China's critique on Human Rights abuses in the U.S.

Yes you read that title correctly; China chiding the United States on its record of human rights abuses.

For someone who has lived in China for the last couple of years and conversed with Chinese college students (in my opinion, some of the Most righteous, nationalistic, and critical (and knowledgeable) of the U.S.A. in China) I am familiar with these critiques. For those of you who are not, I can offer you the whole text (in English) or a synopsis of the document by Heather Horn of the Atlantic.

Why Ai Weiwei?

It looks like Ai Weiwei is going to be the driving force at ShanzhaiZhongguo this week.

Other than scrounging for details on Ai Weiwei, I've been reading a lot about the budget, or lack there of, in the American Congress; some on Google in China (and its many missteps there); watching Nicolae Ceausesu's last speech in Romania in 1989 before his execution; and contemplating Bob Dylan's recent performance in Beijing (care to comment or compare yourself to Mr. Ai Bob?).

Here the Financial Times discusses Princelings (sons and daughters of former Party bigwigs) and their connections to Ai Weiwei and the general "Jasmine Revolution" crackdown.

How Chinese View Foreign Elections... and other stories

This article by Yang Hengjun (杨恒均) in China Media Project reminds me of talking to Chinese friends of mine about elections back in early 2008. I had not a few dinners with my friend, Jane, during which I was quizzed about the on-going Presidential election. As you'll remember the Democratic Primary went on and on, and each time we met for a meal I went further into my explanation of the American National election system. First explaining what are primaries, then to having to explain the electoral college (nothing makes you feel like this is a stupid system than having to explain it to people from another country), and ultimately to super-delegates. I told her that, even the most educated people in America had never heard of such things until they came up in the spring of 2008. I was only a little surprised by her inquisitiveness, Jane is one of the most intelligent and hardworking people I've met in my life. But it is a little curious to be grilled on the inner workings of our "American experiment" especially by someone who lives in a country which generally eschews all notions of messy democracy.