Don't look for heroes... there are no heroes here. There are only leaders making decisions in their respective national interests. In fact countries don't have any friends, they only have interests. They don't really have enemies either... at least not until the shooting starts anyway... then they have created ... Full Comment>>

I have similar story, but used friends in Australia to do a lot of the leg work between registry and consulate... Drove them nuts, instead of me. Thought the Germans were efficient? Full Comment>>

Agreed, this is a useful essay on self-perception and indicative of a nation emerging from a series of turbulent and destructive times; however it lacks a historic perspective on how Master Narratives, the glue through which people hold together a nation, become distorted through the prism of national destruction. ... Full Comment>>

Interesting little essay on the way some Chinese parents think. Teaching family members with money makes me sick. They don't need English past survival/travel level. I only enjoy teaching people who want to learn. I once taught in one of SZ's elite schools and found at least half of the students were unmotivated ... Full Comment>>