I am, apparently, an “exemplary expat.”

I'm happy to be on this list of "20 Exemplary expats in China." Maybe if I still lived there I would have made the top 10. Number 20 Darren Russell is a pretty chilling tale. I don't know much about it and would like to learn more. I…

Amazing pictures of Chilean volcano

The Atlantic Wire has posted absolutely incredible pictures of the Puyehue volcano erupting in Chile. You have to see these. With everything else going on, this eruption is not getting much play, but once again nature steps to the fore. I…

Free Beijing Blues CD with purchase of Big in China

BookPerks is running a special offer, this week only. Buy Big in China and receive a Beijing Blues CD for free. Same one praised by musical giants like Billy Gibbons and Warren Haynes. Book and CD together for just $19.99. Check it out:…

Presidential hoops – A classic video

Dear Premier Wen, I feel sort of bad bringing this up, but President Obama plays with adults, on 10-foot hoops. But it's great that you are enjoying the great game of basketball with your people. Sincerely, America

Big in China reviews from Savannah to Shanghai

Two new Big in China pieces from very different sources, taking very different approaches, but I like them both a lot. Swampland is Southern culture site that reviews Big in China and makes some interesting connections between China and the…

Kurtis Blow – Basketball

I wish you all could have seen Jacob's eyes grow wide when I showed him this video. He became slackjawed and dazed, like he was talking to dolphins or watching little green men walk out of a spaceship. Then he added the song to his bar mitzvah…

Rapper’s Delight

So I was going through some old school dance classics with Jacob yesterday, getting his approval for songs to ask the DJ to play at his bar mitzvah and it led me to watching some of my favorite old school rap classics. I forgot just how much…

James Fallows on Big in China

"Big in China vividly conveys the open-ended, chaotic, wonder and possibility of being a foreigner in today’s China. Alan Paul’s evolution from expat-village ‘trailing spouse’ to star of the Chinese music scene stands for countless similar…

Mazel Tov Mike Brown and why that makes me think of Darryl Dawkins and 9/11

Congrats to Mike Brown for being named the new head coach of the Lakers. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, and I mean that quite sincerely. Brown being in the news has me thinking about the awesome character Darryl Dawkins, the sad tale…