This section was last updated on January 25, 2012.

The mind is in many ways like an automatic machine; unless we bring its thinking processes to a halt, it will go on forever doing what it's accustomed to do: evaluate, contemplate, want, imagine, judge, opine, wish, analyze, criticize, justify, aggress, explain, compare, inquire, fantasize, accept, reject, and all those other activities that form its raison d’être. Since often that's inevitably the case, might as well cast some of those thoughts on digital paper.

To read any of the commentaries please click on the colored title.

Transition Day. Djibouti, January 25, 2012. All of us who have already lived for five or six decades have gone through different changes in our lives. Life transitions are inevitable events that, with different degrees of difficulty and with different degrees of success, each of us has had to cope with. Then, whether we like it or not, our life clocks keep ticking inexorably toward the next transition, until the day comes when we have to face the final one. Have you thought about this lately?

Djibouti. Djibouti City, December 16, 2011. The African Continent has always exerted a considerable level of attraction on some of us, particularly the sub-Saharan part of it. Landing on the southern coast of the Red Sea, therefore, right at the foot of the Horn of Africa, felt like some sort of fateful predestination. Many Djiboutians speak French, English, Somali, Afar and Arabic, so there's no problem in communicating with them.

Chinese Cowboys. Beijing, China, November 28, 2011. American popular Culture has been clearly dominant in the world over the past 9 or 10 decades. American music, movies, clothes, food and technology have in general held the upper hand over any other culture's corresponding output. Have the Chinese been immune to such irresistible force? Perhaps a lot less than you think.

Karmanomics. Beijing, China, October 30, 2011. Economics and Metaphysics aren't subjects that we normally read about in the same paragraph. But what if some basic aspects of the former were used by way of allegory to illuminate some basic aspects of the latter. Would that work? Find out for yourself.

The Trouble with China. Shenzhen, China, October 16, 2011. Have you ever lived in China? If you have, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about in this short writing. If you haven't, please check it out, as it might give you an idea of how some things work down here.

America's Spoiled Child. Shishen, China, September 21, 2011. What would happen if you gave a friend of yours carte blanche in whatever it was they did? Would they overstep the boundaries of your friendship and end up embarrassing you or compromising you? Could such be the case of America's friendship with Israel? The jury on this subject is still out, but, will this always be the case? Only time may tell.

Class Warfare. Shishen, China, September 13, 2011. Will the Republican Party ever stop waging Class Warfare against the majority of the American people? Will they ever propose legislations that favor EVERY American and not just the Moneyed Class? Will they ever understand that trickle-down Reaganomics has never worked and never will? Probably not.

About this Website. Shishen, China, September 7, 2011. Can transcendental philosophies be compatible with mundane activities such as playing and recording music, taking pictures around the world, and occasionally writing about some socio-political issues? Well, would this Website exist if it weren't so?

My Response to Democrats Abroad. St. Etienne, France, August 5, 2011. Yesterday I got an email from the International Treasurer of the Democratic Party Committee Abroad requesting contributions to celebrate President Obama's 50th birthday. The email also asked for contributions for his re-election campaign next year. Here is my reply exactly as I sent it.

Intimidated. St. Etienne, France, August 2, 2011. How would it feel to be an almost absolute minority within the social and business circles in which you have to perform on a daily basis? Would it feel intimidating? How about Barack Obama? Does he feel intimidated in that sense? Maybe.

Reggae. St. Etienne, France, July 24, 2011. One small Reggae concert I attended to in my neighborhood on Friday the 22nd has meant a lot regarding the way I felt about that rhythm in the past. I now hold that rhythm in a much higher esteem than I ever did.

Identity Card. St. Etienne, France, July 16, 2011. Ever wondered what Salaroche is all about? Well, check out this writing and take a peek.

Obama Rising. Istanbul, Turkey, May 2, 2011. In our day and age, what may have been a fully valid statement one day, may be modified or may even be somewhat invalidated the next. Barak Obama certainly scored some decisive political points during this past week. Is he finally getting his groove?

The NonBeliever. Istanbul, Turkey, April 11, 2011. Tennessee Ernie Ford could easily sing "Sixteen Tons" today and it would fit the times quite well. Today more than ever America owes its soul to the few at the top. But what happened to our Redeemer in Chief?

The Constant Foreigner. Istanbul, Turkey, March 22, 2011. I didn't grow up in the country where I was born, which means that I've always been a foreigner wherever I've been, including whenever I've been back to the country where I first saw the light of day. In other words, I've been a constant foreigner all my life.

An Egyptian Lesson. Istanbul, Turkey, February 14, 2011. Has the "American Dream" been hijacked by the forces of conformism, which are fed by the often misconceived notion that just the fact of living in America is reason enough to be content and satisfied with our living conditions? Is there a lesson for Americans to learn from the recent revolutionary events in North Africa? To both those questions I say: Certainly so.

Fear of Islam? Istanbul, Turkey, February 8, 2011. Is Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood a menace to its own country and to the rest of the world? Many western people fear so. But, isnt' the Republican Party a similar menace too? Or how about Le Front National in France? I guess our only choice is for Egypt to learn to live with its own home-grown menace as well.

No Way Out Today. Beijing, China, November 25, 2010. Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, there are no clear enemies of America in that region, just as there are no clear friends of America either. How can we expect to find true friends among the people of a culture that has no clear friends or enemies among themselves to begin with?

The Onus is not on Us. The Onus is on Islam. Guangzhou, China, September 12, 2010. To anyone who may exhort Americans to follow the call of the founding fathers to “reinforce the traditions of religious pluralism” and unconditionally accept our Muslim brethren on American soil, I say, “sorry sir, but the onus on whether that is possible is not on us; the onus is on Islam”.

An Example, Clear and Loud. Guangzhou, China, September 11, 2010. Once again, the western world has extended our Muslim brethren a hand of friendship and once again it has shown that the idea of religious tolerance is not just another couple of words. A good majority of western people actually live by that idea. Could the Muslim world learn anything from this? Sure they could.

Islam in New York. Guangzhou, China, September 3, 2010. Is it any wonder that when a project to build an Islamic center just two blocks away from Ground Zero is announced so many people raise their voice against it? No it isn't.

The Amazing Thing. Nanning, China, July 1, 2010. Can there be anything more intellectually blinding than the effects of a perverted nationalistic indoctrination? Maybe not.

And All that Pain Just to End Up Longing to Become Capitalists? Nanning, China, April 11, 2010. The students at the University don’t talk to me about politics or ideology. They talk to me about their dreams of eventually living lives with as much comfort as possible. They talk to me in terms quite similar to those in which any western University student would talk to me.

Sino-Musicality. Nanning, China, March 9, 2010. Music is often considered the most significant expression of any culture; Chinese Music certainly attests to that. A couple of days ago I managed to record some local Chinese flute players on my recording machine at home.

A Passing Illusion. Hanoi, Vietnam, February 19, 2010. A nanofraction of a nanosecond. Do you think that would be a fair way to describe the length of our lifetimes if we were to compare them to Eternity? Hmmm... not even that.

Hey Hill, Maybe I Miss You Already. Hanoi, Vietnam, February 8, 2010. The fundamental things apply as time goes by. One year after his election, Barack’s campaign promises have turned into a… a what? A squirm? A whimper? Maybe I'm beginning to miss Hill.

The Myth of India. Hanoi, Vietnam, January 11, 2010. Everything we need to know about the four branches of Yoga is now available to everyone in the form of books, DVDs, writings on the Internet, etc. So, why would any spiritual seeker want to go to India at all?

Lunacy Reigns. Loutraki, Greece, January 6, 2010. Humanity is presently suffering from an increasingly severe case of Extremist Islamitis, a disease whose virus was generated within Islam and that now has spread to the rest of the world. Is there an antidote for it?

Hey Lady ! Any Man Near You is Your Father. Loutraki, Greece, January 3, 2010. An episode I lived last night left me thinking whether this is Greece in the times of Zorba, or Greece in the 21st Century. But maybe it's a combination of the two.

I Haven't Gone Anywhere. Loutraki, Greece, December 30, 2009. I've traveled close to 34,000 miles this year (54,400 Kms) and I've been to some 7 or 8 countries too. What does it mean?

Body Privacy or Flight Security? Loutraki, Greece. December 29, 2009. Have Airport authorities around the world decided that body privacy is preferable to flight security?

Tolerance at Gunpoint? Loutraki, Greece. December 2, 2009. Are western countries willing to throw away the achievements of centuries of painful social struggle in the name of "religious tolerance”?

Too Good to Be Good? Loutraki, Greece. November 27, 2009. The term "Carrots and Sticks" is a very well-known term in circles interested in US foreign policy. Is Barak Obama really aware of what it means?

Obama, the New Tutankhamen of the World. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. June 4th, 2009

To Dissent or not to Dissent, is that the Question? Niihama, Japan. April 26, 2009

The Continuing Israeli-Palestinian Family Feud. Sliema, Malta. January 8th, 2009

Who's Responsible for the American Car Industry's fall? Sliema, Malta. Dec, 12, 2008.

Why Don't You Want my Money? Sliema, Malta. November 14, 2008

Proud to Be an American. Sliema, Malta. November 7, 2008

The Invisible Hand finally reveals itself and speaks to the dogmatic, unbridled and irresponsible US-style Market Economy of the G.W. Bush years. Sliema, Malta. Sept. 22nd, 2008.