Sun Blogs

The New Great Game

September 11th, 2008
By Rob Coniglio
Rob Coniglio comments on the unfortunate place that Georgia has found itself in recently. Georgia sends a clear message to the other countries of the former Eastern Bloc--upset Russia and get close to the United States at your own risk. With Western powers creeping closer, Russia seems to be taking action to keep them at bay. Read More

Monuments to the New, New China

August 4th, 2008
By Rob Coniglio
When I look through both American and Chinese history, I see a common thread in our shared pre-occupation with monuments. Americans have the countless presidential monuments in D.C. as well as war memorials, not to mention our grand public works projects such as the Hoover Dam and Interstate Highway System that represent our belief in power and hope for America. Read More

Counting Down the Days to “New Beijing, New Olympics”

July 29th, 2008
By Rob Coniglio
With pollution concerns for the Olympics in China brought up as early as the bidding process, the organizers are making a science out of weather control. Both Xinhua (China’s state news agency) and the word on the street (sometimes a more effective medium) have reported that the government has, and will if necessary, shoot rockets into the atmosphere that “seed” the clouds with mercury, forcing rain. In a prelude to what may happen in the weeks leading up to the games, June was the wettest month in recent memory for normally arid Beijing. The forced rain, more times than not clears the air for awhile but not for good, yellow skies return after a few days. I’m expecting that as the big day rapidly approaches to have to dodge rain storms left and right to make it to work. Read More

Letters from Beijing: July 1st

July 1st, 2008
By Rob Coniglio
It’s not your Ithaca Wal-Mart. Though the form is more or less the same with the happy smiley face promising “always low prices” (though in Chinese it only promises “always fair prices”), the blue-aproned sales associates and the general brightness and cleanliness of the store Read More

Letter from Beijing

June 13th, 2008
By Rob Coniglio
Walking down the streets of Beijing is a surreal experience. There are times when it doesn’t even seem like you’re in the same country, let alone same city. On the one hand there are towers of steel and glass and deluxe shopping malls with high-powered brand names pasted on the walls, but there are also areas of poverty, where resident are just waiting for an eviction order to make way for the next shiny development. Read More

Down the Rabbit Hole

May 15th, 2008
By Rob Coniglio
It is rare that a government would try to block humanitarian supplies from reaching its own people. Even such pariah governments as North Korea eagerly accept aid for its people when faced with famine. Benefits of such aid may not be equitably distributed, but rarely do governments refuse foreign help when their own ability to cope with a crisis has been overloaded. That is, unless we’re discussing the military government of Myanmar, which has placed the paranoid concerns of its leaders over the welfare of the millions affected by the recent cyclone. Myanmar’s leaders have wasted precious time delaying badly-needed foreign aid and placing restrictions on distribution aimed at monopolizing the government’s control of the situation. Read More