The Useless Tree

Current Affairs

  • Why Put Off Democracy?

          Premier Wen Jiabao wrote an article that has attracted some attention: The Communist Party cautioned China’s increasingly impatient reformers and intellectuals Tuesday that political liberalization and democracy are still a long way off despite the rapid pace of… Continue reading

  • CCP Saves NYSE

         Yes, it seems to me that the Chinese Communist Party gave a very big helping hand to the New York Stock Exchange today.  Think about this for a minute: The Chinese government is also a huge factor here.… Continue reading

  • The Tao of Stock Markets

        A little upset today on world stock markets: Stocks in the United States plummeted today after a surprising plunge in the Shanghai market provoked worries worldwide about the global economy and the valuation of share prices. The Dow… Continue reading

  • Why Modern Confucianism Must Embrace Gender Equality

       The gender bias usually associated with Confucianism, at least in its institutionalized traditional social orthopraxy, can be understood, in a modern context, to be inconsistent with its highest virtue of Humanity.  Quite simply, on its own terms, Confucianism should… Continue reading

  • LA

       I have fallen a bit behind in posting.  Yesterday, the combination of my class schedule (I had one regular class and then two tutorial sessions back to back to back) and some family issues (my aunt is back in… Continue reading

  • Best Chinese New Year Pictures

       From Virtual China we find a link to these great pictures from rural China:                  Makes me happy! Continue reading

  • Bad Shape

        One thing Sun Tzu talks about is "shaping" the enemy and keeping your own force "formless" (I’m at home just now and don’t have my text handy for specific citations).  These ideas came to mind when I read… Continue reading

  • Deng Xiaoping and Confucius

          First, let me say Happy New Year!  I was remiss over the weekend getting a post up to mark the occasion, so here is a link to my post last year wishing everyone Fu for the New Year. … Continue reading

  • Things Can Be Changed

       Wow.  News today that Dr. Gao Yaojie will be allowed to travel to the US in March to receive the award she was due:  “We’re just really excited about it,” said Wenchi Yu Perkins, an officer with Vital Voices… Continue reading

  • Lying in Plain Sight

         The story of Gao Yaojie is a sad reminder of how hard it is for the CCP to give up its reliance on lying and coercion.       Dr. Gao is a courageous and sincere physician who works… Continue reading