Wifi keeps disconnecting Solved! (at long last).

Hi from Amoy! (Xiamen, China)

After getting used to its quirky pad, I've come to love my Asus laptop, but for almost a year I've been frustrated because, unlike my other devices, the wifi keeps shutting off, sometimes every few minutes, for no reason. Turns out the problem was not the internet or router or even Asus, but Microsoft.

I'd have to disconnect and reconnect 3 or 4 times just to get an email out, and I first suspected it was the Great Wall of China playing games with me, but I ruled that out because our Toshiba and Lenovo laptops had no problem, nor did our phones and tablets. I finally found the problem was that Microsoft was every few minutes, by default, cutting power to the wireless adapter  to save power--even when I was actively surfing online!

Sounds like nice green thinking--but kind of ridiculous to shut off the wifi 4 or 5 times in 10 minutes when I'm actually online using the thing.  So here's how to fix it (and I've had no problems since doing these 6 very simple steps).

1. Open Device Manager. There are several ways:
    A. You can move the cursor to the very low left corner and when the Windows symbol appears, right click it, and then left click on Device Manager (6 from the top). 
   OR...
    B. You can hold down the Windows key and at the same time press "r", typedevmgmt.msc and left click on OK.
2. Left Click on Network Adapters
3. Right Click on Wireless Network Adapter.
4. Left Click on Properties (at the bottom).
5. Left Click on Power Management tab at the top (probably far right).
6. Uncheck the tiny square to the left of Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

Problem Solved!

Again--I'm all for saving power, but come on, Microsoft! Cutting off the wifi connector every 1 or 2 minutes when I'm actively on the internet? If anyone at Microsoft ever uses the internet, I hope they figure this out that this should, by default, be OFF, not ON.

I hope it works for you. Happy surfing from Amoy!

Dr. Bill
Want to learn more about our great little China island and province? Check out my 2 eBooks on Amazon:

"Discover Xiamen"  

"Fujian Adventure"
Xiamen University
www.amoymagic.com

Createspace won't upload (Please check your internet connection) SOLVED!

Ahoy from Amoy! (Xiamen)

I finally have typeset a Print-on-Demand version of "Discover Xiamen" for Amazon (I'm still working on Fujian Adventure) but I could not upload the createspace interior file! (the file with the book's content). Every time, for 3 days, I got "Please check your internet connection and try again. We highly recommend using a high-speed broadband internet connection."

Well--I was using high speed broadband. I was on a trip to the U.S., and using Comcast. Though I think they're billing dept. should be called Con-cast, the internet speed was blazing fast on all other sites. I downloaded a 2 Gb file in only a few minutes! I tried everything for 3 days--PDF, DOC, DOCX. I tried checking the files for errors. Nothing worked. I read other people's ideas. Most people thought it was a trick by Createspace to get them to pay the minimum $199 for professional services. Turns out the solution was simple--at least in my case.

I finally gave in and clicked the button to contact CreateSpace by phone. They called back within seconds, and a very professional man worked me through every step (remember to have your CreateSpace account number handy--not your ID and password). But I had already cleared the cache, cleared cookies, restarted Mozilla Firefox (which he said was best)--I even rebooted the computer. Finally, he suggested I try using Chrome to upload. I don't have Chrome, but I tried Internet Explorer (always a last resort for me)--and it worked like a charm, uploading the 12 MB file in just one minute.

Three days I tried to get this to work. And now I need to go through the entire file again because too many of the photos were not high enough resolution. CreateSpace automatically checks everything in the file--but a good thing; I see clearly the issues they raised. I just wished I'd have known these issues days earlier.

I suggested that since CreateSpace reps themselves recommend using Mozilla Firefox, they should also warn users that, as of now, it does not work!

Enjoy Amoy!

Bill

Bill's 2 eBooks on Amazon:

"Discover Xiamen" 

"Fujian Adventure"
Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

SOLVED! [Android] Skype cannot be signed in at this time. Please check your mobile network settings

Skype works so well on Android that I have taken it for granted--until it suddenly began giving me the message, "You cannot be signed in at this time. Please check your mobile network settings."

I was using T-mobile (during a trip home), and tried everything. The phone had 2 bars (as good as  ever get with T-immobile) and had no problem getting on the internet or checking email. I could get into my Skype account on another Samsung Galaxy Note phone and on my PC, so it wasn't my Skype account's problem. I rebooted my Samsung Galaxy Note but that didn't help. I cleared the Skype program's Cache and Data files and rebooted. Still nothing.

Finally, I discovered on Google Play that there was a newer version of Skype, which I promptly downloaded. Problem solved!   As it turns out, the phone had installed an Android update, which was not compatible with the older version of Skype.

So if you find you cannot connect to Skype, try these steps:
1. Make sure your phone can connect to the internet (Yes, that is a no-brainer, but I've had the internet go down before and not realize that was the problem, especially in China, where I spend most of my time.
2. Clear Skype's cache and data files (Click Settings, click Applications, click Skype, click Clear Data, click Clear Cache) and reboot.
3. If the above fails, go to Google Play to insure you have the latest Skype version.


Happy Skyping!

Dr  Bill Brown

Bill's 2 eBooks on Amazon:

"Discover Xiamen" 

"Fujian Adventure"

Repair corrupt PDF file for FREE!

Ahoy from Amoy! 
I tried for days to fix a corrupted PDF file. Many sites advertised Free repair of broken PDF files--but every site had a gimmick. Several fixed the pdf file for FREE, but then allowed me to download the fixed PDF file only if I first paid from 20 USD to 30 GBP (about 55 USD!)  for either the PDF repair service or for a "fix pdf" software package. So frustrating. But success at last!

To help you avoid the headache I got, here's a site that did what it promised:  http://pdfaid.com/repair-pdf-file.aspx  I was skeptical of the "free pdf repair," but I uploaded my 3.5 mb file--and within a minute, up popped a button saying, "click to download your repaired PDF file", and I clicked it (highly skeptical)--and within seconds it had downloaded and was indeed repaired! No tricks, no gimmicks, no watermark splashed across the page (which several sites did unless I sold my first born to pay them for the free fix). What a RELIEF!

Save yourself a lot of headache, and fix your PDF for free at http://pdfaid.com/repair-pdf-file.aspx.

And--no, I don't get anything for the clicks (though I do for the google ads on the side!). I just hope you avoid the headaches and trials that I did. I was quite close to forking over 30 USD to get my textbook fixed.

Enjoy Amoy!

Dr. Bill

Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

Fujian Adventure eBook only $1.99 on Amazon! 魅力福建

With over 520 pages and almost 700 photos, many by Fujian's top photographers, Fujian Adventure is now an eBook on Amazon for $1.99 promotional price (regularly $5.99). Click Here to download a copy and if you enjoy it, please rate it and share the link with your friends.

If you (like me), don't have a Kindle, download  Free Amazon Reading Apps to read it on Android and Apple devices,or Mac and Windows computers.

Thanks so much for helping to get the word out. I hope to have some of my other 11 books online this summer. 

Enjoy Amoy! 

Dr. Bill 

Amazon description of Fujian Adventure.
Columbus' goal was not a New World but a shortcut to India and to Marco Polo’s fabled Zayton in Fujian, China. Columbus never made it to Zayton, but you can.

Over 500 pages and almost 700 photos, many by award-winning Chinese photographers, bring to life the people and places of Fujian (Fukien), the cradle of Chinese seafaring (200 B.C.), start of the Maritime Silk Route, port of departure for Marco Polo and ibn Battuta, and ancestral home of most overseas Chinese.

Meet Admiral Zhenghe, the "real" Sinbad; the ancient Southern Shaolin Kung Fu Temple’s youthful abbot; the Hui'an maidens who cover their heads, bare their bellies, and only sleep with their husbands 3 nights a year; the firewalkers who dance across the flames bearing heavy idols; melancholy Miss Mo who became the sea goddess Mazu; Zayton’s famous marionette makers; the Anxi farmers who produced the tea tossed overboard during the Boston Tea Party. Visit China’s first Protestant church and the planet’s last Manichean temple. Explore Gulangyu, the Roaring 20s’ “richest square mile on earth,” which even today has over 1,000 “Amoy Deco” mansions. Discover the secret of Hakka roundhouses that Nixon and the CIA thought were missile silos, and then visit the nearby Amoy tiger preserve. Enjoy scenic Sanming, with China's 4th largest gem beds, China’s largest sleeping Buddha, Ming Dynasty villages, enchanting caverns and underground lakes. Marvel at Wuyi Mountain’s 2,000-year-old Min Palace, and the Eden-like biological diversity that drew French naturalists in the 1700s to study the rare plants, king cobras and 33 foot pythons.

And of course there’s the Fujian food. Moliere said "Man should eat to live, not eat to live," but Dr. Bill says, "Moliere never ate Chinese food—especially Fujian food.”

Locals say Fujian is “8 parts mountain, 1 part water, 1 part field”. This torturous terrain not only gave rise to an innovative and tough people but also to more local dialects and greater cultural diversity—including cuisines—than any other province. Every hill, valley and river has a story behind it, and Dr. Bill invites you to explore them.

Author Bill Brown, Prof. of Organizational Behavior and Business Strategy at School of Management, Xiamen University, was Fujian's first foreign permanent resident and has driven over 200,000 km. around China,even through the Gobi Desert and Tibet,幸福福建),but still considers Fujian the most fascinating province for foreigners. In addition to textbooks such as Art of Business Warfare (Beijing University Press), he has written ten books about Fujian. He has also written and hosted several TV documentaries, including a 62-episode mini-series, "Fujian in a Foreigner's Eyes". In addition to teaching MBA, he hosts the weekly "Xingfu Fujian"《幸福福建》。
潘维廉/潘威廉,厦门大学管理学院福建省

 Bill Brown
Xiamen University
www.amoymagic.com

Huang Rongyuan Mansion 黄荣远堂 Gulangyu

Many Chinese & foreigners query about ancestors in old Amoy (former name of Xiamen). Today, a lady from WLRN Public Radio & Television, Miami, Florida, inquired about the house at #32 Fujian Rd. (she actually wrote #3 Lujiao Rd., but the photo was of Huang Rongyuan Mansion at #32 Fujian Rd). Since others have also inquired about this estate, which is right beside the Spanish Gothic Catholic Church and former Japanese consulate, police station and jail, I am posting my reply online. This description is from my book Discover Gulangyu!    魅力鼓浪屿, Xiamen University Press (I have 10 books now on Xiamen and Fujian Province, and hope to get them converted soon to e-Book format).  Enjoy Amoy!  Dr. Bill


#32 Fujian Rd   Huang Rongyuan Mansion (黄荣远堂), circa 1920, is  directly opposite Sea and Sky Palace.  The villa reminds me of antebellum mansions in the Deep South—though no Southerner ever had a garden like this, with its towering palms, shimmering pool, and Chinese pavilion and rockery to the left, from which you can snap a photo of the Spanish Gothic Catholic Church on the other side of the wall.

Huang Rongyuan Villa was designed by a Filipino architect and built in 1920 by Shi Guangchong, a Philippine overseas Chinese whose ancestral home was Jinjiang, and who was related to one of Gulangyu’s most famous residents. His nephew’s wife was the first daughter of Lin Erjia (林尔嘉), creator of Shuzhuang Garden (菽庄花园).

While Gulangyu was a heavenly place to visit, by the 1930s the Japanese were making it a hell of a place to live in, and in 1937 Mr. Shi hightailed it back to the relatively safety of the Philippines.  The villa was taken over by Mr. Huang Zhongxun, who then gave it to his younger brother, Huang Zhongping.  He renamed the place Huang Rongyuan Villa, after the real estate company founded by Huang Wenhua (a Nan’an native who made a fortune in developing wilderness in Vietnam), and his son (the same fellow who walled in Sunlight Rock and made it his private garden; read more in the Yongchun Rd. chapter).

Huang Rongyuan Villa is pretty much a Western-style dwelling, with its “Southern mansion” two-story curved front porch and Ionic columns.  But few Western homes boast as many styles of windows on one front, and the upper floor, with its dozen or more columns, looks like it was added as an afterthought.  Still, I appreciate the imagination that went into its design and construction, and find it astonishing that such a magnificent building was later used as the Deer Reef Kindergarten.
The Spanish Catholic Church (#34 Lujiao Rd.) is on the other side of the garden wall, just across from the former Japanese consulate.

福建路32号：黄荣远堂 大约建于1920年，就在海天堂构的正对面。这座别墅让我想起美国南北战争前南方的住宅——尽管那些南方人都没有这样的花园，园子里是参天的棕榈树，波光粼粼的池面，左边是中式的亭子和假山，在假山上还能抓拍到围墙另一侧的西班牙哥特式天主教堂。

Gulangyu Catholic Church

黄荣远堂由菲律宾建筑师设计，菲律宾华侨施光从于1920年建造，施祖籍晋江，他和鼓浪屿的名人菽庄花园的主人林尔嘉还有一些渊源（林的长女为施的侄媳）。

鼓浪屿曾经是个天堂般的旅游胜地，但是在上世纪30年代日本人却把这里变成了人间地狱。1937年，施先生匆忙逃离了鼓浪屿回到相对安全的菲律宾。这座别墅转入黄仲训名下，后来又转给其弟黄仲评。黄仲评将别墅改名为“黄荣远堂”，黄荣远堂是黄文华（南安人，在越南开发荒地致富）和其子（就是那个将日光岩圈为私家花园的家伙，在永春路章节你可以知道更多）创办的房地产公司。

Inside Gulangyu Catholic Church

黄荣远堂是一幢以西洋风格为主的建筑，有“南方大宅”的两层拱券和爱奥尼克式的柱子，但很少西式房子在前壁会有这么多各式各样的窗棂，二楼有十几根廊柱，看上去像是后来才添加上去的。不过我仍然颇为欣赏这座房子富有想像力的设计和结构，让我颇为惊讶的是，这座壮观的楼房后来成了鹿礁幼儿园。

西班牙天主教堂（鹿礁路34号）就位于黄荣远堂院子围墙的另一侧，在日本领事馆的正对面。

Bill Brown
  Xiamen University

www.amoymagic.com

Search for White Jade & World Vision--the True Story

My wife, Susan Marie, worked for World Vision International (WVI) when I met her in 1981, so WVI has always had a special place in my heart. But imagine my surprise to learn in 2008 that World Vision was founded because of an incident in Xiamen in 1947 involving American missionary Tena Holkeboer, Robert Pierce (World Vision's founder) and an orphaned Amoy girl named White Jade. The subsequent Search for White Jade captured the imagination of Xiamen's people, government and media.

We Remember Auntie Tiger!  In Dec., 2010, I mentioned the White Jade story and Tena in a government meeting on Gulangyu Islet. Prof. He Bingzhong, former curator of the Koxinga Museum exclaimed, "I remember Tena! We all loved her so much--though she was so strict that we children called her 'Auntie Tiger'. When she had to leave Xiamen, my family gave her money for food and clothes; she spent nothing on herself."

5 Days Later... Not only did some people remember Tena, but a couple even remembered Bob Pierce's 1947 visit to Amoy. And only 5 days after that meeting in which I mentioned White Jade, Tena and Bob Pierce, Bob Pierce's daughter emailed to say WVI was preparing for its 60th anniversary and was checking out the White Jade Story. Was there really a White Jade, she asked, and did I think anyone might still remember Tena, or Bob's visit?

Chinese Media Seeks White Jade  Two months later, Marilee, daughter Michelle, and 4 WVI people came to Xiamen to seek out White Jade. As I and Chinese reporters wrote articles for the local papers asking for help in tracking down White Jade, "The Search for White Jade" became one of the local media's most widely covered stories. Strangers on the street stopped me, even months afterward, asking, "Did you find White Jade?" But Tena had helped many children, and at the time she could not have known that the incident with White Jade was special, or would have such far reaching consequences. Today, no one remembers which child was White Jade. In 2011, Tena's niece sent me many of Tena's letters, journals, photos, etc.--but again, there was no mention of White Jade. Still--we are certain the incident happened because both Bob and Tena remembered it, though they told various versions of the story, which roughly went as follows:

The White Jade Story  Bob Pierce, an enthusiastic young evangelist, gave several lectures in Amoy, and spoke to Tena Holkeboer's school children. Little White Jade said she wanted to be a Christian, and Bob told her to tell her family about it. She did--and was beaten and kicked out of her home. (I've known people that happened to even in the 1990s).

What are You going to do about it? The next day, he made his last visit to Tena's Gulangyu Islet school. She met him at the door with a battered, crying little girl in her arms. When Bob heard what happened, he asked, "What are you going to do with her?"

Tena, aptly called Auntie Tiger, shot back at him with, "What do you mean what am I going to do with her? I already have 10 children to feed. What are you going to do about it?"

Bob gave her all of the money in his pockets, about $5, and promised to send more each month to care for little White Jade. Three years later, while witnessing the devastation in Korea and the plight of orphaned children, he started World Vision, which over the decades has helped millions of children all over the world--thanks to the seed planted in his heart by an encounter with an abandoned and battered little girl named White Jade. Bob Pierce later started Samaritan's Purse International, which has also helped millions, and countless other ministries have since adopted Bob Pierce's idea of "adopting" a distant child through monthly support.

Related Post: Bob Pierce, World Vision, and his Jephthah Vow

Related Post: An Amoy Tribute for Lorraine Pierce--Spiritual founder of World Vision International and Samaritan's Purse


Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

The Mother of Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day from Xiamen (former Amoy), China!

   This is dedicated to my mom back in the U.S.     Dr. Bill. When Anna May Jarvis's mother died on the 2nd Sunday of May 1906, Anna May wished she had heeded the warning to, “Lavish your flowers on the living, not the dead.” Driven by remorse, the gentle, easy going Anna May became obsessed with the desire to see her mother and motherhood honored throughout the world.
      After a year’s planning, the first Mother's Day was celebrated on the second anniversary of her mother’s death, May 10, 1908, at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, where Anna’s mother had taught Sunday School. A year later, Philadelphia became the first city to proclaim an official Mother’s Day. Three years later, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed Public Resolution 25, establishing the second Sunday of each May as Mother's Day. And then, to everyone’s surprise, Anna May retired and spent the remaining 34 years of her life, and her fortune of over 100,000 dollars, fighting against Mother’s Day!
         The problem was that from day one, Mother’s Day had become a great commercial extravaganza to boost the incomes of card and candy makers, and a salve to soothe the consciences of those who each May made mother a “queen for the day” but neglected her the other 364 days.
       Anna May complained, “Mother’s Day has nothing to do with candy. Candy is junk. A maudlin, insincere printed card or a ready-made telegram means nothing except that you’re too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone else in the world. You ought to go home and see your mother on Mother’s Day. You ought to take her out and paint the town red...You ought to give her something useful, something permanent...Is she sleeping warm at night? Could she use an eiderdown? Maybe the stairs in her home need fixing...”
        For 30 years, Anna May fought for the integrity of Mother’s Day. She finally died in a sanitarium — old, tired, deaf, blind, penniless, and having never married nor been a mother herself!
        Sixty years later, mothers may be more neglected than ever. Statistics show one half of Americans, which of course includes one half of our mothers, live in poverty. Where are the children? More than ever, mothers deserve more than cards and candy one day a year and anonymity the other 364.

          My appreciation of motherhood only began as I watched my wife, in both sickness and health, unselfishly spend herself on her two sons--and her husband as well! (read how we met in "China--our Matchmaker!"). I also slowly came to better appreciate my own mother, and though she’s 12,000 miles away, I am now careful to not only send her the obligatory Mother’s Day card and flowers but also to regularly write and phone her.
           Fortunately, most Off the Wall Blog readers are not 12,000 miles away from home!  So as Mother's Day catches on both here in China and elsewhere on this little planet we so briefly call home, let us make sure that Mother’s Day is not a card-and-candy substitute for well-deserved love but the crown and pinnacle of a full year’s expression of love and appreciation for the one who gave us life: our mother. But while you're at it--send a card, and some flowers too--and pick up the phone and call her.
           Below, by the way, is our new family cartoon, including Matt's wife Jessica (married in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, on June 30th, 2012, and Shannon's wife Miki, married in Xiamen on January 1st, 2009).

Now all that Sue and I need is a very good excuse (strong hint!) to start promoting Grandparents Day!
Bill Brown
Xiamen University
www.amoymagic.com
 

Best Cheddar Cheese & Bacon for China!

Ahoy from Amoy!

When we came to China in 1988, what really made us homesick was the absence of simple things--like peanut butter, mayonnaise (learned to make our own), and of course, Cheese!

We were surprised, therefore, a month after our arrival to see a giant block of cheddar sold cheaply in Xiamen's "Canadian Bakery". The only thing Canadian about it was the name; it sold the same sweet Chinese breads with green and purple swirls that Chinese find attractive but reminded me of toxic mold from some bio-weapon factory. But I forgave everything when I saw the cheese!

They had no idea what it was, but after we told friends and they raced across town to buy a block, the owner got wise and doubled the price. By day two it was sold out and they never got anymore.  Still--it helped us get over our acute cheese-deprivation.
Of course, today we can get cheeses at Metro-- but its expensive. For years, though, we brought from the U.S. bags of cheese powder--like the Kraft cheddar cheese powder in Kraft macaroni and cheese, but not nearly as tasty because the number one ingredient wasn't cheese but whey.  And then last year I finally found a cheese powder that is pretty close to the cheesy taste of Kraft, and I bought several pounds. Hoosier Hill Farms Cheddar Cheese Powder is sold on Amazon and has free shipping to
U.S. addresses (for orders of $25 or more). It's packaged in a convenient, safe-plastic, screw lid container. If you bring some back, keep it in the fridge after opening.

Suggestions--sprinkle on popcorn, add to potatoes (and pasta, of course). I even sprinkle some on top of Chinese food! I do love Chinese food, but not 3 times a day for 27 years--so a little cheddar cheese powder on top brings it to life! Or...

"Bringing Home the Bacon..."   Another way to spice up up your daily Chinese fare is to sprinkle on some McCormick Bacon Bits (Bac'n pieces). They're artificial but tasty; if you want real bacon bits, try Kirkland (Costco brand) real crumbled bacon bits! They claim it is slowly smoked over hardwood chips--and I can believe it.

I bring back a dozen plastic bottles of bacon bits or a pouch of Kirkland Signature Crumbled Bacon (each trip home.  Bacon bits or crumbled bacon are light, last a long time, and are relatively cheap, I sprinkle them into egg omelets or scrambled eggs--or with potatoes and cheese powder. Unhealthy, I know, but though I usually am a very healthy eater, sometimes I just need something familiar.

And as the famous American comedian Redd Fox once said, "One of these days, there's going to be a lot of health nuts feeling pretty stupid when they're old and in the hospital dying of nothing.

Enjoy Amoy!

Dr. Bill
Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

Amazon Subscribe and Save -- Cheapest way to go for China folks!

Greetings from Amoy, China!

Well, this is an odd topic, but maybe useful for some.  There are still many things we can't get in China, such as Swiss Miss no sugar added Cocoa, so we stock up in the summer ordering from Amazon, and bring it with us.  Sue also likes Torani Sugar-free Hazelnut syrup for her coffees (great Frappuccinos, using bananas to make them creamy). But Amazon has a great "Amazon Subscribe and Save Program"-- save 5% to 15%-- if you set regular deliveries, which can be as seldom as twice a year. Give it a try!And check our Amazon China.  Cheaper delivery, but not the same variety.

Below are some of your favorites (the dried blueberries are the best--no sugary-candy taste; one box lasts an entire year in China--with cereal, in oatbran, etc.)



Should you wish to ship theses things to China, try sea freight. They charge by volume, not weight, so in the past we've sent crates full of foods, books, furniture (couch, chairs, even a Sears oven, which I can bake six loaves of bread in at a time). It's a bit of a hassle picking it up in China (must get through customs), but certainly a lot cheaper than mail, or being charged for excess baggage.

Enjoy Amoy!
Bill
 

Bill's 2 eBooks on Amazon:

"Discover Xiamen" 

"Fujian Adventure"
Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

Cheapest H&R Block for taxes in China-- on Amazon!

Greetings from Amoy! (Xiamen, China).

April 15 is looming again here in Amoy, China, but this time I did my U.S. federal and state taxes in less than 4 hours, compared to 3 days about 5 years ago--thanks to H&R Block--but though the program itself is great, the pricing is very tricky.  Here's how to avoid paying double--by getting it at Amazon.

Last year, HR Block sent me a link for a special price--$34.95.  I clicked it, did my taxes, and when I went to e-file my return, they charged me $49.95.  I wasn't about to start over (as they well knew), so I just paid it.  Then they wanted $19.95 for State filing, but I did it online for free (very easy, fast--if you live in Reedley, California and use CALFILE--see the end of the 2nd paragraph below).

This year, HR Block sent me a special price for the Home version (knowing I've always used Premium, because Home is not enough for my specific needs).  The Premium this time was $80, but I found two links for $72 and $70--and then I thought--why not download the H&R Block program at Amazon?  I get everything else there (a lifesaver for folks in China).  Sure enough, on Amazon, the program was only $34.95, and it said it gave me 5 free Federal efiles (who needs 5?) and software for 1 state--or so it said.

 The Federal went smoothly.  I was done in 3 hours--much better than 3 days!  But once I completed the one "free" State software, they demanded 19.95 to file it!  That's like giving someone a free lunch but charging to eat it--or free unlimited parking, but then charging you not for parking but for leaving the lot.  So I simply, like last year, filed the State for free California E-file online at CALFILE (https://www.ftb.ca.gov/individuals/efile/allsoftware.shtml)

But tricky pricing notwithstanding (which seems the norm nowadays--everyone is selling snake oil), H&R Block's programs are fast and very straightforward.

IRS Currency Exchange Rates: If you live abroad and need to know the IRS conversion rate from. a foreign currency ( Chinese Yuan, Euros), to U.S. dollars, click the IRS site for their own IRS Yearly Average Currency Exchange Rates.  I was happily surprised to learn that their rates were far more favorable than what I would have used.  Saved me quite a bit.

And if in doubt, phone the IRS.  I've spent hours on the phone from China talking to the reps, and they've always been helpful and patient--often themselves not knowing the answer to my convoluted questions, but searching until they found it.

Lastly--I complained about taxes to a Chinese colleague and his reply was, "Be thankful we earn enough to be taxed; many don't earn that much."  Good point, especially given the way the economy is today.

Enjoy Amoy!

Dr. Bill

Bill's 2 eBooks on Amazon:

"Discover Xiamen" 

"Fujian Adventure"Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

Lenovo plugged in, not charging battery--SOLVED!

Warm greetings from Amoy!

Many folks in China, like me, have a Lenovo, and I love my  X220T Tablet--especially writing on the screen for class lectures, rather than using blackboards or PPT.  But I've been frustrated with various Lenovo issues (some software, and two hard drives went out within a year--I wonder if they buy them used?)

Today, the Lenovo decided to quit charging the battery!  I knew the battery was fine (this is a new Lenovo), and the charger was fine.  The PC said the battery health was good--but no charging, and it was down to 9%.  I was so frustrated at Lenovo--and then found out it is Microsoft's fault--a problem with Windows 7 that has been around for two years, at least!  Why could Microsoft not have fixed it by now?

Fortunately, after searching the internet, and trying many things, I found the solution on Jeffrey Palermo's blog--though I will add a step or two he left out (assuming we knew too much).

These are Jeffrey Palermo's steps--with just my note to make one part easier):

1.  Disconnect the A/C power supply.
2.  Shut down the computer.
3.  Remove the battery
4.  Connect the A/C power supply
5.  Start the computer.
6.  Under Battery... (here's the problem, Jeff--where is "battery?" I searched, and finally remembered it is under Control Panel, then System, then Device Driver, then Battery)
7.  Click on Battery (at the top), and then right click on all entries that say Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery, and select uninstall.
8. Shut the computer down.
9. Disconnect the A/C power supply.
10. Insert the battery.
11. Insert the A/C power supply.
12. Start the computer.
13.  It should be fixed--thanks to Jeffrey Palermo!   Visit his blog to read what others have experienced, and solutions for those with Samsung computers, etc.

And my apologies to Lenovo for not giving them the benefit of the doubt.  Let's just hope Microsoft gets there act together.  I've no idea how they can roll out Windows 8 when 7 still has so many bugbears (After two years, I still cannot play simple MP3 files with Windows 7 Professional Multimedia Player--network errors, it says, though the network is completely disconnected.  And to think I paid extra for that.... ).

Enjoy Amoy

Dr. Bill

Bill's 2 eBooks on Amazon:

"Discover Xiamen" 

"Fujian Adventure"

Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

Tax Return -- IRS rate for converting CNY to USD

Ahoy from Amoy (historic Xiamen, China).

It's tax time again, and this time I did not just guess at the official currency exchange rate when trying to figure out how much I'd earned here in Xiamen, China, and how much taxes I'd paid.  I Googled--and found that the IRS has a tax table for the major currencies of the world, going back for several years. In 2016, it is 1USD = 6.489 CNY.

And the IRS' figure worked to my advantage--much better than what I would have guessed the rate would have been.  Though they say that if you were paid throughout the year in the foreign currency, they'll give you a bit of leeway if you do the rate yourself.

Anyway--if you want to know the official internal revenue service currency exchange rate for your tax return, try this link for IRS Yearly Average Currency Exchange Rates!

By the way, whenever I seek IRS info, I get hundreds of links that are not IRS--and they can be quite tricky.  I've found, after decades in Xiamen, that it is safest to go direct to the IRS -- or some firm that is very reputable, such as H&R Block.  Whenever I've been really stuck, I've just phoned (or Skyped) IRS, and found them to be very helpful and patient.  The last one I spoke to told me that frankly, he did not know, but he searched while he had me online--a full 20 minutes, and was extremely helpful.  It was a good reminder for me that, while I might hate the idea of paying taxes, the people that work there are people!

And as a Chinese friend here said to me, the great thing about paying income tax is that you have an income to tax.

With today's economy as it is (30% unemployment in our hometown of Reedley, California), that is certainly the truth.

Enjoy Amoy!


Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

Norton Identify Safe Auto Fill in Problem Solved

I rely heavily on Norton Internet Security's automatic fill in because, living in China, I do everything online.  But when I upgrade to 2012 from 2011, the Identity Safe automatic fill in quit working.  I searched the internet, read numerous official and unofficial solutions--including the one about updating Norton internet security several times, rebooting each time. Nothing worked.

But it works now and the solution came to me courtesy of a Firefox reminder.  Somehow, I had disabled the Norton Add-on and toolbar on Firefox.  I enabled it, closed and reopened Firefox, and it works like a charm.  So if you face this problem too--try the toolbar and add-ons.

Enjoy Amoy!

Dr. Bill

Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

David Brainard Woodward

In Loving Memory         Sept.  2011

Dr. David and Betty Woodward

Happy Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival!  We’ve much news this month, but we will save it for later because we'd like to celebrate the life of Dr. David Woodward (1918-2011), who married Sue and I in 1981 in Taiwan.  Even today, 30 years wlater, he continues to influence our lives, and many others, especially through one of those strange  ‘coincidences’ that seem to pop up in our lives…

Coincidences or Father’s Hand?  In early 2011, two Chinese reporters interviewed me  about the amazing “coincidences” that have helped me pull together the history of the Amoy Mission (I was able to show them emails and other materials to document them).

Scientists have long tried to explain these uncanny coincidences.  In the 1920s, Carl Jung dubbed it synchronicity.  Even Einstein spoke of how his insights came not from logic but from unexplained inspiration.  Some call it the Force (rather like Star Wars!).But I see it as our Father’s hand.  He weaves the tapestry of our lives so deftly and gently that we usually go about our lives completely unaware of just how much we take for granted.  But sometimes we  entangle ourselves so much that He reaches in to straighten out a knot or two—such as he did right after our honeymoon, and later did with a gift from Dr. Woodward...

The Magic Zheng While in Taiwan for our wedding,  Sue bought a Chinese zheng for my wedding present.  I had wanted one for years, and was delighted—and then I left it on a public bus in San Francisco while transferring to another airport. I was devastated, and halfheartedly threw up a hopeless prayer—more of a complaint than a plea for help, blaming my Father for allowing his child to be so careless.  I had zero hope of ever seeing the zheng again because neither the instrument nor the case had any ID.   It was not, I felt, an auspicious way to start married life—losing my wedding present before I even got it home.

A full month later, back in Los Angeles at grad school, I was called out of class to the office—and on the dean’s desk was my zheng—no note, no explanation!  The bus company must have spent a month of detective work tracking down the owner of an instrument with no ID on it or in it.  For me, it was a special delivery straight from heaven. 

I thanked our Father for the returned zheng—and apologized both for losing it and for blaming Him for my loss, because the incident drove home two valuable lessons.  One—we, not our Father, are responsible to steward what He entrusts to us.  But two, and more encouraging to me, our Father really is there to help his children.  And He continues to drive home this lesson even today in ways so amazing that some have made it into the Chinese newspapers!   But one of my greatest lessons came through the book “Detour from Tibet,” which Dr. Woodward gave to us at our wedding....

Dr. Woodward, a grad of Princeton and Fuller T.S. (my alma mater), set off on horseback in 1945 for Tibet, and then served for decades with Betty in India, Hong Kong and Taiwan, where Sue knew the Woodwards while she was growing up (Sue’s parents were in Taiwan 30 years with TEAM, and she was born and raised there).

Marital Counseling—or Cautioning?  Sue was thrilled that Dr. Woodward agreed to marry us at Taipei’s Christ Chapel, but I was nervous when he said he had to first counsel me.  My ears were still burning from the marital counseling of Chuck Saunders, my friend from Taiwan days.   (Read more about the Saunders at:  www.amoymagic.com/AM_Saunders.htm )

Chuck Saunders

Don’t Do It, Willy! I met Sue at Chuck and Donna’s house in Pasadena on Easter Sunday, 1981, and after watching our love blossom, Chuck took me to a Mexican lunch and dispensed these words of wisdom:  “Don’t do it, Willy!” (Only Chuck,  and Art Velasquez, ever called me Willy—precisely because they knew I hated Willy).

Chuck was concerned not for me but for Sue.  He knew me from Air Force days in Taiwan, and my time as a special agent in the U.S. and the Middle East, and he was worried Sue would not be able to handle the kind of life I was likely to live in mainland China.  I of course greatly respected Chuck and his advice. He and Donna influenced me on everything from attending Fuller T.S. to going into business, and then leaving business to go to China.  But when it came to Susan Marie, I was deaf!  Happily for us, once they realized we were determined to marry, they embraced us like 2^nd parents, and Chuck was the first to visit and encourage us in China right after we arrived in 1988.

Marriage Counseling—the Sequel  After Chuck’s insights on marriage, I certainly did not want a second round of marital counseling from Dr. Woodward.  But Dr. Woodward did not dissuade me, perhaps because the wedding was only 4 days away (and Sue’s dad had my plane tickets and wouldn’t let me leave the island without his daughter in tow).  But Dr. Woodward did advise me on how to keep the wife happy, and given that he was married to Betty for 66 years, I figured he must know what he was talking about, and I listened!

The Magic Book As we prepared for the wedding, Dr. Woodward delighted us with tall but true tales of entering Tibet on horseback, and he gave us a signed copy of his book “Detour from Tibet.”  I treasured that book, which I read several times, and was one of the few books I took to China. So imagine my frustration when Sue loaned it to a Chinese student, who loaned it to another student, who lost it.  I did not say much about it, but inwardly I stewed at losing yet another wedding present. And unlike the zither, I never saw that book again, but our Father used it to teach us a great lesson!

A year after losing my treasured book, we heard that some of our university’s Chinese students had volunteered to work in Tibet so they could also share their new Life there (Chinese tentmakers).  And a year after that news, we had one of those “coincidences” that even today gives me goosebumps to think about.

In 1994, Sue, the boys and I drove 40,000 km. for 3 months around China, up the coast, through the Gobi Desert, to Tibet and back.  I was exhausted by the time we reached Lhasa,(Tibet) but the second day both body and spirit were charged when a young Chinese said to us, “Are you Bill Brown?  I’m a believer from Xiamen Univ. who volunteered to serve in Tibet.  I was moved to do that because of your book, “Detour from Tibet!”

A year lesson, Dr. Woodward was delighted to hear that he was still touching the hearts of Tibetans half a century after he left the place.  And happily for me, he gave us another signed copy of his book.  I do hope to hold on to this copy, but I also pray that I’ll never again put books, or anything else, above people.

On August 23, 2011, Dr. Woodward ended his brief 93 year sojourn on this planet. And now, for the first time, he can view the magnificent tapestry of life—not from the knotty and tangled backside but from the beautiful perspective of the Master Weaver, for whom even the smallest thread has both beauty and purpose.

Ping'an, Dr. David Woodward!

Bill Brown
Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

For Unto Us a Charlie's Born

Early this morning I got word that Johanna and Chaz Bulbuk, grandson of John Bulbuk and  Chuck & Donna Saunders, (whom I knew while I was in the Air Force in Taiwan, and who introduced Sue and I in Pasadena), finally had baby Charlie.  About time!  We thought he was coming ten days ago.   Below is a poem to celebrate...
(Click pics of Charlie for larger images!)

For Unto us a Charlie's Born

                    September 2, 2011

Upon this bright and cheery morn,

an angel on a Harley,

Said, "To us all a child is born

And he shall be called Charlie."

And how this child has come to be,

Is a tale that must be told,

So here's the story straight from me,

If I may be so bold.

Old Eden had its endless fruits,

Israelis had their manna,

David had his bread and wine,

And Chaz? He has Johanna!

And from that marriage made above,

And the union of their hearts,

We see the fruit of faith and love,

As today a Journey starts.

We waited long for the little guy,

And Johanna grew yet rounder.

The doctor checked, and heaved a sigh,

"He's probably a 20 pounder!"

But at long last, the doctor saw

a small head full of hair.

That child looked round in awe and said,

"I've been long enough in there."

8 pounds and 7 ounces,

The kid was born half grown,

And like a lion pounces,

Charlie struck out on his own.

20 inches full of life,

And hungry from the get-go.

He headed straight for mom's sweet breast,

And still he hasn't let go.

Now some may say that we've evolved,

That life is chance or luck,

But we know that our life's a gift,

Especially when a Bulbuk!

So here's to Charlie, parents too,

And for you three I pray,

That every day our Lord renew

That love we see today.

With love &

thanksgiving,

 

Uncle Bill

Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com
Click Here to learn more about Chuck and Donna Saunders of the Asia Evangelical Mission

Davey Crockett in China?

Well... Davey Crockett didn't make it to China--but his descendant did!  I've long regretted knowing so little about my ancestry.  I know Chinese who can trace their roots back over 35 generations, but until 5 years ago, I did not know my own roots further than two generations.  So imagine my surprise to learn I'm descended from the man who once owned most of Washington D.C. before it was the capital, and a 16th century Jewish immigrant, a man from Glasgow Scotland (1500s), Asa Candler (who started Coca-Cola, from which I've inherited nothing!)...and Davey Crockett! (this by his second wife).

So I humbly represent Davey Crockett in China.  But why not?  I've accomplished what even Christopher Columbus failed to achieve.  When he set sail, he was seeking not a New World but a short cut to an ancient one--to India and China, to be exact.  And his destination in China was the famous port of Quanzhou, known by the Arabs as Zaiton (source of our word "satin"), and said to be a haven for Sinbad himself.  Quanzhou is only 60 km. north of Xiamen.  Columbus never made it to Quanzhou--but I've been there dozens of times, and even written a book about it.  Eat your heart out, Chris!

Below is an email just forwarded to me by a fellow writing about our mutual descent from Davey Crockett (I was born William Neil Edmunson, by the way).

Yes I am aware of our connection of to Davey Crockett.  His second wife was Elizabeth Patton of Buncombe County, NC.  She was the sister to Margaret Patton who is my great-great-great grandmother, so I am the 3rd great grandnephew of Elizabeth and kin to Davey by their marriage. There are Crocketts all over Gibson County and a replica of his cabin (with some of the original timbers) is located just outside Rutherford. Davey's mother Rebecca Hawkins Crockett is buried there. Davey was a Colonel and Commander of the Lawrence County Malitia , a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Tennessee State Legislature and successful businessman while in Lawrence County. He owned a Distillery, Grist Mill and Gun Powder Mill untill a flash flood destroyed them and forced Davey and Elizabeth into bankruptsey. They sold what they had left and moved to what became  Gibson County in West Tennessee where there was 1000 acres of land owned by Elizabeth's father, Robert Patton, who received it for service in the Revolutionary War. He devided this land into 200 acre lots to be divided it among his children. Davey was elected to US congress for 3 terms. When he lost his 4th bid for his congressional seat, he went to Texas and joined their fight for independance from Mexico. He was killed at the Alamo and his body burned by order of Santa Anna. In 1852 Elizabeth and some or the family moved to Texas to take up land awarded to Davey by the Republic of Texas. She and the families that went with her died and were buried there and relatives live there to this day. This and is on my web site on RootsWeb.

 

Virtus

Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com