7 Things Women Always Want for the Holidays
Look no further for a Christmas shopping list. This is the only idea list you need if you are looking for holiday gifts for women of any age.
In the News
Fall of the Wall
November 9, 2009, marks 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. I was in 9th grade when the news came across CNN that the physical symbol of the East/West divide was on the verge of toppling. And my mother reminded me today while I was reminiscing about the event that I sat for…
Photo: Ad Depicts Bradley Manning as ‘Whistleblower’ and ‘Hero’
Here’s the kind of thing you only see in Washington, DC. I saw this ad going into a Metro Station. It depicts Bradley Manning, the soldier behind the Wikileaks documents about the U.S. wars in Iraq in Afghanistan, as a whistleblower, hero, and patriot. The group behind the ad is the Bradley Manning Support Network…
Elif Shafak reflects on Ankara, Turkey
“Mid-1970s Ankara was a grim place. At times the air was so polluted you had to wear a mask, there were long queues for basic necessities, and political strife had become so common, our favorite game as children was “communists versus fascists.” Still there was room for magic. Going to Youth Park on a weekend…
Surprise! Doing Things Alone Can Be Fun
A recent study mentioned in Slate (via Science of Us) suggests that many people, especially women, are afraid to take part in certain leisure activities alone, not just because of safety concerns but because of a psychological hang-up that others will pity them. This fear that others will think “that they could not find friends to…
RIP California Tree That You Could Drive Through
Farewell to the Pioneer Cabin Tree, one of the first California trees that you could drive through.
#GettyMuseumChallenge Is Now a Book
When we were deep into the lockdown with no end in sight, one of the few things that kept me amused was the Getty Museum Challenge. Launched as a social media call-to-action, the #GettyMuseumChallenge asked participants from around the world to recreate their favorite artworks using only the objects in their homes. The response was…
Travel Around the USA With the DNC Delegate Roll Call
I am so over the era of zoom calls. But the 2020 Democratic National Convention, all online for the very first time, has been able to work with the format in a compelling way. Last night’s delegate roll call, usually the most boring part of both political conventions, was an unexpected delight. Democratic delegates from…
