Yesterday, about a quarter of Dutch people forgot what made their country great. I have long admired the country that developed the principles of liberty, equality, tolerance, and fairness that underpin my sense… Continue reading
On our drive into Paris yesterday we were singing lines from Les Miserables. Everyone loves Victor Hugo’s story of the everydayman driven by desperation to a small crime, excessively punished but spirit unbroken… Continue reading
To be honest, the war in Ukraine is straining my higher principles of unity, human brotherhood, and tolerance. The reptilian part of me wants to see Moscow become a smoldering ruin. It’s just… Continue reading
My friend in Kiev sounds exhausted. Her family lost everything when Russia invaded the Donbas, and she was just getting back on her feet when this current round of menace began. “Just a… Continue reading
My eyes read headlines through layers of experiences not my own. Other places can teach us crucial lessons, and then travel there can make those lessons all the more accessible and compelling. So… Continue reading
All the Renaissance masters, Roman gods, and Golden Age heroes showed up right when I needed them, no one was grievously injured, and even the weather behaved itself (for the most part). So… Continue reading
When a Buddhist monk in Myanmar sprawled out over several seats in the train, or one on the bus in Malaysia blasted a radio no one else wanted to hear, or a third… Continue reading
The walls were solid and strong, despite the detritus of old neglect in the corners, the spray painted confusion, and the sense of old cigarettes. And everywhere, the kind of shadows you’re supposed… Continue reading
The playground game was simple. Ask “Would you rather…” followed by two options, probably one that’s physically unlikely and one that’s gastronomically inadvisable. Both options were reliably horrendous. It was a “choose your… Continue reading
Equal Pay Day yesterday deserved a post. Something to address the crushing idiocy that women would have to work these extra months into 2018 to earn as much as men did in 2017.… Continue reading
