a2b - Crotos, from Kashgar into the desert

Now we have lost our prime blogger information must be taken from other sources. Some of the these notes have been gleaned from a Google-analytics translation of Carlotta Dal’Aglio’s blog and the rest taken from the blog of Vasilios and Danae.
2008.6.11 At Kashgar the party said good-bye to 6 members, Joachim Lent who [...]

Getting your head around big numbers

Everything in China happens on a big scale. This should be no surprise when bearing in mind that one fifth of the world’s population live there, but this snippet of information usually slips past without our accepting or realising its implications until we come face to face with it.
Some of the most arresting features [...]

Differences

Here is a posting worth reading. On the Frog In A Well blog is an article about some works of art by a Chinese artist, Yang Liu [or Liu Yang, depending on whether you prefer Chinese names westernised or in original order], currently on show in Germany. Each picture is intended to show differences between [...]

How to . .

Here’s a useful posting, on Simpson’s Paradox, all about how to make use of a volume of The Thorn Birds . . . .

Take Note . . .

Lord Malloch-Brown has spoken up in support of Steven Spielberg’s decision to quit his post as adviser to the Beijing Oympic Games. By so doing he has forced China’s leaders to “sit up and take notice” and has “focussed minds”. If you don’t believe me it is all here in [...]

The Užupis Constitution

A few years ago the district of Užupis, in the city of Vilnius, declared itself to be an independent republic. A President and bishop were appointed, four flags were designed [one for each season], and a suitable constitution was duly drawn up. The 41 rights which form the constitution are engraved on mirrors, [...]

Future Masters

Some people have been talking about it, many others have been ignoring it, the majority still haven’t got their heads around it but it is happening now.

When China began its current economic revival and subsequent march to power for most people, myself included, this was something unimportant. It was happening thousands of miles way on [...]

Give a Ted a bad name . . .

Now that Ms Gillian Gibbons is safely home maybe it is ok to speculate on the real reasons why she was imprisoned. It certainly takes some swallowing that anyone could possibly be upset or offended at a child’s toy being given the name of a human being. We can accept that there is a cultural [...]

Putting in a good word for the Atheists

In a recently published document, entitled Spe Salvi [Saved by Hope], Joseph Ratzinger [Pope Benedict 16th] warns the world of the evils of atheism.

“Pope Benedict XVI has launched a powerful attack on atheism, saying that it was responsible for some of the ‘greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice’ in history.” Telegraph.co.uk

In the document [...]