It was my last night in Malaysia, on the way back from dinner. I stopped to get some fruit and a fresh coconut across the street from the hotel. While waiting for the salesman to harvest it for me, I couldn’t help but notice the contrast. To my left was…
I entered the dermatologist’s office with mild trepidation, having never had a total-body skin check before. Like many professional women here in Malaysia, the doctor was wearing a beige head covering, a tudong (Malay word for “cover”) with a matching jilbab (a long and loose-fit coat or outer garment). Her…
Merry Christmas! Today we celebrate a birthday in Bethlehem during the reign of King Herod. According to Matthew 2:1, some wise men from eastern lands arrived asking about the newborn king. They had seen his star and came to worship him. King Herod and everyone in Jerusalem was “deeply disturbed”…
I love epiphanies, and I’ve been having more of them lately. While everyone is talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI), I’ve been learning how to grow different strands of beneficial bacteria, to rebuild my gut microbiome from the damage of antibiotics (see the book Super Gut by William Davis). I’m also…
I have great respect for quotemasters and aphorists. People who make keen pithy observations with general truths have serious intellect, and a superior style in the art of communication. Slavery is not an easy topic to intellectualize, let alone aphorize. We like to think of ourselves as enlightened post-enslavement creatures,…
“Passion is energy,” said Oprah Winfrey. “Feel the power from focusing on what excites you.” This quote not only epitomizes the West, but highlights the privilege that all Americans have experienced since the dollar has been the world reserve currency. I mean, we can afford to focus on our passion,…
Last night’s sunset was tempestuous, and so am I. Watching the U.S. dollar rise yet again, while everything else falls faster and faster into oblivion, is unsettling to say the least. My blog is not religious, but I am a spiritual person, meaning I am affected by things that are…
Remember Fleetwood Mac’s 1980s pop hit? Tell me lies, Tell me sweet little lies (Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies), Oh no, no you can’t disguise. If you still think inflation is transitory, then you might also think it will soon rain enough in the Sahara to generate…
Riddle me this. It’s physical. It is not made by the earth, but from stars exploding. It cannot be created or deleted, printed or digitized. It does not rust or tarnish. It cannot be cancelled. It’s reflective and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It is precious in all…
Society is in a quandary, a sort-of narrative-driven hypnosis. Remember how the pandemic replaced the trade war with China? Have you heard about that trade war or agreement in a while? Probably not, but the U.S. trade deficit is now greater than ever. Today, all eyes are on the Russo-Ukrainian…