There are many, among my circle of friends, who are quick to jump on the “Stand with Ukraine” bandwagon because it is the politically correct thing to do, without trying to understand the undercurrent of the political situation. These people should read Creating Russophobia: From the Great Religious Schism to Anti-Putin Hysteria by Guy Mettan… Read More »
If you are looking for an interesting and fun way to learn about history without overwhelming yourself with the details, A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols may be what you need. The author, Tim Marshall, who also wrote Prisoners of Geography, explains how flags (and the power they symbolise)… Read More »
如果你是那种看历史书就想睡觉的人，不妨拿这本书瞅一眼。虽然写法不伦不类（好比让周星驰重新编出来的“红楼梦”），但娱乐性高，容易读。只是部分内容有说教的嫌疑，加上说教的部分有时前后矛盾，所描述的历史事件在时间线上也不对办。若想认真对待这本书，则难免有点失望。
The accepted narrative is that one man single-handedly transformed Singapore from a fishing village into what it is today (even though I’m not sure if what it is today is better than a fishing village). The rest will be buried in the footnotes of history. Lest we forget, here is a list of those sacrificed… Read More »
There has been a great deal of debate about whether Lee Kuan Yew single-handedly transformed Singapore from a fishing village into a first-world country and plenty of postulations that without him, Singapore will not be where it is today. Without going into historical details (because history is like a bad case of Rashomon on an… Read More »
So did Lee Kuan Yew single-handedly shaped Singapore and transformed it from fishing village to sprawling metropolis? Watch this video of Singapore in 1957 and judge for yourself if the fishing village miracle is revisionist history at its best. Related stories: Blind gratitude is not gratitude The Intolerance of Grief What LKY’s death tells us… Read More »