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Vietnam & Military Victory

VIETNAM, baby! You thought defeating Tsarist Russia in 1904-1905 was something? Piffle! The Russians aren’t white, and they certainly aren’t Western. Japan did a nothing. They can’t even retain their gains. Go home, Japan. Now, let’s go look at a… Read More ›

Happy Birthday to Me

I turn 46-years-old tomorrow. I’ve always felt that each age I reach has been perfect for me at that time. Indeed, today I feel that one’s mid-40s are the best of times. If you had asked me in 2010, I… Read More ›

52 Books in 2021

A Book a Week in 2021: A Reading List for 365 Days Each month there’s one novel or memoir by a women, minority or someone with an alternative voice. There’s one book about the plague. There’s one self-help/ new age/… Read More ›

Notes on America…

Some of my more American acquaintances have been noting that the U.S. government is not really representative of its people. This got me to thinking about ways to tweak U.S. governance, both to make it more representative, but also to… Read More ›

A note on July 4

I still have faith in our American experiment. To a desperate eye, yes, it could look grim. The U.S. is among the world’s richest nations, but American infants are three times more likely to die than in 19 similar OECD… Read More ›

Saturday is Dec. 7

This Saturday is Dec. 7. Seventy-eight years ago, on Dec. 7, 1941, Japan showed the world what it could do. Here are seven key takeaways from the U.S.-Japan Pacific War (1941-1945) and from the grand rise & fall of Japan… Read More ›

24 Alternatives to Boracay

–sorted by Philippine region in ascending population— (i.e., the places with the fewest people, and, therefore, most likely the poorest infrastructure and the hardest to get to, are at the top of this list) Caraga Region (pop. 2.6 million) –Siargao… Read More ›