Israeli Minister of Finance and leader of National Zionism, Bezalel Smotrich, speaks to the press during a party meeting in Jerusalem on 5 February 2024. I give Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich credit for one thing: his brutal honesty. No code or dog whistle, just speaking candidly about the "Greater Israel" project. I first saw … Continue reading Smotrich: Israel’s future is ‘to expand to Damascus’
Articles
I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza
Click on the image for a video slideshow I created set to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. And now a word from my conscience and a clarion call from my moral compass... My latest for CounterPunch. Here's how I kick off this 3000+-word essay. Israel has reached an unimaginable peak of evil. And indeed many … Continue reading I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza
The Hustling Culture of International Education: Conference Sessions for Sale
Below is an article I pitched to a well-known international higher education media outlet that has published my work in the past. The initial answer was YES but later changed to NO. I did some checking using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine and found that this company has taken advertising dollars from NAFSA. This is … Continue reading The Hustling Culture of International Education: Conference Sessions for Sale
Lies, damned lies and statistics: Overseas study edition
Here's the original version of an article I wrote for University World News. Mark A Ashwill 20 July 2024 “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain As someone whose tagline is “an academic by training and an international … Continue reading Lies, damned lies and statistics: Overseas study edition
Biến cuộc sống thành tác phẩm nghệ thuật cao nhất
Ảnh: Erik Rittenberry Tác giả: Erik Rittenberry/Dịch: Nguyễn Thái Hồng (Cảm ơn cháu!): To Make Living Itself the Highest Art Bên trong mỗi người chúng ta đều tiềm ẩn những khả năng, dẫn lối đến những thế giới cao đẹp hơn. -Rudolf Steiner Hành trình sáng tạo... là sự tự khám phá bản thân trong … Continue reading Biến cuộc sống thành tác phẩm nghệ thuật cao nhất
Bystanders No More.
Helping people speak up about human rights in Palestine. Screenshot Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise, what’s the use of seeing? -Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926-2022) To be a Jew means always being with the oppressed, never with the oppressors. -Marek Edelman (1919/1922-2009) – last surviving leader, Warsaw ghetto uprising I love this … Continue reading Bystanders No More.
What Educational Consulting Companies Expect from Partner Institutions: A View from Vietnam
Here's the unabridged version of my most recent University World News article, published last weekend under the (editor's) title Student recruitment: What a good partnership looks like. Peace, MAA Image: iStock Last December, I participated in a webinar as part of a virtual book tour for Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education – A … Continue reading What Educational Consulting Companies Expect from Partner Institutions: A View from Vietnam
Who’s That Knocking At My Door?
By Paul A. Olivier, Ph.D. Suppose you run a restaurant and are tired of wasting money on bottled gas. Suppose you cringe every time you see your food waste being hauled away in a garbage truck and dumped in a stinky landfill. Suppose someone comes knocking at your office door and tells you that she … Continue reading Who’s That Knocking At My Door?
Vietnam’s US friend Merle Ratner dies in traffic accident aged 67
Merle Ratner (Photo: VNA) It is with great shock and sadness that I learned of the death of Merle Ratner, who was hit by a tow truck in New York City on the evening of Monday, February 5th, in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year (Tết) celebration. Several articles about her death … Continue reading Vietnam’s US friend Merle Ratner dies in traffic accident aged 67
Other Responses to “Culture of Silence” Article Inquiry
mage: iStock Photo I sent the following email to a select group of international education colleagues. Below are two responses I received after the article was in its final draft. The first gave me the green light for attribution and the second asked that I share her/his comments on background. Dear Friends & Colleagues, Happy … Continue reading Other Responses to “Culture of Silence” Article Inquiry
An International Educator in Vietnam 
You must be logged in to post a comment.