Latest Posts
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Here we go again: blocked in China
I've been noticing the last couple of days that this site was not getting any hits from the PRC. I can now confirm that Typepad blogs are again blocked in China. Oh well. Maybe the powers that be are nervous… Continue reading
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More on the Resurgence of Confucianism in China
Over at China Beat, my friend, Daniel Bell, posts a brief report on a recent conference on "Traditional Values in a Modern Chinese Context: An Interdisciplinary Approach." It illustrates the growing interest among contemporary Chinese academics in the meaning and… Continue reading
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How ’bout those Yankees!
Some of you may not know this (though others who have been reading this blog for some time will remember): I am a New York Yankees fan. Indeed, as I explained three and a half years ago, I am a… Continue reading
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Pulling out the rice shoots
A nice post over at Danwei on the discovery of some old "backyard furnaces" from the Great Leap Forward. The furnaces (pictured above) were an attempt, as a part of the disastrous Great Leap Forward, to produce steel in… Continue reading
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Sun Tzu will out
Just saw this post by Stephen Walt: Today we learned that the U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan are now spearheading a major effort at (drum roll) … prison reform. We've figured out that the brutal treatment that even petty criminals… Continue reading
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In praise of the uselessness of cats
Last week I noticed an NYT piece entitled "the uselessness of cats." Needless to say, it piqued my curiosity. It was a follow up of an earlier blog post by Nicholas Wade reporting on a recent scientific study that found… Continue reading
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Sotomayor, Language and Chuang Tzu
I was distracted the last two days by the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court designee Sonia Sotomayor. Today, as I followed the proceedings on the excellent Scotusblog, I couldn't help but think of Chuang Tzu…. So much of the hearings… Continue reading
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Chuang Tzu on the continuing AIG debacle
Today we find this story in the NYT: Seeking to avoid the public furor that erupted last spring, the American International Group has been quietly seeking approval from the new federal compensation czar to pay a total of $2.4 million… Continue reading
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Thoughts on Urumqi
The loss of life in Xinjiang is truly sad and depressing. I fear that the reported death toll will rise in the coming days. So many innocents killed…. In looking through various sources in the last couple of days, I… Continue reading
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The New Legalists respond, again
The folks over at the New Legalist web site have responded to my last response to them. I guess we could call this a debate. The post, authored by Sherwin Lu, is entitled: "Who is 'Distorting Chinese History and Chinese… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 