Journalist
Originally published in The Guardian
We Americans call our nation the “land of the free and home of the brave,” but that’s not true anymore. Freedom is for adults, and childhood in this country isn’t a temporary condition but a permanent state.
When I was a kid, and probably you too, grownups had certain things that were forbidden to us.
Originally published in The Guardian
I hope I don’t get arrested. I surely won’t this evening but a few days hence that might change, if the authorities take undue interest in my household here in the US, the Land of the Free.
There’s sickness here, and has been all week – an annoying cold virus bouncing twixt me and my
Originally published in The Guardian
When Americans read British newspapers referencing “her Majesty”, “his Highness” or “Lord So-and-So”, we bask in the smug patriotic pride of knowing ours is no nation of aristocrats, but a country based on principles like equality before the law and authority granted by merit.
So we’re told. Yet we do have de facto aristocrats, whose … Continue Reading
Originally published in The Guardian
There’s a science fiction trope where aliens do something their unearthly mindset considers virtuous, but anyone with normal human emotions finds horrifying: “Smile, Earthlings! When we release our genetically engineered virus, you’ll only be troubled by the mating urge once per season – hey, why are you stopping us?” So, if someone says to a
Originally published in The Guardian
First, the good news: even in these troubled economic times, there exist American public schools – like those of the Lower Merion district in the suburbs of Philadelphia – prosperous enough to distribute laptop computers to every kid enrolled in the high school.
Now the bad news: school officials could also afford to install webcams