Eli Friedman

Precisely

Believe it or not, sometimes Taiwanese people aren't thinking about China at all

Taiwan edition

That would have gone against their whole world view!

"In the first quarter of 2024, more than 580,000 individuals aged 65 or above were living in poverty – a 42.9 per cent rise since 2019"

So much for the "trade your freedom for prosperity" argument

Hong Kong’s elderly face deadly heat inside cramped cage homes As soaring temperatures continue to break records, elderly Hongkongers living alone in poorly ventilated homes face a greater risk of worsening health conditions or even death.

Devastating article on the consequences of HK's housing/climate crisis

Spent yesterday making bagels with JVP students to raise money for International Solidarity Movement 🥯🇵🇸

Why China Won’t Help Iran Beijing cares about the oil, not the regime.

"Ultimately, Beijing doesn’t see regime change in Iran as a worst-case scenario. China is willing to work with whatever leadership emerges after the strikes as long as it protects oil flows and prioritizes shared economic interests."

All around moral vacuum

Lu Zhang wrote the best book on China's autoworkers, looking forward to this new work

Too soon

Israeli map showing all of southern Lebanon in red with yellow arrows pointing to north of the Litani river

The IDF just ordered the *entirety of south Lebanon* to be forcibly displaced.

They are emptying the land of its population, creating a massive crisis, and will now proceed to further annihilate large parts of Lebanon.

The very nation state of Lebanon is being destroyed.

Multi-hemispheric isolationism

The War on Iran (Monologue). Image shows one of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

I just released a long solo episode on the Israeli-US war on Iran and what it might mean for Iran, Lebanon and Israel - on @thefirethesetimes.com

On all podcast apps

Also available on thefirethesetimes.com/2026/03/03/t... and www.patreon.com/posts/tftt-2...

Same vibe except Xi will actually be able to accomplish it

The national myth is under Mongol and Manchu rule the radiance of Han culture was so dazzling it seamlessly absorbed neighboring societies. Using the coercive power of the state for forced assimilation today belies a deep insecurity: they're worried minorities don't want to become Chinese (i.e. Han)

China prepares landmark law curtailing minority language rights Bill to ‘promote ethnic unity’ by mandating Mandarin use would hasten decline of other cultures, critics say

Straight up fascist behavior

Ugh 2023 flashbacks

Also, respect to PM for this font choice

My mom's new book on organizing is available for pre-order! It's a profound source of wisdom, insight, and inspiration, Bernie knows what's up:

"I’ve known Ellen David Friedman for many years. She knows what it takes to organize and give people real hope.”
—‎Senator Bernie Sanders

India's solar sector set for first shakeout as capacity balloons New emphasis on upstream components benefits vertically integrated makers

"India is repeating exactly the past that happened in China with overcapacity."

Anyway it's clear lots of admins think they can outsource language teaching to a machine and we need to make it very clear that this is not the case

UK universities turn to Duolingo to test foreign students’ English Try questions from the test used by more than 50 UK higher education institutions

"More than 50 UK higher education institutions... accept an online test from the American tech company — whose mascot is a lime-green owl — as proof that undergraduate students can cope with studying in a foreign language."

FT going for the jugular

Huh I wouldn't have guessed. But I suppose if you count Canadians playing in the US and Americans playing in Canada (+ Europeans) that number would be quite high

Pressestatement von Kanzler Merz in Peking | Bundesregierung Kanzler Merz bekräftigte nach dem Gespräch mit Staatspräsident Xi Jinping, dass man die Partnerschaft mit China stärken wolle. Lesen Sie hier das Statement.

Taiwan:

I therefore made it clear to my interlocutors that Germany's One-China policy remains unchanged, but any effort toward reunification or unification between China and Taiwan can only be achieved peacefully and not by military means."

www.bundeskanzler.de/bk-de/aktuel...

Baseball always made out to be the most reactionary sport outside of NASCAR, which it may be, but it's also the only one where speaking Spanish, Japanese and Korean is a normal part of clubhouse life. Fewer black players in MLB, but it's more racially diverse than the other sports

As a baseball fan I am willing to swallow this tough pill. But just noting that MLB almost certainly has the highest % of non-citizen players, presumably their political views are somewhat better

In 2025, Taiwan was Singapore's largest trading partner.
www.singstat.gov.sg/modules/info...

Poor Hong Kong, couldn't keep even a trace of its manufacturing sector

The president of St. John's University's announcement that the school will no longer recognize its two faculty unions is a shameful union-busting move. SJU faculty have been working for 236 days without a contract.

Please sign the petition below to demand a return to the bargaining table.

FATHER SHANLEY: HANDS OFF ST. JOHN’S FACULTY UNIONS! We are shocked by President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P.’s recent attack on the two faculty labor unions at St. John’s University. On Thursday, February 19, 2026, Father Shanley informed faculty via em...

Petition against union busting by St. John's @aaup.org