Mandy @ POLI 333D

Leung Chun-ying and his wife Regina celebrating his victory Photo: AP “Hong Kong’s election of a new chief executive Sunday was a mess — a travesty in which the 1,132 handpicked voters were outnumbered by demonstrators who were kept away from the assembly with pepper spray. The winner, Leung Chun-ying, was muscled through by pressure from […]

Just as (almost) everyone says that China is going to rule the world economy with its fast-growing economy, there comes the proof that the economy is not only slowing down, but also being “sluggish”. According to CNN.: “The country’s manufacturing sector shrank for a fifth month in a row, according to HSBC’s latest China PMI […]

Something I have been working on (once a week). Guess who is this 🙂

I hope I am on the right track to doing this assignment; if I am not, please correct me! Logical fallacy So the new Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Leung Chun-ying, just got elected. According to this NY article, which is titled “Hong Kong Elects Pro-Beijing Chief Executive,” “Mr. Leung won on the first ballot, […]

“South Korean conservative activists chant slogans in Seoul on Saturday denouncing North Korea’s announcement of a planned satellite launch.” from CNN. Last week, North Korea announced its plan to launch a rocket-powered satellite (similar to that used in its ballistic missile program) in April. This announcement has undoubtedly destroyed the hope arose from the bilateral agreement between North Korea […]

So we just talked about different kinds of repression in class today. In the context of China, one of the most prevalent kinds is of course the political repression of freedom of expression… This Wall Street Journal’s article talks about how China’s social-media services have started cracking down on searches for anything in regard to Bo Xilai (who was […]

As I was eating my breakfast, I was really worried that this video is about using panda POO to make tea (given the video’s name is “Panda poo tea goes for big bucks”)…..but thanks God…this is about using panda POO as fertilizer to plant tea leaves….. So what is the selling-point of panda poo tea? Scientifically, […]

Definition of digital democracy: a “bottom-up” approach which concerns with the creation of new citizens’ discussion and deliberation, and sites for mobilization and action. Question: Can new technologies help or hurt democracy around the world? Answer: In my opinion, they would help democracy. *****************************This is because************************ On the citizens’ side, digital democracy promotes 1)      Lower cost […]

In his last National People’s Congress, Mr Wen mentioned “the need for political reform in one-party, authoritarian China.” Once again, I wonder if these speeches, that China also aspires to be a democracy but it takes time, are just for reinforcing diplomatic ties with the Western powers (i.e. lip-service), especially when the authoritarian rule in […]

Photo from CNN Since the famine in the mid-1990s, North Koreans have been compelled to grow and sometimes illegally sell their own food. Accommodated by the lenient attitude of the government to restrict private enterprise’s activities, a free market has been made possible. As a result, a “new, relatively wealthy middle class” has been created. […]