Monthly Archives: January 2015

The Race for Timbuktu – A Book Review

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Joel D. Hirst

In the year 1324 Malian Emperor Mansa Musa made his legendary hajj to Mecca. This event, famous for its extravagance, was the introduction of Mali into the popular imagination – and economies – of the Islamic caliphates of old. Following … Continue reading →

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The Torture of Leopoldo Lopez

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Joel D. Hirst

As I write this, I am sitting in a hospital waiting room as my wife undergoes a routine surgery (she’s now in post-op). Over the last hour we spoke together with the doctor and the anesthesiologist; asking questions and seeking … Continue reading →

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Book Review “No One Writes to the Colonel”

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Joel D. Hirst

Having read with some alarm my book review of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, my wife – who hails from Latin America herself – gave me for Christmas this year a copy of Gabo’s short story “No … Continue reading →

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