Taikonaut and pioneer Yang Liwei joins the ranks of Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard in leading his nation into the stars. Yet, despite’s China’s recent success, analysts on all sides downplay the idea of a renewed space race…for now.
Category: China
Taikonauts go Lunar.
More details surface about China’s space ambitions, and they are soon to include manned lunar missions. Interesting…
Destination Moon.
As Europe goes to the moon (alas, without Tintin), China prepares to choose the first Taikonaut.
Here We Go Again.
Second verse, same as the first. With the war in Iraq coming to a close, Dubya’s hawks start turning up the heat on Syria. “I think that we believe there are chemical weapons in Syria,” Bush said yesterday. Boy, that rationale never gets old, does it? Even with India now latching onto Dubya’s “preemption” to justify possibly bombing Pakistan back into the Stone Age, the Bushies don’t even make an attempt to forge a casus belli more in tune with international diplomatic precedent. Let’s just hope China also doesn’t decide to “preempt” terrorism in Taiwan anytime soon. (Second link via Follow Me Here.) Update: Bush and Blair try to kill the Syria war hype, for now.
Fellowship of the Ringu.
For Sauron will have dominion over this Middle Kingdom, even unto the ending of the world.A Hong Kong newspaper imagines an all-Asian Rings trilogy.
The Tao of Yao.
Usually wrong about most things basketball, the Sports Guy gets one right with his apology for underestimating Yao Ming, the Chinese Tower of Power.
Hu’s on First?
If you haven’t read or heard the Dubya and Condi Hu’s on First? routine yet, go check it out over at Caught in Between. It’s quite funny.
Yao’s Trial By Fire.
#1 pick Yao Ming looks decent in yesterday’s US-China matchup, going for 13 and 11 in a 30 point loss. More to the point, he didn’t let Antonio Davis dunk on him, which should bolster his ego a bit coming into his first NBA season.
Gentle Giant or Ivan Drago?
The NBA and the Houston Rockets try to figure out how to market Yao Ming. Looks like Agassi’s just psyched Yao doesn’t play tennis.
The Complicated American.
What the World Thinks of America, from Gary Kamiya of Salon (premium). A fascinating read.