No More Holiday Gifts for Repressive Regimes

No More Holiday Gifts for Repressive Regimes

While the world has been transfixed on the epic tragedy in Syria, another tragedy — a hidden one — has been consuming the children of Yemen. Battered by the twin evils of war and hunger, every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies from malnutrition, diarrhea, or...
Why Does Pet Care Cost So Much?

Why Does Pet Care Cost So Much?

Anyone who owns a pet knows that the cost of caring for old Fluffy or Fido has gone up considerably over recent years. Economists from Stanford and MIT have just published some research that details how dramatic this increase has been. Between 1996 and 2013, they...
Loving America Means Finding Fault With It

Loving America Means Finding Fault With It

I was sitting on a bus one summer, chatting with a man behind me who’d worked all over the world in the U.S. foreign service. Like many conversations today, ours turned eventually to the many problems with our country. That’s when his companion,...
The Miserable Catch 22 of Mental Illness

The Miserable Catch 22 of Mental Illness

I’m depressed. I’ve dealt with mental health issues for decades now. Nothing fancy or interesting like multiple personalities or hallucinations. Just run-of-the-mill boring ones — good old depression and anxiety, and maybe some undiagnosed PTSD to go with...