There has been terrible violence in India's Assam region recently and the violence has spread to other parts of India. Since this is a blog on China, not India, I am not going to dig too much into the cause or even meaning of the riots. But I do want to point out the relatively "favorable" coverage India is getting. In almost all reports I see, India is cast as the force … [Read more...] about Riots in Assam
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Mighty Gears Found Around Olympic Venues in London as Olympics Near
As DeWang busies himself shooting lilies and other flowers around Shanghai, I think people ought to check out some of the pictures of heavy duty military gears around Olympic Venues in London as Olympics Near. Truly amazing stuffs! However it's not just the serious gears, but also the many precautions that have been taken - including the deployment of of an army in London … [Read more...] about Mighty Gears Found Around Olympic Venues in London as Olympics Near
Wen Jiabao Urges Political Reform and Praises Internet Criticism of Government
The Fifth Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) has just ended. Here are two stories about Wen that I found interesting. I have no personal insights beyond what is reported, but I thought it is helpful to bring attention to such stories to balance the distorted view in the West that the Chinese government somehow has in its DNA a fear of criticisms and a … [Read more...] about Wen Jiabao Urges Political Reform and Praises Internet Criticism of Government
Some Thoughts on the Linsanity Surrounding Jeremy Lin
Like other Asian Americans, I have been following Linsanity over the last 2 weeks or so with great interest and pride. It's not too often you see a twice-cut bench warmer become a starter and take a professional team in New York by storm like Jeremy Lin (林書豪) has. While the future of Lin as a mega star is not necessarily secure, with some saying that Lin is a phenom only … [Read more...] about Some Thoughts on the Linsanity Surrounding Jeremy Lin
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