On Bataan and Balikatan

To your average Howard Stern fan, the Philippines is nothing more than a carnival land of shoe-crazy, dog-eating jungle dwellers who are a perennial source of cheap jokes. Some Americans know better. Just ask the thousands of surviving U.S. soldiers who fought in the...

The Welfare State Grand Slam

The welfare state enjoyed a stellar week. First, the Victims Compensation Fund, set up by Congress, announced compensation averaging $1.85 million for the families of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. While deducting life insurance and some pension benefits, the payout...

Cuba on No Dollars a Day

“This is the real Havana,” Miguel said as we turned from Avenida Simon Bolivar to a gritty side street cratered with potholes. “Here you see how Cubans live. Tourists don’t come to *this* street.” Well, they might if they were simply...