Sign of the Apocalypse: China's World Expo,

While the United States grapples with its wars in obscure parts of the world, tries to dry up a really big oil slick, and prevent yahoos from blowing up Times Square (apparently because South Park wants to show a manifestation of the prophet Mohammed--go for it!), China is throwing one helluva party.

If you thought the Beijing's $100 million dollar Olympic opening ceremony was big, consider that China poured $41 billion dollars into its recently opened Shanghai World Expo. As a further testament of the Red's rise in world predominance, China invited all countries of the world to participate, and indicated that a refusal would be viewed as a slap in the face. China would subsidize pavilions for countries who could not afford one. Countries who sent heads of states to the opening events would also get their just desserts: for instance, the leader of Kenya appeared and lo, China pledged $50 million dollars to build schools in Kenya that same week.

World Expos have long been a sort of bar mitzvah for emerging world powers. England kicked off Expos back in the 1850s and since then they became grander and grander affairs. The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco was the result of an Expo there. Same with Seattle's iconic Space Needle, and Chicago's waterfront pier. Then, like most awesome things, the 1970s killed the Expo. Attendance dropped and the 1984 World Expo in Louisiana went bankrupt half way through its run. By the 1990s, Cold War over and without a need to show off how awesome it was, the US Congress severely restricted how much money the State Department could spend on Expo pavilions, leaving no superpower to carry the Expo torch.

Then China happened. With money and a desire to prove itself a key player in the world, China has wowed the world once again with its eminent displays of awesome. It's clear glad handing and glitz, but one can't deny the affect it's having on us all, especially when the old US of A can barely put a pavilion together. The privately-funded $61 million pavilion is largely considered a failure in regards to entertainment--and in regards to financing--was designed by a Canadian, and looks like a slightly modified Costco.