Thanks to Google I discovered this book "Something About America" by Maria Testa. But that's not why I wanted to start this column "Something about America" as I see and feel it.  

As we sat down to eat our breakfast this morning, my eyes were glued to the TV screen showing the Tsunami waves madly swallowing cars and houses on the Japanese Pacific coast. The heartbreaking pictures were quickly replaced by the more heart-wrenching warning about the potential devastating threat of radiation leakage from the nuclear plants. I wanted to cry for Japan, for its lost lives, for the suffering of its people, for the endurance of Japanese people and humanity.

At the invitation of a Chinese friend currently living here in Australia, I have now visited China twice, and can't wait until my next trip in August 2009.

By Bill Siggins for Global Times It's been five years since I earned my driver's license in Beijing and, frankly, my on-road experiences have aged me. I've decided it's time to be Zen, go with the flow and not worry about idiot drivers. It's not so much the driver errors that make me see red. The streets are filled with new cars and new drivers who can be expected to hesitate and make mistakes.