Monthly Archive: June, 2004

I�ve always considered myself a free trader, believing that markets do a much better job than regulations when it comes to determining wages and prices. Thirty years ago, there were 40 or 50 wars raging across the world, and famines and plagues in China and India would kill tens of thousands of people. The world, for all its problems, is much better than that today, and I attribute most of that change to two things: the end of Soviet support...

If you’re reading this from China, don’t miss the (hopefully) big pro-democracy demo in Hong Kong on July 1st. Last year, half a million people turned out and won a reprieve for their freedom. This year, Beijing is trying very hard to keep mainlanders from showing up and joining in. They sound pretty desperate.

If you’re reading this from China, don’t miss the (hopefully) big pro-democracy demo in Hong Kong on July 1st. Last year, half a million people turned out and won a reprieve for their freedom. This year, Beijing is trying very hard to keep mainlanders from showing up and joining in. They sound pretty desperate.

If you’re reading this from China, don’t miss the (hopefully) big pro-democracy demo in Hong Kong on July 1st. Last year, half a million people turned out and won a reprieve for their freedom. This year, Beijing is trying very hard to keep mainlanders from showing up and joining in. They sound pretty desperate.

That was the Plan B I heard floated on the day the six-nation talks hit the wall again. More here, scroll down. I actually caught John Loftus talking about this on TV as well, and he talked like a man with connections to the administration. Admittedly, that’s a sport in this town (and in fact, it’s no more challenging than this).

. . . was the sentence for Takayuki Noguchi, who was caught trying to help two North Korean refugees escape. Both were born in Japan, but are now certain to die in North Korea. Soon. More info here. Quick . . . someone warn the riot police.

Few people have done more or risked more at the front lines to help North Korean refugees than Douglas Shin. If you google him, you will see that he’s been the subject and interviewee of a lot of big media, but if you meet him in person, his decency and modesty belie his accomplishments. Doug (actually, he’s an ordained minister, but you wouldn’t guess that from meeting him, either) has started a new Web site here, and I hope you’ll...

Here’s a comforting report for everyone who says that we must take North Korean promises not to transfer nukes to terrorists: In December 2002, according to officials with access to the airport, a North Korean cargo jet delivering nuclear technology, including some weapons-grade uranium, was being unloaded at night under military supervision. A container slipped and cracked on the tarmac, and everyone in the area was taken away for thorough medical examinations. Apparently, the Iranians shut down the entire airport...

Count me as a soldier in The Big Hominid’s flame war against the South Korean Ministry of Truth, but it’s hard for me to get as excited about hit counters as I do about beatings, arrests, isolation, and intimidation of dissenters with the apparent cooperation / acquiesence of the South Korean government. The Marmot, ever careful to avoid a hasty conclusion, doesn’t accuse the MIC of censorship (ahem, are you listening, Korea Herald?). Blocking blogs–even for nearly a week–may or...

I’ve predicted (here and here) that the Korean reaction to the murder of Kim Seon-Il would not be to support the deployment of troops to Iraq, but to hate both America and the entire muslim world. Given a few days, however, someone was sure to find the tortured logic that somehow makes this mostly America’s fault. The wait is now over. If you bet against me on that one, I’d like to call in my chips now (hat tip: Jeff)....

That was the Plan B I heard floated on the day the six-nation talks hit the wall again. More here, scroll down. I actually caught John Loftus talking about this on TV as well, and he talked like a man with connections to the administration. Admittedly, that’s a sport in this town (and in fact, it’s no more challenging than this).

. . . was the sentence for Takayuki Noguchi, who was caught trying to help two North Korean refugees escape. Both were born in Japan, but are now certain to die in North Korea. Soon. More info here. Quick . . . someone warn the riot police.

Few people have done more or risked more at the front lines to help North Korean refugees than Douglas Shin. If you google him, you will see that he’s been the subject and interviewee of a lot of big media, but if you meet him in person, his decency and modesty belie his accomplishments. Doug (actually, he’s an ordained minister, but you wouldn’t guess that from meeting him, either) has started a new Web site here, and I hope you’ll...

Here’s a comforting report for everyone who says that we must take North Korean promises not to transfer nukes to terrorists: In December 2002, according to officials with access to the airport, a North Korean cargo jet delivering nuclear technology, including some weapons-grade uranium, was being unloaded at night under military supervision. A container slipped and cracked on the tarmac, and everyone in the area was taken away for thorough medical examinations. Apparently, the Iranians shut down the entire airport...

Count me as a soldier in The Big Hominid’s flame war against the South Korean Ministry of Truth, but it’s hard for me to get as excited about hit counters as I do about beatings, arrests, isolation, and intimidation of dissenters with the apparent cooperation / acquiesence of the South Korean government. The Marmot, ever careful to avoid a hasty conclusion, doesn’t accuse the MIC of censorship (ahem, are you listening, Korea Herald?). Blocking blogs–even for nearly a week–may or...

I’ve predicted (here and here) that the Korean reaction to the murder of Kim Seon-Il would not be to support the deployment of troops to Iraq, but to hate both America and the entire muslim world. Given a few days, however, someone was sure to find the tortured logic that somehow makes this mostly America’s fault. The wait is now over. If you bet against me on that one, I’d like to call in my chips now (hat tip: Jeff)....

I’ve predicted (here and here) that the Korean reaction to the murder of Kim Seon-Il would not be to support the deployment of troops to Iraq, but to hate both America and the entire muslim world. Given a few days, however, someone was sure to find the tortured logic that somehow makes this mostly America’s fault. The wait is now over. If you bet against me on that one, I’d like to call in my chips now (hat tip: Jeff)....

Interesting report in the NYT. James Brooke seems to have the best understanding of the issues of any of the reporters from the major rags. The story begins with a discussion of the South Koreans dismantling those ludicrous loudspeakers along the DMZ. It then discusses some of the absurdities that result when you make an agreement with the world’s most closed society to restrict the flow of information. A month after South Korea allowed thugs to shut down Radio Free...