Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
Good teachers and professors can convey their wisdom between the lines. But our education is more than our formal schooling. I firmly believe it’s possible to learn from anyone and any experience. My role as an advisor to German and American exchange students puts me in a position to offer my own wisdom when asked for it. I say things … >>
Last summer, the University of Düsseldorf invited me to give a talk about careers to students at its English department. One of them wanted to know how I had found my career. In Yakov Smirnoff style, I explained that my career had found me. Specific circumstances had led to me being hired as a writer and editor, I said, in … >>
My German friends are often amazed when I tell them I’ve been to their home town — whether it’s Darmstadt, Bremerhaven, Görlitz or any of dozens of smaller places. Many of them have traveled around the world without ever having explored much of their own country. I wasn’t any different when I was growing up. The world I knew was … >>
March 10 marked the 15th anniversary of the death of a famous American whose life was devoted to advancing our knowledge about language. He was, unfortunately, a controversial individual prone to drug use and violent outbursts, and wound up spending most of his life behind bars. He also liked bananas. I’m talking, of course, about Nim Chimpsky (1973–2000), the second … >>
I almost didn’t go inside. From what I could see, every table in the restaurant was taken. This was bad news for someone about to catch an international flight. This place in the departures area was my only chance to eat real food, but it was packed like a suitcase. I’d be lucky even to sit at the bar, I … >>
Is time travel real? According to Hollywood, we’ll know nine months from now, when a young Michael J. Fox steps out of a specially converted automobile and grabs a sports almanac and a hoverboard. According to Internet folklore, other time travelers have already lived through 2015. The best-known of them, John Titor, described this year as a turning point in … >>
It’s taken me a while to figure this out, but I think I’ve got it. I’ve tried hard not to believe it, but really, there’s no other explanation I can think of. It’s a simple one: there are two Barack Obamas. Most of the time, we see President Obama, who lacks a workable strategy and allows himself to be pushed … >>
“You two are going to be in a room alone with Kim [Jong-un], and the CIA would love it if you could take him out.” “Hm?” “Take him out.” “For coffee? Dinner? For kimchi?” “No, uh, take him out.” “You want us to kill the leader of North Korea?” “Yes.” In a nutshell, this dialogue with a CIA agent (played … >>
The party of Barack Obama had everything going for it: unemployment down to 2008 levels, GDP growing at 3.5 percent, the stock market doubled in value, and more Americans with health insurance than ever before. Jobs and the economy are the issues US voters care about most, with health care in second place, so mission accomplished. Why, then, on Tuesday, … >>
I’ve often complained about the Philadelphia airport. It was designed for air travelers of a different age, and for far fewer of them — maybe a third of the people who use it now. The path that an international traveler must take to get from customs to security, then to the gate, is labyrinthine and poorly ventilated. Lines were long, … >>