The Land of Perfect Christmas

I don’t remember very much about the year 1989, except for the end of it, when I found myself drunk and a little more than depressed on a cold December evening. It was Christmas Day, and I was in Israel. Officially, it isn’t a holiday, as most of the Arab Palestinians and all of the Jews don’t celebrate it. A tiny minority of Palestinians, however, … Continue reading The Land of Perfect Christmas

The Poorest Country in Europe

Considering how I am not much of a fan of Harry Potter (I’ve only read one book from the series – and never seen a single film), it’s amazing just how often the author J.K. Rowling continues to intertwine with my own life. This summer, on a burning hot day when I was tired, scared and deeply lost inside of a country where I don’t … Continue reading The Poorest Country in Europe

Pot versus Kettle

Unbeknownst to me, on the exact same day that I was writing my Moldovan parliamentary elections post, a writer named Andrew Higgins in America was busy writing an article for a major newspaper that was tangentially related to my article. In my post, I suggested that much of the anti-Russian hysteria was unjustified and vastly inflated, and several people angrily commented that I had it … Continue reading Pot versus Kettle