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POPSCurrency ETF Review A blog post about Currency ETFs and how to make money by trading them. For anyone who wants to expand their knowledge and investment profits, I recommend reading this post...
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POPSWhy do displays of compassion differ between East and West?
I am trying to understand A bit more: "In many Asian countries, favors invariably create obligations, which is perhaps why people are sometimes disinclined to interfere in the problems of others. You are obliged to take care of your family, your friends, or even your fellow countrymen. But the idea of universal charity is too abstract, and smacks of the kind of unwelcome interference that Western imperialists — and the Christian missionaries who followed them — practiced in the East for too long. The notion of "Asian values," promoted mostly by Singaporean official scribes, was partly a critique of universalist Western claims. Asians, according to this theory, have their own values, which include thrift, deference to authority, the sacrifice of individual to collective interests, and the belief that countries should not stick their noses into others' affairs. Hence, the hesitant response of Southeast Asian governments — and public opinion — to the Burmese disaster." see source
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POPSChina's Century Can western democracy survive long enough to serve as an example to the next generation of Asian leaders? Or will liberal social and economic policies so cripple or society that we end up representing what they want to avoid becoming?
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POPSTaiwan's Interesting Democracy A democracy, you say? One where the people are concerned about the appearance of impropriety, you say? Impossible, I say, impossible! But it's true! And it's in Taiwan. They actually raise valid concerns about conflicts of interest in high government officials - before the corruption scandal, not after! How come we never thought of that? This blows a giant hole in the "Asian Values" argument, that dictatorship and corruption are inherent elements of "The Asian Mind" that cannot be changed. (Go suck on that one, Lee Kuan Yew!) But seriously, given the track record of the current Taiwanese first-lady, I would say it's better that Chow keeps her job, because this way she won't have to embezzle from the government when she wants to buy new earrings!
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POPSThe Rise of Fascism in the 21st Century Jim Yardley is a very astute China observer, and this article hits the nail on the head. Surging Chinese nationalism is reaching frightening proportions. We seem to have forgotten that communism hardened by nationalism turns into fascism. I believe the current political climate in China of frustration, insecurity and aggressive racial pride is very very similar to the agitation for Fascism that took place in Europe and Asia in the 1930s.
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POPSElection Fever Epidemic Hits World Much of the fervid absorption in the primaries and caucuses — accessible as never before on 24-hour satellite and cable television channels like CNN and Fox News — seems inspired by a hope that the American electoral process will end an era of foreign policy dominance by neoconservatives. It is, perhaps, too early to guess what specific changes Europeans and other non-Americans expect from a new government. Many of America’s Asian trading partners worry about what they see as Democratic proclivities toward economic protectionism and stricter targets on greenhouse gas emissions. But there are broader concerns. As Ramesh Thakur, a political science professor in India, wrote: “We foreigners can but pray that the new president, whoever he or she may be, will return America to its strengths, values and the tradition of exporting hope and other optimism. And so help to lift America and the world up, not tear one another down.”
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POPSDebating the Color of Europe: Point-Counterpoint between Marine Le Pen and Tariq Ramadan What people fail to appreciate is that Europe was never as pure as we imagine it. Western culture developed in tandem with Eastern culture, not separately. Most European ethnicities originally came from Central Asian populations. The process of redefinition and cultural influence has been going on in Europe for centuries. Short-sighted people like Le Pen are not just foolish for wanting to stop it, but for even thinking they can. A culture cannot isolate itself from the world. This was true during the Medieval Crusades, and it is even more true today. Immigration is the fundamental nature of man. Isolation is the basic reaction of the ignorant and fearful. Of course, Europe has never been bashful about imposing its culture over local cultures around the world. Could the immigration debate be a vestigial reflex of imperialism?
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POPSCulture Influences Brain Function, Study Shows To read the full interesting article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111102934.htm There is so much to learn. What is interesting is how this affects testing as in schools or IQ. I think it may start to show what many of us already know. People think and perceive differently and need to be tested that way or tests not given the same importance. People/children learn differently. I have a strong opinion that things won't change very fast in the classroom though. But maybe parents can learn and appreciate what they have. Maybe people can start to appreciate differences and what we all bring to the table.
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POPSCulture influences brain function “Everyone uses the same attention machinery for more difficult cognitive tasks, but they are trained to use it in different ways, and it's the culture that does the training,”
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POPSNo more tolerance for the intolerant! Its time we assert the values of Western democracy and demand that immigrants conform to our laws and values. Culture is no excuse for rape, murder and torture. Why isn't this obvious to the courts?
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POPSThe "Average" Ambiguity "To speak of an 'average man' or of 'average weather,' etc., is to speak nonsense even though many people do it. A man may be average with respect to height, weight, income, I.Q., excitability, or any other specific, measurable quality. But the term 'average man' conveys nothing except maybe the vague notion that the man in question is not outstanding in any way that meets the eye. Similarly, the weather might be average with respect to temperature, rainfall, or humidity, but not just 'average.' The term, to have any precise meaning, must be used in conjunction with some specific quantifiable property." ... the average human is half male / half female; blonde, brown, black; caucasian, asian & african at the same time ...
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