By Cynthia Chung It is indeed very hard to come by anyone who has never heard of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers of all time. However, despite this level of fame which has followed him, nearly 200 years after his death, there is little that is truly known about the man himself….
Author: ibykus20
The Power of Classical Culture in Shaping the Future: The New Silk Road and an African Renaissance
On Sunday April 28, 2019, a symposium was held in Montreal Canada dealing with the unified growth of cultural optimism and beautiful art and real economic development as it is being manifested today with the New Silk Road in Asia, Africa and beyond. Cynthia Chung, co-founder of the Rising Tide Foundation, focuses on the importance…
Brunelleschi’s Dome: The Project that Inspired a Renaissance
by Cynthia Chung To this day, over 550 years after its construction, the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral remains a proudly cherished national treasure of the Italians, attracting tourists from all over the world to gaze upon its magnificence in person. It is not only appreciated for its incredible beauty but also as the largest…
We Need a Renaissance, Not a Reset: Why the Singularity Point Is Not Coming
By David Gosselin Humanity has always had a story and it always will. Depending on our understanding of that story, individuals, or humanity as a whole, can be lead down fundamentally different paths. As part of a new series, “What the World Needs Is a Renaissance, Not a Reset,” we will be looking at some…
The Spirit of Win-Win Cooperation: 15-19th Century Diplomatic Success of China
Although it is well known that China has become the world’s largest and fastest growing economy in the world- outpacing the USA since the unveiling of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, it is too often forgotten that this dominant position is not new, but merely a return to the “normal” state of world…
To What Purpose are We Drawn to Tragedy: A Study of Shakespeare’s Hamlet
In this lecture, Cynthia Chung discusses whether there is a purpose to tragedy beyond merely being tragic and whether this was the intention of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Along with a study of the play, two performances are compared and juxtaposed to determine what Shakespeare intended for his audience. Featured Cover Image: “Hamlet’s Vision” by Pedro Americo
SONG OF THE CRAB NEBULA or “The Shadow of a Magnitude”
By Dan Leach Long before the first eyes ever saw me Floating like a ghost upon the night, Long before human minds even feebly Pierced beyond their dimly shrouded sight, I was there, though clothed in different raiment, Blazing like your own, my brother sun, Over unimagined reaches distant, When your…
The ‘Clean Break’ Doctrine: A Modern-Day Sykes-Picot Waging War and Havoc in the Middle East
By Cynthia Chung In 1996 a task force, led by Richard Perle, produced a policy document titled “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm” for Benjamin Netanyahu, who was then in his first term as Prime Minister of Israel, as a how-to manual on approaching regime change in the Middle East and…
RTF Review of “Seven Days in May”
John Frankenheimer’s “Seven Days in May” (1964) may be a Hollywood movie but it is also an incredibly insightful account of the problem with Cold War thinking, based off of the book by the same title. At the time it was meant to be a lesson and warning to those who allowed themselves to be…
An Overview of the Bay of Pigs and its Relevance for Today
By Cynthia Chung “There is a kind of character in thy life, That to the observer doth thy history, fully unfold.” – William Shakespeare Once again we find ourselves in a situation of crisis, where the entire world holds its breath all at once and can only wait to see whether this volatile black cloud…