Modern Era
There is an old burial custom among the Habsburg emperors of Austria that, once heard, is not easily forgotten. When a ruler died, his body was carried in solemn procession to the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. There, at the sealed door of the Capuchin monastery, the procession would stop. A monk stood inside. The door … Read more
History of the Island of Taiwan Taiwan has a rich history that dates back tens of thousands of years. It was originally inhabited by Taiwanese indigenous peoples. Anthropological study of the human remains suggests the indigenous people of Taiwan were Australo-Papuan people similar to Negrito populations in the Philippines. The Dutch East India Company Colonized … Read more
Singapore, One of the Rare Jewels of the Civilized World Singapore is one of those few places that is both a city and a nation. The city-state stands as a testament against the primacy of philosophical or religious systems and it is ardently in favor of whatever actually works in human affairs. It has made … Read more
There are a great many characterizations of The People’s Republic of China floating around in the public square these days. Some people say they’re an authoritarian dictatorship, others describe them as socialist or capitalist or communist. A few sophisticated commentators use hybrid terms like “state-capitalist” or “state owned capitalism.” Perhaps it’s impossible to really describe … Read more
Korea’s Entire History Was One of Being a Vassal State in Asia Korea’s long history of subservience to its larger neighbor China started before the Mongolian rule of the Yuan Dynasty period (AD 1271 to 1368). In 1897, at the behest of Japan, Korea declared independence from their Chinese overlords. The Qing Dynasty was crumbling … Read more
After the Second World War the victorious Americans did something utterly unique in world history. They launched a massively generous global campaign to help the previously embattled and badly damaged nations of the world to rebuild themselves. In Europe the campaign was referred to as the Marshall Plan. All the war-torn nations of Europe gladly … Read more
Counterinsurgencies have been a part of state warfare since ancient times, evolving significantly during periods of colonialism and decolonization. The American Revolutionary War was a classic example of the underfunded, under-equipped, and outmanned little guy, fighting against the British Behemoth that thought it ruled the waves. The American Revolution was a classic insurgency-counterinsurgency war. In … Read more
The pre-Second World War left-wing Marxist-Communists nominally viewed the fascists as governments of the inter-war period as “right-wing extremist experiments.” That was pure communist theater and political rhetoric. It had no real basis in fact. The rise of the totalitarian anti-capitalist state of the Soviet Union gave them a podium to shout from. The soviet … Read more
The gradually worsening circumstances of life in formerly beautiful California continued. Native Californians and long-term residents were fleeing the many failures of the state’s gross mismanagement in droves. The imbalance of California’s outgoing migrants and incoming migrants causes U-haul and Ryder moving truck rental to have to pay drivers to return their moving trucks back … Read more
In the decades after the Second World War, California achieved an iconic status. Hollywood productions portrayed the region as a virtual paradise, with glistening sandy beaches and perfect weather year round; construction and the aerospace industries were booming. Jobs were plentiful, and they paid an ample living wage. Public schools were excellent and they became … Read more
A Christian world view is a “God’s eye” view of the world. Creation is both visible (the physical world) and invisible (the metaphysical, “spiritual” world). Ancient Christianity understands that the visible and invisible worlds are coexistent, transcendent and indistinguishable.
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