Starting Well
School in the Gulf gets underway earlier than it does back home. Schools on the West Coast (and New York) seem to have the latest start times in the US, so...
Teaching is Easier and Harder than Ever
Let’s talk a bit about back to school. I remember telling someone during my first week of grad school, “I’m going to try this teaching thing for a minute,...
Protect Ya Neck
After spending nights in roughly ten different beds this summer, I finally bring you greetings from Abu Dhabi once again. We’re gonna open with two quick...
We're Back, Baby
I almost broke down and became a bucket hat guy today. Almost. I bring you greetings from Larnaca, the sun drenched coastal capital of Cyprus. We are closing...
A History of Violence
The recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump is dominating headlines, raising questions about the potential for further political violence. There are...
Biden’s Fitness for Office and Siddharth Kara’s “Cobalt Red”
VP Biden speaking to the State Teachers of the Year in 2016 | Photo by Me Greetings friends & enemies, this is the first summer edition of the newsletter. I...
Read With Me: Summer 2024
Greetings from lovely and wet North Tacoma. Just a heads up that after today, the newsletter will shift to an irregular summer rhythm. In the Gulf my...
Grappling with Red Pilling: Part II and Reflections on “Chip War”
Photo by Sausyn Happy Sunday and may God forever show favor on my beloved Seattle Sounders, who somehow lost to last place Sporting KC earlier today, and are...
Grappling with Red Pilling
Friday evening, I had the privilege of watching my fifth group of seniors cross the stage in a very boisterous auditorium at the Emirates Palace. They were...
AI Tools are Getting Better and AI Companies are Getting Worse
Photo by Jernej Furman The great shortcoming of the American system in our time is the inability of Congress to legislate, especially when the proposed laws...
Chip War and Doppelganger -- Two Lenses into Threats Facing the US
This week I want to talk about two books. One I am in the process of reading and one that I just finished. A few newsletters back, I raved about Chip War by...
The Terrible Movie Everyone Seems to Love
Warning: This film is not worth your time This weekend, I experienced two cultural events at opposite ends of the quality spectrum. An awe inspiring concert...
Militarized Police Aren’t the Answer to Gaza Protests
Police in LA arrest protestors after raiding a protest encampment | Matt Baretto I was half-tempted to make this week’s newsletter a recap of the Kendrick...
Campus Protests: Failing the Leadership Test
Police presence the University of Texas-Austin | Irisoptical If you find yourself summoning the police to beat and tear gas your own students you've lost the...
The Case of the Missing $64,000 Homes
An ad for a mid-century Sears Kit House I want to open with a silly data point. The most clicked link in last week's newsletter was to the WrestleMania...
Cairo's Soccer Data Farms, Zoom Cashiers, and Holes in the Job Market
Soccer fans in Cairo | Muhammad Ghafari After a brief health scare, mom is home from the hospital. The Sounders got their first win of the season (although...
The View from Below
A woman working in her "Sari-Sari" store | John Martin Perry Last week's newsletter pissed-off the kind of readers who hate when Black people talk about...
The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and American Meritocracy
First Officer Carole Hopson, one of the Black pilots at United Airlines | Karston Tannis. It’s spring break here in the Gulf and Hope and I are headed to the...
Experiencing Ramadan in the Gulf
Iftar is the meal where Muslims break their fast at dusk | Whaton.ae Ramadan is a holy month, marked by communal fasting and deepened devotion to the Islamic...
Traveling through History in Uzbekistan
The Registan, a 1400-1600s era Madrasah complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan The Republic of Uzbekistan was born in August 1991. It was one of the 15 states that...