What He Weifang said : When Tocqueville analyzed the American and French revolutions, he wrote that many national revolutions will fail not because they refused to reform but because they reformed. They would have remained peaceful if they did not reform. The reform actually brought violence. Therefore, during the reform process, unless there is general coodination such that all the legs move forward at the same time, a reform may cause many big problems, or there may be even worst social problems as a result of the reform.

--

The French youth unemployment fallacy: France produces roughly as much as Britain with fewer people working, so who has the problem?

--

I'm not racist, but ... How could a judge not realise the seriousness of playground abuse? It is about time white people learnt that you can not feel the full impact of racist abuse unless you are the victim of racist abuse yourself. Racial abuse is the most devastating form of insult possible. Biff- Loved Sparklehorse's sarcasm in the comment section: "I'm not a racist but ... it is about time white people learnt." Say no more.

--

China Rises: The Oldest Civilization on Earth, Reborn. Biff- Despite the patronizing intro, this vid in the full wasn't half as painful as expected. There's some vid clips and other stuff online here at the NYTimes website.

--

Chinese Turn to Civic Power as a New Tool : This winter, Liu Xianhong’s life was changed for the second time by her infection with AIDS. The first time was seven years ago, when she discovered that she, along with her newborn son, had contracted the disease through an infusion of contaminated blood given to her during childbirth. Biff- one is not infected with AIDS, but with HIV. And AIDS is not a disease but a syndrome. And no one in China with AIDS would be alive after seven years, short of a miracle. Here's Wikipedia: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV),[1] the late stage of which leaves individuals prone to opportunistic infections and tumours. ... AIDS is the most severe manifestation of infection with HIV.

--

Back to the Maoist Future: ...In Zimbabwe, for example, President Robert Mugabe's repeated political and human rights abuses led the United States and the E.U. to impose punitive sanctions against the regime. Beijing's response was to sell Zimbabwe over $200 million worth of fighter aircraft and military vehicles. Beijing also provided equipment for jamming antigovernment media broadcasts and gave electronic surveillance equipment to Harare's security services to monitor political opponents... Not surprisingly, Beijing publicly praises Mugabe, who impoverished the once-prosperous Zimbabwe, as "a man of great achievements, devoted to world peace and a good friend of the Chinese people."

--

Boeing pays $15 million fine: According to the State Department charges, between 2000 and 2003 Boeing shipped overseas 94 commercial jets with the QRS-11 gyrochip embedded in the flight boxes, including 19 to China. Export of listed defense items to China is specifically proscribed.

--

The Philippines' taste for civet coffee : ...it comes from an unusual source - the droppings of a nocturnal, cat-like animal called the palm civet. Now the coffee has become so successful they are hoping to start brewing up profits in Taiwan and North America.