Do you know about the February 28, 1947 Incident in Taiwan?Don't feel badly if you don't, because a great number of people -- including many young Taiwanese -- don't.  Time to educate yourself, gentle reader!On this 60th anniversary,

Did we really need a scientific survey to tell us this glaringly obvious fact ?Then again, I do very much love the following observation: Today’s college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, accor

Last night was the Oscars bash in Hollywood.  Oh, the annual bloated spectacle of self-congratulatory, preening, bloviating and Botoxed entertainers parading around in their habitually hideous outfits. (Really, the only person who looked truly

As if we don't have enough loopy attention-hogs running around peddling asinine pseudo-historical conspiracy tripe to the ovine masses.  (I'm not saying that most people are ovine.  But if you actually believe without question the s

Those of you who know my Sibling are well aware of his prodigious gluttony, so . . .Here's the link he sent me today.Pass the Pepto-Bismol! 

Ah, soccer!Just because you're a priest or a seminarian doesn't mean you can't be a mad sports fan.  The Vatican's soccer tournament has begun!  Who will win the Clericus Cup?  Who knows?  It's soccer, after al

Honestly, too few people now know who William Wilberforce (1759-1833) was, but this might change. Today is the U.S. premiere of the film "Amazing Grace," which portrays the man and his effort to abolish the British slave trade.

Oh, dear!Japanese doctors have diagnosed a medical problem associated with (believe it) too much karaoke-singing.  The condition, afflicting the vocal cords, is now called "karaoke polyp." Moral of the story:  Sing karaoke in

I don't know about you, but I find this news report both pathetic and amusing all at the same time. The endless examples of the French trying to "save their language" are beginning to be tiresome -- and the accompanying sense of cultura

Prodi is out -- he's resigned as prime minister. I'm not surprised, not surprised at all. In fact, when he first became PM, some of my Italophile friends and I looked cynically at him and at his crazy coalition and said, "He's

Carnival is a time for fun and games, costumes and satire and freedom of expression all got together in a gigantic party.  Nerds among us will recognize the name of Bahktin, who (in a nutshell) talked about festival time as a season to escape fr

This is such a very cute story! The English version of Spiegel reports that now, about 9 months after the past summer's fantastic World Cup in Germany, a German baby boom is underway. I must say, what . . . er . . . unique souvenirs!  "

I'll probably not have much time over the weekend to blog, so I'm telling you now, gentle reader . . .Happy Chinese New Year!  Whether you call it this or the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, the fun and food are the same!  If

Deconstuct this! The University of California at Irvine and the late Jacques Derrida's family are arguing over who actually owes Derrida's papers.Am I the only person who finds this whole thing funny?  Seriously, lawsuits are being filed

East Asian politics can be messy, and the China-Taiwan situation is always a tense subject. Still, every once in a while, it's nice to have a little fun too while watching Asian geopolitics and take a look at the lighter, quirkier sid

Happy Valentine's Day from the East Coast, where a massive blizzard is pounding everybody from Washington D.C. to Canada! It's the Great Valentine's Day Blizzard of 2007. It is COLD!! The winds are very strong, and the snow i

After the very public and very nasty Defenestration of Larry Summers, Harvard has been looking for a new leader.Well, buckle your seat belts, folks, because Harvard has now announced its new leader, and it is . . . Faust.I haven't the imagination

Investors' Business Daily has a recent editorial about Kyoto and two of its detractors, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada and President Vaclav Klaus of the the Czech Republic.Read the slam on Kyoto as a form of repackaged Marxism in Green

I'm not an economist, but 1-in-3 sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Admittedly I came across the news article in the Torygraph -- I mean the Telegraph -- but even so, 33%?  I'll need to go read the actual report carefully.My favorite li

Here's something new for your menus, Earthlings -- the Chinese potato from outer space! (Hm, the taste may be out of this world, but I think I want to try the Japanese space ramen first.) 

This is just too funny for words, and the reporter seems to be writing with zesty humor (or "humour," since she is British!) also: Well, zut alors! A distinguished French literary professor has become a surprise bestselling author by wri

This piece is from one of Professor Fukuyama's latest articles.Opening blurb: "Modern liberal societies have weak collective identities. Postmodern elites, especially in Europe, feel that they have evolved beyond identities defined by

Madame Defarge, call your office!Gentle reader, take a look at this new art exhibit at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City -- it's called "Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting"!The New York Times review wasn't too favorab

Oh, dear. Then again, I don't have to remind you that the destruction of precious antiquities and cultural artifacts has a very sad history in China.I also can't resist adding, thank goodness some very remarkable antiquities did not have to f

Gentle reader, today is World Nutella Day! Celebrate that delicious chocolate-hazelnut gooey goodness that is Nutella!Nutella on croissants, Nutella on bread, Nutella on cake, Nutella on fruit, Nutella with sliced bananas and ice cream, NutellaNutell