Admiral Akbar's Olympics

If China bashing was an Olympic sport, the US would be proudly wearing the gold, silver and bronze metals.

I'm not sure why I feel the need to say this but, the skit is from the onion - i.e. not real news.

Good Thing that I don't use Toothpaste

Everyone's suddenly abuzz about poisonous toothpaste. Not just poisonous toothpaste mind you, but poisonous toothpaste MADE IN CHINA! What will those nefarious Chinese think up to unleash on us next? A delicious mousetrap fish? or Landmine cereal maybe?


Personally, I don't think this wave of tainted toiletry is a commie plot. I say the China angle is more "Asia Hysteria" and a red herring (a tasty nonmousetrapped fish by the way).

Why? Because China makes f-ing every consumer product in the US. Saying that the poisonous toothpaste is from China is like saying that the latest acid rain comes from clouds in the sky.

(Yummy in the Tummy via Corbis Photos and that kid looks a lot like my brother diggs did when he was a young boy enjoying mouth watering landmine cereal)

What is it Good For?

A couple of ongoing fictional series' have indirectly taken on the War on Terror as a subject for drama. The new Battlestar Galactica and Marvel comics Civil War certainly try. One of the most appropriate works which takes on the issues of the war is the Japanese manga turned anime Full Metal Alchemist.

If you don't like anime and you want to see what I'm talking about, you should skip ahead to 6:40.

Even without any political overtones, Full Metal Alchemist reaches the top of the anime pyramid as it alternates between comedic and dramatic, lighthearted and deep in contemplation of the darkness of the soul. It does get a bit long winded and plot twisty in the middle of the series though. Leave it to Japan to understand what it means to be a dominant colonial power as well as a satellite state.

Asia's Comin' Up Behind You

Paranoid much?

Asian Invasion

Looks like Asia is up to her old tricks. This time global warming and ozone depletion. A Times article today states: As Asia Keeps Cool, Scientist Fear Warming. The paradox alluded to in the headline is that India and southern China are now buying more air conditioners than ever and many of them are not up to current ozone protecting standards of other countries.

I'm not saying that this isn't a problem but I don't think that the US media should be so quick to point the finger while their own government relaxes controls on pollutants and refuses to control carbon emissions. I also don't like the submerged jingoism that surrounds discussion of the economies of India and China these days. What I do like is the chance to use the word jingoism.

It may be hard to remember now but once upon a time the US economy was booming and in those days there wasn't much media talk about how a booming economy was in any way negative for anybody. Yet, today, the econmic success of Asia is generally described as a gathering storm.


In the article, you'll also find this sentence:

"An unusually cold Antarctic winter, rather than the rise in the use of refrigerants, may have caused the sudden expansion [of the ozone hole]..."

Now, we know who's really to blame. I say to the Times next time point the figure at the penguins and bury the Asian connection at the end of the article. But, you're not going to sell papers blaming those lovable tuxedoed birds. Not after all the great PR they got with that family friendly propoganda film that was March of the Penguins.