What a joy to be in Prague last month. I loved seeing friends, sights and the sounds of my second home. And the food! Thank you for the warm hugs and kind welcome back. I needed that more than I can put in words.

The snow came and looks like it’s going to stay for awhile. I went out one morning and made these with my Rolleiflex and some Kodak film.

Lauren and I had always wanted to visit Japan. We booked a trip for May 2020, but the pandemic canceled it. At last, we made it there last October and it was everything we hoped for. Over three weeks, we moved between Tokyo and Kyoto and smaller places like Kiso and Matsumoto. The attention to […]

I built a little web app to scratch a personal itch. An easy way to format photos the way I prefer them onInstagram. Drop in photos, get them back with a clean white border inside a square.Plus a toggle to add a film rebate look. Your photos never leave your browser. Nothing is uploaded or […]

Today marks Václav Havel’s birthday. The playwright turned president understood something crucial that teaches us all: real change doesn’t start in parliament buildings or corporate boardrooms. It starts when ordinary people decide they’ve had enough of living someone else’s version of reality. Havel wrote about this in The Power of the Powerless. He watched people […]

Values matter. They guide our decisions in moments of crisis and define who we are when the stakes are highest. During my time as U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, I witnessed firsthand how shared values can inspire extraordinary courage and sacrifice and how quickly those bonds can be tested when leadership fails to honor […]

US+ Czech Fulbright reception at the US Ambassador’s Residence, Prague 2024 (photo credit: Czech Fulbright)

Lauren and I have had a summer home on Nantucket for years. But until recently, we had never set foot in the Unitarian Universalist church on Orange Street. We’re not members. This spring, we thought we’d give it a try. No agenda. Just curiosity. We’ve now been a few times. The story I want to […]

boniver · Walk Home

After our last day in Prague, Lauren and I weren’t quite ready to go home. We needed a little time—time to breathe, to settle, to reflect on the past two years before stepping into whatever came next. So we rented a small house in Chamonix, packed up the car with our skis, a few books, […]

You’ve probably seen that chart going around – the one showing U.S. interest payments hitting $1.2 trillion. It’s getting airtime from folks like Chamath Palihapitiya and others in the DOGE world, who are using it to argue for deep cuts to government spending. Let’s pause and take a closer look. Yes, interest payments have gone […]

There’s a chart making the rounds this week, pushed by Chamath and others in the DOGE orbit, showing U.S. government interest payments spiking to $1.2 trillion. It’s visually dramatic—no question. And it’s being used as a scare tactic to justify a pretty radical agenda: dismantling government programs, slashing federal workers, and gutting our civil service. […]

Houndmouth · Cool Jam

Lately, I’ve been writing a lot about politics. And I’ll get back to that soon enough. But this blog has never been about just one thing. It’s always been a mix—politics, yes, but also tech, travel, photography, music, whatever’s on my mind. So today, I want to talk about some personal tech I’ve been into […]

Some places live in your imagination long before you arrive. Kenya was one of those places for me. I’d seen the sweeping savannas in National Geographic, watched herds of elephants on screen, and read stories of safaris under vast, endless skies. But nothing prepares you for the real thing. This past December, Lauren and I […]

Elon Musk’s claim that Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is irrelevant and a waste of taxpayer money couldn’t be further from the truth. If no one were listening, why do authoritarian regimes go to such lengths to silence it? Russia has designated RFE/RL a “foreign agent” and an “undesirable organization,” a label reserved for entities […]

And where was I before the dayThat I first saw your lovely face?Now I see it everydayAnd I know that I amI am, I am the luckiest

An email recently sent to federal employees by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was not only tone-deaf but emblematic of a profound misunderstanding of public service. The message, which characterized government jobs as “lower productivity” compared to the private sector, is an affront to the millions of public servants who dedicate […]

For decades, America’s strength has been rooted in more than just its military or economic might. Our alliances—hard-earned, long-standing, and deeply intertwined—have been our greatest strategic advantage. They have kept us safe, prosperous, and influential. President Biden understood this, strengthening NATO, deepening transatlantic ties, and forging critical partnerships across the world. But in just a […]

ascrlvn · Iris – Phoebe Bridgers & Maggie Rogers cover Iris, Phoebe Bridgers & Maggie Rogers

Nick Cave on the fragility of life Because grief doesn’t just go away. You become more resilient; you become more effective at navigating and dealing with your feelings. Yet the fundamental loss remains—it doesn’t just dissipate—and, in a strange way, I think it can become a magnet for other losses. We come to see we […]

I love everything about this short little 10 minute documentary by Parker Hill. the story, the scenery, the large format photography, the heart

When our son came to visit us in Prague for his spring break, we took his second week as an opportunity to explore Madeira, a destination we’d always been curious about. Over five days, we immersed ourselves in the island’s beauty, from its majestic mountains to its stunning beaches. But beyond the scenery, it was […]

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Croatia, following the advice of so many new Czech friends. In August, my family and I spent a delightful week on the island of Hvar. The weather was perfect, the ocean was stunning, and the seafood was delicious. I hope we can return and explore other islands next […]

Jobbers · Angel – Sarah Mclachlan Rest in peace, Kevin.