Category: History & Culture
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Music, Brazil, & Culture
Let’s mix things up a little bit today. Here’s an excerpt from an essay I wrote about how music in Brazil has mirrored the historical and cultural changes which it has experienced in the modern era. In this excerpt, I highlight the influence of the talented vocalist and musician Milton Nascimento. Milton Nascimento is universally…
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Human Experience of the Vietnam War: Full Essay
I had previously posted a portion of this essay about eight months ago. Here it is in its entirety. The only additional thing that I will mention is that the part about the B52 bombers creating craters that swallowed soldiers was exactly what inspired the poignant scene that Martin’s father tells him about ‘Nam in…
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Vietnamese General Giap: 1911-2013
The revolutionary general of the Viet Minh and the North Vietnamese communists died earlier today. (You can check out the slide show of his life on yahoo HERE!) He was the military mind and right hand man of Ho Chi Minh. He dressed in street clothes and a fedora, making an unassuming presence. But his presence…
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East -West Culture: Skin Color & Beauty
Perhaps you’ve seen this graphic spreading around the Internet recently. http://bsix12.com/east-meets-west/ Having lived nearly the last twenty years in Asia, I enjoyed seeing these depictions and understanding clearly the different world views, or better yet, value orientations which these graphics represent. A westerner moving to Asia could learn a lot just by studying and understanding…
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20 Years of Losing – in Political Terms
As you may have gathered, I’m a huge Pittsburgh Pirates fan. I don’t typically write about sports on my blog, but I couldn’t let the momentous passing of the worst losing streak in the history of North American sports pass without some sort of commemoration. On Monday night, the Pirates beat the Rangers and clinched…
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Crispy Vietnamese Noodles and a Memory
As you might know, I live in Penang, Malaysia. I used to live in Vietnam. Not much Vietnamese food in Penang, unfortunately, but plenty of other great cuisine. I was at my favorite hawker stalls the other day (for you locals, we call it “Lucky 99”) and my wife ordered a dish from a Chinese…
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Cambodia: The Discovery of the Kingdom of Angkor
The great Kingdom of Angkor arose in the 10th century and lasted into the 14th century until it faded from regional consciousness, having the jungle wrapped the marvelous splendors of the era in its never ceasing grip. Why did the great kingdom fall? There were many reasons. Wars with the Siamese. Eroding aqueducts. The importance…
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A Presidential, Federal, Capitalistic, Representative Democracy
What type of government is the United States of America? A presidential, federal, capitalistic, representative democracy! A mouthful, for sure. Can’t we just say republic? Nope! Can’t we just say democracy? Serious lacking! Can’t we just say federal? Think again. All four of those descriptions are needed to truly understand how our government works because…
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A Simple Way to Compare and Understand Eastern and Western Culture
I was eating at some outdoor food stalls the other day – you know, the kind I can never get enough of – and we saw it, right outside the food stalls, a dad holding his son’s hand as the young boy peed into the rain gutter. Honestly, I don’t see this nearly as much…
Author Mark W Sasse 