I love the Dragon Age series, and Inquisition in particular is responsible for inspiring my personal renaissance, without which I would not be here—in every sense of that phrase you can imagine. I was in a dark place twelve years ago, struggling in every sense of the word. I felt listless, staring down the long tunnel of my life wondering “Is this all I have to look forward to?”; “Is this all that I am?”; “Is there nothing more?” I had an unfulfilling job that paid well but m

As many readers of this space are aware, I had my dance with death three years ago -- which is chronicled and referenced in previous posts. It was an experience -- in reality one of many, that I am not in any great hurry to repeat. Ever since then, I have been on a journey to find meaning in that experience, to try and understand why I was spared a one-way ticket to that Great White Light (or whatever other afterlife your religion or culture professes, dear reader). As part o

Vice President JD Vance is one of the most enigmaticfigures in contemporary American politics. He was not the safe choice for the ticket. He arrived on Donald Trump’s presidential ticket with little political experience and plenty of baggage. During his two years in the Senate some senior colleagues found the Ohio freshman’s strident opposition to Republican policy orthodoxy presumptuous at best, sanctimonious at worst. And more than a few Republican lawmakers and donors priv

Given the sheer number of potential candidates, the U.S. Democratic party is approaching what could be its most wide-open presidential primary season in decades, there is the distinct possibility a dark horse could emerge and upend established expectations. And no, the person in question is not (yet) a household name, not a former Vice President, California Governor, or former Biden cabinet member. A year ago, Senator Jon Ossoff seemed like he might be relegated to the politi

The idea that the American Revolution wasn’t actually all that revolutionary has long had its advocates on both sides of the ideological spectrum. Some conservatives have argued that the Revolution aimed only to restore traditional British liberties, while some on the left have claimed that it only changed the form of government but left slavery undisturbed and even reinforced social inequalities. Neither of those views gives the Revolution its due. Although it fell short of

When the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February, the regime in Tehran was in an position of unprecedented vulnerability. It faced nothing less than existential economic and environmental crises, diminished defensive capabilities, and internal turmoil and external scrutiny following a brutal January crackdown on protests that killed thousands of its own people. But after 40 days of war and two months of shaky cease-fire, the Islamic Republic has m

As artificial intelligence has upended the way in which students read, learn and write, as well as how teachers evaluate and mark, professors and leaders at institutions of higher learning appear to have been largely left to their own devices to figure out how to teach in a profoundly transformed landscape. Many faculty members in the hard sciences and social sciences have pointed to the “productivity boost” AI can offer, and the research potential unlocked by its ability to

When I was hospitalized from a near death experience not so long ago and recovery was frustratingly slow, what time I had (and there was a lot of it) was filled by going through a voluminous tome on the life of St. Padre Pio. From dawn to dusk I would pore through each page driven as much by how compelling his life story was as well as a strange sense of succor, as if the words were taking me out of a calamitous predicament and transporting me to a place which brought peace.

Has there ever been more confusion about what a U.S. president is up to? In the days since Donald Trump launched his February 28th assault on Iran, it’s been virtually impossible to get a straight answer out of him or his team about what the U.S.’s ultimate goal is. Given the flurry of contradictory statements from government representatives and even the commander-in-chief himself it’s fair for all to ask if the President even has one. In fact, evidence exists that Trump does

As the Republican party approaches the 2026 congressional and 2028 presidential elections it faces a fundamental challenge. Considered to be the party of the Right (broadly classified as those who believe in conservative principles) it won the 2024 election by successfully assembling a coalition capable of competing nationally. Whether it can consolidate that power into a lasting majority is far less certain. The coalition that returned Donald Trump to the White House is begi

The 90th anniversary of Václav Havel's birth (October 5, 1936 – December 18, 2011) will be celebrated throughout 2026, featuring international exhibitions, essay competitions, and archival projects honoring his legacy as a dissident playwright, the last president of Czechoslovakia, and the first president of the Czech Republic. When he passed away, we lost a hero of our times, a friend of freedom, who lived his life with integrity and sent forward ripples of hope into the wor

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, firms shifted from a “just in time” model to a “just in case” approach that sought to strengthen resilience. With oil and gas infrastructure becoming a primary military target, energy systems must now undergo a similar transition. It is too soon to know when or how the war with Iran will end, or what its medium to long term geopolitical or economic consequences will be. But one thing is already more than obvious: what is meant by ‘en

Wars are easy to start, harder to end. Are the US and Iran any closer to a full peace agreement, much less a settlement — or is a return to all-out war inevitable? On the one hand, President Donald Trump has told multiple reporters in recent days that Iran has effectively agreed to all US conditions and that talks are going well, with Vice President JD Vance set to head out to Pakistan for more talks. On the other hand, after briefly declaring it reopened last week, Iran once

There have been 24 Canadian prime ministers with 13 of them leading coveted majority governments. Mark Carney just became the 14th, but in a singularly unprecedented way: he built it, like some sort of Lego construct. One year after rescuing Canada’s Liberal Party from electoral disaster, Carney has strengthened his hold on power. A year ago this month, Canadians delivered a result that seemed impossible just a few weeks earlier: another Liberal minority government, this time

We interrupt our normal programming. For the next few minutes there will be no words about the Iran War, the Ukraine War, privation, inequity, injustice, natural disasters, social/racial, religious conflict, natural disasters, or any other source of division or stress. Imagine for a moment the following. On the evening of April Fools’ Day, while taking his daily walk, a citizen listened to the live Artemis II countdown on his phone and chatted with neighbors as they all strai

As far as announcements go, this one was pretty earth shattering, but to observers of Middle Eastern politics, it was not entirely unexpected. After all, Israel had a tradition of decapitation attacks. “After a lifetime of struggle,” a state newsreader declared, “Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei drank the sweet, pure draft of martyrdom and joined the Supreme Heavenly Kingdom.” The broadcaster praised Khamenei for being “unceasing and untiring” and for his “lofty and celest

It may be hard to believe but one day Donald Trump will no longer be President of the United States. Whether or not his Republican party crown passes to J.D. Vance or Marco Rubio, his successor will have to contend with an opposition Democratic Party likely to see resurgence in this coming November’s congressional elections. Which means that come November 4th, 2026 the day after this contest, the proverbial pistol fires for the 2028 presidential election cycle. The Democrats

Seventeen years ago, Mahmood Ahmadinejad, then the Iranian president was dominating western headlines. But even then, concentrating on his vitriolic statements was a mistake. One needed to concentrate on the pronouncements and actions of the one person who really counted in that regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was then 69 and widely believed to have cancer. As we know, Khamenei did not die then. Not until two weeks ago, when U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Pri

It's no secret that U.S. President Donald Trump is a competitive man and the world has grown used to his constant employment of hyperbole in describing his (real or perceived) achievements. This is especially true whenever he compares himself (always favorably) to his predecessors in the role. In this vein, perhaps over eager to show that he can do what no American leader has done before, Trump has chosen conflict over diplomacy and essentially gone to war with Iran. The word

No matter what they may otherwise profess, American presidents find it almost impossible not to go to war. In 1992, Bill Clinton won the presidency by famously declaring “it’s the economy, stupid,” and pontificating that the era of power politics was over. Once in office, however, he found himself ordering missile strikes in several countries, maintaining no-fly zones over Iraq (and sometimes bombing it), as well as waging a long aerial campaign against Serbia in 1999. In 200