British general, Sir Richard Dannatt, is willing to name the Iraq war for what it is.  His honest is bracing: Sitting in an armchair in his office at the Ministry of Defence, he declares simply: "I am going… Continue reading

    I have been remiss in reporting on the Sixth Plenary Session of 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.  The annual gathering of the Central Committee – about 300 of the top Party leaders – has… Continue reading

"Naming enables the noble-minded to speak, and speech enables the noble-minded to act."  – Analects 13.3     Let’s keep that in mind as we read this: A team of American and Iraqi epidemiologists estimates that 655,000 more people have… Continue reading

     I am a daily reader of the NYT – having grown up in the northern suburbs, it is a deeply ingrained habit – but I do not bother trying to get at the columnists who are hidden behind… Continue reading

     This BBC story jumped off the screen at me this morning: Mongolia has moved to register the name of its legendary conqueror Genghis Khan as a commercial brand. The parliament in Ulan Bator is debating a law that… Continue reading

    Here’s a story from today’s NYT: For many Chinese, an ancestor is someone to honor, but also someone whose needs must be maintained. Families burn offerings of fake money or paper models of luxury cars in case an… Continue reading

     Confucius tells us that leaders bear personal responsibility for the public policy effects of their actions.  When things are going well, a gentleman, jun zi, can humbly accept some portion of the praise.  But when things are going… Continue reading

     Today is the birthday of Confucius – or at least it is recognized as such in Taiwan and celebrated as "Teacher’s Day."   A ceremony was held in Qufu, China, his birthplace.  Happy 2557th!  Interesting how the modern performance:… Continue reading

    A lot of attention has been paid in the last couple of day to high profile Chinese politicians being arrested for corruption.  Most prominently, Chen Liangyu, Shanghai Party boss, has been detained.  Leaders in charge of Party discipline… Continue reading

     The China Confucius Foundation is, I think (I don’t know much about them), the organization that runs the temple at Qufu, Shandong province, the birth place of the ancient sage himself.  They have taken it upon themselves to… Continue reading