China

China continues to show its growing muscle.

_ _ _

BEIJING — If China is going to help ease Europe’s financial crisis, silken strings could be attached.

Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday offered to help Europe. But, in an unprecedented move for China, he linked the offer to a potentially onerous demand: that Europe renounce its main legal defense against low-priced Chinese exports.

Mr. Wen urged the European Union to classify China as a “market economy” instead of a “nonmarket economy.”

In international trade legalese, the new designation would make it almost impossible for Europe to impose tariffs on Chinese goods considered unfairly cheap.

-- Keith Bradsher for The New York Times

_ _ _

And no doubt the new designation would also make European workers that much poorer. So, it's probably a done deal.

China

China continues to show its growing muscle.

_ _ _

BEIJING — If China is going to help ease Europe’s financial crisis, silken strings could be attached.

Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday offered to help Europe. But, in an unprecedented move for China, he linked the offer to a potentially onerous demand: that Europe renounce its main legal defense against low-priced Chinese exports.

Mr. Wen urged the European Union to classify China as a “market economy” instead of a “nonmarket economy.”

In international trade legalese, the new designation would make it almost impossible for Europe to impose tariffs on Chinese goods considered unfairly cheap.

-- Keith Bradsher for The New York Times

_ _ _

And no doubt the new designation would also make European workers that much poorer. So, it's probably a done deal.

Love and Power

May 27, 2003

Pi comes up to Monk, and she says, "I've been thinking about how you like to say that men are so opportunistic and narrowly selfish and all that."

"Yes?"

"Well, we also know that men are rather stronger, generally speaking, stronger in terms of brute power, both in terms of physical strength and political strength (that is, in control of running the primary institutions of a society). This is certainly your understanding."

"So?"

"I was just wondering where this leaves women in your little world view. On one hand, men have the real power, and on the other hand, men are ostensibly so basely selfish and opportunistic. This would seem to leave women in a pretty wretched state. Do you really believe women to be as weak as that?"

Monk shakes his head laughing, "A trap, a trap! In our stable white democracies, women, of course, enjoy a much better position than that, having attained real political power. Even so, it may be worth pointing out that in the rest of the world that the situation is about as dire as you first indicated."

Pi waves this off, "Fine, fine. Without getting into descriptive sociology, how have women ever stood a chance? For instance, how did women in these stable white democracies attain more power? How could women ever stand a chance with your fundamental assumptions?"

Monk nods his head vigorously, "Love."

"Love?"

"Yes. Men still need love. And I believe that love is primarily the power of women. Love is where women enjoy some advantage, being able to give or whithhold this love. In order to better get this love that they need, men have to cater more to the needs and desires of women, which means that men have to be softer and giving. It is this that keeps the position of women from being as dire as would otherwise be the case, given these fundamental assumptions about men (that is, being basely selfish and opportunistic as well as wielding more power, physical and political)."

Pi smiles and giggles, and she spins and starts walking away. She stops and faces him for a moment, "I just wanted to make sure that you understood at least that much." She waves and walks away, a full woman's walk, as Monk stares after her. He just hears her say, "Toodles!"

===============

September 17, 2011

I like this one. I was obviously feeling a little inspired, after having just estranged a couple of gal e-friends. No doubt this is simplistic, but I still think there is a lot of explanatory power in the small number of words given to such a big topic.

Love and Power

May 27, 2003

Pi comes up to Monk, and she says, "I've been thinking about how you like to say that men are so opportunistic and narrowly selfish and all that."

"Yes?"

"Well, we also know that men are rather stronger, generally speaking, stronger in terms of brute power, both in terms of physical strength and political strength (that is, in control of running the primary institutions of a society). This is certainly your understanding."

"So?"

"I was just wondering where this leaves women in your little world view. On one hand, men have the real power, and on the other hand, men are ostensibly so basely selfish and opportunistic. This would seem to leave women in a pretty wretched state. Do you really believe women to be as weak as that?"

Monk shakes his head laughing, "A trap, a trap! In our stable white democracies, women, of course, enjoy a much better position than that, having attained real political power. Even so, it may be worth pointing out that in the rest of the world that the situation is about as dire as you first indicated."

Pi waves this off, "Fine, fine. Without getting into descriptive sociology, how have women ever stood a chance? For instance, how did women in these stable white democracies attain more power? How could women ever stand a chance with your fundamental assumptions?"

Monk nods his head vigorously, "Love."

"Love?"

"Yes. Men still need love. And I believe that love is primarily the power of women. Love is where women enjoy some advantage, being able to give or whithhold this love. In order to better get this love that they need, men have to cater more to the needs and desires of women, which means that men have to be softer and giving. It is this that keeps the position of women from being as dire as would otherwise be the case, given these fundamental assumptions about men (that is, being basely selfish and opportunistic as well as wielding more power, physical and political)."

Pi smiles and giggles, and she spins and starts walking away. She stops and faces him for a moment, "I just wanted to make sure that you understood at least that much." She waves and walks away, a full woman's walk, as Monk stares after her. He just hears her say, "Toodles!"

===============

September 17, 2011

I like this one. I was obviously feeling a little inspired, after having just estranged a couple of gal e-friends. No doubt this is simplistic, but I still think there is a lot of explanatory power in the small number of words given to such a big topic.

Christopher Hitchens

If there is a God, and he lacks a sense of irony, he will send Hitchens to the hottest precinct of hell. If God does have a sense of irony, Hitchens will spend eternity in a town that serves no liquor and has no library. Either way, heaven will be a less interesting place.

-- Bill Keller for The New York Times

It looks like the cancer is starting to get the upper-hand on Hitchens.

Christopher Hitchens

If there is a God, and he lacks a sense of irony, he will send Hitchens to the hottest precinct of hell. If God does have a sense of irony, Hitchens will spend eternity in a town that serves no liquor and has no library. Either way, heaven will be a less interesting place.

-- Bill Keller for The New York Times

It looks like the cancer is starting to get the upper-hand on Hitchens.