Colonialism of the Mind – Part I
“Les intellectuels ont toujours été des courtisans. Ils ont toujours vécu dans le palais.” | “Intellectuals have always been courtesans. They have always lived in the palace.” – Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) Western journalists increasingly assume the voices of subjugated countries’ natives while muzzling them by denying them access to the press. In the United […]
Data Mining: The Price to Pay for Our “Free Parking” in Cyberspace
I can hear him now: “Come one, come all. Enter my parking lot and spend as much time as you want and it is free.” So says the P.T. Barnum of cyberspace. Welcome to the biggest parking lot in the world. At one time that parking lot grew so big it threatened to eat itself. […]
The War in Afghanistan: A Monumental Waste
We have all seen the latest headlines about the war in Afghanistan. As of now more than two thousand American troops are dead. Innumerable others suffered wounds. More deaths and injuries will occur over the next weeks and months as America and the NATO forces wind down and mostly get out of the country by […]
Isaac, Gener and Katrina: Climate Change in Action
Like a hulking giant, Isaac has stomped across the Caribbean at practically human speed, for days. Ten miles per hour, 14 mph, and Isaac continues its march northwest and west-northwest, for nearly one week, as if for a rendez-vous. With whom? Haiti could not have been tapped more gently, although at least 24 people have […]
Wired But Disconnected
Think about how one connects with others through all the wires that fill our lives. This is not about why people connect, whether they should connect, or that connecting is good or bad for society. I am not against wiring. Wiring is necessary to a life well lived, especially in the digital age. For some, […]
