I recently had coffee with a friend who is a few years younger than me. He had returned from a vacation abroad with mixed emotions. Alas, the experience had not been all he’d hoped for. Yes, he had seen memorable monuments and enjoyed some exotic cuisine. He’d slept late at a luxury hotel, a much-needed … More Not The Demographic
We all have people in our lives who have the admirable and sometimes irritable ability to dissect, analyze, compliment, and condemn with uncanny accuracy. Some are close friends or colleagues. Some are strangers to us and remain at a distance in the public sphere. Critics of art, literature, or film, fashion editors and media publishers, … More The Role of the Snob
David, our steadfast foreign correspondent, recently brought this article to my attention. While I follow a vegetarian diet (vegan if it weren’t for croissants and pastries), I believe the suggestions presented below have merit. Enjoy, and thank you, David. No snacking and plain food: Why an upper-class diet is better for your health Do you … More The Upper Class Diet
In this digital age, it’s understandable that we feel overwhelmed by innovation and invention. We hardly become accustomed to one version of an iPhone when another version is released and relentlessly promoted. Software updates ding on our screens with annoying regularity. In a way, however, the constant infatuation with novelty is really nothing that new. … More The Role of Tradition
One of the most exhausting and sometimes confusing situations we can find ourselves in is when we have mixed emotions or conflicting agendas in our lives. We want to do one thing, but we find ourselves being obligated to do another. Or old habits prove too hard to break, and we sabotage our own plans … More The Importance of Alignment
My apologies for the extended absence. My non-writing life has been quite a mixed bag recently, and my work has suffered as a result. But the issues have all been resolved, and a somewhat more structured work schedule can now resume. Earlier this year, I received an email from a young lady. She had been … More Back Among The Living
I returned to Paris last week and was lucky enough to catch up briefly with another American expat. He and I are about the same age and our backgrounds are similar, so conversation flowed easily. One topic we discussed was inflation was inflation: how it impacts people in different ways, depending upon their age and … More Inflation…and What We Remember
Many of us are attentive to the food we consume. We try to eat fresh, watch the carbs, moderate the fast food, avoid soft drinks, and not overdo it with the portion sizes. However, we might be less attentive to what we allow into our brain. The digital landscape being what it is, we are … More The Brain Diet
As we go through life, we learn things. Sometimes we learn in school, sometimes by experience. We accumulate facts, process feelings, and make judgments. We behave and make choices, for the most part, consistent with the worldview we’ve constructed from these various elements. Our opinions are formed. We may affix labels to ourselves in order … More The Value of New Information
After reading the recent news about protests against Elon Musk and his role in the Trump Administration, I felt troubled. Of course, people have a right to voice their opposition to the South African’s unelected role in American government, considering his companies’ numerous federal contracts. Conflicts of interest are inherent and obvious in this case. … More A War We Don’t Need