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. Chocolate Michel Cluizel Mariebelle Icecream Ample Hills Mikey Likes It —… 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 ›
It was impossible to believe. The pyramids rose before me, massive, monolithic, and ancient. Ancient beyond reckoning. So ancient that they appeared like mirages fluttering in the desert wind, as if transmogrified down the march of centuries, shifting in and… Read more ›
We stood on the beach and stared at the three phantasmagorical volcanoes. Those volcanos floated on an azul lake; a shimmering cerulean mirage of a lake; a lake of eternal spring; crested by three perfectly symmetrical volcanoes whose veridian verdigris… Read more ›