Exotic Americans
Submitted by davidnielsen on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 03:51
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One interesting cultural phenomenon here is the fascination some Chinese have for Americans. Before I came here I had heard that Chinese people actively seek out Americans and ask to take pictures with them.
I thought that story might be apocryphal or a relic from an earlier era when China was closed off to the Western world.
I was wrong. When I was touring the Great Wall a Chinese gentleman caught my eye, then smiled and gently pushed his young daughter toward me. He handed me a China flag, then shuffled back a few steps and took a quick snapshot.
One of my colleagues got a picture, too.
Maybe the next time I see a Chinese family in Washington D.C. I can return the favor with my daughter.
David with young Chinese girl
Paying taxes unites us. It also divides us. People can pay five and even six times more in state and local taxes than other folks in similar circumstances making similar incomes.
Who's got your number?
In one of the fastest-growing forms of identity theft, crooks are stealing tax refunds by swiping personal information and using it to trick the Internal Revenue Service.
