The deep and mystical allure of fishing has been with me since I can remember. I’ve loved the mere presence of the ocean — I could stare at for hours, and be nurtured by it, and calmed by it. And as I watch it form the sore, or a balcony, or a bridge, I’m…
What the Mueller Report Actually Says
Here is my sincere description of what’s in it, based on actually reading it, carefully, from start to finish. VOLUME I: RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE AND THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN Russian Interference was “sweeping and systematic” First, and most importantly, “The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion.” There were two components…
Remembering James Blount, an American Who “Got” the Philippines in 1901
America’s official involvement in the Philippines began in 1898 when Commoodore (soon to be Admiral) Dewey sailed the Asiatic squadron from Hong Kong and defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. With the help of Filipino revolutionaries who fully expected to be granted independence, , the Americans succeeded in ousting Spain — but after doing…
Captain Nieves Fernandez — WWII Guerrilla Leader in Leyte, Philippines
I’m looking for information on Captain Nieves Fernandez, a Filipino school-teacher who became one of the leaders of guerrilla resistance to the Japanese during WWII on the island of Leyte, in the Philippines. The little that is recorded of her story is encapsulated in the picture above, which was taken on November 7, 1944, three weeks…
America the Beautiful? You Mean America the Pitiful. I Am Ashamed
One headline reads: Trump’s Travel Ban Off to a Disturbing Start. Another: Refugees Detained, Legal Residents Blocked, as Trump’s Order is Implemented. As the reports come in of chaos around the world as legitimate visitors to the US, including students, scientists, green card holders, and vetted and approved immigrants, are barred from entry, — I just…
Betty White, National Treasure, Just Turned 95; 10 Great Video Clips from 1954 until Now
Betty White through the years, in videos. Happy 95th!
Does Treating Trump as An Illegitimate President Play Into Putin’s Hands?
Yesterday a former CIA colleague who rose to a very senior position at CIA and has spent forty years watching the Kremlin, the KGB, and the FSB reached out to me. He’s been reading what I and my Facebook “commentariat” have been saying of late, and felt compelled to offer some thoughts on the controversy that is bubbling over…
February Facebook Archive
I’ve been posting a lot on Facebook (here is my page) and have decided to keep an archive of the posts here, just so they aren’t lost forever. Not that they are necessarily that memorable . . . but it’s been pretty intense since the new administration was inaugurated. Selected Facebook Posts from February 2017
Putin, Trump, and the Russian Influence in the US Election — Act of War, or the New Normal?
I’ve been thinking a lot about the Russian influence operation against the American elections. I’ve read and reread the declassified report, and I’ve thought about it from the perspective of both an American observer in 2017 and the perspective of a former Cold War era intelligence officer. I’ve tried to digest all the inputs and…
Dear President Trump: Let Us Be Patriots
Therapy exercise for the day: Dear President Trump, Since the travel ban was enacted last week, protests have erupted and the polarization of America has accelerated. Like many, I’ve been engaged in social media dialogue and debate about this, and in the course of that debate I’ve learned that there is a fundamental concept that seems…
Dec 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Remembered; The Attack on the Philippines — Forgotten?
For Americans of a certain age, December 7, 1941, will forever be, as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt labeled it — “a day that will live in infamy”. It was on that day, at 7:48 am, that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, in the process decimating the U.S. Pacific fleet and precipitating…
A GOP Lifer Resigns From the Republican Party; His Letter Says It All
As I watched the final night of the Republican convention, I experienced a weird emotional ride. First there was Ivanka Trump, undeniably intelligent, poised, articulate — and apparently compassionate, thoughtful, and “aware”. She did a spectacular job introducing Donald Trump — so spectacular that I was thoroughly softened up and open-minded to Trump as he…
Trump’s Mastery of the “Era of Anti-Politics” Might Land Him in the White House
There is something darkly profound going on in America political life and discourse. The rise of Donald Trump is, I’m beginning to think, more than a political shift. It’s a deeper cultural and psychological shift that is the logical outcome of the polarization and gridlock that has gripped our democracy ever since the emergence of…
Merkin Muffley For President — Got To Get Me One of These
My all-time favorite movie is in the game for the 2016 election. Can’t stand Trump. Hate Hillary? Vote for President Merkin Muffley, played by my namesake, Peter Sellers . . . .who was Merkin Muffley. Where do I begin? Well, we’re talking about Dr. Strangelove (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)…
Duterte: “I may disagree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it. We are in a democracy.”
Ever since it became clear that Rodrigo Duterte was likely to win the Presidency in the PHilippines, I’ve been having a two track reactions. One one track, I’m excited to see someone who is definitely not “more of the same” take the reins in the rambunctious Philippines, and hopeful that intractable problems may actually seem…
Philippine President Elect Rodrigo Duterte — An Exciting, Disturbing, Contradictory Agent of Change
I have to confess, I’m struggling to figure out how I feel about the new President Elect of the Philippines, Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte. Western Media is calling him the “Trump of Asia” but that comparison only applies to his outspoken and sometimes outrageous statements. But the similarites end there. Duterte is a lawyer, a prosecutor, and…
For the Record: The Shoes that Walked 2,700 Miles and Helped Me Lose 80 Pounds
Between April 2014 and April 2015 I walked 2,700 miles (an average of about 7 miles a day) wearing one pair of Nikes and over that period saw my weight drop 80 pounds from 276 to 196. I was cleaning up my office today and was about to throw out a bag that I…
America the Fearful? Spineless Yanks? That’s What Excluding Syrian Refugees Says About Us, So Own It
At latest count 24 states, including one with a democratic governor, have declared they will not host Syrian refugees. Why? Because one of the terrorists who attacked this past weekend in Paris apparently posed as a Syrian refugee. Am I the only one who just feels sickened at the lack of compassion and lack of…
Controversy over Indigenous Lumads Tests Power of Social Media and Resolve of #AlDub Nation
The headline in the Philippine Daily Inquirer read: ‘Yaya Dub’ misguided in support for ‘lumad,’ says military exec. The article then goes on to quote Brigadier General Joey Kakilala, who is the commander of the Civil Relations Office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as saying of Mendoza and others: “‘Yung social media support…
Two Years On, Thousands of Haiyan (Yolanda) Survivors Protest Slow Pace of Recovery
On the eve of the second anniversary of super typhoon Haiyan’s devastation of the central Philippines, thousands of survivors walked along a highway in Tacloban City from Leyte and Samar provinces. Many carried placards protesting the pace of reconstruction efforts. “It will be the second year anniversary of Yolanda (Haiyan), but many of them have not…
Goosebumps Time: Watch Philippines Defeat China With 11-0 Run – Historic Win
How cool is this? Thanks to Bing Credo for posting this video of the last 2 mins of the game between Philippines and China in the FIBA Asia U16 tournament. Phils. down by 5. Credo drives and dishes off to Pagsanjan at the 3pt area… Boom! Phils. now just down by 1. Stopped China on…
Geraldine Uy Wong Wants CNN’s Anderson Cooper to Return to the Philippines
Remember the imbroglio two years ago during the immediate aftermath of Haiyan/Yolanda, when Korina Sanchez called out Anderson Cooper of CNN, claiming his reporting was biased and disrespectful? The hero of that moment was Geraldine Uy Wong, who was in Tacloban, saw what was happening, and wrote a passionate post on Facebook, addressing it to…
Maine Mendoza is More Searched than Yaya Dub — Google
For me there was never any doubt — Maine Mendoza fascinated me as a self-made internet star whose dubsmash genius includes not only what she does in front of the camera — but what she does with the camera as well. I was fascinated by all the characters; by her fearless willingness to present herself…
Janicel Lubina, Bb. Philppines International, Delivers a Powerful, Touching Speech
As is not unusual, I’m the last one to the party. I don’t follow the Binibining Pilipinas situation all that closely …. In fact, other than “Major Major”, I’m not sure I’ve ever notice or been aware of anything any contestants said. But today I’ve been genuinely moved by a speech by any of the…
Dear Secretary Abaya re Laglag Bala: Please read and consider
Dear Secretary of Transportation Joseph Abaya I am taking this opportunity to reach out to you because as someone married to a Filipina who travels back and forth to Manila frequently, I am truly concerned by what seems to be your failure to grasp the dynamics of what is going on in the minds of the…
Blogger Explains “Why Men Go Gaga Over Maine Mendoza”
I just came across a blog post entitled “Why Men Go Gaga Over Maine Mendoza”from a blogger who goes by Vilo Velky in a blog called The Omelette Station. Now I’m obviously not the first to discover this post — there are 180 comments there from various #AlDub fans, so that gives you an idea.…
Could the Eat Bulaga “Muslim Costume” Problem Be Fixed With Some #AlDub Goodwill?
Filipino Muslims are up in arms over Muslim garb worn by Joey De Leon and Tito Sotto in Eat Bulaga’s Halloween broadcast. The two hosts wore a thawb, an ankle-length garment with long sleeves usually worn by Muslims. The local government of the Autonomous Region in Muslm Mindanao (ARMM) took offense to the costumes. ARMM Governor…
More International Recognition for #AlDub Phenomenon — Straits Times
In one of the better intentational articles about the #AlDub phenomenon in the Philippines, the Singapore Straits Times headlines “Old Style Love Story has Modern Philippines in a Tizzy.” . The high point of the article includes some excellent observations: Sociologists and marketers are now poring over this pop culture phenomenon to find out what makes…
Heneral Luna Reviewed in the New York Times
Jerrold Tarog’s epic historical film Heneral Luna, which will represent the Philippines in the Academy Awards Best Foreign Film Category, has been reviewed in the New York Times by Ken Jaworski. The review is mixed but ultimately favorable. Here it is: I’m only a little embarrassed at liking “Heneral Luna,” an audaciously manipulative movie that’s…
More International Recognition for AlDub — Bloomberg News Video
The latest international media outlet to pick up the story the Philippine #AlDub phenomenon is Bloomberg News. As international coverage goes, this is NOT the most exciting coverage I’ve seen. (That would be an understatement.) But the mere fact of its existence is another indicator that the Philippine phenomenon is rising to the level of…
Great Rizal Collage Art by Jeff Huntington
Kudos to Fil-American artists Jeff Huntington for his beautiful Jose Rizal collage. Ironically — the best place to view this particular piece is on a eToday, a Russian website, where he is identified as a “45-year-old contemporary artist with a special recognizable style. Jeff loves Italian food and comfortable shoes …” You can see his…