News

My article “Conquering Colombia” appeared on the front page of The Honolulu Star-Advertiser's, Sunday Travel Section. Below is the link to the article and photos:

Today is World Book Day, so pick up a new book by an author you haven’t read before, or a genre new to you or read about somewhere you haven’t been and enjoy being an armchair traveler. Better yet, read to a child and let their imaginations soar. Happy World Book Day! 

I have returned to the U.S. from a fabulous eleven days experiencing Colombia. This travel article will soon appear in the travel section of The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. I will post the link to the on-line version of the print article as soon as it goes to press.

My article, “You’ve come a long way, baby: Part III” appeared in today’s edition of The Los Angeles Daily Journal and The S.F. Daily Journal. This article discusses the increase of women terrorists, reviews new research that debunks old theories of the impressionable shrinking violet, and gives a brief historical perspective on the “Red Queen of Terror” and her ilk.

The playwright William Congreve wrote “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” That may be true; but truer still, one should never underestimate the power of a woman. Especially, one donning an explosives-laden vest.

You’ve come a long way, baby. Indeed.

Full article off copyright and now available:

My article "The murderous cost of free speech" appeared in today’s edition of The L.A. Daily Journal and The S.F Daily Journal. This article focused on the terrorist execution of 11 journalists at the Right Bank offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Wednesday and what it means for France and its secular mandate of laicité, separation of church and state, and the French identité.

May rational thinkers everywhere prevail. In’shalah.

At the very same time, Vive la France.

Full article off copyright and now available:

My article "World Cup, courtesy of modern slavery" discusses the indentured servitude of thousands of South Asian migrant workers in furtherance of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and appears in today’s edition of The LA Daily Journal and The S.F. Daily Journal.

Full article off copyright and now available:

My article “The basic right to die with dignity” appeared in today’s edition of The L.A. Daily Journal and The S.F. Daily Journal. This article discussed the Pope’s recent comments to the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors, comments by the Vatican’s most senior bioethics officials, the recent physician-assisted death with dignity case of 29-year-old Californian Brittany Maynard in Oregon (where it is legal), and Monday’s unanimous passage of California’s first resolution supporting dying with dignity by the West Hollywood City Council. Hopefully this passage in West Hollywood will result in a catalyst for statewide legislation that will guaranty a most basic right – to die with dignity – if one is faced with a terminal illness.

Full article off copyright and now available:

Below is the link for my article on Kenya which appeared in today’s edition of The Los Angeles Times, Sunday Travel Section. It appears both in print and on-line with several of my original photographs. Happy reading.

My article on Ebola’s impact on the East African safari industry will appear in The Los Angeles Times Travel Section this coming Sunday, November 16, 2014. The article will cover my recent travel to Kenya.

My article “Despite Progress, challenges remain in fight to end FGM” appeared in today’s edition of The L.A. Daily Journal and The S.F. Daily Journal.

The article covered my interview two weeks ago in Kenya of Naomi S., a 23-year-old Maasai woman who was a victim, at age 11, of female genital mutilation (FGM). Despite that FGM is now illegal in Kenya – since 2011 – the rate of FGM among Maasai women is 73 percent. Over 125 million women have been victims of FGM in the 29 countries in which it is concentrated.

A few days after I left Kenya, on Oct. 30, UN chief Ban Ki-moon launched a global campaign to end “within our generation,” the often deadly FGM. Here’s hoping.

Full article off copyright and now available:

While in Kenya last week I had the interview of a lifetime. I was able to interview a 23-year-old Masai victim of female genital mutilation (FGM), which occurred in her village when she was 11. She is adamant that her three-year-old daughter will not suffer the same ordeal she did despite family and village pressure in the Masai Mara region.

Progress. One woman at a time.

I am finishing up an article on FGM and this woman’s incredible story, which shall appear next week in The L.A. Daily Journal and The S.F. Daily Journal.

While in East Africa last week on assignment, I was informed by my publisher that my book Fifty-Fifty is currently under consideration for a movie deal in China. Now THAT would be something.

My article on the NFL/Ravens morass and morality clauses in talent contracts will appear in tomorrow’s edition of The Los Angeles Daily Journal.

Full article off copyright and now available:

Below is the link to my article on Laos and a selection of photographs which appeared in The L.A. Times, Sunday Travel Section. Happy reading and Bon voyage:

My travel article on Laos will appear in the September 14, 2014 edition of The Los Angeles Times, Sunday Travel Section. It will cover my recent journey to the world heritage city of Luang Prabang and the capital of Vientiane and will include a selection of the photographs taken there. Happy reading and Bon Voyage.

I am pleased to report that my book Fifty-Fifty: The Clarity of Hindsight will be on offer to Chinese publishers at the Beijing International Book Festival taking place in Beijing at the end of August.

My article entitled “Cambodia’s and California’s awful traffic…of humans” appeared in today’s edition of The L.A. Daily Journal and The S.F. Daily Journal. The stories and statistics are shocking, human trafficking is a $150 billion annual industry. Far more in revenue than IBM and Microsoft. Combined.

Full article off copyright and now available:

I’m currently traveling in Asia on a writing assignment. My article “The hopeful cadence of Cambodia’s health care struggle” appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal yesterday, Wednesday, July 9, 2014. If you are a subscriber to the LADJ, you may wish to have a look at it. And remind yourself of how fortunate we in the U.S. are, whatever the state of the health care debate is right now.

Full article off copyright and now available:

My article “Free speech and community standards” appeared in today’s edition of The LA Daily Journal. The article discussed the recent hosting by Facebook of a Photoshopped image of Adolph Hitler in bed with Shoah victim Anne Frank, in what appears to be a post-coital embrace. Facebook initially refused to remove the image stating that it “reviewed the photo reported for containing hate speech or symbols and found it did not violate its Community Standards.”

Seriously?

The image has since been removed. Apparently, the Community Standards of the audience are higher that the standards of Facebook administrators. Shame on Facebook.

Full article off copyright and now available:

My article “The speech that never was” appeared in today’s edition of The LA Daily Journal. This article discussed the disinvitation of intellectual heavy hitters Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Christine Lagarde, Robert Birgeneau and Condoleeza Rice from delivering commencement speeches at Brandeis, Smith, Haverford and Rutgers, respectively. It reflected on the increasing and frightening lack of tolerance on university campus’ today, aided and abetted by social media. The article also delivered a slightly tongue-in-cheek commencement address of my own to the 2014 graduates.

Full article off copyright and now available: