I’m not hearing the expression TIA on TV, probably because most people have never heard of it. My uneducated opinion is that TIA could be Trump’s problem. TIA stands for transient ischemic attack. It is often called a ‘mini-stroke’, as it displays stroke-like symptoms for a temporary (transient) period. An ischemic stroke is a blockage […]
You don’t hear the word ‘spite’ much in the media these days. But I think it might be the most important descriptor of the mood of the MAGA cultists. I’m taking a lot of this material from Neurolink.com. Spiteful Behavior: Causes, Consequences, and Coping Strategies It’s a unique beast that sets itself apart from other […]
Recent events have beamed the spotlight on Cambodia’s massive ‘pig-butchering’ scams. Cambodia is in the international news, especially in Korea (a Korean student was tortured to death) and the United States (the leader of Prince Group had 15 billion dollars in illegal money confiscated). Prince Bank is undergoing a huge bank run, as investors try […]
I’ve been watching events unfold in Trump’s America – rampant corruption, cruelty, disregard for the rule of law, etc. However, I live in Cambodia, reputed for years to be one of the most corrupt nations on the planet. In recent weeks, the ‘pig-butchering’ scandal has emerged. (look it up for details, or read my previous […]
“Pig-butchering” is cruel cyber-slavery. Cyberslavery, or “pig-butchering”, as it is known colloquially, has become really big business in Cambodia, although most Cambodians are unaware of its existence or influence. The criminal industry kidnaps and forces into slavery as many as 100,000-200,000 individuals from various countries. According to Business & Human Rights Resource Center, “scamming has […]
A lot of media sources are pointing to similarities between Trump’s America and Hitler’s Germany. Here’s a different take: compare Trump’s America to Cambodia’s Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge auto-genocide. Victims of the ‘Killing Fields’. Coming to America? Most historians agree that the horrendous Khmer Rouge phenomenon was caused by resentment of rural people towards city […]
A couple of months ago, I wrote in this blog about how the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia had insidiously blocked me from registering my 1-year-old son as an American Citizen. Their website, mytravelgov.org, would not allow me to enter because I hadn’t linked to an Authenticator app. So I set up the authenticator, which gave […]
In a word: “No!” They’re not eligible. The US Government shutdown has produced a lot of misinformation about healthcare for illegal immigrants. That seems to be taking on the role of the central issue of debate. First, the very term used usually indicates which side you are on. Republicans will say ‘illegal aliens’, while Democrats […]
I haven’t written about Gaza and Hamas for quite a while, mostly because I am pretty bored with the same killings day after day. I think a lot of people, like myself, are just tired of seeing Gaza in the news every day. The media report that Israel has just bombed a high-rise building, but […]
From time to time, my wife takes me on deep dives into Khmer culture. Every September we travel to her native village to celebrate Pchum Ben, the highest religious holiday in Cambodia. Very briefly, Pchum Ben is the festival of offering food to the ghosts of ancestors who leave hell for a fortnight. Indeed, when […]