The wind blew hard and mixed dust with history. I had to look closely to know the dust was history. The guide motioned, “Genghis Khan entered through this gate”. I looked around. Nothing indicated that history’s greatest conquest began at… Read more ›
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
A plantation house near Charleston, South Carolina. The door was locked. We peered through the windows. A simple room revealed itself. The pedestal simply said “Coffin Point Praise House”. A sign waited “Keep this historic site open. Donations are greatly… Read more ›
Read this article if you’re interested in long-term trends beyond the headlines. So I avoid topics like Covid and stocks, and focus on China and geopolitics. I present one perspective of many. I’m not trying to be exhaustive or precise,… Read more ›
New to my site? Try these articles. Notes from Americana – My personal experience of arriving in USA. Most Beautiful Travel Experiences – Memories from around the world. Fairytale of RNA – A science story. Grandfather’s memoirs of WWII Sunrise… Read more ›
My commentary on stand out modern art. Jeff Koons: Balloon Dog (Orange) A metal balloon dog. $58,405,000. The frenzied duress of saturated millennial megalomania achieves maximal expression in the iridescent Balloon Dog. The animatronic caricature indelibly captures our breathtakingly shallow… Read more ›
Part of an essay series. See Egypt, Japan, Guatemala. For explanation of references, see the end notes. A gentle rain fell on the Roman ruins. But we were far from Rome on this quiet plain in Morocco. We were in… Read more ›
Recent reporting on Kashmir simplifies the millennia of history that lead to the Kashmiri tragedy. I try to provide context and argue for shades of gray instead of right and wrong. Important points are in bold. Note: I’m not a… Read more ›
My list of NYC places not on the standard tourist beat. Museums Morgan Rubin Tenement Food Bakeries Breads bakery : Get babka and almond croissants Bien Cuit: Overfermented loaf. Hungarian Pastry Shop Nick & Sons Patisserie Tomoko Chocolate Kahkow Mariebelle… Read more ›
At a boring party? These questions will mix it up. Are we primed for violence à la video games, mobs, movies? Do we need traumatic coming-of-age rituals? Should we live with our friends à la hunter gatherers? Have men’s gender… Read more ›