Internet Censorship

Real quick -- here it is. Note that this also happens in Europe.

Google: China decision painful but right - Yahoo! News

Russia and Ethnic Issues in the Caucasus

You've no doubt heard of Chechnya -- politically part of Russia, but ethnically separate. And, depending on which side you want to come down on, there are "Chechnyan terrorists" or "fighters for Chechen independence;" for a somewhat more balanced view, see "Russia struggles to keep grip in Caucasus." Me, I figure there's enough blame for all of the parties to have their share, and then some (where's my 10-foot pole when I need it...)

In any case, the Chechens are just one of many disaffected ethnic minorities in the Caucasus region, none of whom appear to have much use for their Russian rulers. There's the Republic of Ingushetia, as well.

Why does this matter? We'll talk about this next week in class. 10 free homework points to anyone who finds and prints and brings to class the CIA's map of the ethnic and religious groups in this region.

More bad news for brand counterfeiters in China

I'd always said that the problem of brnad counterfeiting in China wasn't going to go away. Bring out the knife and fork, because I need to dine on those words.

Designer brand pirates told to pack their bags

For this spring's Management 420 class....

As in previous semesters, a meaningful comment here is worth one extra credit point (maximum 1 point, however).

Starbucks wins China trademark fight

An ongoing discussion in the International Business class has been the problem with China and intellectual property -- specifically, the reluctance of the Chinese government to take meaningful action to crack down on rampant brand counterfeiting, copyright infringment, and the like. Maybe this is a start???

Starbucks wins China trademark fight - Business - International Herald Tribune