My mother, a veteran of two trips to China, warned me that my big SLR camera would be unwieldy in China. Cousin Roy and his Chinese friend Michael were of the opinion that one should probably not be taking pictures directly of the faces of Chinese people, which is only common courtesy.

So, I went out and bought a point-and-shoot camera from the girl below.

Atop the world's fourth tallest building, we looked out over the construction of what will soon be the world's tallest. Notice the size of the cars far below.



The Jinmao Tower is glitzy and glamorous. The escalators in the lobby sparkle.

You always wonder at what age Chinese children learn to eat with chopsticks. About the same time we learn to eat with forks, it seems.



This little kid was an expert. He also spoke both English and Chinese to his mother.



Shovel it in. That's the only rule of etiquette for eating in China that I can discern.

This little boy was begging on the street using a plastic yogurt cup. It was sobering to see.

This morning, internet service was non-existent between Asia and America. Tonight, it seems perfectly fine. So, I will be able to post again.

It is difficult to know where to start. We just returned on the train from Suzhou back to Shanghai. We spent last night in Suzhou after touring the old city. Today, we went to a 1,000-year-old garden and then a recently built art museum.

But the real thing we do all the time is eat. We eat three times per day, and we always, always, always, eat very, very, well. The food is spectacular.

I am in China. However, due to a cable which was cut by an earthquake in Taiwan two days ago, internet service to the USA was cut off and is only slowly being restored. Service is very, very slow. So, I will be unable to post for probably a day or two. I am taking many pictures and having a wonderful time.

Brother Joe took Lance and I down to the Cities today--after we all partook in a wonderful Christmas Day meal at Aunt Ede's.

We got to our hotel by the airport and checked in. The first room was freezing. The window was open, and wouldn't shut. I went back to the front desk and was given key cards to a second room.

We got into the second room and it wasn't cleaned yet. So we got a third room, and it was cold, but the window shut and the heater worked. So, victory!

Here is a long, wonkish analysis of the Iraq mess by somebody who believes that the project could have worked but has become a disaster. It is worth reading if for no other reason than it highlights the sheer difficulty of building a civil society in the wake of a fallen tyrant.