Remember the 1990s and early 2000s hunt for WMD in Iraq headed by the former director-general of the IAEA, Hans Blix? No WMD has been found, but during that period, the propaganda within the NATO countries arguing for war ultimately led to the 2003 Iraq invasion. Now, fast forward to 2011. I get the sinking feeling we are witnessing the repeat of that. Remember the … [Read more...] about Is the West building a case for the invasion of Iran?
Hans Rosling: sovereignty and capitalism got China and India moving
Following is a TED talk given by Hans Rosling about two years ago. Rosling has a unique skill in visualizing large data sets that span civilizations. In a nutshell, it was freeing from colonialism and foreign invasions followed by capitalism that is finally enabling China and India to slowly catch up to their Westerner counterparts. His data and visualization couldn't make … [Read more...] about Hans Rosling: sovereignty and capitalism got China and India moving
China achieves space docking
Little over a month ago, China launched the Tiangong-1 space lab module and announced a planned next step of conducting space docking within two months. Launched couple of days ago, Shenzhou-8 has made a successful space dock with Tiangong-1. This is a major milestone for China's space program as this is a crucial step in building a space station. China is the third nation … [Read more...] about China achieves space docking
Interesting encounters in Japan
My strategy for fighting jet lag returning from Asia is to have a large breakfast followed by a large lunch on the departure date. Minimal fluid around lunch and depart in the afternoon. Sleep little the night before. And then sleep all the way in a window seat on the plane. On numerous occasions, I managed to be out before take off and waking up as the plane approaches San … [Read more...] about Interesting encounters in Japan
the Israel-Palestine conflict, a call for peace
I was recently exposed to some very sad images of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and thought about what I might do constructively as a blogger. So, I have decided to make a plea to the world to help the two sides end their cycle of violence. I think we are way passed the point of taking sides. And, since this is a 'China' blog, I thought: it's time to think big and how … [Read more...] about the Israel-Palestine conflict, a call for peace