Update on the Free China preservation effort

This is an update from Dione Chen who is spearheading the effort to save the Free China.
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Thank you for your interest in saving the Free China, a historic Chinese junk that will be lost forever unless preservation efforts succeed.
We appreciate—and need—your support. We'd like to provide you with a brief update on preservation efforts, and let you know about the areas of greatest need. Any assistance will be valuable. Please visit our website www.chinesejunkpreservation.com for more information.

Emergency Short-Term Preservation Strategy:
With the Dec. 31 deadline for destruction fast-approaching, in mid-December, Chinese Junk Preservation was able to first "buy time" by negotiating to pay for a 3-month extension for continued temporary storage of the junk. The owner will not extend this new deadline, which is fast approaching.
We have developed a pragmatic, emergency preservation strategy to give the junk a chance at survival. The strategy includes these essential steps:
Pay for interim storage of the junk at another location in the San Francisco Bay Area, and transport the junk there (by sea/land), while efforts continue to secure a long-term home for the junk.
Commission a professional survey and documentation of the junk's construction and original and current (altered) condition.
Collect and save the rich array of documentation, photos, news clippings, and film that exist—but need to be preserved as they are currently vulnerable to deterioration.
Support Critical to Saving Junk
Chinese Junk Preservation is a small group of volunteers with a dream of saving this historic vessel. Here are the areas of greatest need:
* Help find a home for the Free China. Do you know of a potential long-term owner and/or home for the Free China? We are seeking a long-term home for the junk where it may have a secure, public life, that is, where the junk will be safe and be exhibited in a way that will generate public awareness and understanding about maritime, Chinese and American history and culture, as well as immigration. A critical short-term need is for an interim home while a long-term home is found and readied. The ideal interim home will be in the San Francisco Bay Area, on land immediately adjacent to the water.
* Volunteer. You can make a difference! Join our crew of supporters today. We are looking for volunteers to assist and/or take a leadership role in the following areas: outreach to prospective supporters, partners and donors, fundraising and grant writing, public relations, historic preservation and boat restoration, nonprofit management, Chinese-English translation and online communications.
* Donate. The Chinese Junk Preservation group operates on a shoestring budget and relies on volunteers. We need to raise $50,000 to implement the emergency short-term strategy that will give the junk a last chance at survival. This money will be dedicated to securing an interim home for the junk, preparing exhibition/educational materials, conducting outreach to current and potential supporters and partners, and obtaining a professional survey of the junk and documentation of its construction and history. Tax-deductible donations can be made to the group via its fiscal sponsor, the Chinese Historical Society of America (www.chsa.org), which is the largest and oldest Chinese American historical society in the U.S. Information on how to donate can be found at the group's website www.chinesejunkpreservation.com. We also seek an experienced fundraiser to lead fundraising efforts, and volunteers to assist with outreach.
* Spread the Word: Chinese Junk Preservation welcomes interest and support in this preservation project. The more people who know about the junk, the better our chances of finding a new home, potential sponsor or talented volunteer! Please tell people about this preservation effort. Invite them to visit this website and join our mailing list for future updates. We welcome everyone who would like to be added to our mailing list to send an email stating their interest and contact information to us at: chinesejunkpreservation@gmail.com To find out more, help spread the word about efforts, or to make a donation, please visit www.chinesejunkpreservation.com . Emails may be sent to: chinesejunkpreservation@gmail.com.

Keep in touch. We value your interest and support in this inspiring preservation project. Please join our mailing list to receive occasional email updates about our progress. To join, please send an email to chinesejunkpreservation@gmail.com, including your contact information and a brief note letting us know of your interest. Please be assured, we will not share your email address and you may unsubscribe at any time.

American publisher to issue Chinese Medical Science book by UMAC's professors

University of Macau (UMAC) revealed that Nova Science Publishers, Inc from USA, has recently published “Pharmacological Activity Based Quality Control of Chinese Herbs”, written by Associate Prof. Li Shaoping and Prof. Wang Yitao, from the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS) of UMAC. Following the growing trend of “Getting Back to Nature”, the Chinese herbs have become more and more popular because of its security and effectiveness characteristics. Associate Professor Li and Professor Wang's book was written based on the recent research results of the quality control of Chinese herbs conducted by UMAC, as well as invited experts from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Singapore to write and edit the book. Meanwhile, the concept of “Pharmacological Activity Based Quality Control of Chinese Herbs” not only represents the research direction of the quality control of modern Chinese medicine, but is also conducive to the international expansion of Chinese medicine. Nova Science Publishers, Inc (USA) is one of the most influential publishers of scientific and technical books in the world, and is well-known to publish the newest advancement in scientific areas. It publishes more than 500 types of book and 45 types of academic periodicals every year. The publication of the book has indicated that research on the quality control for Chinese medicine conducted by UMAC is international acknowledged.

For full article see:
http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21824&Itemid=28

Colorpuncture

Question: What do you think of Colorpuncture?

Answer: Colorpuncture...Hmmm... I've heard of it but don't know much about it so I looked it up. After reviewing the colorpuncture website, here's what I think:

There's a lot of people who have unusual, non-traditional takes on acupuncture and this is one of them. One of the claims on their website is "Colorpuncture therapy uses precisely targeted light treatments to gently unlock and release emotional trauma and blocked soul information which often underlie our illnesses."
Personally I don't believe that someone can "unlock and release...blocked soul information". In fact, I don't think there is such a thing as "blocked soul information". The key though is can it make you well? A lot of things get better all by themselves so a good test, in my opinion, is getting rid of pain fast. My experience with acupuncture is that if you chose the right point you can have an instant change in the level of pain. I doubt colorpuncture can do this.
If you try it you'll have to tell me if it works but you might be better off going to someone who is good at using acupuncture needles.

Achyranthis "Niu xi" and Achyranthis "Tu niu xi"

Question: What is the difference between Achyranthis "Niu xi" and Achyranthis "Tu niu xi"?

Answer: There seems to be some confusion about this herb but the clearest explanation is found in Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica. See link below:
http://eastearthtrade.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=16

Basically, both herbs invigorate the blood and direct downward but Niu Xi tonifies the Kidneys, strengthens the lumbar area and knees. It does not drain fire or resolve toxicity. Tu niu xi has no ability to tonify deficiency, but does drain fire, resolve toxicity, clear heat toxin and unblock painful urinary dribbling.

As far as the prepared forms of niu xi are concerned, this is something you would do yourself by dry-frying, salt-frying, wine-frying, or charring. See Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica for full information.

You can buy Achyranthis (Niu Xi) at www.eastearthtrade.com, see:
http://eastearthtrade.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=370