Happy New Year!

The Year of the Ox is icumen in, in China and in the Bay Area. Our colleagues in China had the week off, although they couldn't resist the occasional peek at the blackberry.

San Francisco's Chinese New Year's parade is coming up next week-end. This one of those must-see events that never gets old (even when it's raining).

The parade has gone big-time in recent years with major sponsorship by Southwest Airlines. But it remains fundamentally a local event, with huge local participation and more cute kids than imaginable.

Its excitement factor is on a par with the Demolition Derby at the Carroll County Fair in my native rural county in Illinois.

Meanwhile, we're gearing up in Palo Alto for the Chinese-language version of NOW Magazine, in which we'll have some great interviews and some groundbreaking analysis provided jointly with one of the leading research firms in China.

Here are some great pics of the SF parade.

You can learn all about it at: http://www.chineseparade.com/

Merry Christmas!

It's the Orthodox Christmas, so I can therefore wish everyone belated good wishes. Returned to the US on Dec. 23, completely fried, then took advantage of my company's holiday holiday.

Back in the office Monday, Jan. 5 and now trying to get caught up. I placed a nice gift I received from my colleagues in Beijing on the Table of Honor in my office, put it right between an award-winning magazine I created years ago and a great picture of Babe Ruth that I treasure. :-)