The Useless Tree

Current Affairs

  • Cut and Stay?

        Bush family capo James Baker says that there are alternatives for US policy in Iraq between "cut and run" and "stay the course."   Since the most likely middle course is a three-way partition, will the new policy therefore… Continue reading

  • North Korean Nukes: The Results of a Failed Foreign Policy

         As everyone has noticed by now, North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb yesterday.  Here are some thoughts on the matter:     1) In general, this is simply the culmination of five years of bad Bush administration foreign… Continue reading

  • Social Roles and Personal Choices

         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

  • Branding Genghis

         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

  • Marriage after Death

        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

  • Way at 37,000 feet

         One of the key ideas transmitted by the Taoist notion of "Way" (Tao) is that it is bigger than us.  The totality of all things unfolding in a moment of time is beyond our comprehension, certainly beyond our… Continue reading

  • Rumsfeld is not a Gentleman

         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

  • On Confucius’ Birthday: Modernizing his Thought

         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

  • Cracking Down on Corruption – not really

        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

  • Profiting from the Anti-Profit Sage

         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