they sparkle and they shine

these nights have a special glow to them for so many millions of chinese families. with each pop and rain of fiery glitter, they welcome in the new year with style, and with hope.

setting off fireworks for chun jie is more than just a release of celebratory emotion, it comes from age-old practice and tradition. farmers once believed that a great spirit called nian (year) would come each year to terrorize them. but, as legend has it, they discovered that the big, bad spirit was afraid of two things: the color red and loud noises. hence the red everything and the brilliant (and incessant) display of luminescent sky confetti.

last night, suz and i sat on our balcony and enjoyed the show. for 4 straight hours hundreds of fireworks were shot off both near and far while chinese families sat in their homes making dumplings together and handing out hongbao (red envelopes with money). what a great holiday.

these nights sparkle and they shine!

st.ol(d)en

(big)in just is
merry's ('k) not.
sound. (lessly) noosed.
in his screwtiny.
bound. yes. goosed.
in 0 sense
lost (end).

Living in the Shadows

There are many things common and uncommon in this world that confound me...taxes, people who like black licorice, women, and death would comprise parts of the common list. High-ranking on the uncommon list (besides the northern lights and male seahorses) would have to be trafficking children for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Russia

A new sun of promise is rising in Russia. With its increasing GDP (now 6th in the world), expanding markets, and lowering unemployment rate (6% in 2007), the Russian Federation has many things of which to be proud. But behind this bright sun trails a few sinister shadows. One of these shadows is human trafficking. And more specifically, child trafficking for pornography and prostitution. According to the CIA World Factbook, Russia remains a major source, transit, and destination for trafficking on all levels, especially for the sex trade. It has also remained on the tier 2 watchlist since 2003 for its inefficiency in dealing with this growing epidemic.

Below is a video illustrating the reality of this crime as well as the struggle and plight of its victims.

Street Children in China

China to Help More Street Children

China opened its first pilot protection center for street children in 1995. By 2003, the central government had spent more than 120 million yuan (US$14.5 million) to establish more than 130 special protection centers providing short-term shelter and education for urban street kids. They have helped more than 10,000 children, said Li Liguo, vice minister of the Civil Affairs. (Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2005)

Zhengzhou Centre Reaches Out with Care and Support for Street Children.

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs estimates that there are about 150,000 street children in China. The real number, however, could be much higher and is on the rise.

“Based on our research, family problems such as divorce are the major cause of children leaving home,” said Deputy Director Xie Xiaowei of the Zhengzhou Street Children Protection Centre, a local governmental partner of UNICEF. “Many children from the rural areas also want to get a job in the big cities. But because they lack education and skills, when the money runs out, they often end up on the streets.”

UNICEF and the government are working to expand the programme for street children from Zhengzhou to the rest of China... (by Kun Li)

Chinese policy reaction to the problem of street children: An analysis from the perspective of street children

The effectiveness of the government-managed Protection and Education Centre for Street Children program in China was examined based on a 7-month ethnographic study of street children in public streets and at the centre in Shanghai. The program's intermediate goals are to provide education and protection for street children, and its ultimate goal is to restore them back to their own families. However, this study shows that most of the street children disliked the high security of the centre and many had rejected going home. So they tended to keep away from the centre even though it could provide them with lodging and food. (Debbie Lam and Fucai Cheng)