Author: Mark A. Ashwill

Alignment as Humanity’s Greatest Strength

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Below is a LinkedIn comment by Dominic Morgan, co-founder of the Authentic Leaders Initiative and CEO of ReThink Crisis. It was in response to a post by Bystanders No More about the documentary Planet Israel: A Cautionary Tale. What Dominic describes is the essence of global citizenship, a concept that most international educators pay lip … Continue reading Alignment as Humanity’s Greatest Strength

Planet Israel: A Cautionary Tale

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I'm not sure why it's referred to as a war when it's clearly a textbook genocide. This is a LinkedIn post by Bystanders No More. Here are links to the trailer (1:35) and an interview (26 min) with the director Gillian Moseley. Drawing on psychology, history, and lived experience, Planet Israel explores how trauma, identity, … Continue reading Planet Israel: A Cautionary Tale

The Girl With the Water Jug

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Photo by Gaza Soup Kitchen This is a LinkedIn post by Hani Almadhoun, Vice President of Philanthropy at UNRWA USA and co-founder of Gaza Soup Kitchen (GSK). Please consider making generous donations to both of these organizations doing life-saving work in Gaza. GSK constantly posts phots of children in Gaza. I try to "love" (emoji) … Continue reading The Girl With the Water Jug

Curious If Others Have Experienced This in Phu Quoc

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I saw this Reddit post in which a tourist summarized her/his unpleasant experiences with Indian tourists in Phu Quoc. It's not an anti-Indian rant but a thoughtful accounting of his/her encounters. It's becoming an issue to the point that growing numbers of Vietnamese are becoming anti-Indian. Just do a search for Indian tourists behaving badly … Continue reading Curious If Others Have Experienced This in Phu Quoc

In Spite of Everything Since the Genocide, At Least I Now Know Where My Morals Really Lie

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I came across this short essay on a Reddit thread I follow called /JewsofConscience. Most of the followers are Jews who are anti-genocide and therefore anti-Israel. Check out this related post about cults and dismantling the ideology of Zionism. (This "process" applies to all cults.) My italics to highlight some key phrases and sentences. Shkoyach … Continue reading In Spite of Everything Since the Genocide, At Least I Now Know Where My Morals Really Lie

Voices That Remain by Shams Mazen Rajab

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Congratulations to Shams Mazen Rajab, a Palestinian writer and poet from Gaza, on the publication of her poetry collection, Voices That Remain. Please consider purchasing a copy. Written during war and displacement, the collection gives voice to memory, loss, resilience, and hope. These poems are not only verses, but a testimony to what remains when … Continue reading Voices That Remain by Shams Mazen Rajab

Behold. The Festering Carcass of American Rot Shoved Into An Ill-fitting Suit

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This short 18 August 2025 essay has been floating around the Internet appearing in various memes. It was written by Wisconsin-based writer Oliver Kornetzke. I saw a post on Substack in which the author said this apt description of Dear Leader and much of what ails the US is "AI slop." First, it's not slop … Continue reading Behold. The Festering Carcass of American Rot Shoved Into An Ill-fitting Suit

How I Realized I Was In a Cult: Seven Questions I Asked Myself

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This is an insightful post by Daniel Klein, who describes himself thus: I was born in Jerusalem and raised in a West Bank settlement inside religious-Zionism, before dismantling that ideology. I share testimony and witness in service of human liberation. Einat Temkin, an anti-Israel, anti-genocide Israeli who was born and raised in that country, shared … Continue reading How I Realized I Was In a Cult: Seven Questions I Asked Myself

Palestinian Territories

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Screenshot It always puts a smile on my face to see "Palestinian Territories" in my blog stats. The visitors are usually young people in Gaza who read something about the Gaza Scholarship Guide (GSG) I created that was recently upgraded to an app. (It's not yet "ready for prime time" because it's still being tested.) … Continue reading Palestinian Territories