Clik here to view.
The Dick Cheney of Israel
Three points about Obama's recent speeches on the Arab world and the Middle East -- the one at the State Department, and the one today at AIPAC. Jeffrey Goldberg has been responding to these in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Greatness of Tom Tomorrow, Chapter 514
Back in 1998, in what now seems an unimaginable parallel universe, I was the editor of US News and World Report, which was then a weekly magazine. I dared hire "Tom Tomorrow" (aka Dan Perkins), who was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The True Language Barrier (Picture Not Worth 1000 Words Dept)
SEE CONTEST UPDATE BELOWA friend walking through Beijing's (lovely) Ritan Park last week sent this picture of a warning sign there. I know it means "Don't do [something]," but what the something is I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On Creativity, Taiwanese Soft Power, and 'Cultural Bonds Being Reknit'
In the most recent of my frequent paeans to Next Media Animation of Taiwan, I mentioned that the relatively small population of Taiwan was enjoying considerable creative and pop culture influence now...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Your Beijing Street Signs, Explained
Thanks to all who wrote in with guesses about the meaning of this not-entirely-obvious "thou shalt not" sign in Beijing's Ritan Park:And this smaller oddball one, from the Central Business...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Even More on Second Languages
In two items last week, a short one about the spectacle of Harvard undergrads singing a parody song in Chinese, and a longer one full of testimonials from language-learners around the world, I examined...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cory Lidle Plane Crash: the Jury Speaks
In the fall of 2006, just after the Detroit Tigers had eliminated the New York Yankees from post-season play, Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle died in a tragic and spectacular plane crash. (Photo, right, from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two Craft Points on Obama's Parliament Speech
It was an admirable speech, and so on, but that's not what interests me. Instead let's consider beginnings and endings.Beginnings. You can usually see the "light" or "droll" touches in speeches like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Three Sobering Notes about China
1) Cancer. Today's report, from the Earth Policy Institute, that cancer has become the leading cause of death in China. As the report says:The usual plagues of poverty--infectious diseases and high...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Air France Crash Reports
The latest reports about the Air France crash investigation are interesting significant -- and when I get to a "real" computer in about three hours, I'll say more about them. This is just a placeholder...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Air France 447: What the Black Box Tells Us
Here's how to think about the release today of a report based on "black box" data from the Air France crash into the Atlantic Ocean two years ago. Or at least how to start thinking about it. I wrote a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gil Scott-Heron
The music I most associate with my first stage of living in Washington, in the Watergate era of the 1970s when I was working for the Washington Monthly, was the voice and poetry of Gil Scott-Heron, who...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scheduling Notes, plus 'Net Needs News'
I have material stored up on a whole range of topics, which I hope to get to.. when I can. In recent days I have, quaintly, been distracted by "writing"; and more traveling-and-writing lie ahead. I'll...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Today's Chinese Semiotics Lesson
Wherever you go, there you are. From the Beijing Metro: Click on the photo to see a much bigger version. Discussion on Reddit of the Heisenbergian aspects here. You'll be relieved to know that my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy Birthday, China Daily!
Thirty years old today. And providing happiness, cheer, and a faithful thought-stream of the worldview of official China from beginning to end. I gather from my friends in the motherland that CD is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Hip Hop Guide to Foreigners and Their Ways
The meaning of Islam: The meaning of Chinese philosophies: The first video is from TheYoungCon / Geno.tv and has a number of impressive touches. I especially like the rhythmic horn-section flourishes...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On the Latest Google Chinese-Hacking News
Thanks to many people who have written in asking whether today's Google announcement of a new China-based wave of attacks on Gmail accounts is related to the takeover of my wife's Gmail account just...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Campy Earnestness Defined: Wen Jiabao Hoops Video
I mentioned yesterday that, as part of China Daily's touching 30th-birthday festivities, it ran some pictures of Premier Wen Jiabao playing basketball with school kids.Little did I know that a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
I Know That PIMCO's Bill Gross Is Supposed To Be Smart And All...
... and we even have a story about him (Atlantic photo, right) in the current issue (subscribe!).But, merciful heavens, is there no limit to "smart" people's credulous ignorance, to say nothing of lax...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Please Read This Article About the Chinese Navy
David Axe, of Wired's Danger Room site, has a new article up with a deliberately overstated headline: "Relax: China's First Aircraft Carrier is a Piece of Junk." It's really worth reading and largely...
View Article