by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski | 8 Jun 2023 | Culture, Sports
Picking the world’s toughest sport is a tough game to play. Let’s see if you agree with our correspondent’s conclusion. Spoiler: It’s not football. A traceur leaps in the air practicing parkour. Photo by TIGER500 courtesy of Parkour...
by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski | 27 Sep 2022 | Decoders, Environment, Personal Reflections, Writing's on the Wall
I helped put nature conservation on the global agenda. But now I fear for Earth’s future. Will the next generation save us from disaster? Climate change, conceptual illustration (Photo by SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via AP Images) This story by News Decoder...
by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski | 22 Dec 2021 | Culture, World
A shared taste for sweets, unique fashions and world travel are similarities between the Hindu god Ganesha and Santa Claus, the rotund holiday figure. The Hindu god Ganesha and Santa Claus (Shutterstock) Some people (primarily me) have compared the generous Hindu...
by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski | 4 Nov 2021 | Art, Personal Reflections
Almost all of us collect objects of some sort. Psychoanalysts think they are part of our identity. But when does a pastime become an obsession? The author’s “dupondius” of Augustus and Agrippa celebrating their military victory against the combined...
by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski | 22 Jan 2021 | Educators' Catalog, Environment, Human Rights
Threats to nature persist despite global efforts to save our planet. Is it time to get tough and make killing nature an international crime? Amira, a wild baby elephant, is buried after she was caught in a poacher’s trap, Sare, Aceh Besar, Indonesia, 24...
Most students, aware of the devastating effects of climate change, favor stronger protections for nature. But have they considered what course of action might be needed if “‘standard’ save-the-world activities” fail to stir change, to use author Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s words? Spencer Sochaczewski looks at the gray areas relating to how to protect the environment. His piece encourages students to consider multiple sides to a complex issue, and invites them to consider the motivations and tactics of changemakers outside the mainstream.