Refrains of War: Body, Policy, and the Specter of Commodification
In the grim theater of war, narratives about the human body surface in troubling, almost surreal forms. A striking image emerges: soldiers…
Apocalypse Reconsidered: A Practical Look at End-Times Narratives
Bad news for doom-predictors: the grand prophecy had already fallen apart the moment it learned to speak. The urge to amplify fear only…
Hope, Resilience, and Real Connections: A Year in Review
They faced the year with mixed feelings. Relief that the old days were behind them, yet uncertainty about what lay ahead. Emotions ran…
Character and Crossing: How Everyday Behaviors Reflect Our World
It is a basic truth that actions reveal character. It is clear that the way service professionals are addressed—waiters, clerks, cleaners—says…
Reality and Reputation: A Cultural Tale of Fame, Love, and Memory
Reality, Rumor, and the Entangled Lives of Public Figures Reality sometimes plays out with a strangeness that rivals fiction. Some lives weave…
Dinner with Isabel Preysler and the Evening That Followed
That night they dined with Isabel Preysler, and the clock seemed to hesitate before the decree finally moved. The moment she stepped into the…
A Personal Map: The Body as Place and Practice
The body ends in much the same way a candle disappears when its flame finally gives out. Every day, roughly 150,000 people pass away across…
Post-Holiday Rhythm and Recovery
Merinov, as always, offers a humorous image. He has a knack for knowing how to handle a drink. A New Year scene unfolds. Demons dislike it…
Monarchies, Motherhood, and Public Duty: A Modern Perspective
Monarchies often elevate certain women to symbolic status because they are perceived as the mothers of the realm. Yet much of the emphasis…
Emmanuel Todd on Europe, NATO, and the Ukraine War: An Insider’s Geopolitical Reading
Well-known French historian and demographer Emmanuel Todd foresaw upheaval in the USSR as far back as 1976, a prediction that echoed in his…