There are few places on Earth where you can arrive in the wrong city in the middle of the night and still find a nice hotel room and a hot meal in less than twenty minutes. India is one of them and much, much more. After well over 20 hours of travel, I arrived in India… Continue reading The magic of India, the world’s largest country and democracy, home of some of the world’s oldest languages
Category: Culture
Livin’ in the Future: The first Springsteen song for me and my wife
Poets may claim that love conquers all, but back in the real world there are forces beyond your control that can easily tear a relationship apart. Many people fear the future, fueled by jealousy and doubt, but sometimes things simply work out if you’re only hopeful enough to see it. My wife and I didn’t… Continue reading Livin’ in the Future: The first Springsteen song for me and my wife
The miracle and madness of travel in the modern age
This will likely be my last post for several weeks, not because I am abandoning this project, far from it. Instead, I will be undertaking a hopefully epic journey that is only possible in the modern world, covering some 25,000 miles in less than a month. This will likely be my last post for several… Continue reading The miracle and madness of travel in the modern age
The essential paradox underlying Teddy Roosevelt’s foreign policy and lessons for the modern world
Teddy Roosevelt’s foreign policy was based on a fundamental contradiction. He believed in right and wrong, but understood that in the real world might all too frequently makes right whatever we may wish. The tension between the two during World War I and the potential outcomes that may arise serve as lessons for today. Teddy… Continue reading The essential paradox underlying Teddy Roosevelt’s foreign policy and lessons for the modern world
Netflix’ Queen Cleopatra: One person’s cultural appropriation is another’s representation
The pyramid of marginalization pits one disadvantaged group against another and, in this case at least, the white people at Change.org ultimately decide who is deserving of representation whatever the historical facts or whether it’s actually cultural appropriation. Netflix’ upcoming Queen Cleopatra docuseries has been accompanied by a controversy that is perfectly illustrative of our… Continue reading Netflix’ Queen Cleopatra: One person’s cultural appropriation is another’s representation
I am woman, watch me be demeaned and ultimately erased
A former collegiate athlete speaking out about her experience competing with biological men is demeaned and barricaded in a bathroom while female-specific brands shower a trans woman who acts like a pixie with endorsements. Suddenly, it seems like women no longer fit into the cultural equation. “Yeah, you fucking trans-phobic bitch,” an unknown woman screamed… Continue reading I am woman, watch me be demeaned and ultimately erased
Bruce Springsteen has no equal or even an apt comparison
A 73 year old rocker and his equally old band are still playing close-to three hour shows, doubling the length and intensity of acts half their age. We’re in uncharted territory and few things illustrate it better than a live performance of “Jungleland” at Madison Square Garden. Last Saturday, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street… Continue reading Bruce Springsteen has no equal or even an apt comparison
Transgender and chocolate rations
In the eyes of radical transgender activists, women can no longer declare themselves women, and everyone needs to accept that men who say they are women are women, but it’s hard to imagine anyone truly believes this, anymore than the demonstrators in 1984 believed Big Brother had increased their chocolate rations. “It appeared that there… Continue reading Transgender and chocolate rations
The future is fat and that’s not good for anyone
Biology and physics don’t care about your body image. Obesity is a killer according to science, but that isn’t enough to prevent a burgeoning movement championing everything from letting children eat whatever they want to envisioning a science fiction future populated by the morbidly obese. Many Americans struggle with their weight, fighting what appears to… Continue reading The future is fat and that’s not good for anyone
Spielberg’s thought provoking bastardization of Kubrick, A.I. Artificial Intelligence
More than twenty years ago, Steven Spielberg completed Stanley Kubrick’s final passion project, a film about artificial intelligence and machines that is equal parts prophetic from a modern perspective, uneven as a movie, and unfulfilled as a work of art. Today, everyone is talking about Artificial Intelligence. The emergence of ChatGPT and subsequent competitors capable… Continue reading Spielberg’s thought provoking bastardization of Kubrick, A.I. Artificial Intelligence









