China's new age of discovery ... and self-discovery
(CNN) - With the Shenzhou-9 touching down in China Friday, expect the inevitable wave of propaganda touting its "model" citizens and scientific might.
And what a mighty week it has been. China has witnessed the return of a manned spacecraft that successfully docked with the Tiangong 1 space lab - a first for the nation.
China is also still on a high after the deep-sea diving record set on Sunday by a Chinese manned submersible in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench.
And while China's achievements in sea and space are impressive, do they stir more than just national pride? The Shenzhou-9 may be a stellar status symbol for Beijing but is it awakening a real hunger for adventure among the Chinese people?
Google's got a tablet, too
The announcement didn't surprise anyone. More importantly, it didn't disappoint.
Google showed off its slick Nexus 7 tablet. It is being called a Kindle Fire killer.
But Nexus 7 is not Google's only new toy.
Fears for "forced abortion" father
Seven months pregnant with her second child, Feng Jianmei and her husband could not pay the fine for violating China's one-child policy. So local officials forced to her to have an abortion.
The poor woman's story gained attention on Sina Weibo. And eventually, authorities apologized. Some were suspended.
Deng Jiyuan spoke to CNN less than two weeks ago about his wife's traumatic ordeal. Now his family says he is missing.
Portraits of conflict: Can an image stop the bloodshed?
(CNN) - For weeks now, I've been warning viewers about the video I'm about to show them.
They are horrific images from the conflict in Syria - images of blood-stained walls, butchered children and dead babies.
On air, I preface the footage with an emphatic warning: "They are disturbing and not appropriate for all viewers. But given the nature of the attack and the number of dead, we believe showing them is necessary to convey the extent of this atrocity."
They are the ultimate portrayal of reality, depicting the terror on the ground and the urgent need for help. But can images like these stop the bloodshed?
Pulling the Plug
AFP/Getty Images
Paul Miller will never see this.
OK, never is overstating it. Paul Miller will not see this until May 2013. That's because he has voluntarily cut himself off from the Internet. For a full year.
If you are like me, you'd just as soon cut off your left hand. Forget all the fun stuff... I truly could not do my job without it.
But, like me, Paul Miller is a professional writer. And he's a senior editor at The Verge, a tech-focused website.
So why the Internet detox? And how is he coping without the Web? Kristie Lu Stout finds out.
On Twitter, 'douche jar' is always full
Hong Kong (CNN) - In CNN's Hong Kong newsroom, right next to my desk, there's a "douche jar."
Inspired by the TV series "New Girl," the "douche jar" was placed in our cubicle cluster to prevent general douchebaggery or acts of egregious self-promotion. It works like this - if you say or do something like a douchebag, you put a fistful of local currency into the jar.
In case you're not familiar with the term, the Urban Dictionary offers up this definition. The douchebag "has an inflated sense of self-worth, compounded by a lack of social grace and self-awareness. He behaves inappropriately in public, yet is completely ignorant to how pathetic he appears to others."
In the newsroom, the jar is usually low on cash. Most of its contributions are made in jest by a colleague out to channel a self-absorbed jerk.
But on Twitter, the "douche jar" is always full.
On Twitter
