Monday 14 October 2024 “…. It had taken me seventeen years after her murder to figure out why Politkovskaya matters… when I brought her back to my classrooms in Spring 2023… and now eighteen years, standing in this Fall 2024 classroom, I now understand her significance completely… and precisely right now after staring at this […]
My Russia File: Why Anna Politkovskaya Still Matters, Part Two Read More »
Monday 07 October 2024 This time last year, I was planning to blog about Anna Politkovskaya. My intention was to inaugurate the release of my blogsite with a big, important—at least to me—written piece. In vain, I was trying to finish constructing the website, aiming for an unreasonable and rushed release. It didn’t happen. The
My Russia File: Why Anna Politkovskaya Still Matters, Part One Read More »
Monday 30 September 2024 “Why should I care about other people’s suffering… ones that I don’t even know? Why?” My student’s question astounded me; for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. What do you say to such a withering, even cynical question like that one? Did the student see me as a “bleeding
“Professor, Why Should I Care About Other People’s Suffering…?” Read More »
Monday 23 September 2024 Last week after posting my Iceland itinerary, I realized that on 15 September 2023 I was in the process of constructing my website: www.danielpaliwoda.com. On that date, I had uploaded six blogs; however, the other pages on my site were still under construction. I had no prior experience building a
Revisiting This Time Last Year Read More »
Monday 16 September 2024 For those readers who are curious about or interested in using my Iceland itinerary, I have provided below a detailed daily account of activities. I have provided addresses; however, you should bear in mind that address name spellings may vary, depending upon the device you use. For example, if you rent
My Traveler’s Notebook: My Iceland 7-Day Itinerary Read More »
Monday 09 September 2024 My biggest takeaway from my recent, first time-ever Iceland trip is: one week isn’t enough. I was content not driving the entire Ring Road… for the most part. I saw and experienced what my family and I had planned to do. We needed to leave off several other “to die for”
My Traveler’s Notebook: The Icelandic Sagas Read More »
Monday 02 September 2024 Even as an amateur photographer, I’m self-critical of my creative work. Not only do I question whether what I create is any good, I treat photography as seriously as my written work. When I write, I nitpick over a word or phrase to capture precisely my thoughts or moods; similarly, I
My Traveler’s Notebook: The Photographer’s Dilemma Read More »
Monday 19 August 2024 “Where are you going for vacation?” a curious friend might ask. In other words, what is your destination? And usually their follow-up question might be: “Why there?” The etymology of “vacation” is straightforward enough: “freedom from obligations; a release from some occupation;” moreover, “vacation’s” word origin also stems from vacare: “to
My Traveler’s Notebook: Destination and Destiny Read More »
Monday 12 August 2024 Before having worked as a writing and literature professor at West Point, I knew what the Katyn Massacres were. They were parts of my wife’s family history; I heard the stories many times. Ania’s maternal great-uncle was Captain Stanisław Mazur who served in the Polish Army and was one of hundreds
My Traveler’s Notebook: Four Takeaways Read More »
Monday 05 August 2024 The older I become, I find great wisdom in the following adage: “Travel and tell no one, live a true love story and tell no one, live happily and tell no one, people ruin beautiful things.” Although the saying is misattributed to Kahlil Gibran, the advice is true enough. Not only
The Anti Anti-Travel Essay Read More »