Human suffering caused by authoritarianism in Myanmar has transfixed the world this week in a way that far bloodier conflicts in, say, Sudan, have failed to achieve.

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By John Tkacik
On the matter of Taiwan, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has gone too far, even for the US State Department.

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By Steve Tsang 曾銳生
Myanmar's peaceful protests are nearing their tipping point, with the military junta weighing the potential costs of a full military crackdown. But Myanmar's generals will have little incentive to opt for an alternative to bloodshed and repression if China continues to provide them with support and protection against sanctions at the UN Security Council.

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Given the maddeningly random problem of wines contaminated by cork taint, it's easy for consumers to wonder why the entire industry has not moved to screw caps
By Eric Asimov
Grant Burge, an Australian winemaker, is no fan of screw caps. This puts him in something of a minority position in Australia and New Zealand, where the vast majority of wines that sell for US$25 and less have forsaken corks.

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Over the years, he has rigged referendums and browbeat the judiciary; a president's modernizing vision has degenerated into a dictator's power-driven myopia
By Pramit Pal Chaudhuri
Pakistan's embattled president, Pervez Musharraf, once declared, "I am not at all a politician. I don't think I'm cut out for politics."

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I agree with Ron Judy in his letter (Letters, Sept. 26, page 8) about the China-centric way in which exchange programs with Taiwan are advertised and how annoying this can be. However, I must take issue with Judy on two points.

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