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My Russia File: Why Anna Politkovskaya Still Matters, Part One

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 […]

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“Professor, Why Should I Care About Other People’s Suffering…?”

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

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My Traveler’s Notebook: Destination and Destiny

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

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