Latest Posts
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Modern Love: Kidneys and Commitments
I have not blogged the NYT Sunday Modern Love column is a while, but today’s is too good to ignore. Angela Balcita writes a marvelous piece about her health problems and how they bring the best… Continue reading
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November
November is the saddest of months. With all due respect to T.S. Eliot, November is sadder than April because the latter, however seemingly cruel, gives way to the green and warmth of Spring; life returns and revives, everything… Continue reading
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Vamping for the Venerable Sage
OK, I guess I have to comment on this (from Danwei): The movement to revitalize traditional learning is well on its way to success now that it has a pin-up girl. Bai Luming, a 19-year-old student at the… Continue reading
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Voting and Elections
Lots of talk around the office this morning about the big Democratic Party wins in the US elections last night. As a standard-issue, academic left-liberal, I am happy with the outcome (though I worry about a Democratic Congress… Continue reading
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The Tao of Execution
We have been on quite a run of Confucian commentary here at The Useless Tree; so, it is about time for a Taoist post. And we have the perfect story: the death sentence of Saddam Hussein. … Continue reading
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President Chen, It’s Time to be a Gentleman and Resign
Back from Beijing and reading the news from Taiwan. I follow politics there fairly closely but have not commented much (any?) on Taiwan here. Well, the issue of the corruption allegations against President Chen Shui-bian has reached a… Continue reading
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Heading Home
Time to turn off the laptop, pack up the bag, bundle into a taxi, and head out for the Capital Airport for my flight back to the US. It could be an eventful trip. You see, there is a… Continue reading
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Finding Positive Solutions
Today I had my first "meet the blogger behind the blog" experience – and I had to come all the way to Beijing for it. I was over at China Daily meeting with an editor of the Beijing Weekend… Continue reading
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Changes
I have retreated to a hotel. The college guest house where I was staying was OK, but was having some hot water problems; so, I packed up and high-tailed it to the Hilton. The benefits: a more comfortable… Continue reading
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Something hopeful
At dinner last night I heard something hopeful. We were at the Lao She Tea House – which I would not really recommend: it is not a historical preservation of the famous author’s Beijing but, rather, just a… Continue reading
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