China

COSTA MESA — A three-member delegation from Costa Mesa will travel to Ordos, China, this month to explore the prospect of forming a sister city relationship. "We're going there to see what the fit is, and they're going to come here to see what the fit is," Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer said Friday. Righeimer will join Costa Mesa Conference and Visitor Bureau board members Susan O'Brien Moore and Dan Joyce on the trip, which starts Aug. 16. Righeimer said he will pay his own way. The bureau will cover its board members' travel expenses.

Editor's note: Chriss Street originally published this book review on his blog, Chriss Street and Company . There has been nothing more cowardly in my lifetime than the American government's dysfunctional response to China's economic imperialism. The Chinese have shown a unique political sophistication in co-opting the elites of corporate America with crony business deals, and politically pacifying Congress with a willingness to fund U.S. deficit spending. But with the common man's concern rising, two academics at UC Irvine, Peter W. Navarro and Greg Autry, have just published: "Death By China: Confronting the Dragon – A Call to Action," a muckraker's call to confront the dangers of America's dance with the Chinese Dragon in the 21st century.

Ruth Frazier Mary Renner and I celebrated our retirement as speech and language therapists with the Santa Ana Unified School District with a two-week trip to China in October. Beijing, with a population of some 9 million people, was the first stop, and we visited many famous sites: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, to name a few. We took day trips to other well-known spots, such as the Great Wall, Ming tombs and the Summer Palace.

Bridget Lindquist I was fortunate enough to be able to join the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce on a trip to China from Nov. 8 to 16. It has been a dream of mine to visit China since I lived in Japan in the early 1980s. Back then, we made it to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand, but China remained a dream. It became a reality when the chamber offered a China trip for members and their friends and family. The price was a bargain. It included airfare, hotel stays in four-star hotels, all meals, sightseeing tours, admissions and transfers for $1,099.

The itinerary sounds exciting: Beijing, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai in China. But a trip being taken now by business leaders from Newport Beach is about far more than sightseeing. For the past week, 130 business people from Newport Beach have been in the Communist country, working on ways to develop business relationships that can increase trade between the city and China. They had plans to meet with Beijing's deputy mayor, Chinese business leaders and several high-ranking Chinese government officials, including members of the country's Administration of Foreign Trade and Economic Corporation.

Council plans several events around holidays. Group of 166 recently returned from trip to world's most populous nation. As the holiday season approaches, the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council is keeping a busy calendar. Hundreds of volunteers are expected to visit Newport Beach's Mormon temple Saturday as part of the fifth annual Hearts and Hands work day. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., representatives from local congregations will participate in service projects. On Sunday, families are invited to Newport Harbor Lutheran Church for the ninth annual Interfaith Council Celebration of Thanksgiving.

Walking in the warm rain at Lingyin Chan (Zen) Buddhist Temple was the highlight of my trip to China. The temple is in a scenic area near Hangzhou and it features Buddhist rock carvings, streams, pagodas, sculpture halls and the largest wooden Buddha in China. Local people, Chinese tourists and Californians all mingle at this thriving religious center. The Rev. Carol Aguilar and I found ourselves sitting in the pews of the Beijing Kuanjie Christian Church, where during the Olympics President Bush called for more religious freedom in China.

When China won the right to host the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, there were hopes it would encourage the country to develop a deeper respect for human rights. But with reports that the government is still cracking down on protesters and others seen as threatening the “harmony” of the Games, some view the prospects of human rights reform in China with pessimism. Do you think the Olympics could help foster reform in China, or was it just a mistake and the International Olympic Committee should avoid letting totalitarian regimes host the Summer Games?

When Eugene Day and his wife saw their eldest daughter qualify for the Olympics last month in Oregon, they didn’t think about travel plans to Beijing, China. They were just excited that Sharon Day finished third in the high jump to make the U.S. Olympic team, a dream come true. They knew they did not have the money to go to China, so why bother with those thoughts. But when word got out that the Days would most likely stay in Costa Mesa during the Olympics, the community rallied to raise funds for the family to make the trip.

In the summer of 2008, the 29th Olympic Games will open in Beijing. Taking advantage of worldwide attention brought about by the Olympics, China will no doubt try to show the world it is now a modern political and economic superpower rivaling the United States and the countries of the European Union. China likes to talk about its growth, rapid modernization and influence, but what it doesn’t like to talk about is its increasing contribution to worldwide pollution. Although China claims it is spending money on cleaner sources of energy, these claims are not supported by facts.

The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) in Newport Beach will be the place for Orange County's first - albeit brief - exhibition of landscape paintings by the Chinese artist Bo Hong. He is considered one of the top and most sought-after artists in China, show organizers said. "I can look at it and come back an hour later and see something different," said Lloyd Ikerd, a Corona del Mar resident who is one of the show's two presenters. "It's just amazing art. " The show, titled "A Pure View," will stay up at the ENC, 1601 16th St., through the weekend.

COSTA MESA — To the crashing of cymbals and beating of drums, a brilliantly adorned troupe of Lion Dancers at South Coast Plaza on Thursday heralded the arrival of the Year of the Dragon. The shopping center was kicking off its 13-day celebration of the Lunar New Year. A 40-foot red paper dragon coiled itself in the two-story space around Jewel Court, and a ring of holiday greetings from the balcony above proclaimed "Happy New Year" in English and the languages of four Asian countries marking the occasion: China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.

Authorities are looking for victims of an alleged fraud scheme that promised investors returns on money given to sponsor trips to China and Taiwan for prominent politicians. Irvine resident Kuei Fuang Tsuei Hu, 62, and her son Jack Hu, 26, were arrested in October and charged with three counts of wire fraud. Jack Hu was also charged with misusing the U.S. seal, according to an FBI news release. The two are accused of defrauding customers by telling them their money was being invested in Jack Hu's company, London International Group, to sponsor visits to China for former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton or to send former Vice President Al Gore to Taiwan.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This corrects an earlier version of Jeff Thomas' golf scores. Newport Harbor High product Leah Robertson and CdM Aquatics Coach Stephanie Schnugg, as well as former UC Irvine men's players Greg Enloe and Griffin Lerman, are playing for Team USA at the World University Games water polo tournament beginning Thursday in Shenzhen, China. UC Irvine Coach Marc Hunt is also head coach of the American men's squad, which begins play Thursday against Singapore.

COSTA MESA — A three-member delegation from Costa Mesa will travel to Ordos, China, this month to explore the prospect of forming a sister city relationship. "We're going there to see what the fit is, and they're going to come here to see what the fit is," Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer said Friday. Righeimer will join Costa Mesa Conference and Visitor Bureau board members Susan O'Brien Moore and Dan Joyce on the trip, which starts Aug. 16. Righeimer said he will pay his own way. The bureau will cover its board members' travel expenses.

UC Irvine alumni Griffin Lerman and Greg Enloe have been named to the United States roster for the men's water polo World University Games, set for August in Shenzhen, China. Marc Hunt, the UCI men's water polo coach, will be the head coach for Team USA. Enloe and Lerman, a 2010 second-team All-American for UCI, are listed as two of three defenders for the Americans. —From staff reports Eddy Germany-bound Elizabeth Eddy, a Newport Harbor High alumna playing at USC, was one of 17 players named to the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program's Under-19 roster for a three-game exhibition trip to Germany coinciding with the World Cup in July.

Editor's note: Chriss Street originally published this book review on his blog, Chriss Street and Company . There has been nothing more cowardly in my lifetime than the American government's dysfunctional response to China's economic imperialism. The Chinese have shown a unique political sophistication in co-opting the elites of corporate America with crony business deals, and politically pacifying Congress with a willingness to fund U.S. deficit spending. But with the common man's concern rising, two academics at UC Irvine, Peter W. Navarro and Greg Autry, have just published: "Death By China: Confronting the Dragon – A Call to Action," a muckraker's call to confront the dangers of America's dance with the Chinese Dragon in the 21st century.

Corona del Mar High alumna Tumua Anae has been named to the U.S. women's water polo national team roster for the upcoming FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China. Anae, a goalie, was also on the team as it won its sixth FINA World League Super Final on Sunday by defeating Italy, 9-7, in the final in Tianjin, China. Newport Harbor High alumna Anne Belden was also on the FINA World League Super Final team, for which UC Irvine women's coach Dan Klatt is an assistant. The Americans are going for their third straight world championship after claiming titles in 2007 and 2009.

Misty May-Treanor posted a video on her Facebook page for all her fans, and titled it, "Off to the Finals!" In the video, she is riding on a bus approaching Chaoyang Park in Beijing, China, site of the beach volleyball competition at the 2008 Olympics. "It's a bit of a surreal moment. It's like déjà vu," May-Treanor said in the video. "Getting ready I got goose bumps just thinking about it. Wish us luck and Kerri and I are going to play hard. " The duo that won gold in Beijing in 2008 did play hard.

The final orientation meeting for those interested in learning more about the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council introductory tour to China is at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Harbor Christian Church, 2401 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach. The meeting will be the last chance to register for the 2010 tour. This is the council's seventh trip to China. More than 850 youths and adults have been on previous council tours of the People's Republic. The Oct. 14-22 trip to Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai is open to members of the faith communities, service club members and the general public.