CHINA

I believe that many people think that sometime in the future China will be the world's 'bastion' of economy, stability and enduring progress. This would have been the case except for the Great Financial Crisis of 2008 that is still rolling like a slow wild-fire through the West without any sign of abating...but, au contraire, growing more profound.

The reality is that China IS the bastion of world economy, stability and progress now and will remain so for many, many, many decades to come; I'd guess at least a hundred years easy.

Reality does take time to work its way through filters and blinkers, assumptions and the like, but it's best to acknowledge it as time goes by. It's best for everyone to acknowledge reality even though it may not have been what we expected to happen so fast. Especially still in the grip of 2008, the West is slow and then backpedalling.

China is fast, on track and doing well. As for the West, it is in an almost planetary sized illusion of the date being 2007.

Re China Rising, Al Jazeera and CNN DISQUS interlink

I've very much appreciated the DISQUS forum on Al Jazeera and on CNN as a way to state my views and to also learn from others with very different views. The series on China has been great, so well done Al Jazeera! and best wishes to all interested in this very important and indeed unstoppable phenomenon of China Rising.

yes yes yes

always the wrong week to quit smoking, drinking, amphetamines...ah Lloyd Bridges...yes it was the wrong week to stop sniffing glue too!

Shirley? You can't be serious.....

I love the way Van Morrison and Sinead OConnor do the  'Have I told you lately that I love you' Van Morrison song. He is an old man who owns so much music and creativity and there he is so deeply loving this Irish sad singer...and he has to show it. The song he wrote doesn't matter, only the feelings matter to him. meanwhile, this brilliant Irish lady, inspired by him, is trying to give good justice to his beautiful song, whilst also living in the world of her own independence...but he does not care....this is Van Morrison at 50 and still 12. It's a classic study of love and the way brilliant and big hearted silly men do it.
 So powerful and so clumsy.

Sinead OConnor/ I Love You English Man