John Nania

Sheldon Silver and John Liu have little in common, at first glance, beyond their status as New York politicians who have dealt with charges by the federal government.

Twenty-three years ago this month, thousands of intelligent and well-educated expert watchers of the Soviet Union were caught like deer in the headlights when they failed to foresee the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union.

Nick Castle took his zest for life and University of California degree to China in 2012 as a Peace Corps volunteer at the age of 22. He went to teach English and dived headfirst into Chinese culture. In February 2013, he died in China from an infectious disease, after what may have been a series of mistakes or miscommunications. If things had gone differently with his medical care, it’s possible that Castle would still be alive.

Two American companies were caught in the spotlight in China this week, cast as criminal or at least culpable. OSI Group was embarrassed by news that its Chinese subsidiary provided expired meat (or worse) to famous chain restaurants, while Microsoft is being investigated for monopolistic practices regarding its Windows software.

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While competing at soccer’s World Cup for American glory in sport, Team USA represented to the watching world the glory of American heart and spirit.

“Without a direct order from the regime, it’s almost impossible for Chen Guangbiao to come up with this idea by himself.”