On The Turning Away

In a nutshell, the Jersey Shore is full of surprises. For those of you who do not share our predilection for New England (excluding Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard) and spent the Memorial Day weekend there, have you noticed anything out-of-the-left-field? Esp, those of you who are conditioned in NYC style dating-scene.

The Muk Report duly filed the unusual sighting of an attractive Asian chick, who is NOT accompanied by a non-Asian guy, more often than not, of certain ethnic makeup. After all, socially and culturally she’s a brave non-conformist, and perhaps a conscientious one, to boot.

Riding the conservationist capitalist bandwagon, we recall a progressive litmus test in the dim recesses of our mind. It consists of mere 20 questions - check it out. You’ll be surprised by the results. And least of all, put the allegations of eco-friendliness behind.

In the mould of Hank Paulson, that is, Treasury Secretary designate, who appears on Vanity Fair’s green issue in May?

Paulson is a tree-hugger, albeit a Republican one with rock-solid capitalist credentials. He will be remembered in that Jonas Karlsson shot in Central Park carrying bird-watching binoculars and looking vaguely pissed off. We hear that Goldman’s limo service now consists of OZOcar hybrids, thanks to Paulson’s treehuggerish corporate policies and can’t help wondering what Goldman people feel when they cramp into their eco-mobiles rolling up to meetings? At least the socially conscious feeling would make up for the discomfort.

As for us, we don’t own a car, eco-friendly or otherwise. We drive our legs.

Today is nothing if not Katie Curic’s last day co-anchoring the Today Show. By today’s standards, 15 years are a long time. We shared her joy and sorrow, living her life vicariously. In the spirit of reflection, we quote Albert Eistein for those who think US Weekly is too intellectual -

“A human being is a part of the whole that we call the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This illusion is a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for only the few people nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living beings and all of nature.”

Upon popular demand, here goes: Zhang Xin: On the Return to China.

Zhang Xin is the co-founder and co-CEO of Beijing-based SOHO China.

Newsweek’s political pundit, Jonathan Alter, enthuses in the current issue that ‘netroots’ politicos may redesign our nominating system, just as Linux, the revolutionary, or in tech speak, ‘disruptive’, technology, lets users design their own operating systems.

The business impact of “disruptive” technology has been meticulously documented. According to Wikipedia, “new-market disruptive innovation is often aimed at non-consumption, whereas a lower-end disruptive innovation is aimed at main stream customers who were ignored by established companies. ” Naturally, disruptive technology invariably changes the way people live, which leads to new social paradigms. Just look at how people organize their social life today, where internet and mobile phone feature prominently. A few years ago, without a cell number was a simple inconvenience. Today, you’d be considered a social leper, unless, of course, you are desperate to make a contrarian statement.
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For the global citizens and otherwise globally-minded, here comes: Times of London to Print Daily U.S. Edition.

Robert Thomson, the editor of Times of London, said “I think there’s genuine demand for international news in America,” specifically, “you’ve got China and India on the rise, Japan coming back, Europe a fascinating story, and yet fewer American journalists in the field than perhaps at any time in history.”
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Sebago Lake, about 40 miles west of Portland.

In the spirit of public service, I’d like to announce that my first book, Zhang Xin: On the Return to China, was published in May 2006 by Pinto Books. It’s available from online booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Courtesy of Tom D.,

I must say, I feel a bit sorry for the Serbs. I mean, no-one seems to like them.

It occurs to me that there ought to be some sort of international club of the peoples nobody likes. You know: Serbs, Ulster Protestants, Afrikaners,… They might not amount to much of a force in world affairs,
but at least they’d be company for each other. Kind of like the Goths at your local high school.
– John Derbyshire
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