Private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners is working with one of its investors, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and Microsoft Corp. to put together a proposal to buy Yahoo Inc., people familiar with the matter said. [WSJ]

Err, personally, I think Joel Kotkin has fallen into the same populist trap that seems to ensnare fiction writers and serious journalists alike, roughly every decade – a somewhat unknown but economically prominent non-American, non-European race is targeted as the lurking enemy that will surely ruin us [the west]. Japan is the most notable of these erstwhile enemies of the state – remember Michael Crichton’s “Rising Sun” from 1992? Kotkin’s article borrow’s liberally from the anti-Japanese tropes of 20 years ago, codifying our own economic insecurity, and reinforcing the tribalism that he himself decries.

With China’s new prominence in global affairs, the Han race, which constitutes 90 percent of the Chinese population, is suddenly the most dominant cohesive ethnic group in the world — and it is seeking to remain that way through strategic alliances, aggressive trade policy, and attacks on racial minorities within the country’s boundaries. The less tribally cohesive, more fragmented West is, meanwhile, losing out.

via Rise of the Hans – By Joel Kotkin | Foreign Policy.

Unfortunately for RIM, though, Apple looks to be about to step into the corporate space and offer the same granular security controls across their family of iOS devices. So – same corporate-friendly controls, available on far superior devices – I’m going to say that RIM needs to consolidate its product strategy and shorten its development cycles *now.* I’ve long been critical of RIM’s complacency and inability to internalize innovation, and news like this is why. They are extremely vulnerable.

If you’re in any doubt that Apple is serious about dominating the enterprise market with its slew of iDevices, eating RIM’s lunch right out from under it, then check this: Apple’s patenting a way to restrict access to parts of the App Store for specialist enterprise users.

via Apple Patent Reveals Restricted Enterprise App Store Plans: RIM, Beware | Fast Company.

What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it’s math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction.

via Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior – WSJ.com.

I have to imagine (as a non-parent) that there other factors that contribute to a child’s “success.” The definition of “success” for example, or the peer groups that they are exposed to. Nonetheless, an interesting perspective on a key psychological difference between two societies.

Japan is providing Vietnam a large (half billion dollar!) space industry injection – great news for Vietnam, interesting in the context of ASEAN growth and anti-China solidarity among Asian nations. It reminded me of my Grade 8 science project – which was really just a fancy 3D report (i.e.: backboard) on the Canadian Space Agency, which in turn reminded me of the grandiose sounding SPACEPORT CANADA that was at one point going to be developed in Churchill, Manitoba (my home province, so I’m partisan on this one). What happened to that, I wondered?

In 1995 Akjuit Aerospace announced it would spent $300 million to develop the site as Spaceport Canada, offering it as a commercial site for polar sounding rocket launches. In 1996 they signed an additional deal with the STC Complex of Russia to launch commercial polar-orbiting loads on surplus Soviet-era SS-25 ICBMs… Churchill’s location in the “western hemisphere” combined with its range-safety for firing northwards made it an ideal location, with the exception of the extremely cold weather which would limit launch seasons. Akjuit Aerospace closed down operations in May of 1998, due to a lack of financing, and the collapse of the space launch market in 1999/2000 ended any future plans. [Wikipedia]

Oh. Too bad. I wonder if the idea could be rekindled with our renewed interest in arctic sovereignty. I wonder how much the harsh and bleak reality of life in Churchill had to do with it.
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On Japan & Vietnam – cool news to be sure. But however unsubstantiated this feeling may be, I nonetheless feel like the world’s centre of gravity is shifting south & east very quickly.

Japan is jumping right into advanced scientific and technological support in its latest dose of “official development assistance” to Vietnam, loans amounting to $480 million for space exploration… And the goal of training the local Vietnamese engineers is ultimately knowledge transfer.

via Japan Gives Vietnam a Major Space Exploration Boost | Fast Company.

The authors offer a scenario in which Apple suddenly decides not to pursue profit maximization, dumps the oft-criticized Foxconn, and decides to pursue a model of corporate responsibility and patriotic we’re-in-it-togetherness. It’s true that U.S. workers fetch about 10 times as much as Chinese workers, and the manufacturing costs would rise to $68 per phone from about $6.50 per phone. But if Apple sold the phones at an average of $500 (already the asking price for some models), they say, it would still clear a 50% profit margin. [FastCompany]

Hmm – a few things to think about here. First point: who owns Apple, and thus who benefits from Apple seeking lower-cost manufacturing? Well – shareholders – both individuals and funds – who I’m willing to bet are largely American. Point two: Apple doesn’t exist in a competitive vacuum. If they chose a cost structure that was far out of sync with the industry as a whole, their attractiveness to investors would drop proportionately and take share price with it.

So effectively, repatriating manufacturing would be a transfer mechanism – a voluntary non-government tax if you will, redistributing wealth from one group (shareholders, 401K’s, etc.) to another group (factory workers).  I don’t know – is this a good thing?

What is going on down there? Republicans aren’t small-c conservatives any more, they’re just nuts. Their policies seem to be nothing more than anti-Democrat pandering to whatever the tub-thumping misanthropes in the Tea Party are whingeing about on a given day.

If the markets rise today, its only in anticipation of larger defense spending as America starts gearing up for its next jingoistic crusade (Hi there, Iran).

What a waste. May I also draw your attention to “Democracy means my ignorance is as good as your knowledge;” a telling quote the I can’t help but imagine the Tea Party would celebrate if any were inclined to read Asimov.

I feel particularly sad for Wisconsin and Feingold.

“North Korea is a real place to me. For most of us, I think, North Korea occupies the same imaginary plane of existence as Mordor. But it is real, and one thing I came to appreciate is that most North Koreans are normal people living in abnormal conditions…”

What’s It Like to Be a Tourist in North Korea? – Interview by Christina Larson | Foreign Policy.

Tony Blairs “cool Britannia,”epitomized by hedge fund managers, Russian oligarchs and media stars, offered little to the working and middle classes. Despite its proletarian roots, New Labour, as London Mayor Boris Johnson acidly notes, has presided over that which has become the most socially immobile society in Europe.

via The Future Of Americas Working Class | Newgeography.com.

A very interesting perspective on how economic growth in the post-millennial western world is defined by a hollowing out of the middle, the consolidation of the super-wealthy, and the growth of a large, working-poor class. And, all of it is wrapped up neatly in a bow of complete social immobility.

It might be cliche to sound the call of the “rich get richer while the poor get poorer,” or it might be anti-conservative to suggest that there’s a policy agenda that should speak to mobility. But, having spent time in places like Bangladesh, Indonesia, or Mexico, I can attest to the value of social mobility. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the notion of “freedom” to which we vigilantly cling as conservatives is best reflected by social mobility, or “opportunity.” The freedom to take risks and strive for a greater future, the freedom to take risks, fall flat on one’s face, and be able to pick themselves up again. Each of these freedoms is dependent on access to capital, healthcare, and education, and a social net to some degree – making the each of these – capital, health, education, and welfare – fundamentally conservative values, in as much as they support the most conservative value of all – freedom of social mobility.

There’s a fine line, of course, between creating a state in which social mobility is a driving force, and creating a welfare state. Britain appears to be struggling to find that balance, with immigration and the widely available dole wreaking havoc on their social contract.

Perhaps worse that the effects of immigration and welfare policy, however, is the corrosive dissolution of manufacturing industries. This is something that I’ve observed in my travels. The Middle Class, as we know it, is the product of reasonably well-paid manufacturing jobs – a class of employment that drove our economies through the fifties, up until the late eighties. Countries that have never had such an industrial leg up on creating a middle class inevitably stagnate at an equilibrium comprised of a wealthy elite and impoverished masses. That’s where our western economies are headed today – the loss of those jobs is corrosive to our social contract and mobility. When the middle class can no longer afford to perpetuate itself, you’re left with Bangladesh, or Rio de Janeiro.

That’s not to say that western cities are going to turn into Rio over night – though some might argue that its happening already (see: Safer in Baghdad than Chicago). Regardless, I believe as conservatives we have an obligation to forward a policy agenda that cognizant of the value of small government, but also not forgetful of the “freedoms” on which our continued success, failures, happiness, and mobility are dependent.

Here’s one reason why Arizona’s new laws aren’t any good: to those who chose not to exercise reason, the laws institutionalize bigotry, and in doing so make it passable for everyone – like this restaurant owner in Georgia:

Mulligan’s on Roswell Road in Cobb County joined the heated debate over illegal immigration.

A sign in front of the restaurant read, “Hell Yeh [ sic] Arizona. Send those [expletive] home! Anchor babies & all! If u [ sic] can’t feed um [ sic] don’t breed um [ sic]”

via Marietta Bar Hangs Controversial Sign.