The tragedy of the Rwandan genocide

The Rwandan genocide should have been avoided, and it easily could have been. This horrible crime was made possible not simply because of global indifference to the plight of this tiny central African country, but through the outright cowardice and willful lack of action by the United Nations and its member states, especially the USA. […]

State of the Media [2015]

The Pew Research Center’s annual State of the Media Report underscores recent developments which suggest that American journalism is in the midst of a seismic transformation. Much of the discussion surrounds the ways in which people consume news, and the need for news producers to be able to respond to increasing consumer demands if it […]

American Misogyny

It’s depressing that women in America are the target of hate and suspicion simply because they possess wombs. Suppressing the rights of women is morally wrong — whether it’s the Taliban or Christian fundamentalists doing the suppressing. America appears to be entering a new dark age where women’s reproductive rights are once again a political […]

Armageddon outta here!

Are we heading for Judgment Day? Whether you believe it or not, some very powerful people are doing everything they can to bring about the end of the world. It might come sooner than we think if recent events in the Ukraine and the Middle East are any indication. Do we need to prepare for […]

Childless by choice

My wife and I have been married for 32 years, and we have remained childless by choice. We decided long ago that we did not want to bring any children into this world. I realize now that not having a child is one of the most radical acts of defiance one can commit in our […]

Hibakusha

When describing the horrors associated with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, one of the primary concerns – especially as a writer – is the realization that words alone are wholly insufficient when trying to convey human pain and suffering on this scale. The hibakusha authors were confronted with many torments in trying to […]

Völuspá-looza: Magic and Divination at the crossroads of paganism and Christianity

PART ONE Knowledge of secret magical techniques and the search for hidden wisdom were frequent concerns for the ancient heroes in the Norse pantheon of Gods. The “Seeress’s Prophecy,” also known as the “Prophecy of the Völva,” is one of the most famous epic poems from pre-Christian Norse mythology; part of an ancient text referred […]