Monthly Archives: June 2018

My Visit to Sharm El Sheikh

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

The sun has set, releasing its stranglehold on the peninsula. The warm gentle breezes blow the Arabian night air around as people who have waited out the hostile day prepare at last for the reprieve. The smells of salt and … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“The Same Old Story” is Anything But

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

The stories of pre-revolutionary Russia are quite remarkable. Saint Petersburg must have been quite a place, indeed, during the days of Russian nobility. “The Same Old Story” is, but is also nothing but. It is, because it’s a story like … Continue reading →

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“A Hermit in Paris” or “A Commie in America”?

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

“I believe that this is the ideal condition for a writer, close to anonymity: that is when his maximum authority develops, when the writer does not have a face, a presence, but the world he portrays takes up the whole … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Book Review, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

While Belshazzar Drinks

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

While Belshazzar drank; the aromas of fine wine and elegant foods prepared by the cooks of the greatest empire in the world filled the opulent Assyrian halls of power. The party was reaching crescendo, that moment of inebriation and abandon … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, philosophy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

A Story About Friendship

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

Last night I finished “Charlotte’s Web” with my little boy. “I feel sort of sad for that spider,” he told me as we got to the end and the little grey spider announced she was going to die. “I know,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Honor, Literature, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Our Council of Humanity – A New UN

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

A year ago a group called the Global Challenges Foundation issued a challenge – envision actionable ways to remake the United Nations in the short term into an effective organization. I was intrigued, and I decided to take up the … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Anthony Bourdain RIP

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

Sometimes your world is changed through writing; and sometimes, more rarely, you also change the world through your writing. Pen to paper, that oldest and most significant of technologies. Everybody dreams of being something more, grander, with greater significance. Money, … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

My Wars in Africa

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

When we are young we are often told that things will improve. “Change will be made by those who care to fight; who dare to fight” the story goes. “If only more people were involved; for longer; with greater resources, … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 9 Comments

“East of Eden” – This Story of Us

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

There exist in nature archetypal stories, product of life which repeats itself over and over again in an endless closed loop. Eventually these stories, so profoundly part of the human experience, become trapped so completely in our psyche that they … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Literature, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

That Silent Foe – A Poem

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

I oft return to joust that silent foe; His only role, to fill my heart with woe; He comes in forms so many, so confused; And tricks of generations he has used. Great men before me too have with him … Continue reading →

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