In what appears to be another casualty of Chinese growth, a high-speed bullet train derailled last Saturday killing 39 and injuring 190, according to reports. It looks like the Chinese government is pointing the figure at operational error and signaling defects, but more than likely it was due to an ideology of "progress at any price."

Last month, I listened to an NPR reporter on-site in China marveling at how quickly the train came into service but curious, beside the corruption, at what cost.

It's been a month since Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was detained by his government while in a Hong Kong airport. Weiwei is nearly as famous for his criticism of government officials as for his sculptures and design (Beijing Olympics' Bird's Nest Stadium). The Chinese government has not given a reason for why he was detained. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke out for Weiwei today during the unveiling of one of Weiwei's pieces at the Plaza Hotel.

Another black mark on China's human rights record, activist Chen Guangcheng and his wife were beaten by officials after they released a video of themselves under house arrest. Mr. Guangcheng is blind, by the way.

Responding to a speech by Hillary Clinton, the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned the US not to use China's censorship of the Internet as an excuse to meddle in its internal affairs.

The winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, was unable to attend the presentation ceremony in Oslo because he is serving a prison sentence in his home country for "subversion." His wife could also not attend to receive in his place, as she was under house arrest. Xiaobo's prize was laid on an empty chair in a symbolic gesture. Chinese television blacked-out the ceremony coverage.