What It’s Like Right Now in a Place Called Obama, Japan
Who knew about the fishing village called Obama about five hours west of Tokyo? Not only does this place share its name with the guy who will probably be the next U.S. president, but according to these weird celebrations going on there for Obama (the guy, not the city), it seems as though Obama (the […]
North Korea Goes Off the Deep End, Invites Clapton
If things couldn’t get more bizarre in the land of Kim Jong-Il, where the New York Philharmonic will perform Tuesday, becoming the largest American delegation ever to gain entrance into the backwards nation, things have gotten even kookier. The Financial Times reported that the North Korean government (I use the term “government” loosely) has […]
What’s China Got To Do With It?
Howard W. French filed a story in Friday’s International Herald Tribune illuminating the relationship between China and the bloody protests in Myanmar this week. While it seems as though Burma has been a ticking time bomb for some years now, is it unclear whether what we have witnessed over the past few days — […]
China Taking Sushi Out of Japan’s Mouth
While most of China still prefers their fish whole and cooked, sushi has taken hold in the upscale eateries in China’s major cities which spells big trouble for little Japan. One would assume that a Chinese interest in sushi would be good for Japan, since a Chinese interest in any Japanese export is ostensibly […]
Thailand Blocks YouTube for Mocking King
Update (4/6/07): While I sympathize with the two commentators who were dismayed that they were unable to see the Thai king video, maybe if you had visited the site on the day the clip was posted, you would have gotten to see it. The site is called “Flumes-day,” not “Flumes-every few days.” For […]
North Korea to End Nuclear Program
Tuesday evening Shanghai time, the AP reported that North Korea has agreed to shut down its nuclear weapons program. According to the report:
Under the deal, the North will receive an initial 50,000 tons worth of aid in heavy fuel oil for shutting down and sealing its main nuclear reactor, to be confirmed by international […]
A Month Later, China’s Net Still Crawling
Friday marks the one-month anniversary of the Boxing Day earthquake in Taiwan that damaged 6 underwater telecom cables and crippled internet access all over Asia. While some progress has been made in the restoration of Asia’s internet connection, mainland China’s internet has not been restored as promised. Connections to some U.S. sites are […]
The University of China, Berkeley?
Since the 1997 institution of Proposition 209, which abolished race-based admission in the University of California system, the U.C. campuses have begun to look different. And by different, I mean Asian. The race-neutral admissions policy at the U.C. schools has created state schools that no longer resemble the demographic make-up of the state. […]
When you say you want your New Year’s to be “the bomb,” you don’t mean like this. Sunday, Bangkok was rocked by 9 bombs scattered throughout the city, killing 3 and injuring 38. Police said around 10 of the injured were Western tourists. All citywide New Year’s Eve festivities were cancelled and […]
Taiwan Quake Takes Mainland Offline
As a result of the earthquake in the waters off the southern tip of Taiwan, internet access in mainland China has been disrupted. Internet users in Shanghai early Wednesday reported outages or major slowing on all major websites including Google, Yahoo! and MSN. All of Shanghai’s major news sites were out of commission […]