The Useless Tree

Current Affairs

  • Is China more Confucian than Korea?

    Caring for parents is the most important duty emphasized by Confucius in The Analects.  And this article in the Chosun Ilbo (via Western Confucian) suggests that, on this score, South Korea and Japan fall far from the Confucian ideal: Young… Continue reading

  • An early Confucius movie

    It seems that the upcoming, big-budget movie about Confucius is not the only cinematic treatment of the Sage.  Today's NYT reports on a restored Confucius film from the 1940s, by director Fei Mu.  It seems that this film gets at… Continue reading

  • Mencius speaks to Republicans obstructing health insurance reform

    Mencius said: "Talk is easy when you don't have to get the job done." 孟子曰：“人之易其言也，無責耳矣。” (7.22; 4A.22) Continue reading

  • Confucian Thirtysomething

    In yesterday's NYT  Porchista Khakpour presents a little riff on the 80's TV show thirtysomething. It's a nice piece, reflecting on her childhood with immigrant parents, the cultural rootlessness of Gen-Xers, and her new found sense of adulthood upon reaching… Continue reading

  • Confucius in Africa

    While I was recuperating, the Asia Times ran a piece, "Confucianism at large in Africa," which considers the PRC's cultural diplomacy, via Confucius Institutes, in Africa.  I liked this paragraph on the possible effects of these efforts: To see clearly,… Continue reading

  • 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

  • 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

  • Sarah Palin, Taoist Sage, Again

    The abrupt and bizarre resignation of Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, has befuddled many political commentators.  Why did she do it?  What is she thinking?  Is it a shrewd political move or a delusional political suicide?  She seems to have… Continue reading

  • Confucianism and Global Warming

    An article last week in the Christian Science Monitor caught my eye: "How Confucianism could curb global warming."  Two main points are put forward.  First, we have this: But Pan Yue, China's vice minister for environmental protection, is calling for… Continue reading

  • Sad but true: Bush lost the war

    I've said this many times in the past but it is always important to keep in mind, especially as more and more bad news comes out of Iraq, that the situation there has never been politically settled.  Yes, there was… Continue reading