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| There are great benefits to connectedness, but we haven't wrapped our minds around the costs. |
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Musharraf: Iraq war is a mistake |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
9:18 am EST, Dec 8, 2004 |
Here is the Al Jazeera report on the interview -- sans belated "correction" from the Pakistani government, of course. And since AJ is simply reporting on a CNN interview, rather than on their own Mushy interview, it comes across as more insulting. Notice the difference in the choice of headline, between CNN and AJ. Musharraf: Iraq war is a mistake |
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Musharraf: Iraq war has made world 'less safe' |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
9:12 am EST, Dec 8, 2004 |
The US-led invasion of Iraq was a mistake that has made the world a more dangerous place, but a swift withdrawal would make matters worse, Pakistan's president said this weekend. "I think it's less safe," Musharraf told Wolf Blitzer. Asked whether he considered the invasion a mistake, the Pakistani leader said: "With hindsight, yes. We have landed ourselves in more trouble, yes." "I am my own man, thank you very much." This provides the requisite sound bite for propagation by Al Jazeera and consumption by the Pakistani public. After the interview, a Pakistani government spokesman called CNN to say that Musharraf did not intend to be categorical in his assertion that Bush had erred in invading Iraq. Of course, this backpedaling "detail" does not show up in the Al Jazeera version of the story. This whole manuever seems like an attempt to demonstrate political savvy. Did it work? Either way, Wolfie definitely got played. Musharraf: Iraq war has made world 'less safe' |
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A Bridge Between Companies and Cultures |
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| Topic: Computers |
9:03 am EST, Dec 8, 2004 |
Thinkpads are now built by the Chinese government. Enjoy. IBM, the prototypical American multinational, now recognizes that its own future lies even farther up the economic ladder, in technology services and consulting, in software and in the larger computers that power corporate networks and the Internet. A Bridge Between Companies and Cultures |
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Preventing Suicides on Campus |
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| Topic: Education |
8:44 am EST, Dec 8, 2004 |
To the Editor: You write of depressed and suicidal college students as if their problems were purely psychological. What if the problem lies in the social organization of universities rather than in the psyches of students? Preventing Suicides on Campus |
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| Topic: Technology |
8:25 am EST, Dec 8, 2004 |
NNDB is an intelligence aggregator that tracks the activities of people we have determined to be noteworthy, both living and dead. Superficially, it seems much like a "Who's Who" where a noted person's curriculum vitae is available (the usual information such as date of birth, a biography, and other essential facts.) But it mostly exists to document the connections between people, many of which are not always obvious. A person's otherwise inexplicable behavior is often understood by examining the crowd that person has been hanging out with. NNDB |
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| Topic: Science |
9:01 am EST, Dec 6, 2004 |
The New York Times mocks you, Cobb County. This book offers Intelligent Design as an explanation for life on earth. Although this book has a really cute animal on its cover, the author is a lunatic with a faith-based approach to logic. Please consider the book with an open mind, and then quickly move your children to a different school district. This textbook discusses the atomic theory. Because it is not a fact or a scientific law, readers should use valuable class time to explore other theories on the composition of matter, even if they are ridiculously unlikely. This textbook describes the theory of combustion. This theory relies on an imposing number of complicated assumptions and equations, and thus this book might not ignite in your microwave. The Descent of Dissent |
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Trends in Urbanization of China |
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| Topic: Society |
11:41 pm EST, Dec 1, 2004 |
There is, for instance, a history of aversion to the agricultural population on the part of urban intellectuals and bureaucrats. This "closed city mentality" is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Urban Chinese often look down on the farmers, whom they consider filthy, uneducated, and lacking in culture. Even if Chinas government tries to maintain restrictions on spatial mobility, massive rural-urban migration and city growth cannot be stopped. Trends in Urbanization of China |
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Urban Sprawl A Danger as City Living Spreads |
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| Topic: Society |
11:37 pm EST, Dec 1, 2004 |
Top Chinese advisers have warned that although rapid urbanization contributes significantly to the country's economic growth, it can also cause major "growing pains." China has entered a period of rapid urbanization, with experts predicting that 1.12 billion people - or 70 percent of the total population - will live in cities by 2050. More than 600 million Chinese people will shift from rural to urban areas in the next 50 years. By then, China will have 50 major cities, each with a population of more than 2 million, 150 large cities, 500 medium-sized cities and 1,500 small ones. At present, China has more than 660 cities and 19,000 towns and its urbanization rate stands at 36 percent. Urban Sprawl A Danger as City Living Spreads |
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The red and the blue, by Joseph Nye |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
11:24 pm EST, Dec 1, 2004 |
Some observers complain about the divisive negative rhetoric and advertising that characterised the [2004 US Presidential] campaign. But this should be seen in historical perspective. In the era of the Founding Fathers, newspapers were extremely partisan, and George Washington was dismayed by the harshness of political language. For much of its early history -- to say nothing of the era of the Civil War and Reconstruction -- the country was as closely divided as it is today, and bitter campaign rhetoric reflected the closeness of the competition. On this topic, I would point people to two books recommended here earlier: "The Creation of the Media" by Paul Starr and "Freedom Just Around the Corner" by Walter McDougall. Cities versus suburbs and rural areas is a better description than coasts versus heartland. If urbanization creates (or exacerbates) political polarization, what does this mean for China? The red and the blue, by Joseph Nye |
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Global Progress Report 2005 |
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| Topic: Society |
11:07 pm EST, Dec 1, 2004 |
The full report is available by subscription only. This is a four-page synopsis. We gauge the international communitys progress during 2004 in several categories. Specifically assessed are efforts to (1) promote democracy, (2) boost prosperity, (3) manage security threats, (4) improve quality of life, and (5) spread new technologies. The result is a decidedly mixed report. Thomas Carothers of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace reports that a three-decade-old wave of democratization appears to have stalled. Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism analyst at Rand, finds that the war on terror is not going well. In Swaziland and four other African countries, life expectancy is less than 35 years. In Swaziland, 40 percent of those ages 15-49 are HIV positive. Do you find this compelling? Global Progress Report 2005 |
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