NY Times link…

I’ve been genuinely intrigued at how much fiction and reality have been intersecting recently.
See, there’s this film called MOON and it follows the story of a guy working on the far side of the moon who figures out that there’s a lot more to his mission than collecting the natural resource Helium-3. It’s a [...]

There are few images as iconic as this, and none that serve as both a realistic and symbolic portrayal of the war China has waged against freedom and free thinkers.
And while this one was snapped on June 5, 1989, I felt the need to share it today. Because as Americans we should remember Tinananmen and [...]

Looks like last week’s nuclear test angered a key ally too.
From Bloomberg:
China suspended government exchanges with North Korea after Kim Jong-Il’s regime last week tested a nuclear device and fired short-range missiles, Yonhap News said.
China has halted plans to send officials to North Korea and won’t accept visits from Kim’s government either, the Korean- language [...]

Well, North Korea has the world’s attention. Exploding a nuclear bomb and launching missile tests will do that. All that’s left now is for the world to respond.
North Korea has long been a foreign policy conundrum, frustrating a long line of U.S. presidents who’ve attempted to stop the so-called hermit nation from threatening its neighbors. [...]

This is a pretty surprising turn of events, because not only was Huntsman mentioned by many as a potential presidential contender in 2012, but this move will have the net effect of thumbing his nose at the entire Republican party. Because if anybody is Mr Bipartisanship in the Republican party, it’s Hunstman.
Mix this in with [...]

Oh, and hybrids too.
From NY Times:
The goal, which radiates from the very top of the Chinese government, suggests that Detroit’s Big Three, already struggling to stay alive, will face even stiffer foreign competition on the next field of automotive technology than they do today. [...]
To some extent, China is making a virtue of a liability. [...]

You knew the time would come when the dollar would fall out of favor, but did you think it would happen this fast?
Actually, it’s not just the dollar that we’re talking about here. What China is proposing is leveling the playing field and including all world currencies in the reserve basket, which now only includes [...]

As every American in financial trouble knows, it’s never good when your creditors start asking questions. Well, today, the United State’s biggest creditor grumbled about our current spending.
China’s premier didn’t say it in so many words, but the implied warning to Washington was blunt: Don’t devalue the dollar through reckless spending.
Premier Wen Jiabao’s message is [...]

Why?
Because it’s the best of the worst…and it’s all bad right now.
From FT:
China will continue to buy US Treasury bonds even though it knows the dollar will depreciate because such investments remain its “only option” in a perilous world, a senior Chinese banking regulator said on Wednesday.
China has used the dollars it accumulates selling manufactured [...]

50 cents a post to make your country look better?
Joe The Plumber would approve.
Here’s more from BBC:
China is using an increasing number of paid “internet commentators” in a sophisticated attempt to control public opinion. [...]
They have been dubbed the “50-cent party” because of how much they are reputed to be paid for each positive posting [...]

Will this day ever come?
Discuss.

My cartoon was linked to post from the NYTimes
(Click on Bob McCarty) NYTIMES link

Yet another sign he would have a much more nuanced worldview of the world? Of course, it’s not saying that much when you compare it to somebody who characterizes the Olympics as just “a sporting event.” Bush has set the bar pretty low on expectations for the next Republican candidate’s decision making capabilities, but John [...]

Afraid that protests might disrupt the Olympic torch relay, San Francisco and Olympic organizers changed the route at the last second, leaving protestors and supporters staring at empty streets. Wow. What a farce. What’s the point of even having the relay if it’s going to be mainly hidden from view?
Much like China’s treatment of dissidents [...]

For those hoping the Beijing Olympics won’t be politicized, it’s too late. If the relay of the Olympic torch is any indication, this year’s summer games are going to be filled with acts of protest. Today, the flame was extinguished twice by protestors as it was carried through Paris. Both times, Olympic organizers relit the [...]

Germany itself isn’t going to boycott the entire thing, but she won’t be showing up.
And she’s not the only one…
The disclosure that Germany is to stay away from the games’ opening ceremonies in August could encourage President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to join in a gesture of defiance and complicate Gordon Brown’s determination to attend [...]

The lighting of the Olympic flame in Greece was disrupted today by human rights protestors. We can only hope to see more peaceful demonstrations against China as the torch travels to Beijing.
If the Chinese are going to use the games as an opportunity to present themselves as a global power, the rest of us have [...]

[Re-published from 2008Central.net. We will update this post on Donklephant periodically, but for the latest check out the live blog at 2008Central.net]
We’ll be live blogging the event.
2:07: Only 3 topics will be discussed during the debate: (1) Iran and the lessons of Iraq, (2) relations with China and how they affect us here and [...]

This is after one day’s work in the mines. The guy is taking a bath to get all the soot off of his body. That’s just insane.
And as Speigel Online reports:
hina’s coal industry is the world’s most dangerous, as measured by the number of miners who are killed per year. In the first 10 months [...]