This & That, Ceci et Cela

Nothing like being the hottest whore at the bordello: the dictatorship that has China, Russia, & the US courting it: It was as repellent as it was unsurprising that Beijing lavished honors the other day on Uzbekistan's blood-stained tyrant, Islam Karimov. Less than two weeks earlier, Karimov's troops had fired into crowds of demonstrators, killing well over 100, including many unarmed civilians. China's leaders would not have had ...

French voters have rejected the European Union constitution in a key referendum which pretty much kills the EU constitution because it cannot come into effect unless it is ratified by all 25 member states. See Q&A on France's vote for an explaination on what happened, and what it means for France and the EU.

CHANGSHA, China — The name may not roll off the tongue quite like American Idol does, but that hasn't kept the Mongolian Cow Sour Sour Yogurt Super Girl contest from sweeping China.  Like Idol, which named its winner Wednesday night, China's Super Girl gives aspiring singing stars a shot at televised fame and fortune. And amid an Idol-like mania, young women all over China ...

I cannot believe the slip-ups; Her baggage wasn't weighed before departing (therefore departure and arrival weight differences can't be compared), video surveillance wasn't working the day she travelled, etc. How about a polygraph test?

China is to scrap export tariffs on 78 categories of clothing and textiles in an apparent escalation of a trade dispute with the US and European Union.  With the EU now threatening to limit imports of such Chinese items, it appears that China is now retaliating. In the midst of all the melee, some are beginning to deduce that China's a scapegoat.  As Nicholas Kristof mentions in ...

28 year old Iranian PhD student Laleh Seddigh became the first female car racer to compete officially and against men, and she won. Big steps in a country that only recently started allowing women to watch men's sports.   In March, she moved the nation when she won the ...

This leaves Conservatives unable to force election.  I highly agree with the sentiment that the real scandal is the complete lack of a credible opposition party in this country. I mean, getting in bed with the BLOC (separatist party whose main aim is to see Quebec secede from Canada) just to defeat the government? "Progressive conservatives" indeed!  And their Pez-head leader has the ...

After insisting that East Europeans who may compete for German jobs with willingness to accept lower wages should not be allowed to enter Germany, far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) admits that it prints its monthly newspaper in Poland.

China says it will raise export tariffs on 74 textile product categories from June, in an apparent effort to calm US and EU fears over cheap Chinese goods. Globalization, free trade, production via comparative advantage, etc.?  What a crock; such fanciful notions obviously belong in textbooks only!  ;)

Rock on! F--k the hypocritical hissy fitters. Why should China cut exports? Given that the relevant WTO trade agreement was not made overnight, if EU and US had lifted their textile quotas gradually, their markets wouldn't have become flooded due to sudden impact once the quota system expired. Quit wailing outside and look inside; traders and consumers have a right to buy ...