Going to Germany and France (Tomorrow!)

12 December 2015 [YT link]

En route to Göttingen, France & Nice on the Côte d'Azur.



This is the second time I've made a video immediately after writing a Japanese exam. I look exhausted in both videos… because I AM exhausted in both videos.

Sam Harris is Wrong: Theravada Buddhism

08 December 2015 [YT link]

Nature vs. Culture vs. Nutrition

03 December 2015 [YT link]

12 action-packed minutes: commenting on a simple point concerning nutritional deficiencies (on a "natural" diet) I then dig into the deeper question of the arbitrary and imperfect relationship between (i) nature, (ii) culture and (iii) nutrition.

Fake Vegan Statistics: Water, Drought, Cowspiracy, etc.

28 November 2015 [YT link]

Statistics can be misleading in many ways, and, I think, many vegans are quoting statistics on water-use, land-use and even the cost of food, without realizing how misleading the stats may be. Spoilers: kilogram-to-kilogram comparisons don't make sense, whereas other units can make sense… but end up showing us some unexpected facts (perhaps not the overly-familiar story from headlines and sources like Cowspiracy).

Talking to a slaughterhouse worker (vegan steez)

26 November 2015 [YT link]

Warning: this video contains the word "peripatetic", and I can't imagine how the computer-generated subtitles will misinterpret it in transcription.*



* Footnote: apparently for this word alone, the transcript is perfectly accurate.



And, yes, there's some implicit criticism of DxE / Direct Action Everywhere in this video (although I wouldn't claim that Socratic Method is the cure for all ills by contrast).

The Death of the Buddha, Historical Facts vs. Mythology

21 November 2015 [YT link]

The events surrounding the death of the Buddha (and the question of who would control/lead the religion immediately after his death) are discussed in the context of a skeptical questioning of how we interpret overtly-mythological texts as historical evidence (in Theravada Buddhism).



If you want to skip ahead to the material on the death of the Buddha directly, you can try starting at the 33:00 mark.



Link to the article: https://medium.com/@eiselmazard/dissent-from-the-top-reading-ancient-buddhist-texts-as-historical-evidence-9cabf2ad32bf

The Profit Motive, Vegans vs. McDonald's, etc.

20 November 2015 [YT link]

A seemingly-simple headline about McDonald's declining profits leads to a reflections on the profit motive, the meatpacking industry, China, Cambodia, social science research… and, yeah, my own (brief!) experience as an employee at a grocery store.

Japan = Vegan Hell? ビーガンにとって日本は地獄ですか?

15 November 2015 [YT link]

Here's the link to Haruki's channel (mentioned in the video), "Sustainable Vegan": https://www.youtube.com/user/kaimotueka/videos



Here's the link to the article by Tim Rogers, 2010, that I quote at length: http://kotaku.com/5484581/japan-its-not-funny-anymore

Don't Drop Out of University (to move to Thailand… because you're vegan)

14 November 2015 [YT link]

The painting in the thumbnail is Gauguin's "Green Christ", implying, perhaps, that Essena Oneill died for your sins, or, at least, that she dropped out of university so that you don't have to.



University is hell, but dropping out of university (so you can be "happy and healthy", etc.) may just lead to hell of another kind… and, yeah, it is a strange fact that the Chiang Mai vegan scene has been cited so many times as an inspiration (or excuse) for vegans dropping out of university. Admittedly, most of us don't need much inspiration (or much of an excuse).

日本はラオスに似ている (Japanese writing assignment)

10 November 2015 [YT link]

Please note: I am a student with less than one year of instruction/experience in the Japanese language (and zero experience living in Japan). This was written as an in-class composition assignment. It may contain errors. The use of some odd sentence-structure is intentional (as I was supposed to demonstrate comprehension of a variety of grammatical forms, etc.).

How I Became Vegan (My Vegan Story)

09 November 2015 [YT link]

Knowing the right thing to do, and then doing it: the first is a matter of information, the second is a matter of motivation. This video reflects on my motivations for becoming vegan in the first place, and, also, on the aspects of my character that held me back (i.e., why I didn't become vegan earlier in life).



This is, in fact, my second attempt at a video of this kind. The first version presents a different set of anecdotes about what a jerk I was growing up, and how being a jerk (in some peculiar ways) led inevitably to my becoming vegan. If you're interested, you can still see that video here (unlisted): https://youtu.be/C2f6jiWLpjg



Oh, and, BTW, I actually grew that beard so I'd look appropriately-exhausted (and ill-shaven) in my passport photos.

Cattle Rancher's Perspective on Vegan & Animal Rights News

07 November 2015 [YT link]

"Meanwhile livestock producers are kept busy devising welfare plans, environmental farm plans, codes of practice, best management practices to show they do deal with their animals humanely. But we know it will never be enough." No, it will never be enough, will it? ;-)



Link to the full article: http://www.canadiancattlemen.ca/2015/10/19/dropping-in-on-the-animal-rights-movement/



The image in the thumbnail for this video was, in fact, a rare case of animal cruelty (on a farm) that led to real jail-sentences. Warning, this link contains disturbing images: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101693/Pig-farmer-slammed-RSPCA-horrific-cruelty-animals-dead-suspected-suicide.html

Cenk Uygur is Not Vegan (Not Yet…)

07 November 2015 [YT link]

Cenk Uygur is not stupid, and he cares a great deal about ethics, politics and ecology, but in this video you'll hear him trace out nine tenths of the rationale for being vegan, without taking the next step. And, yeah, at age 45, he learns where dairy comes from… where it really comes from.



The link to the original (unedited) conversation (quoted from in this video) is here, Episode 43, Nov. 6th of 2015: http://oldschooltyt.libsyn.com/rss

Being Offended: A Political Behavior.

05 November 2015 [YT link]

Vegan Cheetah: Fresh Out of Rehab

03 November 2015 [YT link]

Best wishes from a bunch of vegans on Youtube.



Links in order of appearance:

1. Ali the Friendly Activist = https://www.youtube.com/user/TheFriendlyActivist

2. John from Vegan Health Fitness = https://www.youtube.com/user/VeganHealthFitness

3. Abdullah from The Glucose Network: https://www.youtube.com/user/abdullahzeinab1

4. Immy "That Thai Vegan" = https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI3gql886jiycHU297-xtVg

5. Sorsha Morava = https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSorshaOfficial

6. Joey Carbstrong = https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG6usHVNuRbexyisxE27nDw

7. Brett Rawlings = https://www.youtube.com/user/brett2961

8. The Vegan Activist = https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE0yGL4Bgs2QNomOrslyLtw

9. Andy Vegan = https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAndyLoraProgram

10. The Vegan Brunette = https://www.youtube.com/user/laurenmichelle102

11. Matt from Powsimian = https://www.youtube.com/user/powsimians

12. The "quit everything" guy = https://www.youtube.com/user/HeiJinZhengZhi



And, for reasons that will soon be obvious, I'd like to shout out the obscure (Wu-Tang affiliated) rap group formerly known as "Division", who (so far as I know) never did sign a record deal.

Don't Move to Thailand.

31 October 2015 [YT link]

In 2015–2016, Thailand is a military dictatorship. And you should care about that. And if you don't care, then, really, you shouldn't move to Thailand. Discuss.

Pali vs. Sanskrit (Theravāda Buddhism in Academia)

28 October 2015 [YT link]

Are Milk & Cheese Prices Fixed by a Conspiracy? Well… Sort Of.

27 October 2015 [YT link]

No matter where you're living in the world, you may have heard that the dairy industry is supported by the government, and the prices are artificially low… or artificially high… or you may have heard both. What's going on here? Is there a government conspiracy to make pizza cheaper? Well… sort of.



The first example in the video deals with dairy prices under "special class 3(d)", so if you want to see the fine print on that, here are two links:

(1) http://www.betterfarming.com/online-news/restaurants-must-register-obtain-lower-mozzarella-cheese-price-12015

(2) https://application.cdc-ccl.gc.ca/milkingredients/ui/pizzeriaForm_eng.php



In terms of an easy-to-read overview of how the subsidy systems work (in Canada, England and the U.S., if not quite "everywhere") see the following:

(On the Canadian system:) http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2011/11/20/is_the_price_of_milk_too_high.html

(A whole website devoted to the critique of the U.S. system:) http://www.americanboondoggle.com/american-boondoggle-fixing-the-2012-farm-bill/milking-consumers-and-taxpayers/

(Overview of the British system:) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dairy-farming-and-schemes

(On the changes to the British system that have, increasingly, made it resemble the other systems above:) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/milk-marketing-board-dairies-alarmed-by-free-market-for-their-product-abolition-of-an-institution-1385383.html

(An overview of the state of the industry from the F.A.O., including mention of the W.T.O. rulings against Canada:) http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/008/J2089e.htm

(Yet more details on the Canadian system:) http://www.cdc-ccl.gc.ca/CDC/userfiles/file/CDC_AR_2012-2013_EN.pdf



I tried to keep this video short, and I used up 20 minutes in just covering a few salacious points here. I do not get into (e.g.) the way that "support prices" basically result in taxpayers forcing the production of dairy products that nobody wants to consume… and this is both "overproduction" (in the strictest sense of the term) and has really strange knock-on effects (of governments buying up and trying to get rid of excess dairy products and by-products, etc. etc.).

Veganism as Cultural Imperialism, Neocolonialism, etc.

26 October 2015 [YT link]

Is it neocolonialism to impose vegan ideals onto a foreign culture? Is it cultural imperialism to preach veganism within your own culture? This is on the list of questions that you'll have to answer, again and again, and it is asked in myriad ways (both by meat-eaters, and by critics within the vegan movement).



Socratic method is dead, BTW: this is a response to a video that was a response to a video that was a response to one of my videos. However, you can indeed watch this video in isolation without needing to see any of that "back story". In fact, I recommend it. ;-)

Being Vegan in Victoria, B.C. (Green Cuisine, etc.)

22 October 2015 [YT link]

The vegan restaurants of downtown Victoria, B.C., Canada (as of the last few months of 2015).

• Green Cuisine.

• Lotus Pond.

• Be Love (not 100% vegan).

• John's Place (just one vegan option).

• Kissako Sushi/Café (vegan options).

Activism & Outcomes: Unnatural Vegan vs. DxE (Direct Action Everywhere)

05 October 2015 [YT link]

For an example of the type of activism (of "disruption") being debated here, take a glance at Priya screaming at strangers in a restaurant, presented on DxE's own channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCpIGoDYsyU

Another example, in which she's a bit more openly upset and emotional (in front of yet another crowd of indifferent diners) is here: https://youtu.be/5yL2Y54xCNo?t=1m10s



Not at all incidentally, Priya is the girlfriend of Wayne Hsiung (and her description of herself as the "proud 'Mama Bear'" of the organization has to be seen in this light). http://directactioneverywhere.com/organizers/



Here are links to the other persons/groups mentioned in the video:

Unnatural Vegan's channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/user/FitOnRaw/videos



"Toronto Pig Save" is also mentioned in the video (they are sometimes referred to as "The Save Movement"). https://www.youtube.com/user/TorontoPigSave/videos



Incidentally, Vegan Gains has participated in both DxE events and Toronto Pig Save protests/vigils, and the commentary by Unnatural Vegan was in part a response to a video he posted of the same tactics linked to above from DxE (following the same script, basically, of demanding dog-meat, and then screaming at random people in a restaurant). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJzw7SeVnHI



My own (earlier) video offering a critique of DxE at some length is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6YAomSw09E



Eisel Mazard, 2015, Canada.

[景色] Sunset on the Coast & 2015 Election Debates [カナダの都市部]

05 October 2015 [YT link]

A glance at the harbor as the sun sets on Victoria, B.C., after attending a debate (for Federal Candidates) contesting the 2015 election.

Veganism vs. Human Rights (the Politics of Putting Humanitarianism "First")

11 September 2015 [YT link]

The question comes, "Why do you preach veganism when there's a civil war going on?" If human rights are always a higher priority than animal rights, does that mean (in effect) that animal rights never get addressed?



This video has anecdotes from my own experience ("in the field") with humanitarian work in Laos, and addresses the misconception that vegans should/must address human political problems "first" (as if we're then going to address animal agriculture after we've run out problems to solve in the human realm).



I recorded this in response to a recent video by Cory McCarthy ("The Middle East Crisis Vs Veganism"). You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se4lUo6x_jE

[経済学] Economics in 2015: Recovery vs. "There will be no recovery!"

03 September 2015 [YT link]

The headline screams, "There Will Be No Economic Recovery!", and we have another case of economic factoids being presented out-of-context to manipulate the audience. Japan, Taiwan, Canada, the United States, Greece, Spain and Ireland are all (briefly) covered in this video (thus, "the world economy", or a large part of it, toward the end of 2015).



The source that I'm offering a rebuttal to is here (although you don't need to watch it to understand the video above): https://youtu.be/aZJyXbSnde4

[景色] A Baby Seal! 海豹 / あざらし [カナダの都市部]

28 August 2015 [YT link]

Seals in Victoria, B.C. (okay, fine, technically it's in Oak Bay). ビクトリア、ブリティッシュコロンビア州. 維多利亞，不列顛哥倫比亞省.

[景色] My Life in Canada: UVic Campus [カナダの都市部]

22 August 2015 [YT link]

The University of Victoria, B.C., Canada.

The Case of the Mistranslated Tattoo

21 August 2015 [YT link]

Here's the link to the blog (mentioned) that collects examples of mistranslated Chinese tattoos: http://hanzismatter.blogspot.ca/

What Language am I Learning Next? (Japanese, not Ojibwe, nor Cree, apparently)

20 August 2015 [YT link]

This one is a cliffhanger: I don't know what happens next myself. ;-) #nomakeup, #nolighting, #noscript, #nojumpcuts.



Eisel Mazard, 2015.

Vegan Critique of DxE: Direct Action Everywhere

05 August 2015 [YT link]

DxE defines itself in terms of complex claims about (i) slavery, (ii) civil rights, (iii) the politics of outrage, (iv) the nature of social networks, and (v) community-building. This video is primarily a response to the definition of Direct Action Everywhere provided by Wayne Hsiung in the first half hour of the video linked to below ("What If Everything We Think We Know about Social Change Is... Wrong?", but also made use of the web-pages that DxE provides in defining its own methods and mandate.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRhWzrPGPo

[経済学] China's Economy in 2015: Sovereign Debt is NOT the Problem

29 July 2015 [YT link]

China has some remarkable economic problems, but rapidly rising public spending isn't their root cause. This video shows how a single statistic in isolation can be very misleading, and how some opinion-makers may be trying to mislead us with factoids of this kind.



Stefan Molyneux is a charlatan at the best of times, but he recently made an exceptionally absurd pronouncement under the title, "The Fall of China. There Will Be No Economic Recovery." It's easy to imagine that he'd have some interesting facts to present under that title, but no: he is lazily supposing that the economic crisis in Greece somehow resembles the crisis in China… and he's wrong. China has many serious economic problems, but a sovereign debt crisis isn't one of them.



Meanwhile, BTW, there are profound problems in the Chinese economy that are outside of the expertise of most journalists; to hear about a few of them (from someone who knows the horror of what they look like firsthand), try CSIS: https://youtu.be/C2SStFt-k_A?t=3m5s

[政治学] In Japan, Everyone is Guilty, Nobody is Innocent (99.9%?)

29 July 2015 [YT link]

Very nearly nobody gets a "not guilty" verdict in China or Japan, and while some might appeal to "Cultural Determinism" to explain this institutional behavior, Taiwan reportedly has an acquittal rate of about 12%, by contrast --and Taiwan is a country with strong cultural links to both China and Japan.



If you'd like to click through to the sources used, the two (very brief) blog-posts this video is based on can be found here:



(1) http://a-bas-le-ciel.blogspot.ca/2015/05/the-acquittal-rate-in-japan-china-and-canada.html



(2) http://a-bas-le-ciel.blogspot.ca/2015/06/in-japan-almost-nobody-is-ever-not.html

Veganism: Neither Anti-Capitalist Nor "A Privilege"

27 July 2015 [YT link]

Is veganism "revolutionary"? No, and wishful thinking that it should be (or "must be") leads to an impasse: veganism shouldn't be held to the standard of resolving every possible form of oppression just because it proposes the solution to _some_ social problems (ecological, ethical and otherwise). The fact is that it won't solve all your problems, but don't let that diminish the significance of the problems it can solve… even if they are less than "revolutionary".



This video discusses a set of political issues within veganism that will probably be with us for many years to come, posed partly in response to the video linked below (although you don't need to see one to understand the other).



Link:

"Why it DOES matter HOW we spread the vegan message"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_8FLG6OhQA

Veganism as Digital Activism: Moving Beyond Bikinis & Bicycles.

14 July 2015 [YT link]

"We've got a lot of talented people talking about veganism on Youtube right now. We can talk about something a lot more meaningful than bikinis and bicycles."



Digital veganism presents some unique opportunities but has become disconnected from "real world" politics to some extent. This video follows up with some positive suggestions for change (and constructive criticism of the status quo in 2015).



FOOTNOTE: I now realize that the Chinese news-network alluded to (in my discussion) really isn't very easy to google if you can't type in Chinese, so here's a link that gives you an idea of the stuff they produce: https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdchinainsight/videos

Vegans, Leaders & Followers (Freelee, Durianrider, Gary Yourofsky & Ecology)

07 July 2015 [YT link]

Leadership is created by followership: vegans tends to select certain types of charismatic leaders, in the absence of any "institutional" structure for their ecological and ethical interests (that could have, hypothetically, been shaped by the Green Party, Greenpeace or other institutions, that have thus far failed to take on any such leadership role). This video raises broad questions of who our leaders are (how and why we select them), examining the type of leadership that results from internet-centered activism in the 21st century.

The Thai Fruit Festival, Ego-Trips & the Future of Veganism

04 July 2015 [YT link]

What is the future of Veganism? What is the new vegan social movement emerging from Northern Thailand? What does the recent scandal have to tell us (or what does it lead us to ask ourselves) about these larger issues?



"The future of veganism is not going to be 10 million Instagram models running 10 million blogs about hair and make-up. The future of Thailand is not going to be 10 million colonies of self-obsessed vegan athletes photographing themselves on bicycles and posing with plates of fresh-cut fruit."

Styles P is Vegan (Elon Musk is NOT, Sam Harris is NOT, Richard Dawkins is NOT)

30 June 2015 [YT link]

The title sums it up: Styles P is Vegan (Elon Musk is NOT, Sam Harris is NOT, Richard Dawkins is NOT). LINKS TO SOURCES mentioned in the video below:

(1) Sam Harris admitting that meat-eating is immoral, but saying that he just couldn't manage to be vegetarian (let alone vegan): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLFnJ8pWh8g

(2) On Richard Dawkins NOT being vegan, quotations and further links: http://a-bas-le-ciel.blogspot.ca/2014/05/richard-dawkins-eats-meat-and-makes-excuses-for-it.html

(3) Video of Elon Musk admitting that he tried being vegetarian, but just "couldn't do it", in response to a question from a vegan child (who hints at the ecological significance of the choice), apparently. https://youtu.be/Qi1_gtwWZuM?t=25m18s

(4) Styles P talking about his past "legal troubles": www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGy8YijzRes

How I learned Pali (Theravada Buddhism) and my Positive Experiences in the Field

26 June 2015 [YT link]

I taught myself Pali and lived for years in Theravada Countries in Asia. Learning the language is hard work, and this video may motivate you by discussing some of the positive outcomes of learning the language; I had a lot of positive experiences in both monastic and academic settings (and archives, museums, etc.) and most of my writing (on the internet) about learning Pali instead provides pretty "dry" advice (and, sometimes, some grave warnings). So, this is a relatively upbeat video, for people interested in the human reality of what it means to be a Pali scholar in the 21st century --an era when every Pali scholar is an autodidact.



As is mentioned in the video, you can find the resources I created to help people learn Pali in various places, including Google Books (for free, of course):

https://www.google.ca/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=eisel+mazard



For some much more depressing, practical advice (on learning the Pali language), you can take a look at some of my written work, e.g.,

http://a-bas-le-ciel.blogspot.ca/2012/06/on-learning-pali-fascicle-1.html



A useful essay for any beginner (both providing useful information, and warnings about misinformation in the field) can be found in both English and Chinese translation through the following links: http://a-bas-le-ciel.blogspot.ca/2014/03/canon-and-reason-complete-chinese.html



You might also be interested in my more recent video (over 20 minutes long), on the question of, "What is the future of Buddhism?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbvtUrVhPwg

[政治学] Cold War Consequences: is Okinawa an American Colony? Is Thailand?

20 June 2015 [YT link]

The Cold War was a mess of short-term strategies with long-term consequences. Looking at Okinawa in the context of (disastrous) examples such as Cambodia and Chagos… well, you come to some, strangely pragmatic conclusions about U.S. foreign policy, and the Asian states that were eager to get under "the nuclear umbrella".



On the specific issue of U.S. support for the Khmer Rouge (in Cambodia, via Thailand) here's a link to the film mentioned @27:15, John Pilger's "Cambodia: The Betrayal":

https://youtu.be/k2oTl51a3HM?t=25m35s



On the day this video was recorded I woke up at 5:30 AM to study Japanese before writing a test at 8:30. So, I look a bit "dead on the inside", but I assure you, that's merely because I'm dead on the outside.

KOKANG 2015 (Crowdfunding for Conflict Coverage?)

22 March 2015 [YT link]

I checked with Google: apparently, I'm only the second person to use the phrase "The Ecology of Foreign Policy" on the internet.

Vegan Politics (Real Talk)

19 March 2015 [YT link]

大同書: Kang Youwei's Utopia & Mao's Revolution (康有為 & 毛澤東)

15 December 2014 [YT link]

What was the philosophy of Datong (大同) anyway? Kang Youwei (康有為) was both an important influence on Communists and anti-Communists in China's 20th Century. Read more if you want to know more: a-bas-le-ciel.blogspot.com/2014/12/Kang-Youwei-Saneatsu-Mushanokoji-Mao-Zedong.html

[大躍進] Mao Zedong's "Smoking Gun" Quotation [黑金政治學03]

28 October 2014 [YT link]

"…the emperors the Chinese people most reviled —Qin Shihuangdi, Emperor Zhou, and Sui Yangdi— were the ones Mao most admired…" (Li Zhisui, 1994, p. 296)



Some further discussion of the great leap forward [大躍進] and great famine [大飢荒]. In a controversy between two current historians, a famous quotation (used to attribute blame to Mao) turns out to be spurious. The controversy reveals more of interest than just the question of how to lay the blame.

Thunderf00t vs Richard Carrier (Devil's Advocate Amongst Atheists?)

27 October 2014 [YT link]

Atheist vs. atheist; here's my response to a long-simmering dispute between two public intellectuals from opposite ends of the academic spectrum… but, wait, who are you calling an academic anyway?



Link to Richard Carrier videos: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgTHJb93koSgIXieStJD-Kw

Link to Thunderf00t videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/Thunderf00t/playlists



Link to the specific quotation from Thunderf00t mentioned: http://youtu.be/inqcLXNlEes?t=18m27s

The New Literature on China's Great Famine & the Great Leap Forward [黑金政治學02]

14 October 2014 [YT link]

An overview of new publications including Tombstone [墓碑] by Yang Jisheng [楊繼繩], Mao's Great Famine by Frank Dikötter, and The Xinyang Incident [信阳事件] by Qiao Peihua [喬培華], with a rapid introduction to the general subject of the Great Famine & the Great Leap Forward.



Eisel Mazard, 2014.

How to Get Yourself Killed in Cambodia

01 October 2014 [YT link]

No description necessary. Want to comment, ask questions and chat with other viewers? Join the channel's Discord server (a discussion forum, better than a youtube comment section). https://discord.gg/exYtJT

Support the creation of new content on the channel (and speak to me, directly, if you want to) via Patreon, for $1 per month: https://www.patreon.com/a_bas_le_ciel

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/?hl=en

You may not know that I have several youtube channels, one of them is AR&IO (Active Research & Informed Opinion) found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP3fLeOekX2yBegj9-XwDhA/videos

Another is à-bas-le-ciel, found here: https://www.youtube.com/user/HeiJinZhengZhi/videos

And there is, in fact, a youtube channel that has my own legal name, Eisel Mazard: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuxp5G-XFGcH4lmgejZddqA

Chinese Politics Now: the Mass Line & Document Number Nine [黑金政治學01]

14 September 2014 [YT link]

The most important political change that nobody's talking about: the principles of Document Number Nine (中辦發9號 / 中办发9号) and the New Mass Line Movement (群眾路線 / 群众路线) adopted by China's president Xí Jìnpíng (習近平 / 习近平).



For those who want to find more information, note that Document No. 9 is also referred to as, "關於當前意識形態領域情況的通報" / "关于当前意识形态领域情况的通报" ("Briefing on the current ideological situation", or "The situation in the ideological sphere").



Eisel Mazard, 2014.

Being Vegan in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand & China [純素的生活瑣事02]

02 September 2014 [YT link]

I'm vegan, and I have experience living in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, mainland China as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan. This video discusses some of the issues surrounding veganism (in those cultural contexts) in response to questions I've received over the years.



Incidentally, the charts that (very rapidly) appear on-screen are all graphics I made myself (illustrating data available from U.N. and government websites).

Cowspiracy, Vegan Review (a Pol. Sci. Perspective?)

29 August 2014 [YT link]

This is a ten minute discussion made with an awareness that most of the people who see it will (i) already be vegan, and (ii) already have seen the film being reviewed. This is probably not what anyone is expecting to hear from "a political science perspective", nor from a vegan perspective, but I do reflect on what I feel is the core tension of the film; and, for me, it raises familiar questions about the NGO/Charity sector...



...although I've edited-out some long and bone-chilling anecdotes from my experience in Cambodia, Laos and elsewhere in Asia.



For a quick example of just how bone-chilling it gets (and a hint at how many bad experiences I've avoided mentioning this video) take a glance at the latest crack of light to fall on Cambodia's humanitarian sector:

(1) http://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/secrets-and-lies-44964/

(2) www.cambodiadaily.com/news/somaly-mam-steps-down-after-expose-60019/



I met many, many people who were in positions of executive power (in the charity sector) moments after stepping off an just airplane, with zero expertise that pertained to the issues they were intervening in, and zero interest in the culture/country concerned. And, on the other hand, there are local players in the game who can be even more suspect (while being much more specialized!) as in the articles I've just provided a link to, above.

[佛教的政治學] Brand New Ancient Buddhist Philosophy, Part 1

28 August 2014 [YT link]

Ancient philosophy, post-war reality, and the question of what now remains of Buddhism for us to work with, in the 21st century, after the scramble to survive the 20th.



Part 1 opens a broad discussion of how the last hundred years of technological and political change have made some cultural changes inevitable for Buddhism, to be continued in part 2.



[Link to part 2:] http://youtu.be/3uclOwPspYg

[關於康熙部首06] Chinese Etymology: 世/枼/葉/叶.

27 August 2014 [YT link]

Chinese Etymology: A Fallen Leaf Marks an Era.