Tag Archives: debate

Gatekeepers, Ballads, and Misplaced Contempt: A White Paper on Starship, We Built This City, and the Cultural Misreading of No Protection

Executive Summary This white paper addresses two related and persistent anomalies in popular music criticism surrounding Starship and their 1985 album No Protection: Why “We Built This City” is routinely treated as one of the worst songs of the 1980s, … Continue reading

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White Paper: Border-Hopping Stadium Politics: What the Kansas City Chiefs’ Move from Missouri to Kansas Reveals About Intraregional Competition and Comparative Government

Executive summary The Kansas City Chiefs’ announced plan to leave Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri and relocate to a new domed stadium project in Kansas by the 2031 season is more than a sports-facility decision—it is a concentrated case study in … Continue reading

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Recommendations For A Warts And All Reading of Thai History

An honest “warts and all” reading list on Thai history has to do two things at once: give you a reliable chronological framework, and poke holes in the comforting myths of “harmonious kings, grateful peasants, and benign coups.” Below is … Continue reading

Posted in History, Military History, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

White Paper: The Paradox of Obscurity: Why “Babe, What Would You Say” Became a Forgotten Hit

Executive Summary “Babe, What Would You Say”—released in late 1972 and rising to major chart success in early 1973—is a classic example of a song whose momentary popularity failed to translate into long-term cultural memory. Despite reaching the Top 3 … Continue reading

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White Paper: Multi-Level Marketing in the Bible? A Biblicist Examination of Claims, Parallels, and Ethical Evaluation

Executive Summary Claims circulate in popular Christian teaching that “MLMs are described in the Bible” or even that “the early church functioned like an MLM.” These claims are typically made to legitimize a modern business model by analogy with perceived … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Contested Terrain of Tipping Culture — Existence, Spread, and the Debate Over Earned vs. Entitled Gratuities

Executive Summary Tipping has become one of the most debated features of modern service economies. Once confined largely to hospitality and personal services, tipping norms have expanded into retail, counter-service, delivery platforms, and even automated kiosks. Advocates defend tipping as … Continue reading

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White Paper: Minimizing Online Behavior–Related Lawsuit Risk: Practical Guidelines for Individuals, Professionals, and Content Creators

Executive Summary In a digital landscape where nearly every action—posts, comments, messages, uploads, reviews, and even “likes”—can be stored, archived, and subpoenaed, individuals face far higher legal exposure than they historically did. Lawsuits arising from online conduct span defamation, harassment, … Continue reading

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A Biblicist White Paper: Distinguishing Job’s Eloquent Self-Defense from the False Accusations of His Friends and From the Charge of Self-Righteousness

Executive Summary The Book of Job contains one of Scripture’s most intricate examinations of suffering, righteousness, and divine justice. Job’s speeches are often misunderstood as lapsing into self-righteousness, while the friends’ speeches are mischaracterized as orthodox defenses of divine justice. … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Origins of Christian Withdrawal — A Historical and Biblicist Examination of Separation from the World

Executive Summary This paper traces the historical development of the belief that Christians should separate entirely from worldly society and refrain from civic, political, or cultural involvement. It analyzes this view’s biblical roots, its distortions in later church history, and … Continue reading

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White Paper: Æthelred the Unready in Contrast: A Study of Reputation and Historical Record

Executive Summary This white paper examines how three Anglo-Saxon rulers—Edward the Martyr, Æthelred II (the Unready), and Edmund Ironside—were judged by history, and how their reputations evolved. While Edward’s brief reign became sanctified by martyrdom, Æthelred’s long reign was vilified … Continue reading

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