ABOUT THE AUTHOR: The Sultanate of Oman’s economy is driven by oil, but seafaring has always been the original industry: at its peak, the Omani trade empire spanned the Persian Gulf, southern Iran, Pakistan, and East Africa. Today, Oman is in the process of re-asserting its maritime prowess in the realm of diplomacy, trade, and security, with […]
We arrived in Puerto Escondido last night, a large natural harbor. It was my first good night of sleep since leaving La Paz; even the lightning storm that cruised by in the night couldn’t keep me away. (This was our first night with no swell or wind waves to toss us around inside the boat while […]
Foreign Affairs – In his latest article, Neri Zilber discusses the surprising lack of a third intifada, or uprising, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. An intifada has not broken out since the second intifada in 2000 despite the firebombing of a Palestinian home in the village of Duma of by Jewish terrorists in late July of this year. Zilber […]
Reuters – Gregory Feifer shares a fascinating look at Vladimir Putin’s public-relations tactics in his latest article. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov was recently reported to have been enjoying a lavish and expensive honeymoon on a yacht and to have worn a $620,000 watch at his wedding ceremony, spending several times the yearly salary of a typical civil […]
The Huffington Post – In a fascinating article, past Fellow Eve Fairbanks delves into the philosophy and relationship of John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman, creators of the Gottman Method, a science based method for building and improving romantic relationships. Using John Gottman’s highly academic research, the couple teach seminars and have published books on the empirical secret to […]
We are anchored at Agua Verde, just 23 nautical miles south of Puerto Escondido. This place is called Agua Verde for its turquoise waters–but it must have been named in the winter, since the hot summer water seems to have made the bay truly green. We haven’t ventured to the tiny town yet, as we […]
National Geographic – Past Fellow and photographer Tyrone Turner has taken an innovative approach to photography and storytelling in New Orleans. He photographed one person in the Lower Ninth Ward and asked who to meet and photograph next, following a trail of recommendations throughout the community. This project is part of National Geographic’s “The Long […]
Jonathan Guyer has contributed a chapter to Translating Dissent: Voices from and with the Egyptian Revolution, a forthcoming book from Routledge. His chapter focuses on the translation of Arabic political cartoons. Here is Jonathan’s abstract: This chapter reflects critically on the translation of Arabic political cartoons, both in broad and narrow terms. The questions I address […]
We had an amazing trip to Isla Pardito, one of the few inhabited islands in the Sea of Cortez. The island is less than 1/16th of a mile across and the cement block, thatch roofed houses are all stuffed onto the westward slope. There are four families who have lived there for five generations. I […]
OZY – In her latest piece, past Fellow Shannon Sims profiles Artur Ávila, the first Latin American winner of the the world’s most prestigious mathematics prize, the Fields Medal. Ávila’s milestone is groundbreaking because of the poor state of mathematics education in his home country of Brazil. Yet the story has not received much local or global media attention. Click […]