According to Wikipedia, “The melting pot is a monocultural metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements ‘melting together’ with a common culture; an alternative being a homogeneous society becoming more heterogeneous through the influx of foreign elements with different cultural backgrounds, possessing the potential to create disharmony within the previous culture. Historically, it is… Read More »

In my column, “Quo Vadis, Tea Party?” (December 14, 2012), I wrote: “Is the Republican Party in disarray?  No.  Is it dysfunctional?  Probably, yes.  Is it crumbling? Not yet.  Yes, at the rate the bloodletting is going on, the Grand Old Party of Abraham Lincoln is going through like what ‘Honest Abe’ went through during his tumultuous presidency—a… Read More »

Last March 7, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that more than 200 vessels – believed to be manned by Chinese militia personnel – were observed moored in line formation at the Julian Felipe Reef within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.  However, the reef, which is also called Whitsun Reef, is within the Spratly… Read More »

The South Pacific reminds of the movie “South Pacific,” a musical story released in 1958 about a US Navy nurse who falls for a middle-aged French plantation owner.  The movie is set on a volcanic island Bali Hai, which is based on the real island Ambae.  It is located in what is now the Republic of Vanuatu (the… Read More »

February 25, 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution that ended the 21-year reign of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.  During that time, Filipinos saw the collapse of a hated regime that looted the wealth of the Philippine government and made millionaires out of a few cronies of Marcos, which until now are… Read More »

When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1933, he instituted his New Deal programs, some of which were the Social Security Administration (SSA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Civil Works Administration (CVA), and Farm Security Administration (FSA).  Roosevelt focused on what were referred to as the “3 Rs” – relief for the unemployed and poor, recovery of the… Read More »

Just when QAnon conspiracy theories were debunked, a new theory is building up and is gathering acceptance among those who believe in Trumpism.   Ex-President Donald Trump who had been replaced by President Joe Biden is believed to be coming back to power.  He’ll be inaugurated as the 19th president of the United States on March 4.  Why 19th… Read More »

Five-five hundred years ago, the first Austronesians migrated from South China to Taiwan. It took another 1,500 years before they migrated to the Philippines. In my column, “Who Discovered the Philippines?” (April 13, 2007), I wrote: “In the late 1990s, Jared Diamond, Professor of Geography at UCLA and winner of the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, and… Read More »

Last January 22nd, China put into effect her latest coast guard laws, which explicitly authorizes pre-emptive strikes against foreign vessels in waters “under China’s jurisdiction.”  Immediately, it raised alarms in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries, particularly those that have overlapping claims on the Spratly Islands – Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the Philippines. To allay fears… Read More »

Barely a few days after being sworn in as Secretary of State, Antony Blinken spoke with counterparts in Asia, the Pacific, and Europe.  The calls included discussions of defense and security in the Indo-Pacific region.  The US has pledged to support her allies in maritime disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea.   Indeed, the US… Read More »