The Elephant Story

Xi Jinping is Selective in His Management of Religion

Oct 15, 2018 | 0 comments

When Xi Jinping took control of the government of China in 2014, he methodically began to eliminate any outside influence that would have interfered with him becoming the modern emperor for life. Obviously, religion represented one of those potential interferences. Recently, the New York Times published an article entitled With Vatican Talks and Bulldozers, China Aims to Control Christianity. The article focused on the Chinese efforts to control the 60 million Christians in China. Christianity became fully established in China in the 16th century and continues to grow. There is a renewed resistance by the Government to contain the apparent...

The World-Wide Ramen Noodle Race

Oct 08, 2018 | 0 comments

It is most unlikely that any of you would have ever considered the scope and scale of instant ramen noodle sales around the world. Ramen is a Japanese dish consisting of Chinese-style wheat noodles usually served in a meat-based broth with various toppings such as sliced pork or dried seaweed and green onions. According to the record of the Yokohama Ramen Museum, ramen originated in China and came to Japan in 1859. Surprisingly, the author lived in Yokohama several years and was unaware of the ramen museum. Following World War II, the U.S. exported vast amounts of flour to address...

In Hot Water at the Deep End of the Pattaya Pool

Oct 01, 2018 | 0 comments

For some ten years, the author was involved as an early pioneer in the privatization of the energy sector in Russia. Fortunately, the business was sold to a Russian entity and the foreign parties left with a smile on their respective faces which had remained reasonably intact. Russia was a difficult place then with contractual or extortion disputes settled in the streets with gunfire much like the “Old Texas Wild West.” Extortion based death threats were addressed by prepaid insurance policies of reciprocal action. Somehow, we cowboys survived, declared victory and went home with no desire to ever return.One may...

Buddha and the Thai Gangsta

Sep 24, 2018 | 0 comments

For those of you who do not read the Bangkok Post on a daily basis, there has been an interesting turn of events in the story of a Thai gangster who was arrested for murder. The gangster, Panya Yingdung, a.k.a. Sia Ouan, was arrested for murder following his extradition from Cambodia at the request of the Thai police. The main news event was that the murder of a young couple was committed at a location of Buddhist significance of which the confessed murderer was not aware. Therefore, an element of spiritual fear was introduced into the trigger man’s hardened façade....

Political System or Leaders-What Works?

Sep 17, 2018 | 0 comments

ASEAN or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is comprised of ten countries having a wide range of political structures with functioning democracies being in the minority. At this juncture, Malaysia has recently emerged as a revived voice of democracy while the election of Hun Sen in Cambodia was viewed to be tainted. The Thai government seems to be on a roller coaster of democratic elections which are then overturned by military coups. The Nikkei Asian Review is believed by this author to represent the most in-depth and insightful reporting of Asian news in the business. The fact that their...