For all the talk about democracy leading up to the Olympics, perhaps it is time - in the wake of the Olympics - to take a step back and ponder about what democracy really is. An interesting article appeared in the New Yorker earlier this month about the process of politics. Digging under the hood of democratic politics, it tries to explore two strains of forces that in real … [Read more...] about Understanding Democracy
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Has He Kexin's age been changed to older or younger?
Even though Buxi isn't back, why don't we return to a fine tradition of this blog? This post from Niubo (牛博), a Chinese forum often filled with discontent with how things are, has something interesting to add about the age of Olympic gymnast He Kexin. Translation below: On the question of the Chinese gymnast He Kexin's age, one fact is certain, that is, there is an … [Read more...] about Has He Kexin's age been changed to older or younger?
The cruelest insults come from ones pretending to speak as the righteous
[UPDATE] At the risk of being seen as running an excessive self and cross promotional campaign, I highly recommend all interested readers to check out ESWN's take on some of the irresponsible media reports in this case, particularly the collection of quotes from various medias, and the latest comment on the "uneven teeth" meme such reports created. Roland is very gracious in … [Read more...] about The cruelest insults come from ones pretending to speak as the righteous
An imperfect perfection
Note: an update is inserted at the end. The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony was, by most accounts, a brilliantly choreographed and spectacularly executed performance worth of a gold medal of its own. There were a fair number of notable highlights, and many journalists certainly were not shy from exhausting all the synonyms of the word "stunning" in the thesaurus in … [Read more...] about An imperfect perfection
The Olympics Demonstrate China's "Soft Power": on Baloney and Silliness.
Watching the NBC broadcast of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing gave me a sleepless night. Something about the ceremony and the games bothered me. I had to think it trough. What do you make of the following features of the Opening Ceremony? … [Read more...] about The Olympics Demonstrate China's "Soft Power": on Baloney and Silliness.