Read more at The New York Times

When applying to VIA, I listed this as a future concern that Vietnam would one day face. China’s economic growth in low-skill labor markets and education were impressive, but where were the high-skill jobs that students were training for? I argued that the education of students was far outpacing the actual growth of white-collar jobs by merely comparing graduation numbers to the number of jobs available. Vietnam, I believed, would be heading in the same direction.

…

But there is another view, and Mr. Chen and some of his short-statured workers present it forcefully. One hundred permanently employed dwarfs, they contend, is better than 100 dwarfs scrounging for odd jobs. They insist that the audiences who see the dwarfs sing, dance and perform comic routines leave impressed by their skills and courage.”

Read more at the New York Times

Throughout the article, the authors refer to “dwarfism” as a disability and “persons of short stature” as “the disabled”. I found this strange while reading because I never considered “persons of short stature” to be disabled. After checking Wikipedia and performing a Google search, dwarfism is considered a medical condition under the American with Disabilities Act.

The question at debate in the article is, “Is the ‘Kingdom of the Little People’ in China degrading or empowering?”

Read more at The Chronicle

Students were able to find a test online that was near identical to the exam they were about to take when they entered class. This lead to complaints from students to the administration. For many students, this would be the equivalent to finding gold. The comments to the article offer a good back and forth on on plagiarism by students. The question I want to ask is, “Is this plagiarism?”

Many courses are now shared through opencourseware, including exams. Even if it is not, a lot of courses are developed off of another. I know that when developing courses, I take this route- researching what’s available, how instructors are teaching an idea, which books are being used, etc. I do, however, change or add to it to account for my knowledge and professional experience. In the extreme case of finding a website that has “everything”, I contact the professor and link to it, giving credit in the course syllabus and on the course webpage where appropriate. Some professors want acknowledgement for their work at every instance, and some don’t.

Another scenario that one often finds is that textbook makers provide quizzes and exams. What if the instructor chooses to simply use only these exams, and the students find the same exams online?

I’m curious to know the original professor’s stance on someone else using his self-created exam in their class. If he or she deems it okay, what of the plagiarism claim? And the punishment?

alan-???? Gunjou no Tani MV (DVD Ver.)

The song and video by Alan Dawa Dolma is beautiful and it brings back all the memories I have from the study abroad trip to China. The scenery in the video is amazing and it makes me long to see more. I hope that one day Tibet and China can come to a peaceful agreement.

1. Take it from Here – Justin Timberlake[Classic. Thanks to TrinityGarcia for the YouTube Kaba Modern video link. If you don't know how to dance, you'll want to learn after watching them perform.]
2. Fragilidad – Sting (Remixed by the Buena Vista Social Club)[This song is smooth. It's comforting to listen to and will get you floating across the floor. The entire album is a must for any Salsa lovers out there. A friend studying in Mexico introduced me to the album and it is fantastic.]
3. Party Like a Rockstar – Shop Boyz[I first rocked out to this one with my sister in the 'Rock. Strange. Now every other song on the radio talks about being a rockstar... I like this beat better.]
4. Sober – Kelly Clarkson[The last CD I purchased before leaving the States for VIA's summer training. I think I went through two batteries on my flight back over. =( Mostly because I fell asleep and left my mp3 player on.]
5. Marry Me Today – David Tao and Jolin[I heard this song for the first time along with Endless Love at the Pearl in Chengdu, CN with two other classmates. I didn't know it was a cover song until later in the summer.]
6. Endless Love – Jackie Chan & Kim Hee Seon[This song was also first heard at the Pearl. It is a beautiful song and I hear that there are multiple versions. It took me the entire summer and multiple emails to a friend in Nanjing to figure out what the name of the song was. If it wasn't for a Vietnamese version that I was able to record and send to my friend, I would have never known the name. I was surprised to find that Jackie Chan is the male singer in the version I have. In addition to that, Kim Hee Seon sings the duet part. I didn't connect the name to the Korean actress until I saw a picture of her. She's the main female lead in "The Sad Love Story". (That series will make you cry.) The song is also a part of the soundtrack to the movie that they both star in, "The Myth".]
7. Way Back Into Love – Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore[People in Asia love this song. It is the main theme for the movie "Music and Lyrics", a movie that I only saw after being asked a number of times by people I met in China and Thailand if I had seen the movie and know the song. It's actually a pretty charming movie; a great song to boot. The song was sung here at the university's Welcome Ceremony as well. There's no escaping this song.]
8. All Good Things – Mandy Moore[The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn't confirmed until the DJ announced it. "All Good Things" was playing on the airplane while I traveled back to/from the States for my sister's wedding. It's pretty darn good.]
9. Rosas – La Oreja De Van Gogh[A friend, and fellow volunteer, introduced me to her music collection and this album caught my attention, especially this song. Have a listen, then try the whole album. If I could have the same artist twice on this playlist, I would add the song "La Esperanza Debida".]

The picture shown is of a red panda which looks very much like a racoon. There were quite a few of them hanging from the trees. This one was six months old, if I remember correctly. We wanted to see some regular (black and white) baby pandas but I don’t think we found them. We did find the Giant Panda Playground but they were inside on the day we visited.

Here are three of the black swans. At first we couldn’t figure out what they were from afar. They seemed somewhat territorial.

Our selection at most of the restaurants and shops for the China trip was Wahaha water, Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, 7-Up, and Fanta.   No Dr. Pepper.  None.

Apparently, it’s a southern U.S. beverage.  Some parts of the United States simply do not have Dr. Pepper as a choice.  Some say it’s too sweet.  My sister says it tastes like cough syrup.   To that, I say “Mmm… cough syrup.”

If you travel abroad and love your Dr. Pepper, you may want to pack some in your suitcase.

You know what’s weird?  China didn’t have Popeye’s Chicken.  They love KFC, but didn’t have Popeye’s.  They’re all over Korea, but none could be found in China.  That struck me as odd.  I wonder if KFC has a monopoly over there or if Popeye’s has failed to see a new market opportunity.  You know what else would do good business in China?  Buffalo Wild Wings.

Mmm… chicken.

When I came back to the United States, I thought, “Great! American food again!” Not to say that you can’t find American food in China, because you can find every type of food in China, but it’s cooked to satisfy American taste buds. The first meal I had back in the States was standard Burger King issue: bacon, egg, and cheese croissanwich with tater tots and a Dr. Pepper. (Mmm… Dr. Pepper. They didn’t have that over in China.)

Eating my favorite breakfast meal was satisfying but it also made me feel weird. Not that I had to visit the bathroom, but it just felt different in my stomach. This wasn’t the only meal that made me curious either. It happened while eating at home and at other restaurants that were normal stops in my daily life here in the U.S.

Today, I had lunch with some colleagues- one of which went on the trip as well- and he spoke of having the same problem. Neither of us expected to have to adjust to American food, but that’s what happened. Wow, right?