Where Are The Great Recession’s Steinbecks?

“There are millions like me: people over 50, professional credentials (and achievements), working as ‘consultants’ and not earning a penny, living on savings, trying to re-train. … When you include us, the actual number of unemployed in America is closer to 20% than 9%. Now, that number is eye-popping. So why do writers and artists seem uninterested in the human toll of this terrifying downturn?”

The Trials Of Lang Lang

“His first teacher humiliated him. ‘She fired me,’ says Lang Lang simply, ‘because she thought I had no talent.’ There were blazing rows with his father, who told him he was lazy. Unable to stand it, the boy smashed his hands against the wall. But then he found a teacher who gave him hope.”

China’s Security Tightens – Ai Weiwei An Example

“Encouraged and empowered by their success in delivering a smooth Olympic games, China’s security apparatus has steadily expanded. The budget for security is more than 50 per cent higher than it was during 2008, the year of the games, and has now even outstripped the budget of the People’s Liberation Army. Against this backdrop, Ai Weiwei is perhaps the party’s biggest scalp. While his protests have become steadily more electric over the past few years, few expected that any action would be taken against him.”