Category Archives: history

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted on
2

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

mlk

When I was a teenager, navigating the indignities of racism in America and trying to articulate the frustrations of my experiences, I watched a great documentary series about the American Civil Rights Movement on PBS (the U.S.’s underfunded version of NHK or BBC). I learned about the courageous heroes and heroines that struggled and prevailed against the oppression of segregation, discrimination, and violence. Preeminent among them of course is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. January 15th was Dr. King’s birthday and it’s celebrated as a national holiday in the U.S. That the holiday even exists is remarkable, since during his life he was vilified by the government, and mercilessly harassed by the FBI. Continue reading →

An Embarassingly Brief History of Cambodia: Khmer Notes no.3

Posted on
Reply

CIMG7509.JPG

Whenever I travel to another country, I have some guidelines that I try to follow.

First, I learn some basic expressions of the local language. It’s just arrogance to visit another country and not know how to,

  • greet people,
  • excuse oneself,
  • politely order food and drinks,
  • ask where the restrooms are,
  • thank them,
  • and say goodbye.

This, I believe, is the very minimum that a tourist should learn. Memorize them and try to pronounce them correctly. I usually have a cheat sheet that I carry around. Beyond that, I try to count to ten, say where I’m from, and learn what gesticulations I shouldn’t do. Continue reading →