I read a disturbing report this morning that probably shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did bring to mind an old expression…In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. This proverb has ancient roots, though its exact origin, like many proverbs is debated among scholars. The most commonly cited origin is that it is attributed to Desiderius Erasmus, the Dutch Renaissance humanist, who included it in his collection “Adagia” (1500-1536), a compilation…
It’s hard not to notice what’s happening around the world. Gen Z is rebelling around the world, with youth-led protests erupting across multiple continents throughout 2024 and 2025. This global movement has toppled governments, forced policy reversals, and challenged established power structures in numerous countries. South Asia has seen the most dramatic changes. Three governments have fallen to youth-driven protests – Sri Lanka in 2022, Bangladesh in 2024, and Nepal this month (September 2025). Bangladesh’s…
The world’s major deserts span across different continents and climate zones, each with distinct characteristics. There are hot deserts. The Sahara in North Africa is the largest hot desert, covering much of the northern third of the continent. The Arabian Desert stretches across the Middle East, while the Thar Desert lies between India and Pakistan. In North America, the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Mojave deserts cover parts of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Australia’s Great…
Like half of the people in America (and perhaps the world), I am somewhat systematically reprising the movies of Robert Redford in the wake of his sad, but not so untimely death at age 89. According to IMDb, Redford has 82 acting credits to his name and 10 directorial credits. Of those acting credits, 50 were movies in which he acted (as opposed to narrated or for a series episode or two). I shouldn’t really…
Since I was young, I have always been against capital punishment. This is one of those beliefs that I can genuinely say was not adopted from others, but was, rather, something I very specifically and very memorably pondered while I was taking my high school courses in ethics. I learned all about situational ethics and still I concluded that man simply does not have the right to inflict a punishment with such finality and profound…
At what point is dialogue more harmful than helpful? Dialogue is fundamental to healthy political discourse, though it faces significant challenges in practice. Here’s why it matters and what makes it difficult. Political dialogue serves as the primary mechanism for peaceful conflict resolution in democratic societies. When people with different viewpoints can engage constructively, they can find common ground, develop nuanced solutions, and maintain social cohesion despite disagreements. Dialogue also helps prevent the kind of…
Colbert…Kimmel…WSJ…NYT…Fallon…Myers… The censorship of the German press in the 1930s was a systematic process that began even before the Nazis fully consolidated power and became increasingly severe throughout the decade. Even during the Weimar Republic’s final years, press freedom was already under pressure through emergency decrees and political intimidation. The SA (Stormtroopers) frequently attacked newspaper offices of opposition parties, particularly Social Democratic and Communist publications. The process accelerated rapidly after January 1933. The Reichstag Fire…
There is so much going on in the world today. I’ve been around for most of 72 years and I understand that there is almost always a lot going on in the world. Some people like to keep their focus tight to what’s directly in front of them, watching their feet at each step. Whether they choose to wear blinders or are just naturally only concerned about their immediate surroundings doesn’t change anything. The universe…
The Charlie Kirk killing has spawned a good deal of controversy, some about the underlying ideology he espoused and some about the reaction that has come forth on the event of his death. His death seems to have reawakened lots of opinions about things he has said and those thoughts have shifted from the debate stage he so enjoyed to today’s most popular forum, social media. The result has been a lashing out by the…
I just saw the New York Times mornng news summary and one phrase caught my eye. It said that based on extensive discussions with Americans, they were mostly saddened, but not surprised about the Charlie Kirk assassination. On Wednesday evening, our two nephews were over for dinner. Nephew Will, who is suffering from a serious neck injury, said that while the shooting was deplorable, he was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner given the rhetoric of…