I think you've hit on a great and understated point on the political and ethical implications of equitable urban development. Building livable, vibrant cities isn't a dream, but a question of policy priorities. The world's largest city, Tokyo, is surprisingly affordable, safe, and well connected, whereas American cities are not. …

The proliferation of megachurches is driven by suburban car culture, loneliness and the search for human connection. The parking lot of a megachurch looks more like a stadium than a house of worship, with labeled sections and passenger shuttles to ferry worshippers right to the door. Inside, a specialty Christian…

Part II (Part I can be found here: Reality in Ukraine- Ordinary People’s Lives Upended by Russia’s Grinding Invasion) In addition to the stresses of living through the War in Ukraine, Maks also worries about his relatives, such as his father, currently living in Russian-occupied territory. It has been a…

Part I (Part II can be found here: Life in Russian-Occupied Ukraine) On February 24th, 2022, he was awakened by loud explosions. Like many Ukrainians, Maks awoke to the reality of invasion. In disbelief, he and his wife covered the windows in tape and quickly made a plan of action…

There’s a place that’s always flowing Even in the dead of Winter When all is still and silent Your heart will be filled, your cup overflows Walls cannot contain the merriment and laughter When the Yukon River is iced over And the cold water secretly creeps beneath the crust The bathroom taps…

I find it amusing that the standard of what is objective and fair is subjective feelings of discomfort. The intensity of your emotional distress has nothing to do with truthfulness. Moreover, there's no logical reason to get offended. We can't change the past, that's done. And because we have no power to change it, we shouldn't feel bad about it. What everyone should be ashamed of, is how the long shadow of history impacts people today. On our watch, black people are killed by law enforcement, subjected to subpar education and environment. That's something to get offended about. Black culture has made our food taste better, our music better, our language richer. This is not a fair trade. C'mon people, get over your bullshit feelings.

Co-Written by Sergio Borges Extremist politicians (usually to the far-right) don’t win elections by offering voters better reasons, a fairer or more ethical system, nor by the superior values of their political ideology. They win because they’re faster at taking advantage of new technologies. They excel at using social media…

Don't worry, everyone is a fraud in their own way. All those rich people are frauds by pretending to be sophisticated, worldly, and hardworking, but they might be no better than Trump's kids. They might be sitting in the lap of luxury because of luck, being born to wealthy parents…

Fascinating read! Chat GPT uses all the right buzzwords without much practical content. With the exception of advice to Putin, there isn't much to be gleaned from the replies. Moreover, there is almost no creativity or acknowledgment of history. Russia does not negotiate in good faith. We've seen this multiple…