I have long maintained that boycotts rarely work well as a tool of political protest. Even when mobilized as a collective national action like a trade embargo, history has not shown much effectiveness in causing political change, other than merely increasing bitterness (like the Embargo against Cuba). Against a much larger target, with even broader scope, such as "boycott … [Read more...] about New Internet Economy Puts Dent In “Boycott China”
General
U.S. – Hong Kong Extradition Treaty (1997)
Took me a while, but I finally found the text of the U.S. - Hong Kong Extradition Treaty (1997) from the U.S. Government Printing Office. A copy of the pdf is provided below. The Senate Notes here provides a good summary of (and background information surrounding) the treaty. … [Read more...] about U.S. – Hong Kong Extradition Treaty (1997)
Tsung Tsung is why I am bullish on China
Video below was taken about a year ago, then 5-year old Tsung Tsung exhibiting what a piano prodigy he was. This is obviously raw talent and true passion. It would have been a shame for not Tsung Tsung's parents affording him the piano and the lessons. Tsung Tsung is another example of why I am bullish on China. The hundreds of millions of Chinese finally moving out of the … [Read more...] about Tsung Tsung is why I am bullish on China
Psychological projection and the western mind
There is an interesting phenomenon known to psychologists as projection. I quote at length from wiki’s entry on the topic. Psychological projection was first conceptualized by Sigmund Freud as a defence mechanism in which a person unconsciously rejects his or her own unacceptable attributes by ascribing them to objects or persons in the outside world instead. Thus, projection … [Read more...] about Psychological projection and the western mind
Elgin Street and the Old Summer Palace
Sipping sangria in a tapas bar at Hong Kong’s Soho District, looking out the window, one could spend hours watching cosmopolitan humans spewing out one of the world’s longest elevator systems. Next to it, a street sign reads “Elgin Street.” Hardly anybody knows who Elgin was, or what he had done to deserve a street named after him. If not because of a recent deliberation with a … [Read more...] about Elgin Street and the Old Summer Palace