Easily Amused » Books

To Kill a Mockingbird Turns 50

David Xia — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:22:08 +0000

I read Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird in tenth grade and remember Scout, Atticus, and Boo to this day. The classic novel about racial inequality, coming of age, and gender roles celebrates its 50th anniversary on July 11. If you haven't read Mockingbird yet, do it (full text in PDF here). Then watch the black-and-white film adaptation starring Gregory Peck. And please, in that order. If my word isn't enough, take it from everybody else.

Chinese Propaganda vs US Propaganda

David Xia — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 02:15:16 +0000

China's Xinhua News Agency started a 24-hour English-language news channel and is about to open a new office in New York City, according to the Times. The Times is once again critical of China. And they should be. China ranks 168th out of 175 countries in the 2009 Press Freedom Index, a survey compiled by Reporters Without Borders. What I don't like about the Times article is its prejudicial sense of nationalism and simplistic view of East vs West. The Times inflated the article by making it sound as if Xinhua Red Guards wielding hammers and sickles are about to kick down the sacred doors of Western media companies.

What’s Your Favorite Beverage?

David Xia — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:43:05 +0000

"What's your favorite beverage?" my friend asked me one day. We were sitting on a curb outside of a small concert space in hipster-territory Williamsburg, New York. "Water," I replied. "That's such a David Xia answer," he chuckled.

First Reading

David Xia — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:42:47 +0000

The memory of when I first learned how to read glows like in my mind like embers still hot from their initial spark. I was in kindergarten...

“It’s like all the Mexicans in NYC just stopped working one day.”

David Xia — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:29:31 +0000

Imagine every Sunday all the Mexicans in NYC with low-skilled jobs stop working, go to Wall Street or Times Square, and just throw one big street party.

Can We Please Get Some Qualified People?

David Xia — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:51:06 +0000

Forget whatever image of the CIA that Hollywood or Tom Clancy portray. The truth is a lot less glamorous and a whole lot more disturbing.