I am one of those men for whom it is impossible to find Father’s Day gifts. I don’t wear ties. My socks are all the same, in the interest of efficiency. I enjoy cooking, which would seem to open up some possibilities. But I have an annoying habit of buying useful gadgets as I need them, leaving my relatives to purchase paper bags specially designed for storing cheese, say, or devices that carve vegetables into the shape of noodles. With sympathy for my family, the truth is that my favorite Father’s Day gift this year has been the gift of time. Or more precisely, a new understanding of how my…

European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, May, 2018. Ye Pingfan/ Press Association. All rights reserved. 14.05.2018

 Open Letter to Ms. Federica Mogherini, 
 High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, 
 European Commission
, Berlaymont
1049, Brussels
 
We, the undersigned, thank you for your speech on May 8, 2018, pledging the European Union’s intention to remain steadfast in its commitment to the historic accord concluded between Iran and the E3/EU+3, the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Too often, politicians have inclined to patronise and admonish, but, instead, you opted for a “universal language” of respect and dialogue. You proclaimed…

The day we met as freshmen in college, our room was invaded by girls telling us of parties taking place that day and the next. I went to two with Rachel and some of our dorm mates, and two were enough for me. Rachel rocked on with periodic stops back at our room, and on her first appearance to change outfits, we agreed to seek a roommate rearrangement, a frank and quick conversation. On her way out, she glanced at the book in my hands. “I’ve read all of Jane Austen’s works,” she said, flipping back a mane of red hair. “I’d like to discuss some with you.” She left,…

Our driver greeted us at the Pisa Airport, where we arrived after an overnight flight from New York to learn our bags were lost. “My name is Joe,” he said in heavily accented English, offering his hand and a demure bow of his head. “I have cousins in Brooklyn,” he added. “I’m from Philadelphia,” I replied. He told me his cousins’ names anyway. From halfway around the world, the odds were narrower. We climbed into the van and proceeded 20 minutes down the highway past stone Etruscan foundations, varicolored fields, a viaduct, and a lot of other fine scenery that we might have appreciated more if we weren’t feeling so…

This week, U.S. Border Patrol agents deployed tear gas to stop a group of migrants who attempted to rush the U.S.-Mexico border. The gassing created a worldwide outrage after it was revealed that some of the victims were children. The incident comes after the Trump administration was harshly criticized for its inhumane policy that separated migrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. The United Methodist Church took a shot at President Trump — right in the heart of Washington, D.C. — for the gassing. The United Methodist Building, which stands right next to the Supreme Court and the Capitol, put up a funny, yet pointed sign referencing Matthew 25:35-36. The…

Child survivors of Auschwitz, wearing adult-size prisoner jackets, stand behind a barbed wire fence. Public domain. “A country is not only what it does but what it tolerates”. ― Kurt Tucholsky I first came across the Holocaust when I was fourteen years old. I misidentified Maus for a common graphic novel, and I bought it during one of my weekend trips to the bookshop downtown. It was a difficult read, oblivious as I was to what motivated the war and the atrocities committed by the Third Reich. It took me some time to realise what the author was getting at by depicting the Nazis as cats, the Jews as mice…

Although the state also has plenty of forest, one way or another, desert stretches from end to end in Arizona. A couple easy ways to enjoy it: Around Phoenix Stay near Camelback Mountain: in Scottsdale, that means the beautifully restored Valley Ho, hotelvalleyho.com, which is sort of like walking into the backdrop of a Frank Sinatra movie. Right in Old Town Scottsdale is the best place to look for desert art: Navajo rugs and Hopi kachinas (ask before you buy, there are a lot of knockoffs) and turquoise jewelry. A bit more expensive, but right at the foot of Camelback and one of the oldest hotels in Phoenix, the Royal…

As the 2018 midterm elections approach in the U.S., Google’s power to influence undecided voters remains overshadowed by Facebook’s personal data crisis. Facebook has “taken it on the chin” for its role in the 2016 presidential election, and organizations like the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica and the Russian troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency have dominated headlines. Yet despite having a troubling history and collecting more personal data through more products than Facebook, Google has somehow managed to evade the public spotlight on this one. That may be changing. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee recently sent Google a letter asking a series of questions about the company’s personal…

Taliban insurgents turn themselves in to Afghan National Security Forces, 2010. Image: ResoluteSupportMedia (CC BY 2.0). Behind the scenes, a remarkable new alliance is being sought in Afghanistan. At ground level the country's long war is as disparate and complex as ever, but this emerging realignment may well give it a different flavour.  On the surface, these five events seem to have little enough in common: * The Trump administration is encouraging United States and Afghan troops to concentrate on safeguarding the main towns and cities, even if that means that the Taliban seize more of the rural areas where three-quarters of Afghans live  * A US government agency, the…

Light the candles, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is 75 years old this summer. Standing at Newfound Gap with the hazy ridges of the Appalachians stretching to the horizon, I try to visualize what the scene looked like when President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the dedication at this spot. By the time the park was established in 1934, 80 percent of the hills and valleys had been clear cut by timber companies. Not a promising start for what has become the keystone national park east of the Mississippi River. Yet today you would never guess the mountain slopes had been stripped, the streams silted, and the wildlife decimated. From…