As the USA and other countries debate bombing Syria, or getting them to give up their chemical weapons (do they really think so?), they may think they will change the course of things. Not likely. I’ll go so far as to suggest that whether the USA strikes Syria or not, it won’t change much in the big picture. Two reasons: First, the big picture is too big and too complicated and too intractable for any outsider to change without massive commitment and carnage. Americans have come to realize that from Afghanistan and Iraq. Second, neither our nation nor any other…
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A Hindu girl in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, goes home and tells her family a Muslim boy verbally harassed her. So the girl’s brother and cousin go and shoot the boy to death. Then the boy’s family and others go and beat the brother and cousin to death. Then the anger spreads and the number of dead has reached 31 and counting. 13,000 security officers have been deployed, and more than 100 have been arrested for inciting violence. Schools and shops are closed. Homes evacuated. Streets shuttered and empty. All because of deep-seated hatred, because people won’t forgive. They’re human…
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Diana Nyad just swam 110 miles from Cuba to Florida. She spent three days and two nights swimming at sea. She’s 64 years old. At a point where most people are preparing to flop into retirement, this person is being superhuman. After staggering onto the beach at Key West, she had three things to say. When someone achieves what she did, I listen. I hope you do too: “One is we should never ever give up.” “Two is you’re never too old to chase your dreams.” “Three it it looks like a solitary sport, but it’s a team.” Others have…
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The Syrian government bombs its own people with chemical weapons. The USA weighs whether to intervene. Yes: Freedom fighters struggle for democracy. No: Islamic militants are thoroughly infiltrated in the conflict and will likely take power if we cause the rebels to win. Yes: Assad’s actions are reprehensible, and he must be taken out. No: He treats Christians and other religious minorities well, and they’d be wiped out if he falls from power. Yes: How can we stand by watching the atrocities and do nothing? No: How can we get enmeshed in yet another intractable Middle Eastern conflict? Look at…
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Soon you will be able to take photos, videos, audio recordings, ask directions, get information, and even translate yourself with a pair of glasses: Google Glass. This is one technology, like the smart phone, that could dramatically affect the way we live. Some people love it–for good reasons. Some people hate it–for good reasons. The advance is astonishing (and we’re oddly getting used to astonishing advances). Yet we have to ask questions too. When does technology become too much? When does it create too many potential problems–such as privacy issues, potential for spying and criminal activity, and just plain intrusion…
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