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Less is More: Leonard Cohen (Sept 21st, 1934 - Nov. 10th, 2016)
The news is as sad as it was inevitable. Leonard Cohen -- he of the spare, searing lyrics, deep, sonorous voice and deeper messages, who...
Mark Chin
Nov 11, 20163 min read


The World He Makes: Donald Trump Triumphant
Winston Churchill (may have) said it best: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” The 2016 presidential...
Mark Chin
Nov 9, 20167 min read


Apocalypse Not: U.S. Election Eve
At long last, it seems, the 2016 presidential election cycle is coming to its natural end. Rivers of words, forests of newsprint, and...
Mark Chin
Nov 8, 20167 min read
Korean BBQ: the Park Geun-hye Bonfire
In this age of instant celebrity the coverage accorded to successful politicians is akin to that given to denizens of the entertainment...
Mark Chin
Nov 7, 201610 min read


Mark Chin
Nov 5, 20160 min read


A Disturbance in the Force: SG 51+ (The Optimism Deficit)
In George Lucas’ ‘Star Wars’ universe uncertainty or foreboding is usually announced by a character intoning the portentous phrase, “I...
Mark Chin
Nov 3, 20166 min read


The Persistence of Hope: Pierre Trudeau
A Canada strong, a Canada beautiful A vision of a True North strong and cool He saw its greatness, he saw its flaws In our country he...
Mark Chin
Nov 3, 20161 min read


Boldly Hope: Star Trek at 50
Fifty years after its premiere episode aired, Star Trek arguably remains the yardstick for intelligent science fiction on television...
Mark Chin
Nov 1, 20169 min read


The Persistence of Hope: Vaclav Havel
Heroism is essential to politics. We live for the moment when someone stands up in Teddy Roosevelt’s proverbial dusty arena and we...
Mark Chin
Oct 31, 201613 min read


Mark Chin
Oct 31, 20160 min read
Hillary Clinton: the Janus-faced Candidate
Victory is within sight. Hillary Clinton can almost smell the finish line. Buoyed by polls showing a popular vote margin of anywhere from...
Mark Chin
Oct 26, 20164 min read


A Disturbance in the Force: SG 51+ (The Happiness Deficit)
Singapore should be a happy place. It has low crime rates, clean streets, and an integrated transport system that puts much of the...
Mark Chin
Oct 24, 20163 min read
Donald Trump: A Shakespearean Ending
There is a very King Lear-like quality to Donald Trump’s presidential enterprise, and it centres around the character and personality of...
Mark Chin
Oct 23, 20164 min read
Wake Me Up for the Apocalypse: The Third U.S. Presidential Debate (Oct. 20th, 2016)
"Well, I think her history is far from being over. I'd like to answer that question in another 15 years from now. I think she is going to...
Mark Chin
Oct 21, 20167 min read


The Persistence of Hope: John Lennon, Oct. 9th 1940
Picture this. Receding silver hair tied back in a pony-tail, thick glasses perched on his thin nose, a wiry senior citizen steps into the...
Mark Chin
Oct 18, 20165 min read
A Basketful of Lamentables: the Second US Presidential Debate (Oct. 9th, 2016)
It is probably a profound understatement to say that the US 2016 presidential election does not lack for drama. Yet under all of the...
Mark Chin
Oct 10, 20165 min read
The Real Republican Candidate: the US Vice Presidential Debate (Oct. 4th, 2016)
One of the most important qualities Americans look for in a President is temperament, an intangible ability to project confidence,...
Mark Chin
Oct 5, 20165 min read


iHero: A Riff For Steve Jobs (d. Oct 5th, 2011)
Every generation has its heroes. These figures all have critics, but people in almost every demographic category revere them. Their...
Mark Chin
Oct 5, 20163 min read
Senior Citizens Mud Wrestling: the First US Presidential Debate (Sept 26th, 2016)
I hate the presidential choice the American electoral process has produced. Choosing between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is like...
Mark Chin
Sep 27, 20165 min read
I Choose Sanity
The most memorable line in Stephen Spielberg’s biopic ‘Abraham Lincoln’ comes when Daniel Day-Lewis thunders that he is President of the...
Mark Chin
Sep 23, 20166 min read
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