Reflections After Shogun
by Irineo B. R. Salazar Rudyard Kipling once said that East and West would never meet. They do meet in Shogun(2024) and the real-life equivalent of John Blackthorne was William Adams (not AFAM) and though he probably wasn’t as important to Ieyasu Tokugawa aka Toranaga as in the series, he had a significant role with … Continue reading
Ranking the greatest Philippine Presidents: What criteria to use?
Analysis and Opinion By Joe America A new ranking of American presidents is out based on a survey led by two US political science professors. Here’s an article about it: NEW SURVEY OF SCHOLARS FINDS LINCOLN REMAINS AMERICA’S GREATEST PRESIDENT This excerpt considers recent presidents: “The survey shows that while presidential scholars continue to consider … Continue reading
When beliefs overpower evidence
Analysis and Opinion By Joe America I’ve long objected to those who bring popular conspiracy theories to blog discussions as factual truths. A theory is not a truth until verified, as Einstein knew but modern social media marauders do not. Advocacy these days has taken the form of beliefs over evidence. Can you imagine a … Continue reading
What to do about the demise of respect
Analysis and Opinion By JoeAm It struck me yesterday, as clear as clear can get, that we are living in an era where respect is being misplaced by distrust and knowledge is being replaced by fictions. Even the morally good are buying into this new, dirty model. The occasion of my awareness was a reader … Continue reading