(Photo from the LA Times)
The Republican primary campaign more closely resembles American Idol or X-Factor than a race to see who can effectively lead the free world. The candidates – and dare I say, the media – are not doing justice... read more »
November 14, 2011 6:27 pm / 2 comments
(Photo from the Daily Beast)
It’s with a sense of frustration that I watch America descend from its perch atop the global order. For as long as I’ve been alive, the United States has been the “shining city on a hill”,... read more »
November 14, 2011 3:24 am / 5 comments
Change is unstoppable, so people may as well get on board with it. It’s easier to go with the flow than to try and swim upstream, as they say. These cliches are particularly pertinent in the technology industry, where change is not... read more »
October 17, 2011 2:35 am / no comments
There are many books and essays out there what it is that draws people to professional sports. The pride, the competition, the feeling that, even if you aren’t playing, the players represent you, in some way.
To a non-sports fan, this... read more »
June 16, 2011 2:38 am / 1 comment
When people have nothing, they become desperate. We’ve seen this throughout history and around the world. Simply speaking, the reason Palestinians blow themselves up in Tel Aviv coffee shops is because it’s better than the alternative:... read more »
May 26, 2011 8:09 pm / 3 comments
I can’t think of another city that I adore so much, but also that I just can’t stand. Beijing is both of those things simultaneously, and that fact was confirmed following my recent visit to the dusty capital.
Readers of this blog... read more »
May 22, 2011 9:16 pm / 3 comments
Reuters is reporting today that President Barack Obama will appoint Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as his next Ambassador to China, replacing the outgoing (and possible Presidential candidate) John Huntsman.
I think the choice will generally... read more »
March 7, 2011 9:02 pm / 12 comments
I find myself espousing some views that I never expected I would espouse when I speak with friends and family back in North America. I have grown used to hearing platitudes from “westerners” about how Tibetans are oppressed, China... read more »
February 9, 2011 11:35 pm / 13 comments
(Edit: In the interest of full transparency, the quotes from Bill Bishop and Kaiser Kuo below were taken from separate questions on Quora. As such, Bill’s reply was *not* a direct reply to Kaiser’s post. I believe this was made clear... read more »
January 6, 2011 7:06 am / 18 comments
Hu Jintao sits down for chat in Guo Chunping's (right) 77 kuai apartment.
Regular readers of this blog will know I toiled in the bowels of China’s state-run media machine for a few years, so know all about the silly, paranoid behaviour... read more »
January 3, 2011 2:47 am / 8 comments