Purposeful Media Malpractice as Sabotage
The 60 Minutes debut debacle reminded me that after over 25 years of watching corporate media from the inside out, I’ve stopped being surprised when high-net-worth media owners commit high-profile media malpractice. Unsurprised, but still amazed. I was reminded of this during a private, off-the-record luncheon with a billionaire CEO and other fellow journalists months […]
Notes from the Punk Pit: Empathy, Evil, and Mike Ness
I’ve been to scores of punk shows, including probably a half-dozen to see Social Distortion, the seminal SoCal punk rock band from Orange County, California. Original frontman Mike Ness had a cancer scare a couple of years back, making Social D’s long-awaited release, Born to Kill, take even longer to hit the streets—but most agree […]
SPJ Updates Code of Ethics While Ignoring Their Own Leadership’s Failings
The Society of Professional Journalists is updating its Code of Ethics to address modern challenges like AI and content creation. Yet, they continue to ignore a fundamental ethical failure inside their own leadership ranks. Noticeably absent from their ethics discourse is any accountability for SPJ leadership actively amplifying ruzzian disinformation. I thought about the NYC […]
Meeting with the Government of Belarus in Exile
In Belarus, Dzianis (Dennis) Kuchynski was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a show trial. Today, operating out of exile, he helps drive the foreign policy of the Belarusian democratic movement. As Diplomatic Advisor to the exiled President-elect, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Dzianis is on the front lines of high-stakes international diplomacy. From testifying before the […]
Teaming with Belarusians in Exile
Fighting for a democratic and free Belarus and USA – A few days ago, I was honored to meet a real-life tech genius on the side of good, for a change and for change – Pavel Lipin. Before 2020, Pavel was a Senior Director of Software Engineering at a firm in his home of Belarus. […]
First Impressions of the Peace Wall in Belfast, Northern Ireland
When I decided to visit Dublin, I knew I had to make the trip to Northern Ireland and Belfast. The “Troubles” were a consistent backdrop in the news during my college years. I became more aware as I also learned about my own vague Irish, Scottish, and British ancestry. I had been amazed that peace […]
Coolest Souvenir Ever
I recall purchasing a refrigerator magnet on my first trip to Ukraine in 2012 that said “Welcome to Ukraine, home of the not-smiling country,” with a stern Slavic grandma illustration. Well, a lot has changed since 2012, including the preponderance of smiles I see (yes, stoicism is typically followed by a smile, if you are […]
The Raw Travel Revolution Will Be Streamed
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Running Partners: Beloved and Reviled
Yesterday I went for a run, as I’m apt to do on a sunny spring day in New York City—or anywhere, for that matter. Because it was a beautiful Saturday, my regular route by the water was crowded, so I took a little detour to a small circular track around a field that hosts kids’ […]
Americans in Ukraine
AMERICANS IN UKRAINE For whatever reason, during my annual visit to Ukraine in 2025 I felt I met more Americans than ever before working and living in Ukraine. Perhaps it was the election of our current ruzzian friendly president, or maybe it was pure coincidence, but my curiosity got the best of me on more […]
Yousef and Laila in Hammamet, Tunisia
Let me tell you a story about Yousef and Laila in Hammamet, Tunisia. As an experiment, I used AI to help plan part of this trip. For the record, no travel planners were harmed in the making of this itinerary; I still do all my own research and always have. AI suggested Hammamet as a […]
When is anti-Semitism actually anti-Semitism?
Here is a recommended link to an excellent article from the newsletter “The UnPopulist” about the recent resurgence of anti-Semitism and it’s frequent misuse by Christian nationalist, MAGA conservatives and Israel’s war mongering extreme hard right wingers. Anti-Semitism is being conveniently screamed by extreme right-wing war-mongers to deflect any legitimate criticism of alleged (and likely) […]