‘New Cold Wars’: David Sanger Examines U.S. Conflicts With China and Russia

PBS News Hour: "In 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and with it the Cold War. At the same time, China was amid its rapid expansion. Now, Russia is again a principal adversary and China is a much stronger competitor. Nick Schifrin discussed the challenge presented by both nations with David Sanger, author of …

History Behind the Great Wall of China

Ted-Ed: "The Great Wall of China is a 13,000-mile dragon of earth and stone that winds its way through the countryside of China. As it turns out, the wall’s history is almost as long and serpentine as its structure. Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen detail the building and subsequent decay of this massive, impressive wall. …

Why We Study Art: Introducing Crash Course Art History

Crash Court Art History Preview (2:26): "Over the next 22 episodes, Sarah Urist Green will explore the hidden stories behind artworks. We’ll make connections across time and space, unlock the secrets of the past, and look ahead to the art of the future." Transcript. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6RJUzuVq4w Key texts cited include: Art History Volume 1, 6th edition …

Mao’s Terrifying Cultural Revolution in China, 1960s-1970s, As Depicted in Netflix Drama

A new movie on Netflix, 3 Body Problem, depicts Mao Tse Tung's anti-intellectual Cultural Revolution, in which educators who made "politically incorrect" statements were severely punished. Daniel Ku on X (Twitter) explained. "The opening scene of the new Netflix adaption of "3 Body Problem" depicts the inhumane brutality of the "Cultural Revolution" by the People's …

Roman Historian Boethius Explained the Fate of Nations and Empires

The Roman senator, consul, and historian Boethius (c. 480–524 AD) explained the fate of nations, empires, and societies more than a millennium and a half ago in his immortal treatise On the Consolidation of Philosophy. My friend Bruce Johnson explained in an email: The ups and downs of secular cultures are controlled by "the wheel of …

How to Define Fascism?

"The danger of fascism lies in its ability to coopt legitimate resentments resulting from inequality and refashion them as hostility towards outsiders. Instead of addressing working-class grievances, fascistic regimes offer their followers a different form of reward by redrawing the lines of inclusion and exclusion, mass-producing myth and arms in equal measure. Until moderates and …

Powerful Predictors of the Future: Population Pyramids

Ted-ED: "Population statistics are like crystal balls -- when examined closely, they can help predict a country’s future (and give important clues about the past). Kim Preshoff explains how using a visual tool called a population pyramid helps policymakers and social scientists make sense of the statistics, using three different countries' pyramids as examples. Russia, …

Henry Kissinger, Consumate Diplomatic Powerhouse, Has Died

Born in May, 1923 in Furth, Bavaria, Germany, Henry Kissinger was a Jewish refugee to the U.S. in 1938. He excelled academically and graduated summa cum laude from Harvard in 1950, went on to immediately earn a masters and doctorate from Harvard, become a political scientist, geopolitical consultant, national security advisor and U.S. Secretary of …

US And China Ease Short-Term Tensions, But What About the Long Term?

US President Joe Biden met with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in San Francisco and eased tensions between the two superpowers -- renewing military communications, agreeing to encourage renewable energy development, and reducing fossil fuel emissions. The occasion was a summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which promotes free trade. XI called the …

Skepticism Toward the Epoch Times ‘Newspaper’ and Falon Gong Religious Group

Noticing aggressive, slick advertising on YouTube.com from the Epoch Times, with its pro-Trump conspiracy theories and disinformation, I decided to look into its genesis with the Falon Gong religious movement from China. Persecuted in China, it has become a strong supporter of Donald Trump in the US and a player in the conservative media establishment …