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Weekly Wanderings: June 1, 2025

On Wednesday, May 28, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the government would “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students” and “revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications” from mainland China or Hong Kong. While what that means, exactly, is pretty vague, the overall message is clear: the Trump Administration…
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Weekly Wanderings: May 25, 2025

In the Michigan running community, Memorial Day weekend means one thing: Bayshore. It’s a shorthand, an in-the-know reference to the start-of-summer event officially called “Traverse City Track Club Bayshore™️ Presented by Munson Healthcare.” There’s a full marathon, a half marathon, and a 10K, and all three usually sell out. This year, that meant a total…
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Weekly Wanderings: May 18, 2025

Thanks for joining me this week. Recommendations China Stories Juliana Yat Shun Kei, “Do you know this place used to be a camp?” Fred Pearce, “China’s Mega Dam Project Poses Big Risks for Asia’s Grand Canyon” Stella Robertson, “Has the Milk Tea Alliance Spoiled?” “Whipling”, “China’s army launches media hiring spree” Xinrui Zhuang, “Africa and…
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Bookshelf: Hurricane Katrina

Today’s post is the second of two on books I’ve read about New Orleans over the past few months. To read part one, on the city’s history, please click here. Thin, sketchy lines and muted colors fill the pages of Drowned City, a graphic history of Hurricane Katrina by writer and artist Don Brown. Written…
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Bookshelf: New Orleans and Its History

I went to New Orleans for the first time earlier this year. I’ve been to plenty of places that I visit once and then leave behind—glad I went, but not determined to return. New Orleans was different. I’m certainly not the first person to say this: the city is famous for drawing people in and…
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Weekly Wanderings: May 12, 2025

Thanks for joining me this week. Recommendations China Stories Eliot Chen, “All the President’s Generals” Chen Yiru, “Dot Dot Dot: What the Last Ever Telegrams From Hangzhou Say” Rachel Cheung, “‘A Vicious Cycle’ — Squeezed by commercial and political pressures, China’s book publishers face an existential crisis.” Jack Neubauer, “The Forgotten ‘Jeep Babies’ of China”…
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Weekly Wanderings: May 4, 2025

April 30 marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces. I have a special little reading round-up here at the top on reflections and analysis published to commemorate the anniversary. Thanks for joining me this week. Vietnam, 50 Years After the Fall of Saigon Minh-Thu Pham, “50 Years After Saigon:…
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Weekly Wanderings: April 27, 2025

I only have a few stories to share in today’s post, but there’s a hefty collection of links to check out in last Tuesday’s edition if you haven’t seen that yet. This light coverage is partially due to my disinclination to read anything with a headline containing the words “tariffs” or “trade war” last week.…
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Weekly Wanderings: April 22, 2025

Thanks for joining me this week. Recommendations China Stories James T. Areddy, “The China Foe Storming State Capitols” Ben Bland, “Making sense of China-Southeast Asia relations” Jonathan Chatwin, “The Race to Type in Chinese” Chang Che, “‘You Think We’re Afraid of America?’” and “3 takeaways from my visit to Yiwu, the frontlines of the trade…
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Weekly Wanderings: April 13, 2025

Good morning and happy Sunday from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I’ve spent the last few days. The centerpiece of my trip was yesterday’s Milwaukee Half Marathon, but I seized the opportunity to work in some extra time in another new-to-me city. I’ve eaten some really good food (though no cheese curds; not yet, at least), toured…