Recent Posts
October 9, 2026
Posts in a Series
Whither Xi? Whither CCP? Whither China?
Xi, CCP, DJT, GOP – Part 1 – Government and Party
What Chinese are talking about (1) – Shaolin Temple raises the red flag
On passing the academic intellectual torch
William Kirby is a renowned China scholar at Harvard. He has written a dozen books on Chinese history and our relations with China. He has a long list of accomplishments at the highest levels of international academia and professional societies.When he writes about superior universities in Germany and the US and China, I can only marvel at the scope of his erudition. So I feel a bit out of my element commenting on his latest book Empires of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China.Kirby writes that on academic engagement with China the educational resurgence is much less a threat than an opportunity for American and other international universities…. American research universities have been strengthened enormously by recruiting Chinese doctoral students, themselves largely graduates of Chinese universities, who are admitted exclusively on the basis of merit. Our faculty ranks, too, are augmented by extraordinary Chinese scholars. We restrict these students and colleagues at our own peril. Today, any research university that is not open to talent from around the globe is on a glide path to decline. True enough. Kirby is familiar with the finest research universities and students in China and the world. Some Chinese students go on to excel in …
Red Imports in the Red States
Governor DeSantis is quite clearly fond of CCP policies and regulations. Many of his GOP fellow travelers are in thrall as well. Ridiculous? To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.He has signed legislation encouraging students to record and report teachers who espouse views unacceptable to DeSantis and the GOP. Just like CCP – see Monkey See, Monkey Do and more.He acknowledges higher goals than simply “grow GDP,” now pushing Disney out of a billion dollar Florida investment. CCP apparently taught DeSantis how to do that, with its recent crackdowns on tech, tutoring, and real estate – China’s Economic Needs May Take a Back Seat to Security – The New York Times. The only fundamental truth is power.DeSantis has worked hard to identify enemies of the people. He takes a hint from CCP and identifies whole industries or groups of people as class enemies – not just Disney. This from the DeSantis May, 2021 law that prohibits censoring of hate speech or fever-swamp lunacy online –This session, we took action to ensure that ‘We the People’ — real Floridians across the Sunshine State — are guaranteed protection against the Silicon Valley elites. Many in our state have experienced censorship and other …
Whoops! Just slipped right past me! …
From the Daily Beast, a wowser of a scoop – Berkeley’s $220M Mistake Exposed in Massive Deal With China
from the article – “U.C. Berkeley takes the matter of undue foreign government influence seriously,” he said. That much is quite clear. Berkeley can clearly undercut the businessman in selling CCP the rope. Go Golden Bears! And as with lots of scandals, the flaw may not be in the deal but in the avoidance of reporting. Again and again, whatever happened to avoiding the hint of impropriety? Answer – when you lose civil society or public morality, all that is left is the finely parsed letter of the law. https://www.thedailybeast.com/uc-berkeley-failed-to-disclose-dollar220m-tech-deal-with-china-to-us-government?ref=scroll Berkeley’s $220M Mistake Exposed in Massive Deal With China OOPS!U.C. Berkeley repeatedly neglected to disclose its deal with China to the U.S. government.Yuichiro KakutaniUpdated May. 22, 2023 7:18AM ET Published May. 22, 2023 4:59AM ET U.C. Berkeley has failed to disclose to the U.S. government massive Chinese state funding for a highly sensitive $240 million joint tech venture in China that has been running for the last eight years.The Californian university has not registered with the U.S. government that it received huge financial support from the city of Shenzhen for a tech project inside China, which also included partnerships with Chinese companies that have since been sanctioned by the U.S. or …
from the article – “U.C. Berkeley takes the matter of undue foreign government influence seriously,” he said. That much is quite clear. Berkeley can clearly undercut the businessman in selling CCP the rope. Go Golden Bears! And as with lots of scandals, the flaw may not be in the deal but in the avoidance of reporting. Again and again, whatever happened to avoiding the hint of impropriety? Answer – when you lose civil society or public morality, all that is left is the finely parsed letter of the law. https://www.thedailybeast.com/uc-berkeley-failed-to-disclose-dollar220m-tech-deal-with-china-to-us-government?ref=scroll Berkeley’s $220M Mistake Exposed in Massive Deal With China OOPS!U.C. Berkeley repeatedly neglected to disclose its deal with China to the U.S. government.Yuichiro KakutaniUpdated May. 22, 2023 7:18AM ET Published May. 22, 2023 4:59AM ET U.C. Berkeley has failed to disclose to the U.S. government massive Chinese state funding for a highly sensitive $240 million joint tech venture in China that has been running for the last eight years.The Californian university has not registered with the U.S. government that it received huge financial support from the city of Shenzhen for a tech project inside China, which also included partnerships with Chinese companies that have since been sanctioned by the U.S. or …
Change Management 3/3
Links to Related Articles
Change Management 1/3
Change Management 2/3
Change Management 3/3China has changed dramatically in the last forty years. Business writer and thought leader Bob Yovovich tells us that China urbanized in half the time it took the US and with ten times the number of relocations. Such rapid change must have induced complex interlocking social shifts and costs – customs broken, institutions abandoned, social ties destroyed. Now, wither China? Wither CCP?Three questions in three posts. This is post #3.Thesis #3 Will Mr. Democracy eventually overpower Mr. Science in Chinese culture? A democratic future must come with modernizationBelow – Evidence for the coming of Mr. Democracy Antithesis #3 No evidence for democracy anytime soon What holds Chinese back? We few … we unhappy few … But maybe really … self-harm Trusting in leadership by the best
Democracy and capitalism united Hear as the people hear
What do we want
The artistry of power
Locally …
AdaptationScience is about a search for truth. It is logical and precise. But science – as reflected in logic and precision – can only take society so far. Democracies and freedoms are much more complex than science, but people need that complexity to live meaningful lives.Democracies and freedoms come in many flavors. As much as CCP tries to keep China pure – free …
Change Management 1/3
Change Management 2/3
Change Management 3/3China has changed dramatically in the last forty years. Business writer and thought leader Bob Yovovich tells us that China urbanized in half the time it took the US and with ten times the number of relocations. Such rapid change must have induced complex interlocking social shifts and costs – customs broken, institutions abandoned, social ties destroyed. Now, wither China? Wither CCP?Three questions in three posts. This is post #3.Thesis #3 Will Mr. Democracy eventually overpower Mr. Science in Chinese culture? A democratic future must come with modernizationBelow – Evidence for the coming of Mr. Democracy Antithesis #3 No evidence for democracy anytime soon What holds Chinese back? We few … we unhappy few … But maybe really … self-harm Trusting in leadership by the best
Democracy and capitalism united Hear as the people hear
What do we want
The artistry of power
Locally …
AdaptationScience is about a search for truth. It is logical and precise. But science – as reflected in logic and precision – can only take society so far. Democracies and freedoms are much more complex than science, but people need that complexity to live meaningful lives.Democracies and freedoms come in many flavors. As much as CCP tries to keep China pure – free …
Change Management 2/3
Links to Related Articles
Change Management 1/3
Change Management 2/3
Change Management 3/3China has changed dramatically in the last forty years. Business writer and thought leader Bob Yovovich tells us that China urbanized in half the time it took the US and with ten times the number of relocations. Such rapid change must have induced complex interlocking social shifts and costs – customs broken, institutions abandoned, social ties destroyed. Now, wither China? Wither CCP?Three questions in three posts. This is post #2.Thesis #2 Can a communist regime support innovation in the long term? Will innovation in China fade with lack of political and moral freedoms? And #2a – a follow-on – if innovation slows, what of it?To follow –Antithesis #2 – China need not fail at innovation Education CCP members are the bourgeoisie Culture Culture below the radar Patents and innovation experts Move Along- Nothing to See Here … la la la A bit of history
Refuting #2a – If innovation slows, so what? pearl clutching Catching up
Sea turtles and finance Free to speak, associate, write, form groups as you wish – notThe operating assumption is that communist ideology is totalizing. It must exercise control over all elements of society, including science and technology. To move away from total control is to invite dissension, which leads to disruption, and eventual disintegration …
Change Management 1/3
Change Management 2/3
Change Management 3/3China has changed dramatically in the last forty years. Business writer and thought leader Bob Yovovich tells us that China urbanized in half the time it took the US and with ten times the number of relocations. Such rapid change must have induced complex interlocking social shifts and costs – customs broken, institutions abandoned, social ties destroyed. Now, wither China? Wither CCP?Three questions in three posts. This is post #2.Thesis #2 Can a communist regime support innovation in the long term? Will innovation in China fade with lack of political and moral freedoms? And #2a – a follow-on – if innovation slows, what of it?To follow –Antithesis #2 – China need not fail at innovation Education CCP members are the bourgeoisie Culture Culture below the radar Patents and innovation experts Move Along- Nothing to See Here … la la la A bit of history
Refuting #2a – If innovation slows, so what? pearl clutching Catching up
Sea turtles and finance Free to speak, associate, write, form groups as you wish – notThe operating assumption is that communist ideology is totalizing. It must exercise control over all elements of society, including science and technology. To move away from total control is to invite dissension, which leads to disruption, and eventual disintegration …
Change Management 1/3
Links to Related Articles
Change Management 1/3
Change Management 2/3
Change Management 3/3China has changed dramatically in the last forty years. Business writer and thought leader Bob Yovovich tells us that China urbanized in half the time it took the US and with ten times the number of relocations. Such rapid change must have induced complex interlocking social shifts and costs – customs broken, institutions abandoned, social ties destroyed. Now, wither China? Wither CCP?Three questions in three posts –Thesis #1 The Central Committee is composed mostly of technocrats, mostly engineers and finance people at the top. Will CCP have problems mitigating social change problems that arise as China modernizes?Thesis #2 Can a communist regime support innovation in the long term? CCP is doomed because ability to innovate will fade with lack of political and moral freedoms. And #2a – a follow-on – if innovation slows, what of it?Thesis #3 Will Mr. Democracy eventually overpower Mr. Science in Chinese culture? A democratic future must come with modernization.Post #1 – The Central Committee is composed mostly of technocrats, mostly engineers and finance people at the top. Will CCP have problems mitigating social change problems that arise as China modernizes?To follow – Evidence? Antithesis #1 – not American-style politicians, but politicians neverthelessThere are many millions of Chinese who remember the 1950s …
Change Management 1/3
Change Management 2/3
Change Management 3/3China has changed dramatically in the last forty years. Business writer and thought leader Bob Yovovich tells us that China urbanized in half the time it took the US and with ten times the number of relocations. Such rapid change must have induced complex interlocking social shifts and costs – customs broken, institutions abandoned, social ties destroyed. Now, wither China? Wither CCP?Three questions in three posts –Thesis #1 The Central Committee is composed mostly of technocrats, mostly engineers and finance people at the top. Will CCP have problems mitigating social change problems that arise as China modernizes?Thesis #2 Can a communist regime support innovation in the long term? CCP is doomed because ability to innovate will fade with lack of political and moral freedoms. And #2a – a follow-on – if innovation slows, what of it?Thesis #3 Will Mr. Democracy eventually overpower Mr. Science in Chinese culture? A democratic future must come with modernization.Post #1 – The Central Committee is composed mostly of technocrats, mostly engineers and finance people at the top. Will CCP have problems mitigating social change problems that arise as China modernizes?To follow – Evidence? Antithesis #1 – not American-style politicians, but politicians neverthelessThere are many millions of Chinese who remember the 1950s …
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