On this side of the Pacific, the problems with our economic relationship with China are manifest. We have a precedent-smashing level of debt, the Chinese own a good piece of this country, jobs are fleeing west for east, and their economy is booming while ours continues close to freefall. More,...

When you're ready to cuddle up with a good book over the holidays, you will find no better companion than Dee Jen-djieh, otherwise known as "Judge Dee". A historical figure from seventh century Tang dynasty China, he comes to your living room or airplane seat courtesy of one Robert van...

The courage of Mahmoud Vahidnia -- the Iranian math whiz who apparently had the courage to stand up to Iran's supreme leader recently -- really has me wishing for an American version of the young man, someone to point out some of the unhealthy and dangerous presuppositions...

The October 9 issue of The Week reports that during this month's gigantic celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, more than 1000 Chinese soldiers sought mental health counseling after drilling for the event.

http://www.theweek.com/article/index/101110/The_world_at_a_glance____International

Why? Because the training sessions required microscopic levels of...

The other day my brother asked me exactly why I still bother keeping pet tortoises. I was surprised by the question, because this brother of mine is a great and compassionate animal lover who lives in a houseful of dogs and cats and devotes himself endlessly to their pleasure. It...

The political elite seems unlikely to really fix health care anytime soon. But while the ongoing media carnival shows political angling and compares the failings of our system (soaring costs, high infant mortality rate, not the highest life expectancy) compared to what other countries offer, http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2009/03/09/healthcare/ no coverage offers...

In my childhood, long before I found a real teacher, I read volume after volume on Eastern mysticism, all of which used the words qi or prana to describe a life force that may also be translated as circulation or breath.

I learned that this force flows through proscribed...

Many years ago, my kung fu master warned me that I was over-training. "I show you something and you practice it 5,000 times," he said. I took that as a compliment. I was young and macho and figured that the more I practiced a martial arts technique, the better I...

Say you see your first frog and want to understand what it is. Not so much what it's croaking about, (although that can be interesting too) but what the frog really is. Traditionally, Westerners like us would grab the little guy and drop him into a bottle of formaldehyde, a...

Details about Michael Jackson's passing are still fuzzy, but already people are drawing conclusions about the superstar's premature demise. One media thread has him using prescription medications in what may have been a troubling way http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/25/michael-jackson-prescript_n_221178.html, railing http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/a-tribute-to-my-friend-mi_b_221268.html against the so-called "enablers" who made sure he had access to them.

Imagine your last few moments on this mortal coil. Say, for the sake of discussion, that you step off the curb and are hit by a bus. As you lie on the street with your life seeping out, you hear people screaming and you see them pointing and you watch...

This morning I was awakened from a sound sleep by a rhythmic sound that might have been a neighbor sawing wood or someone trying desperately to start a car with an empty gas tank off in the distance. I followed the sound to the rear of the house and opened...

The Hollywood press and celebrity trackers everywhere are having a high time with the sad story of the late actor David Carradine's kung fu noir demise. There's speculation about suicide, what an ex-wife terms his "dark side," eccentric sexual practices, even murder. The family is reportedly suing a Thai tabloid...

Welcome to the last online installment of my new novel, Quiet Teacher. My next post will mark a return to health and wisdom topics.

If you've missed the first three installments, they are archived on my blog and only a click away. In reading this serialization, you are participating in...

Welcome to the third installment of my new novel, Quiet Teacher.

If you've missed the first two installments, they are archived on my blog and only a click away. In reading this serialization you are participating in an age-old yet brand new experiment. Writers as luminous as Charles Dickens...

Welcome back to the Next Big Thing!

This is the second installment in my serialization of my new novel, Quiet Teacher. It's the second book in a series about the lives, loves, and action adventures of Dr. Xenon Pearl, a South Florida neurosurgeon who saves lives in the operating room...

Welcome to The Next Big Thing!

My dog died this morning. He was a small, black, mixed-breed, part Chihuahua, perhaps part miniature pinscher. I adopted him five years ago after someone dropped him off at a pet shop in South Miami Beach. The owners gave him to their parents, who are my friends, and I fell...

Fifteen years ago I spent a good chunk of time writing a novel I've yet to publish. The title is Truckstop Earth, the subject is alien visitation, and the premise is that not only are we being visited, but we're being visited a lot. During the course of researching the...

I am such a passionate advocate of the benefits and beauty of tai chi practice, and so insistent on the ancient art's relevance to modern American culture, that people are often surprised to find that I emphasize the role of traditional weapons in the practice.

"You're a peaceful guy...