http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:37:16 -0700 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:43:58 -0700 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m11d22-Four-nonos-in-Beijing?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner My wife Jean and I walked half an hour from our apartment in Beijing today where we entered the grounds that house the summer palace of the Empress Dowager Cixi. I took tons of photos. Here I am.The grounds are magnificent, benefiting the location&rs... Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:43:58 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m11d22-Four-nonos-in-Beijing?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m11d17-Live-from-Beijing?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Two of America’s most famous sons arrived in Beijing yesterday (Monday). There are, of course, a couple of differences between President Obama and me.The President probably didn’t spend a couple hours today anxiously trying to arrange a t... Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:28:46 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m11d17-Live-from-Beijing?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m11d14-From-France-to-China?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner In a few hours I will be leaving my rented home in France to join my wife Jean in our newly rented apartment in Beijing, China.I’m not sure if that will make me examiner.com’s first Chinese correspondent or even if I will be able to write... Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:58:34 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m11d14-From-France-to-China?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m11d4-Eleven-more-days-in-France?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Picture of the Jura Mountains MEPHOTO My scheduled departure for my new digs in Beijing, China is November 15. This will likely be my last report from France, though since I received my Mandarin set of Pimsleur tapes in the mail today, I’m pr... Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:04:28 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m11d4-Eleven-more-days-in-France?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d26-Nonacademic-reasons-to-learn-French?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner There’s a very good article written today by Stanford Professor Dan Edelstein and published by Inside Higher Ed, explaining why we need to have a foreign language requirement in college “Only English Spoken,” Oct. 26). http://www.in... Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:55:13 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d26-Nonacademic-reasons-to-learn-French?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d26-Nostalgia-as-the-French-departure-date-approaches?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner As I get ready to leave France to join my wife Jean in Beijing, China, I find myself holding onto France tighter and tighter. My conversations with my neighbors have become a little less perfunctory- a tribute not to my increased fluency, but a desir... Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:11:30 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d26-Nostalgia-as-the-French-departure-date-approaches?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d21-Examples-of-how-a-dummy-can-learn-French?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Yesterday, I suggested that a good way for dummies like me to learn French is to pick topics to study in French that interest you and/or topics about which you already know something.www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d... Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:09:14 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d21-Examples-of-how-a-dummy-can-learn-French?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d20-How-even-dummies-can-learn-French?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner   In about three weeks I will have finished a nearly two-year stay in France. On November 15, I leave for Beijing, China, where I hope to continue writing about living abroad.   The most satisfying part of living here has bee... Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:52:16 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d20-How-even-dummies-can-learn-French?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d12-Banking-efficiency-A-Swiss-myth?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Usually, I’m full of wonder and praise with the things I learn about living here in France, a few miles from the border with Switzerland.  There have been exceptions of course, such as: store closing hours in France; high prices in both co... Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:51:12 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d12-Banking-efficiency-A-Swiss-myth?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d8-Maudlin-thoughtsleaving-France?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner      I’m guessing most of us have a pretty good sense of our own procrastination gambits. I’m supposed to be doing lots of things to get ready for our (my wife, Jean, my dog, Duke and my) departure to Beijing, China. M... Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:33:24 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d8-Maudlin-thoughtsleaving-France?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d4-A-Sunday-bike-ride-in-France?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Today was a perfect fall day for a bike ride. After a little cleaning and packing for our quickly arriving departures to Beijing, Jean (my wife) and I took a bike ride to Prevessin-Moens. We had read about a Brazilian dance and drumming class that wa... Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:16:52 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d4-A-Sunday-bike-ride-in-France?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d2-Suicides-and-France-Telecom?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Here in France there has been a widely disseminated report about a recent flood of suicides at France Telecom, the French telecommunications giant that employs 102,000 people. That story has begun to garner international attention. http://www.nytimes... Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:02:09 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d2-Suicides-and-France-Telecom?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d1-A-personal-take-on-the-Swiss-health-system?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner A big “thanks” to those people who have taken the time to write some kind notes in response to my articles. I seem to have conveyed for some of you a sense of the real pleasure that I’ve experienced living abroad these past (nearly)... Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:43:49 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m10d1-A-personal-take-on-the-Swiss-health-system?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d27-Something-to-consider-when-moving-from-France-to-China?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner My wife Jean and I took a long walk with our dog Duke this morning. The former one-hour walk now takes a good bit longer as Duke lags more than she used to. Jean will be leaving for Beijing, China in about three weeks, where she will be directing a p... Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:00:24 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d27-Something-to-consider-when-moving-from-France-to-China?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d23-Berlin-revisited?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Monday, after I wrote about my recent trip to Berlin (http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d21-A-trip-to-Berlin), a friend suggested that I needed to do a little harder sell about the city for history buffs. I agree... Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:17:56 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d23-Berlin-revisited?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d21-A-trip-to-Berlin?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner I recently got back from a five-day trip to Berlin. Here are a few reasons you might want to go there and things to do if you go.Berlin is hands-down the city which most strongly links the events of World War II and the Cold War. A city block is the ... Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:03:23 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d21-A-trip-to-Berlin?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d2-Ringing-down-the-French-curtain?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Before I began writing about my experiences living in France for Examiner.com, I wrote commentaries about education, law, psychology, current popular issues, and occasionally politics. Commentaries are generally intended to persuade. My articles as t... Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:20:20 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d2-Ringing-down-the-French-curtain?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m8d21-More-than-Paris-to-France?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Over the last couple of days I’ve written stories about visiting Paris. As the most visited city in the world, Paris is certainly the attraction that pulls many people to visit France. However, if you stop your French visit with a Paris trip, y... Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:46:50 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m8d21-More-than-Paris-to-France?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m8d20-Paris-Visit-Part-3?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner Here are my final suggestions about visiting Paris. First, if you can swing it, a good time to visit is between now and the end of August. I realize that’s pretty quick, but if you’re like me you probably make arrangements last minute any... Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:32:47 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m8d20-Paris-Visit-Part-3?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m8d18-Paris-visit-Part-2?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner All tours are not created equal. I learned that lesson when I booked my bus tours and boat tours of Paris online. Normally, I like doing bookings online. It’s particularly gratifying now that my French is good enough that I’m pretty sure ... Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:49:06 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10851-SF-International-Living-Examiner~y2009m8d18-Paris-visit-Part-2?cid=exrss-SF-International-Living-Examiner