Dive into the archives.
- Back in Action
Greetings everyone. I do apologize for my absence here and wish to inform everyone that I’m back on my feet and doing well. I appreciate everyone’s kind comments and wishes. Regular blogging activitiy will resume this weekend!
- Conspiracy Theory and American Politics
As a non-American watching the US, one cannot ignore the level of paranoia in everyday American political discourse. On both sides of the aisle exists the paranoid imagination that the other side is engaged in some sort of wrong-doing, exploitation and the eroding of “American Values.”
The Paranoid Style in American Politics written by Richard Hofstadter [...]
- Party of Freedom Democracy?
The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan is neither liberal, nor democratic, nor a party. It’s a ruling oligarchy.
Robert D. Kaplan.Which makes this interesting news:
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party may change its English name as the word “Liberal” does not match its policies, party officials said Friday.
At a meeting of a panel on party reform, [...]
- Painted into a corner
Some adroit national security analysis from South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo:
Around this time last year, when the island country’s Shimane Prefecture instituted a “Takeshima Day” even as the increasingly prominent right wing in Japan put out textbooks whitewashing the country’s wartime atrocities, the president said, “We can no longer sit idle before fresh attempts at hegemony. [...]
- Textbook Changes
One of my more “popular” posts was a translation of the controversial Japanese textbook. Recently, the Minsitry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology approved the latest textbooks that were up for approval. Marmot mentioned the issue and Plunge skewered them, but here’s a more substantial summary of the approvals, using information from [...]
- Julio-Claudian Family Tree
For you Roman history fans, here’s a graphical family tree (with notes for those of you who’ve seen the I, Claudius BBC series) of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty: Emperors Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius (Caligula), Claudius, and Nero.
Click to enlarge
It is simplified, not including the adoption of Augustus by Julius Caeser; the lineage of Antonia Minor, who was [...]
- Rockin out with 3 Uz Uyghur babes
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Brilliant stuff from The Opposite End of China ( via AsiaPundit). I’ve added OEC to the blogroll. Check him out.
- The new Dr. No
In this month’s Atlantic, Christopher Hitchens examines the social mores of Ian Fleming and pulls this out of his hat:
“SPECTRE,” I noticed recently, is an anagram of “Respect,” the name of a small British party led by a power-drunk micro-megalomaniac called George Galloway, a man with a friendly connection to Saddam Hussein.
S.P.E.C.T.R.E. , you will [...]
- Newt on Coming Anarchy (the book, not this blog)
Brought to my attention from reader Mikel, this review is posted on Amazon.com by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. It is notable in that it shows how Kaplan defies simple political labels: he criticizes the Clinton Presidency and the GOP Congress, liberal and conservative partisans, but he’s not a cookie-cutter contrarian. [...]
- The importance of “them”
‘Madness’ of anti-US attitude is full of risk, says Blair
Tony Blair gave warning yesterday that the “madness”Â? of anti-Americanism in Europe was increasing the risk that the United States could walk away from world affairs.
Addressing the Australian Parliament, Blair said that he did not always agree with the Americans and that sometimes they could be [...]
