Fornew readers and those who request to be “好友 good friends” please read my 公告栏 first.

1. Paddy Ashdown:Global Power Shift

Paddy Ashdown claims that weare living in a moment in history where power is changing in ways it never hasbefore. In a spellbinding talk at TEDxBrussels he outlines the three majorglobal shifts that he sees coming. http://www.ted.com/talks/paddy_ashdown_the_global_power_shift.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2012-01-06&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

2. When China rules,Chinese will not set the rules | The Japan Times Online

A very perceptive article by IvanKrastev who is chairman of the Center for Liberal Strategies in Sofia and aPermanent Fellow of the Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120106a1.html

3. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China by Ezra Vogel

This is one of the best book of 2011 (or book of the year) according to the Wall Street Journal,New York Times, Washington Post, and the Economist Magazine

However, if you don’t have time to read or have access to thebook, here are a 3 minute summary

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674055445as well as a 60 minute talk video about the book and the man. http://asiasociety.org/video/countries/ezra-vogel-deng-xiaoping-complete

I sincerely hope these sites are not blocked in China by automaticsoftware. There is nothing really controversial or offensive but straightforward statements in it.