Expiation: The nature of sin In this secular age, what is a sin? The rules of Deuteronomy, the Ten Commandments, or even the Eight Precepts are totally inadequate to the complexities of modern transgender, micro-aggressive, post-racial-but-not-really, it-all-happens-online social milieu. A new morality is definitely emerging, but it’s taking a while, and I don’t think I’m… Read more
I snuck away from socialising tonight to indulge a guilty pleasure. If you’re going to see a blockbuster, best to immerse yourself in Imax and 3-D, an experience not ready-and-to-hand in my little village in Maine. I settled into the middle seat – surprisingly sparse turn-out for a Saturday night in Denver – prepared for… Read more
Right next door to the venue where I am working in Auckland is the PopUp Globe. Taking a bet on regional theatre can go either way, but this is a great idea. They have recreated the Globe more or less exactly – in terms of size, the open floor for the groundlings, who can be… Read more
Istanbul is a city of hills, like Rome or San Francisco. Sprouting from these hills are towers. When I was here – first in 1970 as a hippie and then again in 1980 as a culture explorer, the towers were old – Ottoman watchtowers, follies, and minarets, of course, pairs of them pointing heavenward from… Read more
Usually i like to work first and be touristic after, but in Israel my first full day was doing the tourist triangle that everyone does, and I can see why. The biggest initial surprise in Israel is how good the food is – always fresh, plentiful, and very tasty. Last night we went from the… Read more
