FlumesDay
China’s notorious one-child policy has been in the hot seat recently, as some officials argue that the decades old law has served its purpose and is inappropriate for today’s economic and social environment. But perhaps what carries the most clout for a “one-child” policy reform is the recent discovery of a [...]
The Economist has a very good article up on the unfortunate lives of tongqi, women who have married gay men. In America, about 15 to 20% of gay men marry heterosexual women. In China, that figure may be as high as 90%. Called tongqi, a mix between 同志 (tongzhi – “comrade,” a slang term for [...]
We have no idea how authentically Tibetan this is but it sure looks very colourful.
Can’t see the above video? It’s time to get yourself a VPN!
Circle of Sound
Good news for those of you who have yet to catch Avatar (and seriously, what is taking you so long?). The popular flick’s final day of screening in 3D format in China’s major cities has once again been deferred from March 14 (which we told you about last [...]
Looks like, just on the heels of the melamine taint, the next food scare could be in cooking oil: it seems that the State Food and Drug Administration is now stepping up inspections of all food service providers because one-tenth of Chinese cooking oil could be illegally made and cause cancer. The culprit is recycled [...]
Picture of Gao Zhisheng from Human Rights Watch
A little bit of light was shed on the saga involving human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng this week, but his whereabouts remain shrouded in mystery. Speaking with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yang Jiechi denied that Gao had been tortured, [...]
Patrick Chovanec submits:
THE CROSSROADS (Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan) Territory: 707,124 km2 (7% of total) Population: 226 million (17% of total) Per Capita GDP: $2,402 (#7 of 9) Exports as % of GDP: 6% Net Trade Balance (ex-China): $6 billion surplus
All of the dynamics driving the first four nations converge in the Crossroads. The middle [...]
John Mauldin submits:
The Threat to Muddle Through
I have pretty well laid out over the past decade that I think the US will muddle through what promises to be a period of below-trend growth and a long-term secular bear market. It will not be pleasant or fun – there will be a [...]
Cliff Wachtel submits:
The S&P 500 daily chart below (click to enlarge) is our favorite quick picture of risk appetite. Its 0.9% gain on the week, typical for the past weeks, reflects the continued slow but steady increase in risk appetite to new 16 month highs, along with the DJIA and Nasdaq. [...]