From World Affairs, PJ O'Rourke on the Cleveland of Asia: A journey through China’s Rust Belt. Bryan Walsh reviews The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom by Simon Winchester (and more and more). From National Geographic, a special issue on China. From NPQ, Francis Fukuyama on China, strong states and liberty. From TLS, a review of books on China (and more). With the Games approaching, a question: Can an irritating monkey help China become conversant in English? High school's worst year? For ambitious teens, 11th grade becomes a marathon of tests, stress and sleepless nights. This is your Mom on drugs: Aging doesn't stop drug use. From Editor & Publisher, is it the end of the newsroom as we know it? Travels in the former Soviet Union: South Ossetia is a self-proclaimed independent country that is, in fact, neither. From Wishtank, an article on the evolution of the Humanist Manifesto; here's a primer on the co-operative business model; an interview with Justin Boland on Fifth Generation Warfare; and what does the exchange of a gift mean to the giver and the recipient? Is altruism a myth? Examining the ideas of Marcel Mauss, Jacques Derrida and Ralph Waldo Emerson. From Cracked, here's a list of the 6 most frequently quoted bullsh*t statistics.
