• BELIEVING  IN  A  DREAM...AGAIN    12/11/07    
                             Maybe Chris Matthews of Hardball will wrong this election cycle

                
                • BIKO    9/12/07    
                             A Man Who Died for an Idea that Didn’t Die 

                
                • DEVELOPMENT  WITHOUT  DESTRUCTION   4/18/07    
                             A position paper on tourism development in the developing world

                            
                • DONALD  WOODS  8/5/06    
                             A white liberal who knew his place....

                                                      
                • FREEDOM  OF  THE  MIND   8/3/06 
                             The contributions of Stephen Biko

                                                      
                • WHY  AFRICA?   7/24/06 
                             For a myriads of reasons….

                                                                    
                • A  TRIBUTE  TO  NELSON  MANDELA   6/18/06 
                      Happy Birthday from all your admirers from around the world

                                                      
                • WHAT'S  WRONG  WITH  BEING  A  LIBERAL?  5/22/06 
                      A defense of the left-wing

                                                      
                • FRIEDMAN  IS  RIGHT  4/19/06 
                      Columbus was wrong after all--the world is flat!

                                                      
                • I  AM  NOT  A  SLOTH  4/18/06 
                      Handling my workload                  

                                                      
                • DÉJÀ  VU  ALL  OVER  AGAIN  3/19/06 
                      A helping hand from Desmond Tutu--again

                                                       
                • PLATO  AND  THE  GRAND  TOUR  2/20/06 
                      Avoiding the shadows of education   

                                                               
                • SEXISM MASQUERADING AS LIBERATION  1/13/06 
                      A critiques on the subtleties of sexism                     

                                                                
                • WHERE  DO  YOU  DRAW  THE  LINE?  1/8/06 
                      Reflections of a pointy-headed intellectual   

                               ~~RECENTLY UPDATED~~                                 
                • CAUTIONARY ADVICE ABOUT TRAVELING IN CHINA  9/3/05 
                      One traveler's near-nightmare

                                                                
                • DARWIN, INTELLIGENT DESIGN, AND THE PANDA BEAR  12/22/05     
                    Proof provided by Panda Bears that evolution is correct  

                                                                
                • CONFESSION  OF  AN  ADVENTURER  12/3/05    
                    Coming clean about my travel addiction  

                                                                  
                • PACKING THE SUPREME COURT WITH MORE LUDDITES  11/14/05    
                    As Dr. Phil would say, "Get real."

                                                                 
                • GETTING  WIRED  FOR  ADVENTURE--AGAIN  11/11/05    
                    Planning for the next great road trip to Africa  

                                                                 
                • EDUCATION: A  MATTER  OF  LIFE  OR  DEATH  10/18/05   
                    Life-long learning and the quality of one's life     

                                                               
                • IN  QUEST  OF  RED  CHILI  PEPPERS  10/10/05   
                    Dealing with despair generated by student evaluations   

                                                             
                • ABORTION  AS  SOCIAL  THERAPY  10/5/05   
                    The consequences of where Bill Bennett's ideas could take us                                      

                                                             
                • THE  BIRD  FLU  AND  YOU  10/3/05                                                   
                    The real WMD  

                                                            
                • THE  GREAT  AND  VERY  STRANGE  EMPEROR  QIN 9/25/05    
                    Where was OSHA when the emperor needed it?           

                                                              
                • OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE; THEY JUST FADE AWAY  9/7/05 
                     What General MacArthur could have told Emperor Qin Shi Huang

                                                                
                • THE GRASS GROWS WELL ON TIANANMEN SQUARE  9/2/05 
                       Learning that Sandburg was right miles away from home

                                                               
                • DEFYING  THE  LAW  OF  LIFE  8/9/05   
                      Returning to my roots

                                                                
                • SKY BURIAL IN TIBET  7/26/05    
                      My near-death experience in Lhasa
                                                                               
                                                            
                • A NEW KOAN   7/15/05
                      Lesson learned firsthand in China

                                                                
               • MY WIFE WAS RIGHT...AGAIN!   7/1/05      
                      A needed reality check on my dream 

                                                                
                • THE CONTRADICTIONS THAT ARE CHINA  6/28/05     
                      Contradictions is China's middle name 

                                                                
                • LESSONS FROM AN EXPERIENCED TRAVELER  6/23/05   
                      Getting a kata to the Shakyamuni Buddha 

                                                                
                • WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET   5/1/05   
                      Seeing the Virgin Mary in an under path of an expressway  

                                                                                 
                • DESIRE FOR CERTAINTY IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD  4/28/05 
                      Getting it right before standing firmly on moral issues              

                                                                 
                • EMPLOYING  THE  INSECTICIDE  DEFENSE  4/17/05   
                      A liberal coming to the aid of Tom DeLay

                                                                
                • KEVORKIAN, SCHIAVO, AND THE POPE  4/13/05   
                      What is good for the pope is good for the people.

                                                                
                • "IT'S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NO GOOD" 4/1/05   
                      The threat of theocracy in America as seen in the Schiavo case 

                                                               
                • GRANDSTANDING IN A GRAND MANNER 3/20/05   
                      The misuse of the Terri Schiavo tragedy 

                                                                
                • CLASH OF CULTURES 3/18/05 
                     Thoughts about the world while wallpapering our Chinese bedroom

                                                                
                • BEING CHEAP CAN BE EXPENSIVE   3/9/05  
                     Learning life's lesson--again

                                                                 
                   • ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE--PART 2   2/15/05
                     Finding Plato's lost allegory about cavemen  
          

                                                                 
                • IT'S NOT EASY BEING BLUE  1/20/05
                     Personal travails with understanding life

                                                                 
                • TSUNAMI  THEOLOGY  FOR  DUMMIES 1/8/05
                     Attempting to understand this natural tragedy

                                                                 
                • WHAT  MUST  THE  PEASANTS  THINK? 1/7/05
                     Messages that we inadvertently send by what we consume

                                                                 
                • RACISM  DIES  A  VERY  SLOW  DEATH  IN  ALABAMA 12/24/04
                     Kenny Roger's lyrical suggestion

                                                                 
                • "WHOSE  GRANDFATHER  WAS  THAT?"  12/3/04
                     On being a fourth-grade kickball star

                                                                 
                • ON  BEING  GREEN  WHILE  PREPARING  FOR  WINTER 11/19/04
                    Or the value of fox urine 

                                                                 
                • “EXCUSE  ME;  DO YOU  SPEAK MANDARIN  CHINESE?” 11/3/04
                                                           or  劳驾; 您讲普通话 
                    Preparing for a trip to China

                                                                 
                • HOW  MANY  DEATHS  WILL  IT  TAKE  TILL  HE  KNOWS...?  10/17/04
                    Superman and the Gipper are gone 

                  
                • IT  WASN'T  MEANT  TO  HAPPEN 10/15/04
                    Learnings for our lives about Kennedy's death in Dallas

                       
                • ADDING  AN  ARBOR  10/5/04
                    Reflections of China--past and future 

                       
                • IT  DOESN'T GET  BETTER  THAN  THIS! 9/29/04
                    Lights shining in my bedroom

                       
                • THE  LAST  STRAW--ADAM'S CURSE  9/19/04
                   The losing battle of the Y-chromosome 

                       
                • SEEING  SARA  AGAIN  9/12/04
                    Thoughts about adopting a little child

                       
                • BIG  BROTHER  AND  THE  EMBEDDED  MICROCHIP  9/2/04
                    Classroom discussion revisited at Panera Bread 

                        
                • I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN  8/21/04
                    The two Americas as seen from the perspective of the Athens Olympics 

                       
                • ESCHATOLOGICAL ECLECTICISM  8/15/04
                    Covering all my bases 

                       
                • KOBE AND THE CONSTITUTION  8/7/04
                    Revisiting Animal Farm where some are presumed more innocent then others 

                        
                • RETHINKING THE STEM CELL ISSUE 7/25/04
                    Kant and the ethics of research 

                          
                • PURPLE SHIRT FROM SARA ON FATHER'S DAY   7/25/04
                    Exploring my feminine side 

                          
                • SEA CUCUMBER--THE SURE CURE FOR WHAT AILS ME?  
                    Have I found the ultimate panacea?

     
• GRADUATION ADDRESS  6/18/04
Learning koans for Life 101

     
• SERENDIPITY AND RONALD REAGAN  6/11/04
Benefiting from unintended consequences

      
• TURNING BAD INTO GOOD  6/6/04
A secret to success

     
• THE COST OF GETTING AN INTERVIEW  5/16/04
The grueling advantage of getting an interview with Robert Novak
 

     
• LEARNING FROM MISTAKES 5/7/04
George Santayana, Abu Ghraib prison, and national hubris

      
• FILLING MARTHA STEWART'S SHOES 3/29/04
What if Oprah stops in?

     
• FINDING WOLVERTON MOUNTAIN 3/22/04  
My interview with the BBC

     
• GAY MARRIAGE 3/21/04  
Getting honest on a non-issue

     
• VOLUNTEERING TO BE MR. MARTHA 3/18/04 
On my replacing Martha Stewart as America's decorating diva

     
• FEET OF CLAY 2/22/04  
The nexus of Agamemnon and Ralph Nader

     
• DEBUT WITH A DOLPHIN 2/20/04  
Reflections on swimming with a dolphin

     
• TRAVEL TIPS FOR A TROUBLED TIME  2/16/04  
Hints for having a safe trip

     
• MANIFEST DESTINY  1/22/04  
Divining the mind of the Divine

     
• MY MOTHER ALWAYS SAID, “ALLEN….” 1/13/04  
Dealing with my mother's disinformation

     
• SAVING THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO 12/25/03  
A present-day parable about our attempts to stave off the inevitable

     
• RUDOLPH, THE RED-NOSED REINDEER 12/24/03  
Revisiting the fabled reindeer

     
• BUDDHA WAS CORRECT ABOUT ONE THING  12/14/03    
A present-day parable about tanha and televisions

       
• UNKNOTTING MY UNDERWEAR  11/24/03 
 Hypocrisy from the Anglican Church, to Rush's rehab, to the Confederate Flag

   
• FROM BALLS OF STRING TO ROLLS OF TOILET PAPER 11/23/03 
Life comes full circle

     
• A MOAI FOR THE MAINLAND 11/16/03
 Easter Island comes to Crown Point

       
• I VOLUNTEER!  11/3/03 
 My answer to stupid TV programs and commercials

       
• THE LOCH NESS MONSTER HAS BEEN SPOTTED! 10/10/03  
 After years of disappointment, success

       
• TAOISM, TALL TREES, AND RICHARD GRASSO  10/7/03      
 What the former head of the New York Stock Exchange missed by not attending DeVry

    
• GAINING ENLIGHTENMENT   9/22/03    
Reflections on the Dalai Lama's lifetime of exile

             
• JEFFERSON, EDUCATION, DEMOCRACY, AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 9/9/03    
 Learning our ABCs of history

    
• TOTAL RECALL--CALIFORNIA!  8/25/03            
After they recall Davis, we can then invade California and bring democracy to that troubled state.  It will be just like Iraq.

    
• MY "TOES UP" FILE     8/19/03            
What to do with me when I'm done

    
• THE AMISTAD AND THE AMERICAN DREAM  8/18/03           
Captain Pinkney's ironic vocation

    
• DREAM A LITTLE DREAM WITH ME  8/5/03            
Reflections on boarding the HMS Bounty

    
• SPAMMING HAS GONE TOO FAR 8/4/03
Coping with spam

    
• BEFORE AND AFTER--WITH A TWIST  6/29/03
Musings over what I might have looked like

    
• NOW IS THE TIME TO GET REAL 6/22/03
Weltanschauung change in the Middle East

    
• HYPOCRISY 3/29/03
How hypocrisy about the past affects our national security

     
• THE VALUE OF TRAVEL 3/13/03
Reflections on travel and education
 
    
• PREPAREDNESS AGAINST TERRORISM 2/18/03
Get your duct tape, but don't forget the toilet paper

    
• MOVING WITH A MANTA RAY 2/12/03      
Chasing a manta ray across a lagoon

    
• STILL IN SEARCH OF PARADISE  2/6/03
Update on my quest for the territorial grail

 
• "I DON'T DO BUFFETS...." 1/29/03
Sometimes you just can't please everyone

 
• RACIAL PROFILING DOESN'T EXIST.... 1/25/03
How I was nearly stripped-searched at O'Hare

        
• COPING  WITH  GROWING  OLD  1/20/03
Getting up to date when you are dated

• AFTER CHRISTMAS BARGAIN SHOPPING IN SANTIAGO 1/15/03  
Buying pareos from paradise

• BEING SCOTTISH IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC 1/10/03  
The problem with French Polynesia if you are Scottish

• CHRISTMAS CATTLE RUSTLERS ON EASTER ISLAND 1/02/03  
Stumbling upon rustlers and living to tell all about it

• CHRISTMAS MASS ON EASTER ISLAND 12/25/02  
Experiencing the most memorable Christmas Eve service in a lifetime

 
• BRICK MIXING   12/10/02
A problem-solving approach to life

• "HEY, I WANT THEIR SCALPS."  11/17/02
The obscene quest to be the executioner

• ONLY IN AMERICA  11/03/02
Clash between medievalism and modernity

 
• FEAR FACTOR