Protectionism - Brought to a New Level

While the US and Europe are still widely criticized for stalling Doha talks with their insistent farm subsidies, and while the US Senate is still trying to pass the 27.5% tariff on Chinese imports, nothing tops the ridicule of this protectionist move.

An American school banned the wonderful International Baccalaureate (IB for short) because:

officials condemned it as "un-American" and Marxist, sparking outrage among pupils who are studying the increasingly popular diploma.

They also rejected it on grounds that it is anti-Christian (note: World Religions) and that it is "too foreign". Check this out:

Trombetta, the board member who has received death threats from angry parents, had further complained that the IB tests "were developed in a foreign country".

I understand the concern for maintaining AP's integrity, but as a country that prides itself on its Capitalist society and progress from competition, simply rejecting a foreign yet widely successful curriculum will not automatically guarantee the success of America's children. If anything, in this increasingly global and flat world, America's next generation will simply continue to possess their narrow world view that has not been beneficial at all.

Perhaps this kind of protectionism (preventing CNOOC from acquiring Unocal) is justifiable through strategic interest (though personally I think the Senate was just soiling their pants at China's surging power), but surely America's public, or those in power, should realize USA's comparative advantaage lies not in its farmers, its factories and mass production, or its standardized tests, but rather in its abundance of bright minds and resources, which it should channel towards the development of science and technology.

Without innovation, the US of A would falter in the 21st century.

Face The Music, Book Your Future

A few days ago, I was added as a Facebook friend by someone in HKU. First I was surprised, since I had no idea when facebook.com made its way to the Far East (only HKU for now). I've been expecting it to happen, and even jokingly suggested to a friend to be its Asian division programmer. Could've made a fortune. Or not.

Hong Kong has a large population, but as my sister points out, one always seems to bump into the same people now and then. Social circles overlap either majorly or not at all. Between university and secondary school circles, facebook is bound to be a hit, given as well the amount of time an average HK student spends in front of the computer. One hindering factor, on the other hand, could be the absence of facebook's hype and a holy history of the actual (paper) facebook.


Regardless of the site's success in my hometown, its popularity in the US has caused problems for students. Friends posting photos of underage drinking and hazing have led campus officers to break down parties and discipline students. Embarassing pictures are visible to people you've never met. Stalking cases have occurred from information posted online. Facebook is a fun site to waste time on, but many people are not aware of the perils of thoughtlessly sharing information. It takes only 5 minutes to set privacy levels appropriately to prevent trouble.

A word to the wise on this page a friend sends me:

Some potential employers — for example, many of those you meet at Career Services events — will be alumni, and are likely to look you up on Facebook. Count on this: Your chances of being hired by a company will be affected by your Facebook profile.

Another thing to keep in mind is this: information posted online stays there. Google, like many other search engines, caches webpages. Contact information, photos, profanity, groupings.

Use of profane, derogatory or offensive language does not reflect well on you. Think about it this way: If you wouldn’t use a word in a job interview or in a meeting with a faculty member, don’t put it on the web.

Advice on webposting doesn't get more concise than this:

Use common sense when publishing anything on the internet or visiting other web sites, and don’t assume that everyone you will meet on the web is a rational, law-abiding citizen who has your best interests at heart.

Unfortunately, people don't listen.