Grégoire Michonze (Michonznic) (1902-1982), Portrait of the Poet Benjamin Fondane (1898, Jassy-1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau), Paris, c.1943 Remember only that I was innocentand that, like all of you, mortals of this day,I had, I too had a face markedby rage, by pity and joy,an ordinary human face! Those are animals, they have no right to exist. I’m … Continue reading Preface in Prose: Benjamin Fondane Speaks to Us from the Grave
Gangster State Blues
ChatGPT created this image based on the lyrics and called it Voices of resistance in chaos. Nations that stomp around the globe like King Kong infect themselves with a fatal virus. This is a song I created that was inspired by Chris Hedges' latest essay America is a Gangster State. Here are some other articles … Continue reading Gangster State Blues
Longing (Ḥanīn/حنين)
ChatGPT created this image based on this prompt: Hanin (حنين) "is a profound Arabic term that encapsulates a deep longing, particularly for a lost homeland or a place of origin." This is a LinkedIn post by Ms. We'am Hamdan, who is a Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. At … Continue reading Longing (Ḥanīn/حنين)
Mainstream Media Complicity in the Israeli-Executed Genocide in Gaza
(Image: Writers Against the War on Gaza) This image appears in the first article. Rinse, repeat for other MSM outlets, including the electronic and digital media. It's usually easy to connect the dots. A lot has been written and said about mainstream media (MSM) complicity in the genocide in Gaza. I touched on this in … Continue reading Mainstream Media Complicity in the Israeli-Executed Genocide in Gaza
Welcome to 80 PLUS: Bringing People and Institutions Together to Rebuild Education in Gaza
Homepage screenshot I recently participated in a webinar with founders of this new UK-based organization and many others from around the world, including in Gaza. I've taken the liberty of copying/pasting most the About Us section. I was moved, saddened, and inspired by what many of the speakers, including student activists, had to say about … Continue reading Welcome to 80 PLUS: Bringing People and Institutions Together to Rebuild Education in Gaza
Humanity is the Only Community That Matters
ChatGPT created this image based on the essay. This line jumped off the screen. It's from a Substack essay entitled A Day of Grief, Rage & Gratitude by Einat Temkin, a Mexican Jewish woman who wrote that, "The last three days, culminating in two concurrent funerals, literally just ended my ties with Judaism itself, forevermore. … Continue reading Humanity is the Only Community That Matters
As An International Student, Belonging Is Conditional
Discussions about ICE are personal for international students and reshape their future plans, our essayist writes. She argues gratitude and love for country can coexist with uncertainty about belonging. Courtesy of Danita This isn’t a rejection of the country I came to study in, nor is it a political statement. It’s simply the truth of what … Continue reading As An International Student, Belonging Is Conditional
When the Wind Remembers
Click on the image to listen to these wind chimes. On a lighter note, I was inspired to create a song about some wind chimes that were a very special gift from someone who passed in the autumn of 2009. I think of her and her family every time I hear them singing. You are … Continue reading When the Wind Remembers
Human Rights Activism as a Career Goal
At Capstone's January StudyGlobal Education Fairs in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Hanoi, and Danang, I spoke with many students interested in undergraduate and graduate overseas study. One of the more memorable conversations was with a high school girl who wants to become a human rights activist. This is the first time I've ever heard … Continue reading Human Rights Activism as a Career Goal
When Ideology tRumps Pragmatism, the Talent Exits Stage Left
Below is a LinkedIn post by Ross Blade that I felt compelled to share. Ross is president of Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Survivors Group Incorporated, a registered charity in Australia. The ongoing talent migration means the US will be left with the "poorly educated" Dear Leader loves so much because they're so easy to dupe and manipulate. … Continue reading When Ideology tRumps Pragmatism, the Talent Exits Stage Left
White Wings at Dawn
A LinkedIn contact who lives in Gaza posted this a few days ago about her nephew, Ahmed, who was killed by the IOF. The night before stealing him from the world, he was playing with my nieces and nephews, his laughter echoing through the room despite the relentless bombing outside. Ahmed, my nephew, didn’t know … Continue reading White Wings at Dawn
Holy Sonnets: Death, Be Not Proud
The Dawn of the Defeated King (Source: Gemini) I usually create songs with AI assistance whenever the spirit moves me. Such is the case with this musical interpretation of this famous fourteen-line poem by English poet John Donne (1572-1631), whose wife Anne More is a paternal cousin. Death Be Not Proud (1609) is often referred … Continue reading Holy Sonnets: Death, Be Not Proud
The Grinding Collapse of Decency
I'm pleased to repost and amplify this 10.2.26 Facebook post by Michael Jochum. It's a brilliant analysis and prescription for much of what ails the US. Peace & Justice, MAA I keep coming back to the same exhausted, nauseating question: where do we go from here? Because whatever this is, this country, this moment, this … Continue reading The Grinding Collapse of Decency
An International Educator in Vietnam 
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