Lithuania Sees a Kindred Spirit in Taiwan
Lithuania is drawing closer to Taiwan – and it doesn’t care if China doesn’t like it.
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Sleeper Agents
Female spies from Asia are every bit as dangerous – and as seductive – as their Western counterparts.
Shunga: Beyond “Edo Porn”
Shunga were highly erotic Japanese paintings and woodblock prints characterized by meticulously detailed genitalia, astonishing physical contortions, and occasional witty dialogue or commentary.
The World’s Election
What’s at stake in this election? The soul of a country that is also a symbol to the world; the fate of democracy itself.
Divinity in the Mundane
Kept at home by quarantines, we grow numb to our lives, our surroundings, and the unfolding tragedy of the pandemic. But regaining our sense of wonder can help us feel again.
Ed Simon on Wonder in the Time of Coronavirus
Writer Ed Simon discusses the role wonder can play in helping us appreciate the depth of the tragedy as well as the beauty around us.
The Mezcal Invasion
Once derided as rotgut, tequila’s smoky, artisanal cousin is coming to a trendy bar near you.
Sleeping to the Top
Whilst prostitution evokes cheap perfume, immorality, and desperation, the courtesan is associated with art, fame, and riches.
A Prostitute’s Place
In modern Japan, prostitutes straddle both a legal and a moral boundary.
Supernatural Femme Fatales
Why are myths and legends full of supernatural seductresses?
Pakistan’s Tribal Belt Joins the Modern World
Annexed by the British, claimed by Afghanistan, a battleground during the Great Game, the Cold War, and the War on Terror, Pakistan’s lawless tribal region is finally integrated into the rest of the country.
Catullus: The Original Emo Rhapsodist
Whilst the popular impression of Romans is of marble statues, one poet showed they could cry, love, and swear.
Smells like Hong Kong Spirit
Hong Kongers know when they’ve got something valuable, and if someone tries to take it from them, they’ll fight like dogs to keep it.
Sex, Death, and God
Sex is one of the most natural of human activities. So why do we treat it as so taboo?