NO SMOKING IN NEW ZEALAND
No smoking in New Zealand has just taken a monumental step forward. Cigarette smoking bans have been growing in many countries ever since the evidence …
INDIVIDUALISM AND OPPORTUNITY
The mantra of the United States has always been “The land of individualism and opportunity; opportunities abound if you are willing to work hard, and …
GUN CONTROL NUMBERS
Gun control numbers tell it all. When the world looks at the United States, it sees a land of exceptions: a time-tested if fragile and …
BABA YAGA
A key figure from Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga certainly fulfills the requirements of the wicked witch – she lives in a house that walks through …
THE RICH GET RICHER
The rich get richer. This was the topic of a very interesting analysis sent to me by one of my readers. We have all read …
SOCIALLY BANKRUPT
Socially bankrupt would be a reasonable description of the U.S.’s stand on gun control. A report in the Huffington Post reported that a school district …
HAIR
Last year India exported more than $770 million worth of human hair, twice as much as it did in 2020. Indian hair is apparently prized …
DEMOCRACY AND RESPONSIBILITY
The implicit link between democracy and responsibility is something that has been bothering me for some time. The chaos of the current political scene in …
SWAMPED BY ENGLISH
Swamped by English could be an excerpt from British colonial history or, maybe, a report sent back from the Spanish Armada after Sir Francis Drake …
SLAVERY
I listened to a commentary this week, presented by Bill Maher, the U.S. satirist, and it prompted me to write this blog on slavery. In …