What’s next for the Euro Zone?
It is becoming increasingly hard to engage in any conversation about Europe without referencing the seemingly bottomless pit the euro zone finds itself in. The words crisis and euro zone appear to akin to the unlike poles of two magnets. A calamity that has stretched close to two years is still nowhere close to being mitigated while each day heralds news of insurmountable obstacles, endless negotiations, transitory optimism and omnipresent apprehension reflected in the seesawing of the financial markets. Economic harbingers bellowing out warning signs notwithstanding, the powers that be have continued to kick the can down the road. As this multinational drama succeeds in churning one dramatic episode after another, the script writers seem unable to bring this massive spectacle to a closure.
Read MoreThe End of Berlusconi?
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi agreed today to step down once the Italian Parliament approves of austerity measures. The announcement was prompted by a recent failure to pass a budgetary measure by eight votes. Foiled by these eight “traitors,”[1] Berlusconi has vowed to resign as soon as austerity measures are passed. Berlusconi appears to be leveraging his own unpopularity as a political tool—the lack of a Parliamentary majority means that Berlusconi’s position is in jeopardy anyway, and given his image both abroad as well as at home in Italy, Berlusconi may be finally wising up. The 75-year-old politician and media mogul, who has dominated Italian politics for the last 17 years, has attracted ire in the past few months for his attitude in negotiations with the EU over the Italian debt crisis. With the Greek debt crisis temporarily averted,...
Read MoreThe “Body” Politic
The Libyan revolution was declared successful earlier this week as news that Muammar Gaddafi, (formerly) one of the longest reigning dictators of the modern era, was declared dead, ending all resistance against the revolutionary forces. The good news was slightly tarnished by the revelation of some less than desirable actions by the rebel forces, such as the abuse of prisoners in rebel-held prisons that are not yet under control of the transitional government[1], but it would appear that Libya has had a successful revolution so far. The transitional government is gearing up to start elections soon, and Libyans are happy. With any successful revolution comes some catharsis. It was revealed recently that Gaddafi was not, as previously thought, simply killed in the crossfire of the final battle in his hometown, Srite. While he may have been injured in the...
Read MoreChinese Poetry: New life in old classics
Li Bai (701-762 AD), widely considered the greatest of all Chinese poets, had an unfortunate end. While rafting on a serene lake in a drunken stupor, he spotted the water’s reflection of the Moon and reached out to grab it, only to topple in and drown without a soul nearby. That he died in such a lonely predicament is ironic, for Mr. Li had no shortage of friends and admirers, in either his own time or the present. His contemporaries, many of whom rank highly in the annals of Chinese literature themselves, adored him, as do the millions of Chinese who have since read and memorized his works.
Read MoreCalling all Good Samaritans
On October 18th, a Chinese toddler wanders into a street. A few seconds later, a van drives by and runs her over, knocking her helplessly onto the ground. As the minutes pass by, pedestrians walk by and look at her, wondering what happened, but none stop by to help. A second truck then comes and runs her over again. Finally, amongst all the people that see her and pass by, a trash collector has the mercy to move her limp body to the side of the road to safety. Total amount of time: 7 minutes. Total number of cars who run her over: 2. Total number of people who pass by: 18. Total number of people who help her? 0. No doubt these types of events have probably happened before in China, where there are too many people, too...
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