“They have a dog AND a pony,” I remarked — a little cynically — to one of the people in our tour. He was as tired as I was of seeing another presentation of well-intentioned humanitarian assistance — another nicely constructed clinic without patients (the doctor care is free, but because no one can afford …
Monuments can be incredibly moving just by their presence alone. Think of the simple, polished black granite of Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, or the stately and austere white rows of crosses across the expanses of grass at Arlington National Cemetery. But others evoke greater power because of the story behind them. In …
Even the most unwelcome detour can have its bright moments. On Sunday, I agreed to what I thought was going to be a short drive to Burbera village, a mountain enclave in an area that saw intense fighting during Burundi’s 12-year civil war. I was told there are still visible signs of warfare, including homes …
I’m in Burundi, following a group on a humanitarian mission to explore ways they can help this country — which has recently emerged from civil wars and violence — develop better health, education and agriculture as it builds a new democracy. When we visited a pottery shop, we met many of the workers who are …
I’m leaving for the airport to begin a journey to a place I’ve never been: the Great Lakes region of Africa — specifically Bujumbura in Burundi. I’ll be doing a shoot there for about ten days. You can ask my friend Marie (who joined me last night to see a spare but solid production of …
When you sublet an apartment, you’re invited into someone else’s world, living among their most cherished things — family photos, trinkets collected in travels, works of art — and using them to piece together a bigger picture of a person you may have only met briefly to exchange keys and a rent check. I’m subletting …
I promised you the back story of the plastic avian lawn ornaments, but I’ll begin with a story about Africa: LAKE NAKURU, February1995 The layer of pink was like frosting atop the white cake of the soda lake beach. Above the pink line, the air rippled in the African heat and dozens of figures hovered, …
Yesterday, I boarded the Ventura again for one of the final sails of the season. This time, we took the Metro North railway to Tarrytown, New York and boarded the sailboat at the docks there. After motoring under the Tappan Zee bridge, a cantilever span across the Hudson River completed in 1955, Captain Pat (behind …
One of the great joys of video journalism is the diversity of assignments. My work with the New York Times, for instance, would have me interviewing rock stars and rock star wannabes at a major music festival one week, discussing a scientific curiosity the next, then moving on to tackle a thorny constitutional issue with …
Sam, my sister Laura’s dog, stands guard in front of a belated birthday gift from my dad: a talking, singing and, yes, dancing lawn flamingo. I’ll explain why many in my family will think this is hilarious in an upcoming post.