Homo Phantasiosus
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari My rating: 4 of 5 stars Very enjoyable history of humanity, cleverly written and very comprehensive. At times I felt that I was reading “World History for Dummies,” because with such a broad scope, a lot of the coverage is almost inevitably superficial. You will … read more »
In Iran — unexpected art
This is a continuation of the series, “10 Days in Iran,” on our 12-person tour with The Nation magazine. For the earlier notes, click on “Previous” at the bottom of this page or go to Day 1 here. Before continuing our travels (from Kashan we’ll be heading to Isfahan), here’s a note on a magnificent … read more »
In Iran, 5: Weaving a culture
This is a continuation of the series, “10 Days in Iran,” on our 12-person tour with The Nation magazine. For the earlier notes, click on “Previous” at the bottom of this page or go to Day 1 here. On Monday, September 10, we arrived at the modest but quite comfortable Manoucherie Hotel in Kashan … read more »
In Iran, 4: Underground
For earlier notes on our Iran tour, see Iran 1: Ten days in Iran, 2: The empire at the center of the world and 3: Imam Khomeini blinks? Monday, September 10, was our group’s 4th day in Iran, the day to board the bus for a three-hour trip south from Tehran to the much smaller … read more »
The thanks of a God-fearing atheist
In Spain, where I live, today is the day of Saint Cecilia — ¡ Muchas felicidades a todas las Cecilias y los Cecilios ! *— but back in the USA where I was born and raised it is, as you have probably heard, Thanksgiving. A time to give thanks for all the good things in … read more »