Henry Paulson is the secretary of the US Treasury and his article on the Foreign Affairs Magazine for the September/October 2008 Issue shows a perspective that the prosperity of the United States and China depends heavily on helping China further integrate itself into the global economic system through trade, investments and the integration of the financial markets. According to Paulson, the launch of the U.S. - China Economic Dialogue (SED) was an important step taken in 2006 by President Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao in expanding the relationship of these two superpowers over the long term. Despite the long history of interaction between the two nations, they both have had misunderstandings in various areas. Thus the SED began to play a big role in enabling policy makers from both sides to meet each other as equals and to work toward a strategic goal. Early on, China always was very defensive of its national interests, especially against foreign demands thus the US, in particular, was perceived as arrogant aggressive bully in China even when these foreign powers were legitimately pursuing their interests with China. However, since the creation of the SED under President Bush, legitimate high level avenues of diplomatic contact was made possible for China and the US to corporate and avoid such misunderstandings.

After its creation, the SED began to focus on a number of issues including the rising growth imbalances, US-Chinese economic relationship, energy security, environmental sustainability, trade and investment issues, product safety and China's position in the global economic system. Unlike the image the Americans have about China, china is actually facing a growing crisis behind all the façade of power. The same reason that spurned growth in China is now becoming an obstacle to Chinese social stability and sustained economic growth. The Chinese growth was all based on exports and investments in its capital, which has led to rise of rapid energy consumption, environmental damage, an unequal amount of infrastructure in the coastal China compared to inland China and increasing tensions with trade partners due to Chinese market policies and trade surpluses. China also faces a population crisis as the traditional source for retirement benefits were their Children but the one child policy and the dangers in society have drastically made China's biggest resources - their children a scare resource. So now China must find a way to help the rapidly aging population with retirement and health benefits.

As two of the biggest consumers of oil, China and the US share a large interest in energy security and developing alternative energy sources. Chinese policy to set price caps on subsidized oil and electricity to promote stable social life has failed as it led to wasteful consumption. Now the control of energy demand has become a growing concern in the country among the middle and upper class. The US also has begun to address the issue of inadequate protection of intellectual property rights in China through the SED and also began to press China into opening its closed market practices to foreign businesses. In the years to come, three possible choices exist for Chinese - US relations: robust engagement, dispute resolution through multilateral and bilateral enforcement measures and punitive measures - being that the first two tend to work better with China than punitive measures.

The thing is, people are so paranoid these days on products made from China that people even thought of boycotting them! Insane! Without products made in these countries, we would have no Wal-Mart, dollar stores and other stores made for the working class. Business men love to get a deal and when Asian countries want money to, scam is all they give. Mass produce for low wages but it's good for the business men.

So my last words are, don't be afraid of Chinese made products because it won't have a higher chance of killing you than in a car crash. Buy Chinese made stuff and buy Canadian/American made stuff. It's ok.

The Chinese government needs to create a system to supervise their economy like the U.S. did when we went through the progressive era and created the F.D.A., along with many other reforms. All in all, China has a major quality control problem that needs to change soon, before other countries stop trading for and purchasing Chinese goods and the country's economy comes crashing down. This could be a major tragedy because China is the most populous country in the world. Over one billion people would suffer severe hardship if China's economy fails.

I think this is a serious, serious problem. Looking around my room, I would say that approximately fifty percent of my belongings are made in China. Now, I am not saying that all of these products do not work or that I am going to die because I use Chinese materials, but I am a little scared. What if the snack I am eating right now is contaminated? What if the treat I am feeding my dog is contaminated? What if all my stuff falls apart in the next few years or the toy I used to put in my mouth when I was little had lead paint on it and I died of lead poisoning (okay, probably not)?

Still, just knowing that this is happening, and that my family or friends might be hugely affected, is an unsettling thought. I hope the Chinese government will be able to quickly make the changes needed to get their production standards and economy back on track. I think that having a period of reform or a “progressive era” is just what they need. I would get them back on track and would certainly be a good sign to the whole world seeing as how their economy plays such a big part in the economy of other countries, and who knows it may lead to the stabilization of the Chinese government. In conclusion, I want to be able to buy Chinese products safely and I am sure that people around the world can't wait to also, seeing as how they are one of the biggest exporters of goods.

Production

A Chinese buffet is obviously an all you can eat Chinese cuisine. All Chinese buffets serve about the same type of food. For example: fried rice, low mien noodles, crab legs, shrimp, stir fry, ice cream, and let's not forget, fortune cookies. A Chinese buffet does not make its own fortune cookie though. Fortune cookies are made and packaged then they're sent to the buffet to be served. It's the same with all the food. A Chinese buffet does not butcher a cow for the strips of beef nor chicken or pork. The meats are ordered from food packaging companies and they are bought by the buffet owner. In the kitchen, chefs put together all these packaged foods to make the dishes. Fruits are cut up into smaller pieces and cakes are cut up to be served.

A Chinese buffet presents itself through its appearance. The way the buffet look matters to the customers. Customers would not decide to eat there if they walk into a place that is dirty and unattractive. The buffet has to produce a good and comfortable environment that is attractive to customers. Some buffets like to create a vibe of China for their customers. They like to add waterfalls and goldfishes. They also play slow old fashion Chinese music and hang many paint portraits of china. To be the owner of a buffet, you have to include all these little things to attract more customers.

Buffets provide service for the customers. Some buffets have self serve drink fountains, some have waiters or waitresses bring drinks to the customers. The waiters and waitresses also pick up dirty plates and put up fresh cooked food. They also vacuum and sweep.

Distribution

The distribution of a Chinese buffet starts from far beyond the kitchen of the buffet. All the ingredients are not made within the buffet. There are food packaging companies that the owner of the buffet has to order from. For example: there are the vegetables, meats, and don't forget the beverages. It costs money to have these food shipped. There are many things that go into a price.

When all these foods and beverages arrive, they're put in the proper places to maintain freshness. It is then when the ingredients are put together by the chefs. The buffet can also sell good that were produced by someone else. For example: fortune cookies, bottled pop, or gumball machines. However, what ever is sold at the buffet will be consumes there or somewhere near there.

A buffet is open to the public. Wherever the buffet is located, that is where its goods will be sold to. Maybe even a little farther out of the area where the buffet is located due to travelers. Or maybe the Chinese buffet delivers food. In that case, it'll be extra money for gas and extra time for the mile.

Consumption

The main production of a Chinese buffet is Chinese food. People who love to eat Chinese food will be most attracted to the buffet. Then there are those who like to try new stuff. There are also those who happen to be hungry while they were around town. For example: travelers and truck drivers.

The people that work in the buffet are most likely to purchase food. Fast foods, restaurants, and anything else dealing with food, usually give their employees 50% discount. With that advantage, employees are most likely to purchase food where they can receive the cheapest price.

At buffets, not all the food are eaten and paid for. When you go to the buffet, do you always eat what's on your plate? Sometimes employees would take leftovers home to their families. Usually, extra food just gets thrown out. It wouldn't be kept for the next day because customers want fresh stuff. Consumers never want used, old stuff. They always want brand new, freshly cut, freshly baked, freshly cooked goods. There are also times when the food would expire because you can use it. That only means that you have to stop ordering so much of that specific stuff that expired.

Individuals

The person who owns the buffet has to make sure that his/her buffet is in good condition. It's always inspected by professionals before the buffet can be opened for business. What I mean by “good condition” is that the kitchen has to be sanitary, the lobby and seats have to be clean and sturdy, and his/her employees give great service. Customers want to be in a clean and comfortable environment. They want to be treated well by the employees.

The owner gets more customers by his/her dishes. Some buffets have very few dishes due to the lack of room and some have way too many. There are some buffets that have Mongolian BBQ. A Mongolian BBQ is a small section of a buffet that you can pick your own meats and veggies in your stir fry. You give it to the chef and the chef cooks it right before you eyes. The owner has to be careful in choosing the dishes because making too much can be wasted if he/she doesn't attract enough customers. If the owner makes very few, that can also cause the loss of customers as well.

If for some reason, the buffet does not run well at all and the buffet gets shut down, the owner would loose a lot of money. His/her employees would be out of a job. The remaining food would just be brought home. All of the equipments (pans, tongs, chairs, and tables) would have to be put in storage or be sold to other restaurants.

If the business is successful, the owner would have to make sure there are enough food and drinks for the customers. If there's a line of customers waiting to be seated, the owner might consider expanding the buffet to assist more customers. The more customers there are the more employees will be needed.

Households

Families around the neighborhood notices that a new Chinese buffet had just opened. Some families enjoy trying new things. Maybe they will like the new buffet and will return for more. They will probably be one of the buffet's best customers.

On the other hand, there are families who think otherwise. There are families who don't eat out, who don't want to support small businesses. Those families are conservative families. They probably want to go out and eat but they think about their money and decide not to go because they have financial problems.

Households help keep the buffet running because when they do come out to eat, they are keeping the business alive by distributing to its wellness.

Businesses

Businesses are always competing against each other. They want to have all the consumers to themselves. They want the money. In order to get the money, they have to have some money to start off with. That money that they have already can go into advertising.

Advertising costs a lot of money. There are T.V. commercials that you can advertise. There are newspaper ads, billboards, internet ads, and radio commercials. These are different ways that someone can advertise their business.

When you go shopping at Marshalls, you always find things at a cheaper price than at Macy's. The items are not generic or damaged. They're just sold at a cheaper price. This is just another example of competitive retail price. Let's say, last week you went to the buffet downtown and it costs you about 12 bucks for dinner. This week you went out to the one nearby the mall and that costs you 10 bucks for dinner. Why would the one downtown cost more than the one near the mall? First of all, places in downtown are very expensive to buy/rent out. That's probably one reason why the price is higher.

Governments

There are taxes you have to pay as a business owner. Even if your business isn't making enough money for profit, you still have the taxes to pay. Before opening a restaurant, there are people who check the place to see if it meets the standards and policy of a safe and proper restaurant.

Most people seek out to get loans to start up a business. Those loans have to be paid off within a given time. If your business is not successful and you can't make enough money to pay off your loans, the government will notify you. The government plays a big part in making your business successful.

When handling food, you need a certified food license to handle the food. Without that, you're unable to open a restaurant for business. The government signs off the license stating that you are qualified to serve food.

The government has control over whether or not your business should still run. If it doesn't meet proper requirements or if you violate any of the laws, your business can be shut down permanently. So be precautious of the actions you take to start up a business.

Environment

The location of a buffet matters. You have to think about who you want to attract. You have to consider your standards to the condition of the location. Maybe you want a clean place or a place where many people shop or spend their free time at. A good location usually costs more money than a bad location.

Good locations are places that are newer, cleaner, and livelier. If a buffet is in a good location, the owner would have to create his business to meet the standards of the location. A business that is in a good location is most likely to be successful.

A poor location would be in a place where a lot of crime happens, or a hidden place where the buffet won't be seen by people. If a lot of crime happens at the location, nobody would want to walk into the buffet. They would be scared because of the crime issue. The buffet has a high chance of getting robbed. It would cost a lot of money to get a security system installed. If the buffet is at a hidden location, it'll be hard to attract customers.

Good locations are expensive. Not including the cost of pots, pans, tables, counters, register, oven, stoves, sinks, etc. Bad locations are cheap but it's bad to have a business in a bad location. You should keep searching for cheap good locations. There are a few. It's usually hard to find.

Today there are many competitive books out on the market, including Longmans and ETS editions all wanting a share of the TOEFL market, they allow the student to become familiar with a lesson plan so that he can learn the language in its four parts: spoken, read, listened and written. I have had the opportunity to attend an ETS workshop and brush up on methodology and it comes down to several facts. The student has to follow the instructions that he is given according to the prompts he sees on the pop-up screen and then he has to answer the question to the best of his ability.

Obviously a person who organized his thoughts into a coherent whole with an introductory sentence and a conclusion will have a better score than one who has disjointed sentences. If the person has some sense of giving an answer and has backed up his answer with a reference to the written text after hearing something orally than he has a good chance of getting a score that will fall in the midrange.

Often a student is docked marks if he defends his argument with one point instead of a required two. He is also often penalized if he cannot formulate sentences on his own but reiterates phrases from the text as though he were speaking on his own. There might be a cultural basis for this, in the Chinese culture much emphasis has been on memorization, but memorization is as we all know not the key to individual expressiveness.

Students will often have difficulty remembering what the required information is being asked. On these tests he can often go back and forth from the text questions to the text and check to see if he is on the right track. Another fallback is that the student might expect to remember details without taking notes and he should get used to taking these especially if he is listening to a lecture. Notes can be taken for conversations as well but are more difficult to take.

Current TOEFL tests involve conversations that are longer than before and can be more challenging because the speaker might digress from his main topic. Earlier tests had shorter texts, I was told and there was less digression, ie. the speaker stuck to his point. Since real life conversation involves some digression, that was the reason for remodeling the exam, I was informed.

Students should be prepared to answer question not only on what is being asked directly, or what is the supporting information for a argument, he should also be prepared to answer what was being inferred in a conversation. So there may be a moment where the CD may play a discourse between a student and an academic adviser and the latter gets rhetorical over what the student says. The language learner has to know how to interpret that rhetorical statement.

Teachers can afford to be generous with the language learned if they hear that he is able to piece information on his own, uses good transitional statements, speaks in an orderly fashion and can then judge if he merits a higher score if his vocabulary is more complex or if the student has bothered to go into some detail to back his answers.Obviously if the students answers the question in his native language is going to be eligible for a zero score on that question, because no effort is being shown to speak in English.

If the new speaker answers in some English which is unrelated to the information that is solicited he is also a candidate for a low score but the specific score all depends on the way he presents his information.