Scientists from NASA and Pennsylvania State University recently published a scenario analysis which investigates the potential implications of contact with ETIs (extraterrestrial intelligence) and ultimately suggests that alien-human interaction would be harmful to earthly beings, even if the ETI civilization held universalist ethics. The scientists reason that, given we have already altered our environment in [...]

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Commentary air quality, aliens, Beijing, china, ETIs, global warming, nationalism, pollution

Last night I decided to curl up with the 1939 classic  American  film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” which centers around a young, idealistic Senator (Jefferson Smith played by James Stewart) who is nearly crucified by his corrupt colleagues and a politically-controlled media machine for believing that children should have the chance to live in [...]

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Commentary ai weiwei, china, freedom of expression, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Jefferson Smith

“Sometimes,” said Pooh, “the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” When A.A. Milne penned that famous quote, the island country of Singapore- a little red dot on a big blue map, roughly one-fifth the size of Rhode Island- was still in its infancy and decades away from full independence. But, for [...]

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Commentary china, Entertainment, housing, setting up a business, Singapore, women

I was recently invited to present a portion of my research on gender in HIV surveillance and prevention in China at the 10th International Women in Asia Conference in Canberra, Australia. Unfortunately, travel to participate in the event is cost prohibitive for me at this time, so I’ve decided to instead share a partial summary [...]

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Commentary china, gender, HIV, MSM, research

Two media stories caught my attention this week, both of which indicate a significant shift in our concept of a good job with a livable wage, particularly in the East. Beyond highlighting challenges faced by the professional individual today, they may foretell new hurdles for Western companies that have either set up shop in China [...]

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Commentary china, civil servants, employment, Japan, job security, red-collar workers, white-collar work