Meeting Inspiring 88 Year-Old Solo Female Traveler, Willoughby
This is Willoughby, an 88-year-old, SOLO female traveler from Seattle. She spent 17 days at a hostel in the Historic Center of Oaxaca. I saw her at the airport and introduced myself as I had to learn her story. This was her first visit to Oaxaca. She didn’t take any group tours but explored on […]
Holding Hands in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY: On my final day in Mexico City, I had a 40-minute treadmill run at the gym, overlooking a busy street below. As I ran, I found myself watching the rhythm of people crossing at the stoplight. And I was struck by something simple but powerful: affection. Not just couples—but a grandfather holding his […]
The Kyiv Independent Puts Current U.S. Journalism to Shame
I finally met some of my greatest professional heroes—the journalists of the Kyiv Independent. If you are not familiar with the Kyiv Independent, you should be. These courageous reporters broke away from a rival news organization after many resigned in protest over an oligarch owner’s interference in editorial decisions. Determined to build a genuinely independent […]
Synagogue in Kyiv Hit by ruzzian Drone
A ruzzian drone hit last night (Oct. 24, 2025) in Kyiv, a synagogue in Podil. It was just two blocks from my apartment, where I stayed in July/August. I walked past it every other day during my runs along the Dnipro River. I don’t know why it makes war feel more tangible when something or […]
The Once Mighty New York Times Goes Full On ruzzian Propaganda
I’m sharing this because some of you are probably readers of the #TheNewYorkTimes I stopped subscribing a while ago because I don’t believe they can be trusted and are almost as bad as the #NYPost. At least with the NY Post, you know you’re getting a biased, incomplete, partisan version of the truth or an […]
The Most Beautiful Border Crossing of My Life (So Far)
I’ve crossed the Ukrainian border several times now, and each time is unique, but yesterday was my favorite. Sveta is a wonderful human who takes people in need across the border into Poland and onwards to their new home. It can be an abused wife fleeing her husband, an elderly person fleeing a front-line village, […]
Does NYC’s Deadline Club Stand for Facts or Disinformation?
I’ve been a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and its New York City Chapter Deadline Club for years, and it has been a largely positive experience. However, recently, I’ve had some experiences that have me questioning “What’s happening at the Deadline Club? Do they stand for facts or disinformation?”
Amyl and the Sniffers Show – Smells Like Punk Rock To Me
It’s cliche, albeit inaccurate, to say “punk music is dead.” In the past, to counter this false narrative, I’d point to bands like Rancid or musicians like Laura Jane Grace from Against Me. But then I’d just be proving their point. Rancid’s seminal “And Out Come the Wolves” album exploded onto the scene in 1995, […]
Intellectual Property Law Under Attack – Surprise, Surprise?
To the shortsighted who have questioned why I can’t just “stick to travel,” here is a good answer. Whether one pays attention to “politics” or not is immaterial because “politics” chooses to pay attention to you, and it always will. Yesterday, I filed for a few remaining copyrights because of this (yet another) disturbing development […]
My Apartment Building in Kyiv is Bombed
Yesterday, the neighborhood and the apartment building (and possibly the very exact apartment – I’m still investigating) in Kyiv I stayed for a month during the filming of “My Summer in Ukraine,” was hit by a Shahid drone from ruzzia, injuring 11 and damaging the mall across the street at the very entrance I used. […]
Raw Travel’s El Salvador: Paradise or Prison?
RAW TRAVEL DEBUTS YOUTUBE ORIGINAL ON EL SALVADOR ON APRIL 22 Raw Travel’s “El Salvador: Paradise or Prison” Unpacks Security in the Bukele Era NEW YORK, NY: April 21, 2025 – AIM Tell-A-Vision® Group (AIM TV), producers of the nation’s most watched travel show, Raw Travel, announced that their first made-for-YouTube Original will begin streaming […]
Robert Featured on Two-Dots Video Podcast
It was a tremendous honor to be featured on the video podcast “Two Dots” (a reference to the letter of resistance in the Ukrainian alphabet – and on my shirt during the interview). Here is the complete video if you’d like to watch it. Please support Hanna by liking, commenting, and subscribing.