Decoding the news
Here’s an article from Agence France Press, which is like the A.P. or Reuters–those big news organizations that cover the world in “traditional journalism…
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Fashion in Africa, where the Indians won the Series
Here’s an interesting piece by Canadian journalist Sarah Petrescu, whom I bumped into in Kigali while she was here. It was the strangest of…
Read MoreCitizen diplomacy
This isn’t a Rwanda post, but I can’t help myself. Two guys, one from Israel, the other from Gaza, met at a youth dialogue…
Read MoreThe limits of the internet
Of the 45 recipes you get if you type “goat” into allrecipes.com not a single one of them is actually for goat meat, which…
Read MoreWorking (different kinds of) magic
Friends have been asking me to share links to my stories more regularly, and since most of my friends are reading this blog, at…
Read MoreThis American and My African lives not compatible
For whatever reason, I cannot get the This American Life podcast to download here. With patience and diligence I stretched over two days, I…
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San Quentin’s Self-Rehab: Healing on the Inside
SAN QUENTIN, CALIF. — When he stands, Gerry Harris towers over everyone in the room. He’s bald, with a salt-and-pepper beard that climbs to…
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There’s Magic in Las Vegas’ Rank and File Talent
LAS VEGAS — Hands are a strange thing to dwell on, but Mat Black’s demand notice. He has long, slender fingers with short, well-kept…
Read MoreRwanda’s street kids or America’s homeless: Who’s poorer?
A friend recently spent a month in California. While there, he took a trip to Venice Beach, and from the sounds of it, everything…
Read MoreWho does laundry for the Leader of the Free World?
This was one among many questions Bob Geldof had for George Bush. Geldof — you know, the guy behind retro-human-rights-cool “Live Aid” and modern-day-human-rights-chic…
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