James Mao

On identity and history

As an American citizen born in Taiwan who calls Beijing home, living in America has stirred a feeling of displacement in me, despite the fact that locals in the place I call home will always instantly…

Without citizen accountability, capitalism will crumble

In Japan, the shame of failure is, in the samurai tradition, often enough to warrant suicide. Indeed, the country has one of the highest suicide rates among rich countries (the May 2008 issue of “The …

An overextended U.S.A.

Mindlessly bouncing around the Internet as I am wont to do during time allocated for writing seminar papers, I came across yet another dire-sounding quote regarding the current financial crisis. What …

More unrest in the Congo, thanks to America

Back in November, I wrote about the ongoing bloodshed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. If you’re one of the people who read it, you may recall that I proposed the relevant parties in the multiface…

A tribute to the power of sports

With much ado and fanfare (and sighs of relief), last week marked the transition from Bush’s presidency to Barack Obama’s. The momentousness of this change was especially apparent when a number of stu…

World AIDS Day: a call to arms

This past Monday, Dec. 1, saw the passing of the 20th anniversary of World AIDS day, an event possibly overshadowed by the reluctant return to campuses all over the country by disgruntled college stud…

Resolution in the Congo difficult to achieve

Last week saw the passing of one of science fiction’s most prolific writers, Michael Crichton, the author of “Jurassic Park.” The award-winning Crichton gained popularity for his adventurous storytell…

Axl Rose in China

By the time American rock band Guns ’N Roses had released all the tracks that set them up for global acclaim, most current Swatties had yet set to foot in an elementary school classroom. After 17 long…

North Korean uncertainty: more than nukes

With the mystery surrounding Kim Jong Il’s illness shrouding North Korea in a murkier cloud of uncertainty than usual, one topic still remains prominent in the global arena: North Korea’s plans to res…