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Focus on China and Hong Kong

Here are some of the stories on F&O that provide some clarity on the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong:   Beijing will outwait Hong Kong’s Protesters, by Jonathan Manthorpe (paywall)   Tens of thousands of Hongkongers took advantage of today’s Chinese national holiday to join students who have clogged the city’s streets for four days demanding Beijing deliver on its promise to give the territory democratic autonomy. But the numbers do not look large enough to prompt Beijing to rethink its decision to keep control of the process by which the head of Hong Kong’s government, the Chief Executive, is

Clouds over Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution

Beijing has balked at loosing the virus of democracy that could sweep, ebola-like, from Hong Kong across the country and herald the end of the one-party state, writes International Affairs columnist Jonathan Manthorpe. He argues there is little hope that protests in Hong Kong will force Beijing to compromise, after the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress announced in late August that Hongkongers in 2017 can freely elect their Chief Executive — but only after Beijing has selected candidates of unimpeachable loyalty. An excerpt of Manthorpe’s new column, Beijing will outwait Hong Kong’s Protesters (paywall*): Tens of thousands of Hongkongers took

Good Reads

U.S. Financial Reform: Secret Recordings and a Culture Clash. By Jake Bernstein One day Carmen Segarra purchased a tiny recorder at the Spy Store and began capturing what took place at Goldman Sachs. In the tale of what happened next lie revelations about the challenges of reforming the American financial system, in the wake of  the 2008 crisis that crippled global finances and continues to reverberate through the world economy. Kool-Aid Economics. By Chris Wood (paywall) Canadians have been aware for some time that their Prime Minister subscribes to an arcane fundamentalist strain of Christianity. Being the polite and generally go-along

Chris Wood on Canada’s Old Testament Economics

Outside Canada, writes Natural Security columnist Chris Wood,  dangerous magical thinking — what he calls Old Testament Economics — “is increasingly being called out for its error by economists more based in reality … a Reformation is sweeping the ecclesiastical strongholds of market idolatry.” Within Canada, the reality accepted by a growing body of economists is dismissed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his “secular congregation” — and that should concern everyone, writes Wood. An excerpt of his new column, Kool-Aid Economics (subscription): Canadians have been aware for some time that their Prime Minister subscribes to an arcane fundamentalist strain of Christianity. Being

Chubby Checker, Twisting through the years

  Chubby Checker wasn’t getting much credit for his early contributions to rock ‘n’ roll during the disco dance craze of the 1970s.  Arts columnist Brian Brennan reports in his new time capsule piece that Checker viewed the popular dances of the day as little more than variations of his big 1960 hit, The Twist. An excerpt of Brennan’s Brief Encounters column: Twisting the Years Away: Chubby Checker: At age 36, dressed in spangled white jumpsuit with neckline plunging to the waist, Chubby Checker looked vaguely silly, like Elvis in Vegas. A dance routine in which a man pretends to grind

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