Spycraft in the Digital Age

Monday, December 30, 2019

This long article explains the challenges of doing covert government spying in a digital age when everything is much harder to hide.

Hong Kong's Oppression Might Be Ours Too

Friday, October 25, 2019

Britain took control of Hong Kong from China by threat of force in 1841. In 1997 the United Kingdom returned control of Hong Kong to China, to be governed independently as "one country, two systems" until 2047.

While there have been protests in previous years that the Chinese government is eroding the "one country, two systems" policy by increasing its control over Hong Kong, this year's protests (summary) have been even more energetic.

While this is a serious issue for Hong Kong and the Chinese government, it also affects others. The Chinese government has pressured Chinese companies to economically punish individuals and companies that are supportive of the Hong Kong protests, even if they are not Chinese nationals or companies. The most dramatic punishment was related to a tweet by an nba employee supporting the Hong Kong protesters. Nba fans were so upset at China's pressure that they are now expressing support for Hong Kong at basketball games.

The big point is that Hongkongers are protesting the Chinese government's increased interference in their governance, and this is causing increased Chinese government interference for non-Chinese too.

Three Decades Ago, America Lost Its Religion. Why?

Thursday, September 26, 2019

This article explores the reduction in religious affiliation in the USA during the past thirty years.

Learning How to Learn

Sunday, August 4, 2019

This video monologue is the clearest example I have seen recently of learning how to learn.

The Case For Trump

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

This one-hour video interview of the author of The Case for Trump is the most learned one I have seen about how Donald Trump succeeded in winning the presidency. It covers his unpredictable personality, his policy position calculus, and the outlook of the voters who elected him. This video covers much more of Trump's electoral and policy strategy.