graduate-jobs.htm 11/16/2006 Houston-- Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in Asian culture, and this year’s Spectacular promises to be the most exciting and unique Chinese New Year event ever. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ntdtv-2007-chinese-new-year-gala.htm 11/15/2006 BEIJING (Reuters) -- China has arrested two Taiwan businessmen suspected of spying for the self-ruled island Beijing considers its own, a government spokesman said on Wednesday, confirming a report in Taiwan media. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-taiwan-businessmen-spie.htm 11/14/2006 Beijing (AP)-- A matchmaking love boat cruise open only to male millionaires and good-looking and desirable women. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-matchmaking-cruise.htm 11/13/2006 Houston -- A developer for a new business aviation airport located between Katy and Brookshire said the facility has largely been completed ahead of schedule and is awaiting clients. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/business-aviation-airport-houston.htm 11/12/2006 Houston -- Just went it appeared that New England might just win its first MLS Cup title in three tries after Taylor Twellman gave his side a 1-0 lead in overtime, Houston Dynamo Brian Ching countered with a goal of his own. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-dynamo-mls-champs.htm 11/12/2006 Taiwan -- Taiwanese American filmmaker and actor William Tiao (刁毓能) is in Taiwan to raise funds for his new independent film, Formosa Betrayed (被出賣的台灣), and said yesterday he planned to start shooting next year for release in 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/william-tiao-formosa-betrayed.htm 11/10/2006 HOUSTON (AP) -- Second baseman Craig Biggio and the Astros agreed Friday to a $5.15 million, one-year contract that will keep him in Houston for a 20th season. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/biggio-astros.htm 11/10/2006 - The coming launch of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation 3 game console will put more focus on the Blu-ray disc format http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ps3-blu-ray.htm 11/9/2006 Beijing - The authorities announced Wednesday a one dog policy for many Beijing households as part of an effort to eradicate rabies. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-one-dog-policy.htm 11/7/2006 SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft Corp. has upgraded its online mapping service to include three-dimensional tours of 15 U.S. cities, marking another step in its dogged pursuit of Internet search leader Google Inc. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/microsoft-3d-map.htm 11/6/2006 Houston- Paul Dalglish scored twice in the first half and Brian Mullan added a goal in the 71st minute to help the Houston Dynamo advance to the MLS Cup with a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference final. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-dynamo.htm 11/5/2006 Taiwan- Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian denied accusations of corruption in a live TV address, and said that he was willing to waive his presidential immunity from prosecution. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-president-corruption.htm 11/4/2006 Beijing- If popping up on the list of China’s richest tycoons is a jinx, as some attest, then Huang Guangyu may be in for more tough days. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-richest-man.htm 11/3/2006 Beijing- China's teenage basketball sensation Yi Jianlian has said he had been cleared to join next year's NBA draft and follow in the footsteps of countryman Yao Ming in the world's top league. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-yi-jianlian.htm 11/2/2006 Houston- When it comes to eating out in the United States, Texans do it the most, New Yorkers pay the most, and Italian is the country's favorite cuisine, a study showed Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-eating-out.htm 11/1/2006- Chiang Mai Japan won the first prize for its large-scale landscape gardening at the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006, which was declared open yesterday with around 35,000 local and foreign visitors flocking to the event. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-landscape-gardening.htm 10/31/2006 Houston- Minority undergraduate students from across the country will showcase their research Nov. 10-12 at a conference hosted by the Houston-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation at Texas Southern University. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/research-tsu.htm 10/30/2006 Houston- MetroCorp Bancshares, Inc., a Texas corporation which provides community banking services through its subsidiaries, MetroBank, N.A., serving Houston and Dallas, Texas, and Metro United Bank ("Metro United"), serving San Diego and Los Angeles, California, today announced net income of $3.5 million for the third quarter of 2006, up approximately $710,000 or 25.0% compared with the same quarter in 2005 http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrobank-record-income.htm 10/29/2006 Shanghai- Google, Inc. reported stellar growth last week, but Baidu.com Inc. aims to show that it still leads the pack in China when it reports quarterly results on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/internet-china-growth.htm 10/28/2006- Beijing China's government wants to develop technology to stop children from becoming addicted to the Internet, a news report said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-internet-addiction.htm 10/27/2006 Houston- International Community Day Festival. Saturday October 28th. 10am-6pm. 11122 Bellaire Between Boone and Wilcrest (map). Come Enjoy the Festivities--Admissions: Free http://www.chinatownconnection.com/international-day-community-festival-houston.htm 10/25/2006 Houston- Texas community colleges grew nearly three times faster than the state's public universities this fall, widening an enrollment gap that coincides with rising tuition costs, according to preliminary numbers released Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/texas-community-college.htm 10/25/2006 Houston- The writing's on the Wall: Keep it clean and quiet! Organizing activities on sections of the Great Wall not open to tourists or carving names, digging out soil or bricks and planting trees anywhere along the Wall will be deemed illegal from December 1, according to the first set of rules to protect the Wall nationwide. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/great-wall-state-protection.htm 10/24/2006 Beijing- A half-mile section of China's Yellow River turned red and smelly after an unknown discharge was poured into it from a sewage pipe, state media said Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-river-turns-red.htm 10/23/2006 Houston- FORMER Enron chief executive Jeffrey Skilling was sentenced today to more than 24 years in prison for massive fraud and conspiracy in one of the biggest corporate scandals in US history. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/skilling-enron-jail.htm 10/22/2006 Clear Lake- It took a 2,500-year-old Chinese tradition for Shara Boquiern, a 23-year-old first-generation Filipino-American, to make a connection with her Asian heritage. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dragon-boat-regatta.htm 10/21/2006 Taipei, Taiwan- Hopes that the country's two main opposition parties would be able to field a single candidate for the year-end Taipei mayoral race were dashed yesterday as People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong registered as a non-partisan candidate and vowed not to withdraw from the race. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/soong-taipei-race.htm 10/20/2006 Beijing - China's superstar Yao Ming said Chinese people must become more courteous before the 2008 Olympic Games, and he asked them to stop shouting in public and to respect pedestrians, state press said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-courteous.htm 10/19/2006 HOUSTON - Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching visited the Chinese Community Center in Houston on Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-community-center-brian-ching.htm 10/19/2006 HOUSTON (Reuters)- China's annual growth slowed a little in the third quarter to 10.4 percent, but the world's fourth-largest economy is still firmly on course to log a fourth consecutive year of double-digit expansion. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-economy-slowdown.htm 10/18/2006 HOUSTON - Property sales reach new year-over-year record for 32nd consecutive month http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-real-estate-market.htm 10/16/2006 HOUSTON - Houston Dynamo's star Brian Ching will be visiting the Houston Chinese Community Center this Thursday, Oct. 19th, 3:30pm-4:30pm. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/brian-ching-chinese-community-center.htm 10/16/2006 HOUSTON (AP) - Torrential rains and a tornado swept through Southeast Texas, killing three people trapped in the rising floodwater, destroying homes and shutting down numerous schools Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-flooding.htm 10/15/2006 Beijing-- China has launched a fresh drive to clamp down on bad English in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-chinglish.htm 10/14/2006 London-- A teenaged schoolgirl was arrested by British police for racism after she refused to sit with a group of Asian students as some of them did not speak English, but was later released without being charged. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/study-asian-students.htm 10/13/2006 Houston-- The Culture Ministry has canceled rapper Jay-Z's planned debut in China, citing his ``vulgar'' lyrics, a state-run newspaper reported Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-block-jayz.htm 10/13/2006-- One of China's biggest celebrity exports is two Chinese art students who lip-sync to Backstreet Boys songs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-backstreet-boys.htm 10/12/2006 Houston-- If you’re looking for work, you may have picked the right city to live in. Houston is hiring, and you can thank the high price of oil. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-job-market.htm 10/12/2006 Houston-- Opportunities are still available to register for the Second Annual Houston Port Region Coffee Symposium, to be held Thursday, October 19 through Friday, October 20, at the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/java-jobs-houston-port.htm 10/11/2006 -- China had its second-largest trade surplus on record in September, adding funding to an investment boom the government is trying to cool. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-trade-surplus-2.htm 10/10/2006 -- The screech of saws mixes with the screams of tall, lean women spiking volleyballs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-olympics.htm 10/9/2006 -- World powers have condemned North Korea after it said it conducted an underground nuclear test. The UN Security Council prepared a stern response that could further impoverish and isolate the communist state. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/korea-nuke-test.htm 10/6/2006-- Yesterday was the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar, considered by the Chinese as a good day for marriage. It coincides with the Mid-Autumn or Lantern Festival. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/free-hugs-taiwan.htm 10/8/2006 -- The Free Hugs campaign that has caught on in recent years in several Western countries has arrived in Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mid-autumn-love-birds.htm 10/6/2006 Beijing -- China marked Friday's Moon Festival by announcing 30 songs to be broadcast to Earth next year from its first lunar-probing satellite. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-moon-satellite.htm 10/6/2006 Houston -- Luis Palau Festivals (Houston City Fest) are a celebration of faith, fun and hop that touch hearts, transform lives and impact cities around the world through the power of Jesus Christ. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-city-fest.htm 10/5/2006 Houston -- A U.S. tourist who told airport inspectors that dynamite in his bags was a souvenir from South America has been charged with breaking two security laws and could face up to 10 years in prison and steep fines. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/student-dynamite-luggage.htm 10/4/2006 Houston -- A proposed smoking ban in Houston restaurants and bars has received support from the city’s business community. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/smoking-ban-houston-restaurants-bars.htm 10/4/2006 Beijing -- With suggestions to speak quietly, respect queues and put litter in bins, China has released a list of "dos and don'ts" for citizens intending to travel abroad. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-citizens-abroad.htm 10/3/2006 Houston (Marketwire)--The bridging of China's profitable businesses with the world's most advanced capital markets is a reflection of the risks and rewards of today's global economy. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/us-listed-chinese-companies.htm 10/2/2006 Houston --There are already three "Golden Weeks" in the Chinese calendar, but plans are afoot to add more. The State Council, China's cabinet, is preparing to debate adding three more traditional festivals to the list of statutory national holidays, a Chinese lawmaker has said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-holidays.htm 10/1/2006 Houston -- Today marked the 57th anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-national-day.htm 10/1/2006 Houston -- Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Miguel Tejada were among the players that a former major league pitcher accused of using performance-enhancing drugs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/clemens-pettitte-ped.htm 9/30/2006 --Shaolin monks should study English and IT to adapt to modern society and spread Buddhism and Shaolin culture around the world, says the abbot of a Shaolin temple where kung fu was born http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shaolin-culture.htm 9/30/2006 By MICHAEL ASTOR -- A Brazilian jetliner with more than 150 people aboard was reported missing Friday over the Amazon jungle after colliding with a smaller executive jet, aviation authorities said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/brazilian-jet-collision.htm 9/30/2006 Shanghai-- The human Olympics may be coming to China in two years, but the animal competition has already begun there. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-animal-olympics.htm 9/29/2006 Houston (PRIMEZONE)-- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) will receive $1.754 million of the nearly $168 million allocation in Round 6 federal port security grants. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/port-of-houston-funding.htm 9/28/2006 HOUSTON: “Urgent attention” and immediate steps are required to reduce the toxicity levels in Houston's air if the city wants to protect its people from serious health hazards, a group of academicians said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-air-polluted-city.htm 9/28/2006 Beijing-- Chinese scientists are to start experimental cultivation of 2,200 seed samples from the country's seed-breeding satellite in a hope to grow high-yield, high-quality plants, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-space-bred-seeds.htm 9/27/2006 Houston-- Tracy McGrady says Chinese center Yao Ming has come of age as an NBA player and expects the two of them to make this a big year for the Houston Rockets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mcgrady-yao-rockets.htm 9/26/2006 Houston-- A teenager who begged not to be deported to China because human smugglers would kill him over a debt has been granted permanent residency in the United States, his lawyer said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-teen-deportation-houston.htm 9/25/2006 Houston-- An Indian American scientist has developed a sensor that can detect E coli, a bacteria, whose recent outbreak in the United States killed a woman and hospitalized over 90 people. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sensor-detect-e-coli.htm 9/23/2006 China-- The China Confucius Foundation (CCF) on Saturday published a standard portrait of ancient philosopher and educator Confucius in order to give him a single, recognizable identity around the world. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/confucius-portrait.htm 9/23/2006 Houston-- A city contractor is installing red-light cameras at another 10 intersections around the city, including at several state-owned roads, Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt announced Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-red-light-cameras.htm 9/22/2006 -- A radio commercial for a local gun shop advises Houstonians to arm themselves against "Katricians," adding to the growing tension between Houstonians and the Katrina evacuees who have been blamed for a rising crime rate. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/radio-houston-katrina.htm 9/21/2006 Rome-- More than 300 items from China, including life-size statues from the famed Terra-cotta Army, go on display Friday in Rome in an exhibition that organizers say features the largest number of terra-cotta warriors ever displayed outside China in a single show. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/terra-cotta-show-rome.htm 9/19/2006 China-- Rupert Murdoch said on Tuesday that his wife, Wendy Deng, was working with senior News Corp executives to help bring the company’s popular MySpace social networking site to China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-myspace.htm 9/18/2006 Houston-- An oxygen generator on the international space station overheated and spilled a toxic irritant Monday, forcing the three-man crew to don masks and gloves in the first emergency ever declared aboard the 8-year-old orbiting outpost. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chemical-spill-space-station.htm 9/18/2006 Houston-- Last year's HP Technology Forum was chased out of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. This year, storm clouds of a different sort hang over the event. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hp-forum-houston.htm 9/17/2006-- Market rumor said that Yahoo Taiwan will acquire Wretch.cc for an amount of USD 21 million. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yahoo-taiwan-wretch.htm 9/16/2006 Beijing-- Chinese law enforcement agencies destroyed nearly 13 million pirated compact discs, DVDs and computer software Saturday in the government's latest campaign to curtail rampant theft of intellectual property, state media reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-antipiracy.htm 9/15/2006 Houston-- Acupuncture is growing in popularity and practicality. Just this year, insurance companies expanded coverage to include licensed acupuncturists. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/acupuncture-popularity.htm 9/15/2006-- An outbreak of E. coli in eight states has left at least one person dead and 50 others sick, federal health officials said Thursday in warning consumers not to eat bagged fresh spinach. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bagged-spinich-ecoli.htm 9/13/2006-- To try to get to China, Continental Airlines went through Chinatown. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/airline-china.htm 9/13/2006-- Asian-American women living in Bergen County, N.J., lead the nation in longevity, typically reaching their 91st birthdays. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/live-lifespan.htm 9/12/2006 Austin, TX— A Houston-area lawmaker says she's “vehemently insulted” by independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman's words about Hurricane Katrina evacuees. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/kinky-friedman-race-comments.htm 9/11/2006 Houston— Johnny Rockets, a 1950's-style diner, recently opened the doors to a new location in Sugar Land Town Square near Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/johnny-rockets-houston.htm 9/10/2006 — A strong earthquake rumbled in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and was felt across the southeastern United States, the U.S. Geological Service said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gulf-of-mexico-earthquake.htm 9/9/2006 Houston — NASA makes its fifth attempt to get Atlantis off the launch pad at 11:15 a.m. EDT on Saturday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nasa-atlantis.htm 9/8/2006 Beijing — China posted a record trade surplus of $18.8 billion in August, far exceeding forecasts and the previous record of $14.6 billion in July, Dow Jones Newswires reported on Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-trade-surplus.htm 9/7/2006 Beijing — Enraged Chinese Internet surfers have called for a public apology from a Taiwanese model after she poked fun at the mainland's public toilets and their users on a Taiwan chat-show, local media reported on Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-toliet-humor.htm 9/6/2006 Houston- President Bush has staked his reputation on winning the war on terror. Since 9/11, the FBI has reinvented itself and is focusing on catching potential terrorists before they strike. The FBI Houston office has agents who have cast a wide net, from Houston to Baghdad. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-fbi.htm 9/5/2006 China- About 80 billion yuan (10 billion U.S.dollars) of China's insurance fund will flow into the railway upgrading project between Beijing and Shanghai, one of the country's busiest railways. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-shanghai-railway.htm 9/4/2006 - Steve Irwin, the ebullient Australian whose catch cry of "Crikey!" helped him rise to global fame as television's the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming on the Great Barrier Reef. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/crocodle-hunter-steve-irwin.htm 9/3/2006 Georgia- Seong Kim sells a steady supply of red bean bread and luscious cakes to Korean, Chinese and Japanese customers who depend on her Duluth bakery for a taste of home. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-buying-power.htm 9/2/2006 Houston - On the topic of crime in Houston, there has been talks between the mayors of Houston and New Orleans to send back to Louisiana any evacuees who commit serious crimes here. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-katrina-criminals.htm 9/1/2006 Houston - The Houston Asian American Business Council (AABC) held a members only meeting today to discuss future plans for Chinatown in Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-aabc-chinatown-plans.htm 9/1/2006 Houston - Three weeks ago, gas prices in East Texas and Houston were galling — nudging the $3 a gallon mark. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gas-price-drop.htm 9/1/2006 Saitama, Japan - Fed up with its recent failures, the United States assembled a new program with new plan. The end result was all too familiar. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/greece-us-basketball.htm 8/31/2006 Beijing - One is a former spokesman for Communist China's Cabinet, the other, an American evangelist known for his elaborate, two-day Christian festivals. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-atheist.htm 8/31/2006 Houston - Frustrated that crime continues to climb one year after Hurricane Katrina, evacuee-weary Houston residents are pressing Mayor Bill White to send refugees back to New Orleans. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-evacuees-katrina.htm 8/30/2006 Houston - Houston families are earning more than their counterparts in Dallas. However, local residents' median household incomes are still lagging behind state and national averages. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-household-income.htm 8/29/2006 - A Chinese-developed vaccine against the H5N1 strain of bird flu in humans has been found safe in the first round of tests, a government news agency reported Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-bird-flu-vaccine.htm 8/28/2006 Houston-- Get the lowdown on what festivals and bazaars are coming to Houston and surrounding areas this fall. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-fall-festivals.htm 8/27/2006 Lexington, Ky. - A commuter jet taking off for Atlanta crashed just past the runway and burst into flames, killing 49 people before dawn Sunday and leaving the lone survivor in critical condition. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/comair-plane-crash.htm 8/26/2006 Houston - FBI agents will work alongside Houston police in the office and on the streets as part of the latest counterattack on the city's ongoing gang violence, Chief Harold Hurtt announced Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-police-gang.htm 8/25/2006 Houston - A U.S. newspaper researcher based in China has been convicted of fraud in a Chinese court, but acquitted on charges of leaking state secrets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-jails-nytimes-reporter.htm 8/26/2006 - Toyota Motor Corp. may delay rolling out its new models in an attempt to improve quality control and reduce the number of recalls, president Katsuaki Watanabe said in Tokyo on Friday http://www.chinatownconnection.com/toyota-delay-new-models.htm 8/25/2006 Houston - A stick of dynamite was found in a college student's checked luggage on a Continental Airlines flight from Argentina, one of seven security incidents Friday that caused U.S. flights to be diverted, evacuated, searched or delayed. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-airport-news.htm 8/24/2006 - Twin girls separately dumped on the same street in China two years ago have been reunited in the United States. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-twins-reunite.htm 8/23/2006 China - Apple Computer said that charges of forced labor at a Chinese iPod factory were not true, but admitted that the Longhau plant exceeded the American company's limits on hours and days worked per week. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-ipod-plant.htm 8/22/2006 Houston, TX - The Texas First Time Homebuyer Program is helping Texas homebuyers, lenders, and realtors live big. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/texas-first-time-homebuyer.htm 8/22/2006 Houston, TX - Authorities have arrested 326 people in the Houston area, including some accused of murder, as part of a national crackdown on illegal immigrants. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/immigration-houston-arrest.htm 8/22/2006 Houston, TX - The old saying, "they'll get you coming and going" holds true for Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), who dreamed up a DSL surcharge of their own after the federal government abandoned its digital subscriber line surcharge fee, which had consumer groups screaming foul but to no avail. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/verizon-dsl-surcharge.htm 8/21/2006 -- After nearly three decades of averaging 10 percent annual growth, China became the world's fourth-largest economy last year with a gross domestic product of 2.3 trillion dollars. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economic-boom.htm 8/20/2006 Houston-- The word is getting out on the streets and on the air about a plan to drive panhandlers off of the roads http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-panhandlers.htm 8/20/2006-- Apple Computer's investigation into claims of poor conditions at a Chinese iPod factory found no forced labor but revealed that workers were exceeding the company's limits on hours and days to be worked per week, the company said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ipod-plant-china.htm 8/18/2006 HOUSTON - Residents usually aren't much rattled by what nature throws their way here, but the death this spring of an area teenager infected with rabies by a bat that flew into his bedroom hit a nerve. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-bats-rabies.htm 8/18/2006 HOUSTON (Reuters) - Temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit and higher pushed electric use in Texas to an all-time record, the second such peak in two months, according to the grid operator. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/texas-heat-record.htm 8/17/2006 -- Workers on a construction site for the Neihu Line of Taipei's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system found another unexploded bomb yesterday, the second one in a week. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taipei-mass-rapid-transit.htm 8/16/2006 -- The large-size plasma TV takes more than 80 percent market shares in America, over 75 percent in Europe and 60 percent in Korea. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-lcd-tv.htm 8/16/2006 China -- China’s industrial output surged 16.7 percent in July compared to a year ago with strong showing in the iron ore, steel and coal sectors according to the National Bureau of Statistics http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economy-record.htm 8/15/2006 Houston -- MetroBank,N.A. is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Judd as their Senior Vice President and Dallas Regional Manager on August 7th, 2006 http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrobank-eric-judd.htm 8/14/2006 Houston -- A letter to inmate No. 1352951 and a cell phone bill for $76.63, both found in a soggy New Orleans duplex ruined by Hurricane Katrina, led Louisiana bounty hunter James Martin to Texas. Again. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/katrina-victims-crime.htm 8/12/2006 Beijing, China -- D'oh! China has banished Homer Simpson, Pokemon and Mickey Mouse from prime time. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-bans-simpsons.htm 8/12/2006 Beijing, China -- More than 20,000 soldiers and paramilitary police were mobilized for relief efforts after Saomai, the strongest storm to strike the country since at least 1949, blacked out cities and wrecked more than 50,000 homes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-typhoon-relief.htm 8/11/2006 Beijing -- China's General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) ordered tight airport security across the nation on Friday after British police foiled a terrorist plot to blow up aircraft between the United Kingdom and the United States. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-airport-security.htm 8/10/2006 Houston -- Liquid explosives of the sort suspected in an alleged plot to blow up British airliners are easy to make and difficult to detect by airport security systems, according to explosives experts. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/liquid-explosives.htm 8/10/2006 -- The ink barely dry on second-quarter results showing fuller planes and profits some hadn't seen in years, airlines are again being tested -- this time by a foiled terror plot that is sure to make passengers uneasy about flying. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/foiled-airline-plot.htm 8/9/2006 Houston-- The mayor of former Majority Leader Tom DeLay's hometown said Wednesday he will run as a write-in candidate for his House seat after the scandal-scarred DeLay moved to withdraw from the November ballot. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sugarland-mayor-delay.htm 8/8/2006 Houston-- MetroBank posted a 22.5 percent increase in profits from the same quarter last year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrobank-second-quarter.htm 8/8/2006 Houston-- Not since the late 1980s has Houston seen so many homes fall into foreclosure. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-foreclosure.htm 8/7/2006 (by Stephen Green)-- In the old days, when communist central planning suffocated China's economy, fixed-asset investment was the regime's measure of economic progress. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-credit-culture.htm 8/6/2006 Shanghai (by TREBOR BANSTETTER)-- It was the trip of a lifetime, but I had to squeeze it into just. I was in Shanghai covering a story for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where I work as a business reporter, so I didn't have much time to explore one of the world's great cities. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/travelers-shanghai.htm 8/5/2006 China -- Chinese state media say the death toll from Typhoon Prapiroon has risen to at least 48, with 15 others still missing in China's southern region. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/typhoon-prapiroon-china.htm 8/4/2006 by Walaika Haskins-- Security researchers have sounded the alarm for wireless Internet users, warning them that their laptop computers are vulnerable to attack by hackers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/laptop-wifi-hackers.htm 8/4/2006 Houston-- OCA Greater Houston is going to present a day-long workshop addressing the ongoing housing needs of Katrina survivors. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/katrina-housing-workshop.htm 8/3/2006-- With total buying power in excess of $400 billion, Asian Americans represent the single most affluent consumer group in the United States, according to Asian Americans in the U.S., a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-american-affluent-group.htm 8/2/2006 Houston-- NBA star Yao Ming pledged Wednesday to give up eating shark's fin soup, a Chinese delicacy, as he joined a campaign to promote wildlife protection. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-shark-fin-soup.htm 8/1/2006 Houston, Texas-- Jeans, jerseys, shoes and socks are expected to be hot shopping items this weekend during the Texas sales tax holiday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-tax-free-weekend.htm 8/1/2006 -- Once a promising star who now has become the face of Chinese basketball, Yao Ming told his younger counterparts and hundreds of thousands of fans that his American dream started with a pair of leather basketball shoes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-nba.htm 7/31/2006 -- This report takes a bullish look at Chinese search engine Baidu.com. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-search-baidu.htm 7/31/2006 -- Rob Newland is a pro at dodging spam e-mails and suspicious pop-up windows as he surfs the Web. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/myspace-scam-news.htm 7/30/2006 Houston-- With a 30 percent Hispanic population and residents from all over the world, Houston has long had a live-and-let-live attitude toward immigrants. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-immigrants.htm 7/28/2006 Houston-- The number of people who have signed petitions to save the historic River Oaks Theater has reached into the tens of thousands. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/river-oaks-theater.htm 7/28/2006-- Trend: China's economic boom will suffer a downturn in the near future and affect the global economy substantially and here is why: History can help pinpoint five trouble spots in any breakdown in Chinese growth. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-economic-downturn.htm 7/27/2006 Houston-- ConocoPhillips pumped more oil and gas and commanded sharply higher prices for its energy in the second quarter, boosting profits by nearly two-thirds to more than 5 billion. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/conocophillips-profits.htm 7/26/2006 Houston-- Nearly 27-thousand families displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita may not have federal aid for rent next month -- unless they renew by Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/fema-housing-deadline.htm 7/25/2006 Taiwan-- Tradition says the month long festival kicks off when the gates of the nether world are opened for ghosts to make their annual visit to Earth. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-traditional-festival.htm 7/24/2006 Houston-- Houston Mayor Bill White and Shell Oil Co. President John Hofmeister have already reported positive results in the midst of a weeklong trade mission to China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-trade-china.htm 7/24/2006 China-- It's a dream that's been pursued for years by governments, energy companies and automakers so far without success: Mass-producing affordable hydrogen-powered cars that spew just clean water from their tailpipes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chiense-hydrogen-car.htm 7/23/2006 Houston-- Chinese NBA star Yao Ming has been named Goodwill Ambassador to the Shanghai Special Olympic Games in 2007. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-special-olympics.htm 7/22/2006 -- Microsoft confirmed rumors Friday it planned to launch an iPod killer, saying its challenge to Apple Computer's dominant MP3 player would hit the market this year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/microsoft-mp3-player.htm 7/21/2006 Texas-- American Airlines announced Thursday it hopes to offer daily nonstop service between Dallas and Beijing beginning in March. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/american-airlines-beijing.htm 7/20/2006 Houston-- The 2006 Miss Chinatown Houston Beauty Pageant will be held this Saturday, July 22nd at the J.W. Marriot Hotel in the Galleria Area. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/miss-chinatown-houston.htm 7/20/2006 Houston, Texas – In cooperation with Chopin’s Corner Library, MetroBank will be holding the first seminar on Health and Health Planning in its Community Center at Suite 201, 9600 Bellaire Boulevard on Sunday, August 6, 2006 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrobank-health-seminar.htm 7/19/2006 TAIPEI-- Taiwan's ASUSTeK Computer Inc is reported to have started shipments of PlayStation 3 game consoles to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. as the Japanese electronics major is readying to launch its latest game console and meet customer demands during the Christmas shopping season. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sony-p3-console.htm 7/18/2006 Houston-- Money magazine Monday announced Sugar Land, Texas near Houston as the third best place to live. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sugar-land-bestplacetolive.htm 7/17/2006 -- CHINA'S roaring economy probably grew at its fastest in more than a decade during the second quarter, despite Government attempts to rein in excessive investment, official figures due today are expected to show. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-high-growth.htm 7/16/2006 Houston-- Mayor Bill White headed for China last Thursday, embarking on his first international trade mission. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-mayor-china.htm 7/15/2006 Houston-- Ken Lay has taken his place alongside Elvis Presley in the pantheon of people whose deaths have not been fully believed. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ken-lay-conspiracy.htm 7/14/2006 -- Skype Ltd. is dismissing a claim by a small team of Chinese engineers who say they have reverse engineered the protocol used for Skype Internet phone calls. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-crack-skype.htm China today launched the first-ever passenger trains to and from Tibet on the world's highest railway, an event described by President Hu Jintao as a "great miracle" and "another magnificent" achievement in the communist nation's march towards modernization. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/qinhai-tibet-railway.htm 7/12/2006 Houston -- It was announced on Friday that a US team featuring NBA players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade will play two exhibition games in China for the first time in August. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nba-exhibition-game.htm 7/11/2006 Houston -- As you drive west down traffic-choked Bellaire Boulevard, straight through the suburb of the same name and into the mini-mall sprawl of western Houston, it's obvious that this is the Lone Star State's biggest city. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-houston.htm 7/10/2006 Houston -- Tom DeLay said Monday he would wait until an appeals court rules to decide whether he will actively run for the congressional seat he resigned from last month. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/delay-congress.htm 7/9/2006 Houston -- Houston's acclaimed Kaminari Taiko and Kashima Taiko from Japan will perform at a joint concert at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 11th in front of Houston City Hall. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-japanese-taiko-drum.htm 7/8/2006 Houston-- The annual JCAA Scholarship Award Banquet was held Saturday night at the Chinese Culture Center in Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/jcaa-award-banquet.htm 7/8/2006 Shanghai -- China launched a website, www.linese.com , on Saturday offering free Chinese lessons and materials to promote the study and use of the language abroad. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/learn-chinese-website.htm 7/7/2006 Houston -- Retail gasoline prices were up for a second straight week across Texas after crude oil prices reached record highs, according to a AAA Texas gasoline price survey released Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-gasprices.htm 7/6/2006 Houston -- Ken Lay's death means Enron founder Kenneth Lay will never serve a day in jail. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/lay-conviction.htm 7/5/2006 Houston -- Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay, who was convicted of helping perpetuate one of the most sprawling business frauds in U.S. history, has died of a heart attack in Colorado. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/kenneth-lay-dies-heart-attack.htm 7/4/2006 Houston -- All it took for Roger Clemens to get his first win since returning to the Astros was a little run support. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/roger-clemens.htm 7/3/2006 Houston -- A three-alarm fire destroyed at least 12 town homes in the 700 block of Thicket Lane, West Houston early Monday morning, injuring two firefighters. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/west-houston-fire.htm 7/2/2006 China -- The average retail cost of electricity in China climbed 0.025 yuan (US0.313) per kilowatt hour, the same as the last increase in May 2005, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a statement on its Web site. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-power-prices.htm 7/1/2006 Houston -- The highly decorated Chinese Shaolin Kung Fu Performance Troupe from China will perform here this weekend in an unprecedented live martial arts demonstration. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-shaolin-kung-fu.htm 6/30/2006 China -- China's Internet regulators are stepping up controls on blogs and search engines to block material it considers unlawful or immoral, the government said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-crack-down-blog.htm 6/29/2006 CALGARY -- Anadarko Petroleum Corp. is selling its Canadian operations in an auction that will likely generate a frenzy in the oil patch and probably fetch more than 4 billion dollars, the biggest deal in the energy business in several years http://www.chinatownconnection.com/anadarko-canada.htm 6/28/2006 Houston News - It is reported that such bulletproof automobile is quite powerful against deliberate attacks. Its windows cannot be broken to pieces by half-an-hour hits of iron hammers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-bulletproof-video.htm 6/27/2006 HUNTSVILLE, Texas - The Railroad Killer, a drifter who authorities say killed at least 15 people as he made his way around the country by freight train, awaited execution Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/texas-railroad-killer.htm 6/25/2006 LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Minor league manager Joe Mikulik had a major league tantrum Sunday night. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/baseball-manager-tirade.htm 6/25/2006 -- The first recorded game of cricket in China was played in 1858 in Shanghai. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-cricket.htm 6/23/2006 Houston -- Oil and natural gas producer Anadarko Petroleum Corp. on Friday agreed to pay 21 billion dollars to acquire two smaller competitors, Kerr-McGee Corp. and Denver-based Western Gas Resources Inc in a bid to boost its North American output http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-anadarko.htm 6/22/2006 Houston -- What if we told you that some of Houston's most fashionable women share a secret? http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-harwin-drive.htm 6/22/2006 Houston -- Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today announced an asset freeze and temporary restraining order against the owner of a Houston auto auction, seeking an accounting for millions of dollars in fees fraudulently assessed against those who participated in auctions to purchase vehicles. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-auto-auction.htm 6/21/2006 Houston -- Gov. Rick Perry was in Houston on Tuesday, visiting flood affected areas and getting briefed on the situation in the region. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/texas-governer-houston-flooding.htm 6/20/2006 Japan -- Japan warned North Korea it would regard any test-fired missile that landed on Japanese soil as an attack, after reports the secretive nation was preparing to jangle international nerves with a new missile launch. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-north-korea-attack.htm 6/19/2006 Houston -- Texas governor sent National Guard troops to Houston Monday as torrential rainfall flooded homes and highways in southeastern Texas and parts of Louisiana, where more than 100 patients had to be evacuated from a nursing home. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/torrential-rain-houston.htm 6/18/2006 Houston -- Amid declarations saying the United States is under attack and claims that undocumented immigrants are draining the country's resources, a Texas group advocating stronger border control said Saturday it isn't anti-immigrant but is against illegal immigration. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/border-immigration.htm 6/17/2006 Houston -- Texas guard Daniel Gibson said he will leave the Longhorns after two seasons to enter the NBA draft. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/texas-longhorns-gibson.htm 6/16/2006 Houston -- Oil climbed back above $70 a barrel on Friday, rising for a third day as investors grew more optimistic about U.S. economic growth and energy demand after a toned-down inflation warning from the U.S. Federal Reserve. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/oil-prices.htm 6/15/2006 Houston -- Sick of rising crime rates and a negative report from the FBI, Houston Mayor Bill White said his new strategy will take the fight to the criminals. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-mayor-crime-plans.htm 6/14/2006 Houston--China and Taiwan have agreed a deal to allow regular non-stop passenger flights between their cities during holiday periods, Taiwan has said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-charter-flight-china.htm 6/13/2006 Houston -- Apple’s newest retail store opens in Houston, Texas on Saturday, June 17, 2006. The new Apple store opens at the Memorial City Mall at 10AM. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/apple-store-houston.htm 6/12/2006 GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) -- Four years ago, the U.S. team woke up Americans to soccer with its surprise success in the World Cup. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/us-world-cup.htm 6/12/2006 Houston -- ChinatownConnection.com is featured in this month's Houston Asian Business Journal. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-asian-business-journal.htm 6/11/2006 Houston -- There, on the strength of energy rather than technology, the city of Houston enjoys the boom of 2006. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-power-boom.htm 6/10/2006 China -- The Chinese government has given the formal go-ahead for an assembly plant for Airbus A320 narrow-body airliners to be built in the northern port city of Tianjin. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/airbus-in-china.htm 6/10/2006 Houston -- Emily Burguieres and her fiancé started house-hunting in Houston's most expensive neighborhood during December, expecting an easy search. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-wealthy-homes.htm 6/9/2006 Houston -- Contact lens maker Bausch and Lomb has discovered that the cause of the recent spate of fungal eye infections worldwide is the ReNu lens cleaning solution itself. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bausch-lomb-contact-solution.htm 6/9/2006 Germany -- The FIFA 2006 World Cup will open in Germany in just a few hours. http://fifa-world-cup.htm 6/8/2006 Houston -- Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - the leader of the terrorist group Al Qaeda in Iraq who has led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings, kidnappings and hostage beheadings - has been killed in a U.S. air raid north of Baghdad, according to the U.S. and Iraq. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/al-qaeda-leader-iraq-killed.htm 6/7/2006 Hong Kong (AP) -- Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee was in Taipei on Wednesday casting for his new film, the spy thriller Lust, Caution, Lee's brother said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ang-lee-spy-movie-lust.htm 6/6/2006 Houston -- You’ve may have noticed that ethanol is in the gasoline you buy now, only about 10-15 percent though. Now gas with 85 percent ethanol is being sold in Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-ethanol-85.htm 6/6/2006 Houston -- A four-acre parcel owned by a family in Midtown could become the future site of a transit-oriented development if suggestions from a recent Urban Land Institute technical assistance panel are implemented. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-midtown-transit-oriented-project.htm 6/5/2006 NEW YORK -- TV seems to be everywhere these days. At the supermarket, the mall, and now, thanks to a Michigan-based startup company, the gas pump. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gas-pump-tv.htm 6/4/2006 Houston, TX -- A divided City Council approved a a contract for cameras to catch red-light violators this past Wednesday. The red-light voted ended more than a year of debate about whether the city should monitor Houston motorists and, if so, who should be hired to develop the system. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-approves-red-light-cameras.htm 6/4/2006 Houston, TX -- A Houston waterfront project -- the first part of an $800 million plan to redevelop the area around the Buffalo Bayou -- has been completed. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-redevelopment-plan.htm 6/3/2006 Houston, TX -- Golden Foods Supermarket opened for business back on May 24th. This 40,000 square foot store offers a large variety of Asian produce, seafood, meat, frozen products and canned foods at low prices. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-supermarket-chinatown-houston.htm 6/2/2006 China -- The Chinese government passed new laws this week to ban the ability to upload and download Internet material without the copyright holder's permission. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-internet-privacy-laws.htm 6/1/2006 Houston -- Directed by Kwak Kyong-taek of the 2001 mega hit Friend (Chingu), The Typhoon tells the story of a face-off of two young men from opposites sides. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/typhoon-movie.htm 6/1/2006 Houston -- Immigration has emerged as the hot-button issue in politics today, both nationally, and on a state level. In fact, in numerous GOP primary races that LSR covered this year, immigration polled as the number one issue – even above that of school finance. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/illegal-immigration-cost-texas.htm 5/31/2006 Houston (AP) -- Roger Clemens is coming out of retirement again, agreeing to a $22 million contract to pitch for the Houston Astros for the rest of 2006. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/roger-clemens-astros.htm 5/30/2006 Houston-- Think Harris County has undervalued your house in its appraisal? Yeah, we bet you can't wait to correct that one — but you'd better do it soon, because tomorrow's the last day for homeowners to protest their property's appraised value. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-appraisal.htm 5/30/2006 Houston -- The much anticipated, known for its dome top exterior, Golden Foods Supermarket in Houston China Town's Sterling Plaza has opened. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/golden-foods-supermarket.htm 5/29/2006 Houston-- The Memorial Day service at the Houston VA National Cemetery was canceled because of heavy rain, but that didn't stop some people from paying tribute to fallen troops. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/local-groups-houston-memorial-day.htm 5/28/2006 Taiwan-- Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Karan K. Bhatia said yesterday in Taipei that it would be premature to discuss a free trade agreement with Taiwan, a remark that put paid to President Chen Shui-bian's hopes of establishing an Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the U.S. as soon as possible. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/us-taiwan-free-trade.htm 5/27/2006 Houston-- The 14-hour traffic jams and gasoline shortages that accompanied last year's killer hurricanes led to improved evacuation plans for some hurricane-prone states. But that does not mean the next evacuation will go smoothly. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-evacuation-plans.htm 5/27/2006 Shanghai (AP)- THE average yearly wage in China increased by 14 percent in 2005 from the previous year, which indicates a rise in labor costs in the country, China News Service reported today. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-wages.htm 5/26/2006 HOUSTON- After increasing last week, gasoline prices reversed course again and moved downward as motorists gear up for the Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA Texas' Weekend Gas Watch. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gas-prices-houston.htm 5/25/2006 HOUSTON (Chicago Tribune) - Enron. The very word encapsulates an era. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/enron-convictions.htm 5/25/2006 HOUSTON (AP) - Former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were convicted Thursday of conspiracy and securities and wire fraud in one of the biggest business scandals in U.S. history. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/enron-lay-skilling-guilty.htm 5/24/2006 Houston-- Splash Art Gallery in Houston will be holding an art exhibition for three famous artists from May 19 to June 18. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/art-exhibition-splash-art-gallery.htm 5/24/2006 Houston (AP)-- Houston based Enron founder Kenneth Lay is now awaiting the outcome of two criminal cases. Jurors in Houston have returned for a fifth day to deliberate fraud and conspiracy charges against Lay and former Enron chief executive Jeffrey Skilling. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ken-lay-trial.htm 5/23/2006 Houston (AP)-- Former Senator and Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen died Tuesday at his Houston home. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/lloyd-bentsen-houston.htm 5/22/2006 Houston (AP)-- The number of Asian-owned businesses grew at more than twice the national rate for all U.S. companies from 1997 to 2002, the government said. Houston finished at number six. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-firms-boom.htm 5/21/2006 DETROIT (AFP) - As they struggle to reignite their ailing North America operations, both General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are depending on profits from operations in new markets across Asia to keep them afloat. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gm-ford-asian-market.htm 5/20/2006 Houston-- Postponed from last year when Hurricane Rita barreled towards Houston, Texas, Asians and Pacific Islanders from across the nation were arriving for a national conference to address issues unique to their fast-growing and diverse population. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/national-coalition-for-asian-american-development.htm Splash Art Gallery will be holding an art show for three artists from May 19 to June 18. The artists' works on display are William Wong, George Welchor, Uri Kelman http://www.chinatownconnection.com/splash-art-gallery-houston.htm 5/18/2006 Houston -- This year's Starry Night Market and Festival (hosted by OCA) which is in conjunction with the celebration of the 16th Annual Asian Pacific Heritage Month Communities in Action was an amazing event. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/night-market-houston-chinatown.htm 5/18/2006 (AP) HONG KONG-- Jackie Chan and Jet Li -- two of the biggest names in action films -- plan to co-star in a new movie, a news report said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/jackie-chan-jet-li-movie.htm 5/17/2006 Houston -- Mayor Bill White is hosing a live online chat tonight to answer questions about citywide wireless Internet access. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-mayor-live-chat-wifi.htm 5/16/2006 Houston -- Will "Mission: Impossible III" find China impenetrable http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mission-impossible-3-china.htm 5/16/2006 Houston (by Jeff Yang) -- What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word Asian. Bad drivers. Zhang Ziyi. The good kid who can do no wrong. Banyan trees and animal intestines. Driving souped-up Hondas. My gambling grandfather. Adoption. Pocky. Really good food, because Asians seem to be obsessed with food. Hello Kitty. Chicken bones. Incense. Wedding banquets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/what-does-asian-mean.htm 5/16/2006 Tokyo (AP) -- Japan's financial watchdog on Wednesday ordered ChuoAoyama PricewaterhouseCoopers to suspend part of its auditing services for two months because of an accounting fraud. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-penalize-pricewaterhousecoopers.htm 5/15/2006 Houston (AFP)-- France's Sebastien Bourdais made it two-for-two in 2006 as he won the Champ Car series' Grand Prix of Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-grand-prix.htm 5/13/2006 Houston (AP)-- Several cities around the country including Houston have sued web-based travel clearinghouses such as Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz, claiming they have failed to pay millions of dollars in hotel taxes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/travel-sites-hotel-taxes.htm 5/12/2006 Houston -- Today's Town Hall meeting at the Houston Chinese Community Center discussed the issue of security in the Houston Chinatown area. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/town-hall-meeting-houston.htm 5/11/2006 Houston -- Houston Asian American Business Council, Inc. (AABC) will be holding a Town Hall Meeting at the Chinese Community Center tomorrow, Friday, May 12 from 8:30am-10:00am. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-asian-town-hall-meeting.htm 5/9/2006 Houston-- Mark your calendars. The Houston Origami Festival will run from July 1st - 9th with a cocktail reception on Saturday, July 1st from 6-8pm. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/origami-festival-tansu.htm 5/8/2006 Beijing-- Workers working on a shooting range for the 2008 Beijing Olympics discovered the tombs from the imperial era, newspapers and an antiquities official said Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/imperial-tombs-found-china.htm 5/8/2006 Shanghai-- What's the most important international relationship? An easy case could be made for China's ties with the United States, but that would be the wrong guess, at least now. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/us-china-relationship.htm 5/7/2006 Houston-- Despite early morning thunderstorms in Houston, the Houston Dragon Boat Festival went on Saturday, May 6th. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/2006-dragon-boat-festival-news.htm 5/7/2006 BEIJING (AP) - Explosions rocked two Internet cafes in central China, killing two people, injuring four and leaving the premises spattered with blood and broken glass, a local official and state media said Saturday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-internet-cafe-blast.htm 5/6/2006 Beijing (AP)-- China says it's been making rain again. The official Chinese news agency says weather specialists fired seven rocket shells loaded with silver iodide into the clouds to engineer Beijing's heaviest rainfall of the year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-scientist-create-rain.htm 5/5/2006 Houston-- Houston homeowners could get a tax break as early as next year because of a revenue cap voters approved two years ago. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-homeowners-tax-break.htm 5/4/2006 Houston-- Outstanding Asian Americans in Business Award is calling for nominations. This annual event which honors Asian American business men and women is looking for 50 nominations from the greater Asian community for the year 2006. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/outstanding-asian-american-business-award.htm 5/4/2006 Houston-- More than 5,000 Houstonians are expected to attend this year's competition. Dragon boats are elaborately decorated 47-foot long vessels crewed by teams of 20 paddlers, one drummer and one steersperson. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dragon-boat-festival-houston.htm 5/3/2006 Houston -- While some housing markets around the country should be embracing for a severe slowdown, Houston is expected to escape a direct hit, University of Houston economist Barton Smith said Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-housing.htm 5/3/2006 Taiwan -- The Taiwan News reports that the total number of illegal foreign workers in Taiwan has reached 23,574, with the number increasing by about 500 to 600 every month. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-illegal-immigration.htm 5/2/2006 Houston -- Asian American Business Council, Inc. (AABC) will be holding a Town Hall Meeting at the Chinese Community Center Friday, May 12 from 8:30am-10:00am. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-asian-business-town-hall-meeting.htm 5/1/2006 China -- At least 27 miners have died in a blast at a privately-owned coal mine in north-west China. The blast happened at the Wayaobao mine in Shaanxi province on Saturday, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mine-blast-china.htm 5/1/2006 Houston -- If you thought the Dubai port deal marked a record high in Washington cynicism, think again. Nothing can match the spectacle of politicians scrambling for cover during a spike in gasoline prices. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/high-gas-prices.htm 4/30/2006 Houston (AP) -- With Yao Ming's status in question, China's first NBA player Wang Zhizhi was on Sunday put back on China's national team roster ahead of the world championships and issued a statement apologizing for letting down his country. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-world-basketball.htm 4/28/2006 Houston -- U.S. Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao visited the Houston Chinese Community Center today to deliver a message to the Asian community in Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/elaine-chao-houston-chinese.htm 4/28/2006 Houston -- More and more vendors of portable GPS (global positioning system) devices are teaming with car dealers or carmakers to promote their products in the Taiwan market following the successful cooperation between Nasdaq-listed Garmin International and carmaker Ford Lio Ho in Taiwan, according to market sources. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gps-vendors-taiwan.htm 4/27/2006 Houston -- This Saturday, April 29th, the 2006 Houston Asian/Pacific American Heritage Festival and Free Music Showcase will be held at Herman Park. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-pacific-heritage-festival-houston.htm 4/27/2006 Houston -- Remember the classic board game of Monopoly? For those Monopoly lovers out there, a new edition is coming out! http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-monopoly-game.htm 4/26/2006 Houston -- MetroCorp Bancshares, parent company of MetroBank based in Houston, Texas announced first-quarter profit of $3.2 million, or 44 cents per share, up 43 percent compared with a profit of $2.3 million, or 31 cents per share, for the same period a year ago. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrocorp-bancshares-earnings.htm 4/26/2006 BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese citizens received the highest number of U.S. visas on record last year as China's economic power expanded, a U.S. Embassy official said last week. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-visas.htm 4/26/2006 Houston -- University of Texas at Austin officials announced that an unknown person or persons has gained entry to the McCombs School of Business computers and gained unauthorized access to a large number of McCombs’ electronic records. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ut-records-breach.htm 4/24/2006 Houston -- Honolulu is the highest ranking city in the US; Houston is the lowest http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-quality-of-living.htm 4/23/2006 Houston -- Police officers in Houston, Texas are earning massive salaries by arresting individuals for drunk driving. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-police-news.htm 4/21/2006 Houston -- MetroBank, one of the largest Asian bank in the United States, celebrated its 19th Year Customer Appreciation day with a grand party. Customers of MetroBank were treated to live music, great food and beverages, and a special treat bag. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrobank-houston-news.htm 4/21/2006 Houston -- iFest 2006 is kicking off this weekend in Downtown Houston. iFest takes place April 22 and 23 and April 29 and 30 from 11am to 8pm in downtown Houston (Bagby Street, Upper and Lower Sam Houston Parks, Tranquility Park, Allen Parkway), rain or shine. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-international-festival.htm 4/19/2006 Houston News -- Gamely donning a Boeing baseball cap and mingling enthusiastically with local business executives, President Hu Jintao of China said Wednesday that his nation and the United States "enjoy extensive common interests" and could avoid major problems in their relationship if they "avoid politicizing" the issues that divide them. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-president-news.htm 4/19/2006 -- The setting, Microsoft's ultra-wired "Home of the Future", was faintly evocative of the American National Exhibit in Moscow in 1959 showcasing color televisions and other world-beating US technology. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-president-bill-gates.htm 4/18/2006 Houston-- Newly named Cannes juror Zhang Ziyi, who has risen from a local Chinese actress to Hollywood star, says she wants to keep making Chinese movies -- as long as the scripts are high quality. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/zhang-ziyi.htm 4/17/2006 Houston (PRIMEZONE)-- The Ensemble Theatre is most proud to announce a theatre classic and an encore presentation of one of its most captivating productions this season, "The Colored Museum" by George C. Wolfe. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ensenble-theater-houston.htm 4/17/2006 Houston-- EROSION is a daring psychological drama about a man who is haunted by a failing relationship and devises a risqué game for escape--breaking into strangers’ homes to have sex with his accomplice, a married woman. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/erosion-movie-ann-lu.htm 4/16/2006-- The Chinese government has issued strict new rules concerning television news coverage and drama programs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-censorship-tv.htm 4/16/2006 VATICAN CITY (AP)- Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his first Easter Sunday as pontiff, praying for peace in Iraq, negotiated solutions to the world’s nuclear disputes and dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/pope-prays-peace-easter.htm 4/15/2006 Houston-- When someone enters the search terms into Google, Yahoo or MSN and press enter, they will have pages of results return. Pages that have been search engine optimized (SEO) and earned their page rankings. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/search-engine-optimization.htm 4/15/2006 HOUSTON -- With the Easter weekend upon us, retail gasoline prices continue to soar across Texas and the nation as crude oil market prices push sharply higher, according to the weekly AAA Texas gas prices survey released Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-gas-prices.htm 4/14/2006 HOUSTON -- Teams of building inspectors from Houston spent the past two days in New Orleans checking on properties. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-hurricane-katrina-evacuees.htm 4/13/2006 HOUSTON -- Congressman John Culberson will host town hall meetings on Wednesday, April 12 and Thursday, April 20. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/congressman-john-culberson.htm 4/13/2006 Houston-- Rice University is hosting a forum with political leaders and scholars to discuss one of the hottest social issues of the year—immigration—on Wednesday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Rice Memorial Center. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/rice-university-immigration-forum.htm 4/12/2006 Houston -- MetroBank,N.A. today held their Adopt-A-Block street cleaning session. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrobank-houston-adopt-a-block.htm 4/12/2006 HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston Rockets center Yao Ming will have surgery this weekend on his broken left foot and the injury could take four to six months to heal, general manager Carroll Dawson said Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-broken-foot.htm 4/11/2006 HOUSTON -- A Washington-based nonprofit homeless advocacy group has named Houston the seventh meanest city in the nation. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-meanest-city.htm 4/10/2006 HOUSTON -- Thousands of Houstonians are expected to take part in a protest on Monday against a controversial immigration bill. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-immigration-protest.htm 4/9/2006 -- Houston Asian's population has exploded in the last few decades. During the 1990s it increased 76 percent, and now approximately 250,000 Asians call Houston home, according to U.S. Census figures. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/kenneth-li-interview.htm 4/8/2006 Houston -- With another round of protests on behalf of immigrant rights approaching, city officials and community activists on Friday asked students to stay in class and allow parents to take the lead in the April 10th Coalition March. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-immigration-coalition-march.htm 4/7/2006 Houston -- MetroBank,N.A. is pleased to announce our quarterly Adopt-A-Block street cleaning session to be held on April 12, 2006. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrobank-adopt-a-block-program.htm 4/7/2006 Houston -- Houston’s famous Art Cars will rev up the audience, and an orchestra of volunteers will drive home an epic musical homage to the atomic age. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-art-car-festival.htm 4/6/2006 By Susy Allen -- Online Dating is often cited as a great way for shy people to extend their social circle and find love, but lack of confidence can be just as bad on the Internet as it is offline. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/online-dating-advice.htm 4/6/2006 HOUSTON -- The Houston Japan Festival will take place Saturday, April 8th and Sunday, April 9th 2006 in the Japanese Gardens at Hermann Park. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-japan-festival.htm 4/5/2006 HOUSTON -- Traveling through Houston yesterday, it became apparent to me just how diverse Houston is. America was supposed to be the melting pot. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-melting-pot.htm 4/5/2006 Houston-- Ray Allen scored 32 points and moved into a tie for second place on the NBA's career 3-pointers list as the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Houston Rockets 104-87 on Tuesday night. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball15.htm 4/4/2006 HOUSTON -- University of Houston students will pay nearly 10 percent more in tuition and fees for the coming school year, the university system's regents decided Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/university-of-houston-tuition-hike.htm 4/4/2006 HOUSTON -- Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texan touched by a lobbying scandal that ensnared some of his former top aides and cost the Republican his leadership post, won't seek re-election to Congress, officials said Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tom-delay-news.htm 4/3/2006 HOUSTON -- A survey conducted last year by Pew Internet and American Life Project shows: 87 percent of U.S. teens age 12 to 17 use the Internet. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/teens-internet.htm 4/2/2006 Houston-- Another high-scoring game by Kobe Bryant, another Lakers' milestone. Bryant scored 43 points Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles' 104-88 victory over Houston. It was his 23rd game of 40 or more points tying a Lakers single-season record set by Elgin Baylor in 1962-63. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball14.htm 4/1/2006 HOUSTON -- Workers Friday lifted the 80,000 pound reinforced steel dome and placed it on top of Houston Downtown's new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Hearts Church. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-co-cathedral-church.htm 4/1/2006 Houston-- Rockets center Yao Ming took over the game for the Houston Rockets and matched his season high with 38 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 105-103 victory over the Washington Wizards. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball13.htm 3/31/2006 HOUSTON -- It is that time of the year again. Spring time. Flowers are blooming once again and so are the infamous Texas bluebonnets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/texas-bluebonnet.htm 3/31/2006 HOUSTON -- Seven months after taking in about 200,000 Louisiana residents left homeless by Hurricane Katrina, Houstonians aren't feeling so hospitable anymore. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-katrina-evacuees-news.htm 3/30/2006 Houston-- Highway officials said Wednesday they plan no changes today to relieve congestion on the Southwest Freeway at the newly opened Spur 527. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-spur-527.htm 3/30/2006 Houston-- The Houston Rockets put together one of their best performances of the season, too late to matter for a team out of playoff contention. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball12.htm 3/29/2006 Houston-- For centuries, dating back to the Ch'in Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), Chinese acrobats have strived to perfect this evolving folk art form. Approximately 100,000 acrobats in China train extensively for nearly six years, studying at schools dedicated solely to the art. But only the best are chosen to become members of an elite world-touring troupe known as "The Peking Acrobats." http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-peking-acrobats.htm 3/28/2006 Houston-- The Paper Planes Exhibition features bronze sculptures that celebrate the unfolding of paper, consciousness, and the spiritual planes. Box marries paper and metal to create bronze sculptures with origami influences for a contemporary fusion of both mediums. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/paper-planes-kevin-box-exhibit.htm 3/28/2006 Houston-- BMC Software announced that it plans to buy Israel-based Identify Software for $150 million in cash. The deal to purchase the diagnostic software maker should close by June, the Houston company said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bmc-software-buy-israel-firm.htm 3/27/2006 Seattle-- Today, ChinatownConnection.com launched it's Seattle Chinatown-International District Guide. What began as a Houston guide seven months ago has turned out to be a huge success. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/seattle-guide-launch.htm 3/27/2006 Houston-- The Texas Dragon Boat Association (TDBA) will present its 6th Annual Houston Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday, May 6, 2006 at Buffalo Bayou at Allen’s Landing in Downtown (off Commerce between Main and Fannin). http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-dragon-boat-festival.htm 3/26/2006 Houston-- The Cleveland Cavaliers got their second overtime win of the week and LeBron James took down the only NBA team he'd yet to beat. James scored 36 points, including the go-ahead dunk with 3:24 left in overtime, to lead the Cavaliers to a 104-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball11.htm 3/26/2006 Austin-- Tuition and fees at the University of Texas at Austin would increase as much as 9.4 percent this fall under a plan the Board of Regents will consider Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/university-of-texas-tuition.htm 3/25/2006 HOUSTON-- The Houston Zoo's Asian elephant trio of Methai, Shanti, and Thai are about to get more room to roam. The expansion of the elephant yard is scheduled to start in late fall 2006. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-zoo-elephant-exhibit.htm 3/25/2006 HOUSTON (AP) -- Lockheed Martin plans to base the program office of the crew exploration vehicle in Houston, provided it wins the bid to build the next-generation space vehicle which will replace the space shuttles, officials said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/lockheed-martin-houston.htm 3/24/2006 Houston-- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved the latest installment funding to reimburse Houston for housing Hurricane Katrina victims. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-fema-katrina.htm 3/24/2006 Houston-- Even with their chances of making the playoffs diminishing, Yao Ming and Rafer Alston haven't given up on the Houston Rockets' season. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball10.htm 3/23/2006 Houston-- More than 500 West U. residents turned out at Metro's meeting Tuesday on the proposed University light rail line. Most residents said they want the line to be run along Westpark rather than Richmond Avenue. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metro-light-rail-meeting.htm 3/23/2006 Houston-- Mayor Bill White voluntarily headed to federal court Tuesday to testify at a hearing about how he believes the city of Houston has changed the program to comply with a judge's order last fall. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-safe-clear.htm 3/22/2006 Houston-- The new Harris County Civil Courthouse houses 37 courtrooms as well as offices. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/harris-county-civil-courthouse.htm 3/22/2006 Houston-- The only thing the Houston Rockets have had going for them lately was the strong play of Yao Ming. So the main thing the Dallas Mavericks focused on Tuesday night was making him work for everything he got. And they succeeded with a win. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball9.htm 3/21/2006 Houston-- Houston Mayor Bill White doesn't run Houston's schools, but he is concerned about the number of dropouts in his city and across Texas. That's why the mayor wrote a letter last fall to Houston's 16,000 ninth-graders, asking them this question: Would they commit to staying in school until they graduate from 12th grade? http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-dropouts.htm 3/21/2006 Houston-- The only bright spot nowadays for the hapless Houston Rockets is Yao Ming. Yao Ming scored 25 and had 17 rebounds for his 27th double-double as Houston lost its fifth straight game. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball8.htm 3/20/2006 Houston-- Houston bid farewell to the most profitable livestock and rodeo in its history Sunday night. Even though overall attendance dropped 1 percent from last year, auction buyers propelled the 2006 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to several new financial records. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-livestock-rodeo-news.htm 3/20/2006 Houston-- Chopin's Corner Chinese Library founded by Chopin's Corner Foundation partner of MetroBank, opened today, March 19, 2006. Located inside Dynasty Mall (9600 Bellaire Blvd, Ste 113) more than 30,000 arts and music books and publishing's are available for people to read and check out. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chopin-corner-library-houston.htm 3/19/2006 Houston-- The central library in Downtown Houston will be closed starting April 3 for renovations. A new wireless network, contemporary furniture and a cafe are part of the $14.9 million dollar renovation plan. The completion date will be sometime at the end of 2007. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-central-library.htm 3/19/2006 Houston-- Hari Dayal, president of the Indo-American Association of Houston, isn't content to consult tour schedules or make a few calls when pulling together a performing-arts season. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sounds-of-india.htm 3/18/2006 Houston-- This week the techies in the white hats showed up in court, as Google lawyers fought U.S. government lawyers to prevent a prosecutorial fishing expedition. The company distinguished itself by doing what competitors didn't. It is standing up for Internet confidentiality by opposing a federal request for 1 million Web site addressed a a week of customer searches as data. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/google-soul-search-editorial.htm 3/18/2006 Houston-- Jessica Buckley, 23, was squished inside the trunk of her car as she tried to get Houston police from her cell phone. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/woman-abducted-in-car-trunk.htm 3/17/2006 Houston -- H-E-B Grocery Co. urged customers to immediately return any store-brand baby food products to the nearest retail store after glass was found in baby food jars earlier this week. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/baby-food-recall-heb.htm 3/16/2006 Houston (AP)-- Sherron Watkins, the former Enron vice president who warned higher-ups the company was a house of cards ready to fall, testified Wednesday she discussed her concerns with founder Kenneth Lay only to learn months later that her job was threatened for speaking up. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/enron-sherron-watkins.htm 3/16/06-- Sony Corp. will delay the launch of its much-anticipated PlayStation 3 console until November, prolonging the agony not only for itself but also for many other in the video game industry http://www.chinatownconnection.com/sony-playstation-3-delayed 3/16/2006 Houston-- More than 120 exhibitions of photographic art works are on display in museums and galleries throughout the city of Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/fotofest-in-houston.htm 3/15/2006, Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and 11 rebounds, Jason Terry added 19 points, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Houston Rockets 95-81 on Wednesday night. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball7.htm 3/15/2006, Starbucks all over Houston is giving away free cup of coffee to everyone from 10am-12noon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/starbucks-free-coffee.htm 3/15/2006, LeAnn Rimes has performed at the Houston Rodeo four times out of the past six years. When she made her debut on the old Astrodome state she was still a child prodigy. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/leann-rimes-houston-rodeo.htm 3/14/2006, The Houston Indian-American community is building an $18 million to $20 million community center that will promote Indian culture as well as provide social, health care and referral services for everyone - regardless of their ethnicity. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-india-house.htm 3/13/2006, Vince Carter drove down the lane, muscled in an off-balance layup and got fouled by Rick Brunson in the second quarter of New Jersey's 90-77 win over Houston on Monday night. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-basketball6.htm