Massive rioting in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region in northwest China, has left more than 156 dead and more than 1,000 injured. The whole thing is confusing and uses a lot of words I can’t pronounce, but it is generally kind of like Nepal without the adorable monks. Here are a few bullet points to guide you through it:
China is made up of a large number of disparate ethnic groups, the largest being the Han Chinese who control everything. Urumqi is populated by Uighurs, who are ethnically Turkish/Chinese.
The Chinese government has historically oppressed the Uighurs while extracting all the mineral wealth (oil) from their area they can. Uighurs feel they have not gotten their share of China’s rapid economic growth.
Some Uighurs feel that a lot of restrictions and recent public works projects are actually designed to drive them out of the region so it can be repopulated with Han Chinese. The Chinese government is afraid that expressions of Uighur pride and nationalism is the first step towards and open revolution and an attempt to create a breakaway nation.
For now rioting probably continues and there are disputes over whether most of the deaths have been caused by the rioters or by the police. The Internet has been cut for large areas of China and where it is still on sites like Facebook and Twitter are blocked. Read more about this issue here. If any of our many readers (Ok well, two) who are China experts want to correct me, I welcome their thoughts in the comments.
There were 7 new U.S. casualties in Afghanistan yesterday, reflecting the intensified fighting there. With more U.S. soldiers in the region and with those soldiers pushing out into areas that had been largely written off to Taliban or tribal control, this is probably only the start of increasing casualty numbers.
The House passed the $900 billion stimulus package on what was an almost party-line vote. The bill now moves to the Senate, where good legislation goes to die. However, it appears likely that more Senate Republicans are willing to support the bill so it may have an easier time passing. I gave you your talking points on this yesterday. Slate pointed out that USA Today has a great little outline of what is contained in the bill. Read it and say things like, “Everyone is talking about infrastructure, but the $53.4 billion to support science facilities, high-speed Internet and other energy programs are what really could transform the US economy.” THAT will make you cool, I think.
Republicans are trying to figure out who they are at the RNC winter meeting. If I might suggest something to my differently inclined brethren, don’t go in this direction.
You know what I miss from the campaign? Profiles about how awesome Obama is that include lots of great behinds the scenes Obama porn. What’s that? No suit jackets in the Oval Office? He likes to keep the thermostat really high? Business casual? Aloha zen? Yes, that’s what daddy likes…
On what I can only assume was a dare, The Wall Street Journal has an Op-Ed from Rush Limbaugh over how he would structure a bipartisan bailout bill. He is not an economist, but he does use the word “porkulus.”
To get the taste out of my mouth I turned to Kristof, who is advocating for a high-level commission to investigate torture, secret detention and wiretapping.
And finally, because we have a duty to our readers to provide as much pirate-related news as we can find, BBC magazine has a great article about how exactly pirates get paid their ransoms for the ships they hijack.
Snow is blanketing much of the Northeast and Midwest today and I am left to ponder how it really wasn’t that long ago that reports of snow would send me into a frenzy of checking the local news for school cancellation reports. Now I don’t notice it unless it is enough to prevent me from opening my front door.
The House of Representatives is voting on President Obama’s$900 billion stimulus package *titter* today. Republicans are pushing back against the bill because they feel it focuses too much on spending and not enough on tax cuts. Obama spent yesterday trying to drum up Republican support. The whole thing does have an element of farce; For example, the title of the USA Today article is “Obama faces first test of bipartisanship pledge,” that same article also features the line, “The measure is sure to pass .” If you want to know why the Republicans are upset, read this Times article which details how Democrats are using the stimulus as an excuse to push through a lot of welfare and health care policies which have been stalled for years. If you are a Republican, you can argue how this crisis is no time to railroad through partisan proposals. If you are a Democrat, point out that Republican tax cuts and deficit spending helped get us into this mess and don’t forget to add that “NEENER NEENER NEENER WE WON THE ELECTION.”
Novelist John Updike passed away yesterday at the age of 76. Can’t say I am familiar with any of his work so i will leave i to the New York Times to handle the obit. I will also add him to the list of recently deceased famous writers I probably should have read already.
What’s that? An Islamic terrorist group has overthrown a US-backed government? Quick, dispatch a few aircraft carriers and tell the Marines to saddle up… Oh wait, Africa you say? Never mind.
Twentieth Century Fox has assembled a creative team to transform 1980s TV series “The A-Team” into a summer 2010 film. I love it when a plan comes together.
So, it has been a few days huh? Well last week I was in DC celebrating a historic event and a great day for our country. It was day that a lot of people thought wouldn’t come, but a few faithful who worked hard and truly believed were rewarded when [LAME ASS ARIZONA CARDINALS JOKE].
Tough crowd. Anyway yes, we have been on a bit of a sabbatical for inauguration and then post-vacation work craziness.
What kind of world has Obama inherited? Yesterday about a dozen companies announced layoffs totally around 75,000 jobs. What is most significant about these job cuts are that they aren’t affecting the usual banking and real estate industry, the ax is falling across large swaths of manufacturing, retailing and information technology, taking out workers from New York to Seattle. Expect to see more cuts as companies take stock of 2008 and begin implementing 2009 plans.
Thankfully, the Senate has saved us! They have confirmed Timothy Geithner as President Barack Obama’s Treasury secretary by a 60-34 vote. Though there were threats about derailing his nomination because of some tax issues in his past, not even the US Senate is stupid enough to force a protracted battle over a Treasury Secretary nomination with a staggeringly popular President during a financial crisis.
Since he not only has to save the US economy but also the entire world, President Obama did an interview with Al-Arabiya, an Arabic-language satellite TV network in which he stressed that the US ‘not your enemy.’ Woo! Public Diplomacy totally rocks! Anyone know why he didn’t do Al Jazeera?
Good news? You say you want good news? How about the fact that Bill Kristol is no longer a columnist at the New York Times? That’s right, his last day was yesterday – you won’t have old Bill Kristol to kick around anymore. Who are we kidding? He friggen loved it and is moving over to the Washington Post to continue his liberal-enraging, correction-requiring brand of commentary. Thank god, I, like every other blogger ever, was terrified about not having Bill Kristol columns to make fun of every week. That might force me to think, or possible to do some actual research!
As a bonus, head after the jump to see a hilarious Kristol image from our archives.
The National Bureau of Economic Research has officially declared that the United States is in a recession, news which sent the Dow Jones industrial average plunging nearly 680 points, or 7.7 percent. Government officials are saying they will do everything possible to turn the recession around. Who knows if they will be successful. I had no idea what officially makes it a recession; thanks to Slate’s Explainer, I do now:
One widespread definition of a recession—the one used by newspapers—is a decline in the gross domestic product for two or more consecutive quarters.
President-elect Obama yesterday announced who will be in his national security team. Leading the team will be Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State and President Bush’s Defense Secretary Robert Gates as, well, Defense Secretary. Two key takeaways from this are that I am sick to death of hearing the phrase “team of rivals” and that THIS is the best news ever.
After being panned last week for taking three separate corporate jets to ask for bailouts, the heads of the big three automakers will be most likely driving to Washington for a series of meetings with Congress. The head of Ford will be taking Ford’s new hybrid car while the other two haven’t decided how they will get there. Here is a thought: book coach tickets and skip this bullshit. That, or really have fun with it and road trip in an old VW bus.
Finally, if you get paid to run for a living it is probably not a good idea to carry around a loaded gun. It is probably a worse idea to try to unload it while drinking wine andshoot yourself in the leg.
So, it has been a few days huh? Well last week I was in DC celebrating a historic event and a great day for our country. It was day that a lot of people thought wouldn’t come, but a few faithful who worked hard and truly believed were rewarded when [LAME ASS ARIZONA CARDINALS JOKE].
The National Bureau of Economic Research has officially declared that the United States is in a