In 1831, French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville came to America. What started as a review of American prisons became an expedition to search out the source of American strength. He crisscrossed the country scribbling notes of his observations as he went. The result was his classic (and remarkably still relevant) Read more…
On Sunday, August 27th, my son, Zachary, and I began our Around the World in 80 Daysjourney.* Starting in Birmingham, Alabama, we headed west to Los Angeles, our launching-point to Asia and Australia/Oceania. Overnighting near the airport, we then had a 15-hour flight to Sydney, Australia. Our stop there was just Read more…
Japan. A country of law, order, duty, respect, cleanliness, tradition, an extraordinary work ethic, low crime rates, and a strong sense of family and national identity—what’s not to like? This is a remarkable nation populated by a remarkable people. Japan is a great post-Second World War success story. A feudalistic, Read more…
Amazing. Utterly amazing. Hyper-modern, hyper-clean, and hyper-rich, Singapore is the supermodel of countries. So much so, that America, by comparison, looks like the frumpy, corpulent spinster who is past her prime but doesn’t yet know it. Keeping with the metaphor, one Singaporean writer has compared this city-state to a date with a Read more…
As the Around the World in 80 Days train rolls along, it is inevitable that we will attract more than a few critics as we go. One comes from a Singaporean woman I will call Marie. She is articulate, educated, and a Christian. As a (rightly) proud Singaporean, Marie reacted strongly, negatively, to my Read more…
Hong Kong. The name is derived from Cantonese meaning “fragrant harbor.” Perhaps Hong Kong smelled like potpourri when, in 1841, the English first amputated this city of more than 230 islands from China’s Manchu Dynasty. But not now. The fragrance is that of a locker room full of big sweaty Read more…
India has always fascinated me. Of all the countries that Zachary and I will visit on this expedition, India was the one I was looking forward to most. Perhaps this is, in part, due to early in life exposure to stories of the Indian subcontinent. Like other children of my generation, Read more…
In part 1 of my three-part series on Russia, I said that many of Russia’s problems could be attributed to the fact that Russia is not now—nor has it ever—been truly Christian. It is that faith that gave birth to the West as we know it. By contrast, Russia’s religious experience has Read more…
At the time of writing this, I have been in Nigeria for almost a week. My time here defies a simple description or even a simple narrative. Experiences are intensified by the extreme emotions one feels in a place like this: – The encouragement I felt at meeting people with whom Read more…
Embassies and consulates are a country’s storefront. In them, nations typically endeavor to put their best foot forward because they know that these outposts not only represent their country, but are quite probably all that most will ever see of it. The idea is to impress, to make a statement Read more…