Shiny Link Dumping

Stuff that I've been reading:

• Good News/Bad News: 1996 vs 2008 (The National Review). [Ever since a Republican came to the White House, it's seemed as if the press have been falling over themselves predicting the coming of the next recession. While I don't doubt that the US may well be in a recession as a result of the credit and real estate bubble bursting, things may not be as bad as proclaimed.]
  
• Good News: The US isn't falling behind in Internet infrastructure, after all. (New York Times, of all people). [I've never bought the claim that American unilateralism has alienated Americans from the rest of the world. Just like environmental technologies (see solar). But that's the power of American markets - market incentives are far more powerful than the subjective preferences of jealous and petty politicians in foreign nations.]
  
• Startup Kids grow up to be millionaires so fast. (Washington Post)
• China and India collide in Burma (Wall Street Journal). [While China is often seen as an American rival, much closer geographically, India is a far too often overlooked counterweight.]
  
• APL offers (fast) guaranteed full-container load American deliveries (or else they'll refund 20%, China Economic Review). [Undoubtedly at a price, but it's also long overdue. Hopefully others will follow.]
• What happens when "overall energy policies are dictated by imbeciles, lackwits, and lawyers". A study of South Africa and their energy troubles (Instapundit). [Coming to a country near you?]
  
• Because survival skills matter. And what not to do about zombies. (H/T Instapundit)
  
• Biofuels and being, er... what's the opposite of green? (Reason Magazine)
• Misplaced priorities: "[fears of] the loss of a million or three lives from bombing admittedly pales, of course... [to a hole in the ozone layer, of course]. (Paul Kedrosky)
• Crazy China: Hair Salon scalps customers. (Yahoo News)
• Crazy China: Faking it. (Yahoo News) [At least he was fired.]
• The Democrats and Chile (National Review) [Playing politics with international relations and a misguided affinity to Hugo Chavez. Someone was even fired for doing the right thing.]
  
• Hating Powerpoint. But because it's a necessary evil, Powerpoint rules (Onstartup).