DISASTER PLANET THINKING

by Colin Liddell

You've probably heard of Murphy's Law: if it can go wrong it will go wrong. And over the years it certainly has gone wrong, again and again and again, and on a massive scale. That's how we mammals got our big chance – when an asteroid levelled the playing field with our original reptilian overlords some 66 million years ago.

AMERICA: THE EMPIRE BUILT ON FAT AND SHIT

Matthew Calbraith Perry, American Imperialist

by Empire & Revolution

The end, as the philosophers often say, is in the beginning. This may or may not be true, but if it is, it is particularly interesting to consider the beginning of the American Empire.

Some would say that America hardly needs an Empire, as it is a vast continent-sized nation with enough of the resources and none of the inherent costs that come with being an empire. Isolationism has always been the default common-sense position for this impressive amalgamation of natural resources and human capital. However, instead of making the most of what they have, Americans have embroiled themselves—often at great cost in terms of blood, finance, and internal corruption—in the affairs of the World. It does not seem to be a project that will have a happy end.

YASUKUNI JINJA – THE MISUNDERSTOOD SHRINE TO JAPAN'S WAR DEAD

"I'm a Belieber" – Justin Bieber pays his respects.

by Colin Liddell

April is a big month in the calendar of Yasukuni, the shrine in downtown Tokyo dedicated to the souls of all those who have died in the service of the Japanese Emperors since the Meiji Revolution. It is therefore also a big month for making a fuss about the enshrinement of a group of men, who since the post-War trials carried out by the US occupation forces, have been called "war criminals."

Aside from the quaint notions that war should be some kind of sport played by gentlemen and that "war criminals" can only come from the losing side, Yasukuni Jinja never fails to create major misunderstandings between Japan and the West, misunderstandings that are quickly latched onto by interested parties in North East Asia who probably know a lot better.