To smoke (or not)
Every time I go to the doctor and have to fill out my medical history, one question gives me pause: [...]
Cloud cuckoo land
My father had a favorite phrase when coming upon people and situations that defied all common sense. “Cloud cuckoo land,” [...]
Spotting Italians abroad
Until last year, I never thought Colombians and Italians had much in common. Then I met an Italian for the [...]
Won’t get fooled again
The lame-duck Biden administration’s position toward embattled Ukraine is now cynically clear: provide that country with as much authorized military [...]
The red button
In the eleventh hour of his presidency, Joe Biden has given Ukraine the green light to use American short-range missiles [...]
Hungry man
In the modern dialect of sportswriting, the concept of desire has come to play a critical role. An upset, whether [...]
Chemo girls
I’ve been quiet in recent years. Like a mouse. Breast cancer and chem can do that. Zap your zeal on [...]
Goodbye to all that
In the early days of autumn, my friend and helper made a trip to my local Rome supermarket to pick [...]
Back to the future
This month marks my father’s 125th birthday. Born in 1899, he came of age during World War I, a time [...]
War bores at a party
It was just after the eightieth anniversary of the D-Day landings; the flags had barely been lowered, and already the [...]
Sand slander
Insults, imprecations, and slurs arise from a variety of dank basements. Racial, cultural, or national, they focus on stabbing at [...]