Do people get “disappeared” in the United States the way they do in country’s with less enviable civil rights? Read what happened to Mike Hawash and you tell me.

I don’t want to be alarmist, but is it time to freak out yet? American citizens being held without any charge or public evidence? This is scary.

In slightly less frightening (but still scary) news, an old acquaintance from my Charlottesville days disappeared from his Baltimore apartment, which was arsoned the same night. It seems he’s landed in Memphis, but how and why is still a mystery. I hope you’re OK, Jimbo.

As for me, I’ve been living a relaxed, pleasant life (in starker contrast than usual to certain warring regions of the world). I’ve been devoting a lot of energy to volleyball and improving my sand game. It bothers me that this pursuit is rather devoid of greater meaning at a time when there’s so much trouble in our world. Discussing this with my mom, she told me that sports and similar pursuits help you test your own limits and get to know yourself better. The larger question is this: when you’re among the most fortunate on the planet, what responsibilities does that create for you? I feel a duty as a citizen in a democracy to vote and to make my voice heard. What duties do I have as a citizen of Earth?

I finished the book I’ve been reading, The Botany of Desire. Highly recommend it.

I recently saw a first film from a young Japanese director the other night. It’s called Wild Berries (warning: the link is to a NY Times review which is somewhat of a spoiler). The director was on hand to introduce the film and answer questions afterwards. She spoke, through a translator, of coming to the US to debut her film during wartime, and of coming from a Hiroshima family which was dramatically affected by the atomic bomb attack on that city. It was quite moving, and quite sad. In the Q and A after the film, she mentioned that the movie industry in Japan works differently than ours. There, the path to becoming a director is not necessarily film school, but rather assistant directing. It made me wonder whether we ought to appreciate apprenticeships more than we do.

Liz and Anthony are on the road!

Tomorrow, it’s off to the dentist again to get a permanent fake tooth put in where I had my root canal a few weeks ago. My first step to becoming Borg?