The autumn of nineteen fifty-eight was a particularly chilly one, even by Chicago standards. The lake wind made for a blustery canyon even in the western suburbs away from the lake like the former railroad junction of Franklin Park. They didn’t call Chicago “the Windy City” for nothing. I remember the great maple leaves of … Continue reading A Place for Marta
Crying Babies — Shanghai 1937 and South Texas 2018
: 20 “Bloody Saturday” – An iconic photo of a crying baby amid the bombed-out ruins of Shanghai’s South Railway Station after a Japanese air strike against civilians. August 28, 1937. This is the most iconic photo of a crying baby in the 20th Century -- the Chinese baby … Continue reading Crying Babies — Shanghai 1937 and South Texas 2018
GOP Virginia Senate nominee Corey Stewart is one of those fake opportunistic Yankee Confederate statue lovers
Guess what? The nominee the GOP picked for its Senate candidate in Virginia in its Tuesday June 12th primary to oppose incumbent Senator Tim Kaine was the Confederate statue and flag-loving Corey Stewart. A quizz for you reader: Corey was born in----a) Richmond, b) Nashville, c) Atlanta or d) Duluth Minnesota? If you answered "d" you are correct. … Continue reading GOP Virginia Senate nominee Corey Stewart is one of those fake opportunistic Yankee Confederate statue lovers
Trump to Shake Kim Jong Un’s Hand on the One Year Anniversary of Return Home of American in a Coma: RIP Otto Warmbier
Asians have a cultural inclination to closely commemorate historic dates like the liberation of Korea (August 15) or the bombing of Hiroshima (August 6.) This is not true so much for Americans with our sense of historic amnesia. But one would think that even Americans could remember a major international event that occurred just one … Continue reading Trump to Shake Kim Jong Un’s Hand on the One Year Anniversary of Return Home of American in a Coma: RIP Otto Warmbier
Korea and Virginia: The Canary in the Coal Mine?
Constituent politics in the United States often has a major impact on foreign policy. The ballot box can send a signal in a more direct and, at times, cutting way than any academic debate on foreign policy at a Washington think tank. As any Congressional staffer knows, vocal advocacy by constituents on behalf of … Continue reading Korea and Virginia: The Canary in the Coal Mine?
North Korea Has Killed Tom Sawyer
All Americans, no matter of what political persuasion, deeply mourn the death of Otto Warmbier, the all-American youth. He was reportedly a soccer and football player and homecoming king at his high school in Wyoming, Ohio. He came from a religiously devout family. And Otto was also an accomplished scholar at the University of Virginia, … Continue reading North Korea Has Killed Tom Sawyer
Taiwan’s President: Go South, Young People!
In a previous blog posting I discussed PRC President Xi Jinping's major policy for not only rejuvenating his country's increasingly sluggish domestic economy but also to bring about a regional burst of infrastructure development: the "One Belt, One Road" initiative along the old Silk Road. Taiwan's new President Tsai Ing-wen faces corresponding domestic challenges to stimulate Taiwan's economy, … Continue reading Taiwan’s President: Go South, Young People!
High School Reunion: Vietnam and Baby Boomers
Notre Dame College Prep, Niles, Illinois Class of 1966 -- 50th high school reunion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREGORY JOSEPH KASPER PFC - E2 - Marine Corps - Regular Length of service 0 years Casualty was on Sep 25, 1967 In QUANG TRI, SOUTH VIETNAM HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY ARTILLERY, ROCKET, or MORTAR Body was recovered Panel 27E - … Continue reading High School Reunion: Vietnam and Baby Boomers
ICAO’s Not-So-Friendly Skies Exclude Taiwan
WV MetroNews – September 11, 2001 Air Security Should NOT Become a Political Football Post-September 11th. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the leading experts on airport safety and security are gathered for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)'s 39th Triennial Assembly in Montreal (September 27 - October 7) (http://www.icao.int/Meetings/a39/Pages/default.aspx), representatives of one of the world's leading air hubs … Continue reading ICAO’s Not-So-Friendly Skies Exclude Taiwan
Silk Road Summit: As China Leads, America Recedes
AmazingXinjiang.com In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. --composed by Samuel Taylor Coleridge after awaking from an opium-induced dream; completed in 1797, published in 1816. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Those who have seen the rather sexually risqué Netflix TV series … Continue reading Silk Road Summit: As China Leads, America Recedes
Halpin's Asia Takeout 