Comparing Space Programs

What... no clever Dr. Suess quote to start off the blog? No, just a few comparisons I found interesting when noting the requirements to be a Chinese spaceman (versus a US astronaut.)

Chinese Requirements (a few out of the 100 stipulations):

• no scars
• no history of serious illness in the last three generations of your family
• no tooth cavities
• no runny noses
• no ringworm
• no drug allergies
• no bad breath

"These are amongst the 100 health requirements for would-be astronauts vying to be part of China's next space team, the Yangtse Evening Paper reported on Saturday.

The selection process, which the paper said is for the second batch of Chinese astronauts, will disqualify those who have runny noses, ringworm, drug allergies or bad breath.

"The bad smell would affect their fellow colleagues in a narrow space," said Shi Bing Bing, an official with the 454th hospital of People's Liberation Army air force based in Nanjin, one of the six astronaut health screening hospitals.

Aside from the physical requirements of the job, the candidate must also possess a pleasant and adaptable disposition, the paper said.

"These astronauts could be regarded as super human beings," Shi said.

to see the full article... click here

By contrast here are some requirements to join the US team in space:

• U.S. citizenship (for pilots and mission specialists)
• Bachelor's degree (engineering, biological sciences, physical sciences, mathematics) from an accredited college or university
• Three years of related experience after obtaining the bachelor's degree - A master's degree equals one year of experience, and a doctorate equals three years.
• Passing a NASA space physical examination - Pilots need to pass a Class I physical; mission/payload specialists must pass Class II. Both are similar to civilian and military flight examinations.
• More than 1,000 hours experience as pilot-in-command of a jet aircraft (pilots only)
• Height of 64 to 76 inches (162.5 cm to 193 cm) for pilots, 58.5 to 76 inches (148.5 cm to 193 cm) for mission/payload specialists

This info was gleaned from here.

The Train

"A train! A train! A train! A train! Would you could you on a train?"

from Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Suess

We've pretty much been airplane snobs since we arrived in Asia. Trains are plentiful, but we haven't taken them... until two weeks ago when we tagged along with Mr. Johnson on a trip to his factory in Qingzhou, a rural city 90 minutes away by fast train.

We left home a little before 7 a.m. the seven of us armed with granola bars, goldfish crackers, novels and Nintendo. It looked like we were going for on a long trip, but in reality it was just a day trip to a city not far from home. We found our soft seats (actual name for the the first class cars), adjusted our window shades and air conditioning vents and listened with amusement as the automated voice described each stop, first in Chinese and then in English, in elegant detail.

Qingdao is a Chinese paradise. We've been told this before and when we catch glimpses of other Chinese cities we understand why. We're coastal, the air is often blue, the pollution is less evident, we have mountains, and lots of greenery.

As we left the coast (the train station is near the shipping harbor) we entered agrarian areas and watched as manual laborers stooped over their vegetable crops and tended the corn, planted with a simple two row planter that was pulled by human power. Husband and wife teams worked together, slogging out a living from the tired soil. We passed covered veg and fruit huts... the places that provide our seasonal produce ... set up like green houses amidst the fields, and nothing, no space, goes to waste. A swatch a yard wide between green houses is enough for a couple of rows of field corn. It's 2009, but looking out our windows as we sped by @ 250 km/hour it was hard to tell.

A note from Whoville...

"We are here! We are here!
We are here! We are here!"

The Who's in Horton Hears a Who

Ages.... it's been ages since I've blogged. Here's why... new computer, new operating system that didn't like the free VPN (the way I get around being blocked), we've traveled (Qingzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Sanya) and we've had MIL & FIL here (my clever sis-in-law coined these great monikers for our mother-in-law and father-in-law!)

So... I'm posting now to let you know we are still here. We've got photos and updates that I'll get to soon. But for now I'm trying to maximize time with my girlies before they head back to school mid-August!

Goodbye Atari

Astute readers will remember the comment my mei mei left after my post about the Lunar Market.

"RIP Motorola. Hello Atari." wrote my witty sis.

Avoiding the urge to voice my frustrations about having a second phone stolen whilst in China, I didn't share with my readership that along with the scorpions and roses, tea pots and nail clippers at the Lunar Market there were also thieves... those who thought my slim Motorola would translate into into quick cash in a market driven by hot items.

Needless to say having my phone stolen left me feeling frustrated and violated... angry and upset, and mostly mad that in three years I have gone through three phones. So, as a form of self imposed punishment I sent myself to cell phone purgatory and opted to use our "extra" phone... an ancient, basic Motorola that is so simplistic that I could text only in ALL CAPS (inspiring me to share with my dearest friends that I was not, in fact, shouting, but instead using some of the seemingly oldest mobile phone technology still viable.)

I tried not to be irritated by the fact that my 10 year old had a cool slider phone... a Nokia with a camera, MP3 player and a color screen. I, by contrast had the rubbery key pad and a triple flash of recognition each time I made a final selection. (And for some reason, each flash reminded me of SNL'sTarget Lady as if she was narrating in my head each selection. I could almost hear Kristin Wiig's iconic voice uttering, "Yes... you have decided to use your phone book to find a contact... triple flash ... its as exciting as vanilla candles in your bathroom..." )

So, while MGJ rocked out to Demi Lavato on her trendy mobile, I rocked the ancient Motorola, which I lamely dubbed, the "Atari Phone" (actually my phone was so lame that it was jealous of Atari graphics and functions!)

I do not have a great track record with mobile phones in China... I've had two stolen, I have one end up in the toilet (after a quick google search I learned this fact: you can sometimes bake a phone to get the water out-- which didn't work for me-- and since the words phone and toilet were both in the search I was grossed out to learn mobile phones carry more bacteria than a toilet!), I have had a mobile rendered useless after it mingled in the bottom of my bottomless-pit-of-a-handbag with the dregs of a roll or Ritz and dried seaweed (Bei Bei's snack de jour).

Despite my ineptitude with mobile technology, my husband graciously stepped in and bought me a new phone ... an iPhone no less.

Good bye Atari. Live long in the bottom of the seldom-used-electronics drawer. I hope to never use you again. Its on to FB, and Kindle, and text messages with cute speech bubbles on my mobile phone, and I might even sync up for the Camp Rock Soundtrack so I can be as least as cool as other mobile users in the Johnsons in China Household.

The Grands Arrive

This is hands down the summer for visitors for the Johnsons in China. And despite H1N1, the turmoil in Xinjiang, the flooding in Guangxi Zhuang, last week's magnitude 6 in Yunnan, and a certain anniversary that has brought down the Internet here; all of our guests have arrived safely and without incident (but not without having their temps taken... China remains hellbent on using thermometers and spacesuits on all incoming international flights!)

Sunday we arrived @ the airport armed with an armful of fresh flowers and a Mylar balloon in the shape of an American flag to greet and welcome the girls American grandparents. After a watching a series of polite, bend from the waist bows from arriving Japanese businessmen and their receiving Chinese hosts; and university aged kids returning to the sailing city who were greeted stoically by parents who were clearly happy to have them back in the Middle Kingdom, but reluctant to offer any extra display of familial affection beyond a brief pat on the shoulder and a gruff argument over who should push the luggage trolley; we put on a good show for the entirely Asian group waiting with us, outside the international arrivals area. The Americans by contrast (and this time there was no need to guess... our aforementioned Mylar balloon served as a dead give away of our ethnicity) made quite a production. The little girls took turns on their daddy's shoulders, hoping for a peek over the frosted security glass that separates arrivals from the public area. Once spotted on their decent on the escalator frantic shouts of "Mema & Bopa!!" rang out in English. Bopa later recalled faintly hearing something, and spotting a floating red, white and blue balloon. After knowing the grands had not only arrived, but had not been sequestered, questioned or quarantined the excitement was unleashed. The threesome waited at the very entry to the off-limits area, daring the nervous guards to challenge the three balloon and flower toting blondes who were down-to-their-toes excited to see their grands. It was sweet to watch, and probably the topic in other homes across QD that night as fellow watchers related the frenzied American style of waiting for an arriving flight.

After a long journey, including a scheduled overnight in Japan, the grands are recovering remarkably well from jet-lag and have already braved an outing to the tailor in Taidong.

We're looking forward to some fun filled days (and hoping for some dryer weather!)

Blog Worthy Art Projects (Revisited)

Several months we shared in our blog about the wine making project our oldest daughter did in her Chinese Culture Class. I'm revisiting this idea on the heals of a recent US Supreme Court case in which a child (slightly older than our oldest) was strip searched @ school for possibly having ibuprofen on her person. Quite a contrast to think that half a globe away American (and British and Korean etc.) kids are making and bottling their own moonshine in the name of Chinese Culture.

Now that all of the grands and family and guests have visited and seen her concoction (and designer label), we have decided to pitch the Hong Se De Di Tan (or Red Carpet Wine) that has definitely fermented whilst on the kitchen counter these past few months.

If you care to make your own Chinese wine, you are in luck: MGJ's Chinese Culture teacher (per my request) passed on the instructions.

She wrote:

1 1/2 kilo grapes (without seed and skin)

1/2 kilo sugar

1/2 kilo honey

Put them together for half a year, and the bottle need be air proof.

To see the original blog on this topic visit: http://thejohnsonsinchina.blogspot.com/2009/03/blogworthy-art-projects.html

Babies X3

Last week we had a special treat... Mrs. Wang, MGJ's teacher in both first and third grade, stopped by. Its been ages since we've seen her and we had yet to meet the three... that right three.. babies she delivered last fall.

Unfortunately Babies #2 and #3 (English names Millie and Jeremiah) had other plans and slept later than normal, but Baby #1 (Grace) made an appearance with her momma, and was totally overwhelmed the three adoring jie jie men @ the Johnsons.