Around six months ago, anyone within range of any form of communications technology was aware of the accelerated descent into the Heart of Darkness undertaken by actor Charlie Sheen; best known for his role as an alcoholic narcissist on CBS' "Half-Hour Assault On Your Cerebrum," alternatively referred to as Two...

"No Indians allowed here," my (Indian) hotel-manager informed me when I first checked in. I said nothing, my surprise inhibiting my ability to respond. Later, after the necessary paperwork and passport submission, he repeated: "No Indians here." I could resist no longer. "Why?" I replied with an utter and complete...

The drug-dealing pimp I had tea with this morning was critical of my candid description of today's weather. "Bad language," he scoffed under his breath, and looked away disgusted. Although "hot as fuck" may have been a touch insensitive, it was no doubt apt. Though perhaps not too warm to...

In a provocative deconstruction of the Patriot Act, Elaine Scarry theorizes about the implications of this involuntary dissolution of privacy on social interaction. As she writes in "Rule of Law, Misrule of Men," "When we say that democracy requires that the people's privacy by ensured, we do not...

What was particularly provocative in comedian Louis CK's recent special Hilarious was his take on the incredible amount of exaggeration that pervades our everyday speech. Things are no longer "amusing" or "kind of funny;" everything becomes "hilarious." Events, situations, and people are no longer "good" or "fun;" everything becomes "awesome."...

"It is the story of a writer of lurid bestsellers who goes to India in search of new sensations..."

So begins Okayplayer: The Bollywood Remake. This extraordinary remix record - my early pick for the best of 2011 - delivers on its initial promise: the album packs a...

It is both an unfair and mundane truism that most travel shows are of spurious quality. With rare exceptions, the typical travel show host appears plastic, with an ironed-on smile and positive disposition that reeks of a corporate-sponsored inauthenticity. There are, naturally, some rare and notable exceptions.

Anthony Bourdain's...

This past Thursday afternoon, as the television screen boasted stunning images of a people claiming -- nay, seizing -- agency in their political destiny, an equally stunning headline overtook the lower portion of the screen:

White House says situation in Egypt is "fluid."

One can only assume that the same...

"Do you need proof that life in this country can change overnight?" Matt Lauer recently inquired. "Look no further than Ted Williams."

The tale of Ted Williams, with which you have likely attained some degree of familiarity -- homeless former substance abuser with a radio-ready voice...

I choose to offer the following reflections while they are still lucid.

I have just returned home from a memorable evening in Toronto, which I spent in the company of one of the foremost provocateurs working in the English language, and an ex-politician who currently moonlights as a

The recent outpouring of support for gay youth, largely instigated by the death of Tyler Clementi and extending upwards to the highest echelon of American political power, has been encouraging for those on the side of full social equality for the LGBT community. Naturally, the various parties encompassed...

Traveling abroad with your partner is one of those very rare opportunities to give more of yourself -- and receive more of your partner -- while getting to know each other in an entirely different setting. That said, it can present a number of challenges to even the most committed...

I remember very clearly the first time I really heard the music of the Beatles.

I was eight years old in 1995. The television, in between alternating bouts of Power Rangers for me and Sesame Street for my little sister, had implanted in my young mind the serendipitous idea of...

A few years ago I had the good fortune to find myself spending my afternoons in an elementary school music class working as a teaching assistant. The classes in which I worked were mostly filled with pre-teens in grades seven and eight -- possibly the most awkward of awkward ages....

Recently I've had the good sense to purchase a shiny new Apple computer, with all of the bells and whistles Steve Jobs so lauds. Its impending arrival has been the source of some tiny excitement for yours truly, and I have consulted the "tracking status" of my bundle of joy...

Chances are that if you follow this or any other comprehensive news source, you are aware of Christopher Hitchens' rapidly declining health. I daresay I wasn't the only one to be taken aback by the speed with which illness has overtaken the author's physical form. His interviews with

Recently, I stumbled upon some travel writing done by an acquaintance of mine. I know this person only in an abstract sense -- we met once at a party and thus became "friends" on Facebook. The degradation of the concept of the "friend" -- due in large part to social...

"Veg or non-veg?"

I beg your pardon? Come again? One more time?

Acquaint yourself, dear reader, with this query should you be fortunate enough to find yourself on a plane to India one day. For India, encompassing all of its dozens of "countries within a country," is home to the...