A Vietnamese tradition inspires a genealogical journey

24/02/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary 1610, 1620, ancestor worship, genealogy, mayflower, new england, settler colonialism, viet nam, vietnam

Here's my latest essay for VNExpress International. In it I mention a December 2021 article From New England to Vietnam: Settler Colonialism in Cross-Cultural Perspective that was published behind a paywall. Since VNExpress doesn't include links to other sites, follow this link to another blog post to read it free of charge. Photo courtesy of … Continue reading A Vietnamese tradition inspires a genealogical journey

Trash, Trash, Everywhere, Everywhere!

19/02/202222/02/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary ecocide, environmental pollution, environmental protection, single-use plastic, tipping point, viet nam, vietnam

Photo by MAA. This is a common sight in Viet Nam, especially in the countryside. Like a magnet, a small trash dump becomes a large one. Let's take a partial inventory of the items in this disgusting pile of garbage, shall we? ---lots of plastic bags (it can take up to 1,000 years for a … Continue reading Trash, Trash, Everywhere, Everywhere!

Small Business Loyalty

15/02/202215/02/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary economy, small businesses, viet nam, vietnam

Bottom center is a barbershop. Something I've noticed about the small market sector in Viet Nam is people's loyalty to a range of family-run businesses that are at risk of being driven to extinction by large companies and chains that promise and often offer greater selection and lower prices. (This is a trend not unique … Continue reading Small Business Loyalty

Putting Garbage In Its Place

25/01/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary dalat, ecocide, pollution

These pictures were taken this morning here in Dalat. How on earth can people be allowed to do this? Why does the city not enforce the law? Paul Olivier, Dalat The quote and photos are from a recent Facebook post by Paul Olivier, a US expat who lives in Dalat. Paul is a passionate advocate … Continue reading Putting Garbage In Its Place

The Transition & Continuation of Thích Nhất Hạnh

24/01/202211/02/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Books, Commentary buddhism, martin luther king jr., Thích Nhất Hạnh, Thầy

Look into a plum tree. In each plum on the tree there is a pit. That pit contains the plum tree and all previous generations of plum tree. The plum pit contains an eternity of plum trees. Inside the pit is an intelligence and wisdom that knows how to become a plum tree, how to … Continue reading The Transition & Continuation of Thích Nhất Hạnh

Some Reminders for US Higher Education Colleagues: It’s Still a Jungle Out There

17/01/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary cheating, educational consulting, study in the USA, unethical business practices, viet nam, vietnam, vietnamese parents, Vietnamese students

Courtesy of IT Governance Services My first post of Solar 2022! When it comes to working with partners in the educational consulting industry, choose carefully, as with all relationships, personal and professional. Here are some of the unethical practices I've written about that continue unabated because of a lack of oversight and accountability in this … Continue reading Some Reminders for US Higher Education Colleagues: It’s Still a Jungle Out There

Another Year of Living (and Dying) with COVID-19

30/12/202111/01/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates 2021, 2022, COVID-19, delta variant, mass vaccinations, viet nam, vietnam

As 2021 draws to a merciful close, I thought this would be a good time to glance at the latest COVID-19 stats in Viet Nam, including the ones that give me and others hope. While most people tend to obsess over the daily number of infections, I periodically check the number of vaccinations because a vaccinated … Continue reading Another Year of Living (and Dying) with COVID-19

Study and Stay™ in Nova Scotia

27/12/2021 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary canada, immigration, nova scotia, post-graduation employment, study

I like this trademarked slogan. This is a province that knows what it wants and needs, and is willing to go the extra mile to achieve the goal of attracting more young immigrants who study at a local educational institution and then make the life-changing decision to remain and work. Nova Scotia's proactive, pro-immigration strategy … Continue reading Study and Stay™ in Nova Scotia

Christmas in Vietnam: bookending a long festival season

23/12/202111/01/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary christmas, lunar new year, solar new year, tet, viet nam, vietnam

Here's my latest essay for VNExpress International. Even though the percentage of Vietnamese who celebrate December 25 as the birth of Jesus Christ is in the single digits, Christmas has evolved into a full-fledged secular holiday in recent years. A sure sign Christmas is approaching is when elaborate and colorful holiday displays at banks and … Continue reading Christmas in Vietnam: bookending a long festival season

From New England to Vietnam: Settler Colonialism in Cross-Cultural Perspective

16/12/202127/11/2024 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary 1610, 1620, British Colonial America, invasion, jamestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, mayflower, occupation, Plymouth, settler-colonizers, USA, viet nam, vietnam, war

I've been working on a long-form essay that combines my interest in history and genealogy. Since so many of my ancestors arrived in what became British Colonial America and later the USA, starting in 1610 and 1620, the historical is intensely personal for me. I write as a direct and collateral descendant of Jamestown settlers … Continue reading From New England to Vietnam: Settler Colonialism in Cross-Cultural Perspective

An International Educator in Vietnam

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