Many decades ago, I picked up this book by Howard Zinn. What I read and internalized forever changed my view of the US and the world, past, present, and future. It blew my mind and opened the door for more in-depth reading on my own and as university student. The process of deprogramming and jettisoning … Continue reading The Legacy of Howard Zinn
Author: Mark A. Ashwill
Brooke Barney’s June 2026 Confrontation with Israelis in Danang, Vietnam
This "Free Gaza - Free Palestine" sticker is what triggered, pun intended, the IOF backpackers. Source: Al Jazeera This is a video that went viral in July 2026. It's an ugly scene that's being repeated in many countries that Israelis visit, many of them former IOF soldiers who look forward to some R&R after exhausting … Continue reading Brooke Barney’s June 2026 Confrontation with Israelis in Danang, Vietnam
1831-2026: From Slave Codes to School Vouchers
The past is never dead. It’s not even past. -William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun, 1951 In 1831, southern lawmakers tried to create a white nation by making it a crime to educate Black Americans. In 2026 the intent to exclude certain Americans from participation in the Enlightenment principles that undergird the nation remains the same, … Continue reading 1831-2026: From Slave Codes to School Vouchers
A US Veteran of the US War in Vietnam Remembers
I first saw this in a Subreddit. The past is never dead. It’s not even past. -William Faulkner,* Requiem for a Nun, 1951 Of the 2.7 million US military personnel who served in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) during the US war, between 1 million and 1.6 million either fought in combat, provided close … Continue reading A US Veteran of the US War in Vietnam Remembers
‘Nobody Wants Us Here:’ U.S. Visa Rules Leave Foreign Students in Limbo
This image of the white nationalist Dracula is AI-generated. This is a depressing U.S. News article, but what else can many international students conclude? Since Day One, the MAGA regime, led by Stephen Miller, the power behind the Orange Throne, chief architect of the regime's immigration crackdown, and White House deputy chief of staff for … Continue reading ‘Nobody Wants Us Here:’ U.S. Visa Rules Leave Foreign Students in Limbo
Israel, Thy Names Are Cruelty and Moral Depravity
The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality. -James Baldwin If you sit at a hipster café in Tel Aviv and start talking to a random person, 20 minutes later, this … Continue reading Israel, Thy Names Are Cruelty and Moral Depravity
A Face I Will Never Forget
ChatGPT created this image based on my memory. The reality was somewhat different. I was on the passenger's side and the man looked more sinister. I have a childhood memory that is as vivid today as it was the day I experienced it over 60 years ago. My mother thought it would be a good … Continue reading A Face I Will Never Forget
Selective Humanitarian Messaging in Children’s Media
Exploring Narrative Imbalance, Victimhood, and Anti-Semitic Erasure in the Case of Ms. Rachel (Source: St. John's University) This flyer was created by St. John's University for this "study." Instead of "Help Us Study Ms. Rachel" the request should be "Help Us Slander Ms. Rachel." This is the title of an IRB-approved research study conducted by … Continue reading Selective Humanitarian Messaging in Children’s Media
Gridlock in Hanoi
Hanoi drivers are arguably the worst in Vietnam. I say this with some authority because I've been driving here for over 20 years. It's the transportation equivalent of social Darwinism. Cutthroat competition reigns supreme. As I'm fond of saying, sharks and pit bulls driving cars, trucks, tuk-tuks, buses, and motorbikes. No mercy or courtesy just … Continue reading Gridlock in Hanoi
#223. Research into Child Psychology is Largely the Study of Effects of Captivity
I've followed Peter Gray for many years. He's a US psychology researcher and scholar, a research professor of psychology at Boston College, and the author of an introductory psychology textbook. Gray's research explores the relationship between neuroendocrinology, developmental psychology, anthropology and education. Peter's also a great role model for all of us. At 82, he's … Continue reading #223. Research into Child Psychology is Largely the Study of Effects of Captivity
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