From the clipping drawer
Columns
Newspaper columns, public notes and sharper pieces from the writer’s room.
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Summer Stories from Arizona-Tucson: PUMPING IN A-117
At the far south of Arizona, Mount Lemmon and the Santa Catalina range formed a natural wall, reminiscent of an ancient time when people moved freely, loved openly, and lived together. All was peaceful until the day some gringo decided to draw a border with a ruler. North of the mountains lies Tucson, and to the south – times when no one asked for a passport. In the largest town in the…
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Summer Tales from Arizona: Scottsdale TH E W A L L
Scottsdale is a city where the wealthiest residents of Arizona have found refuge. The owners of enormous houses are doctors, jewelers, engineers, and political functionaries. Although it borders Phoenix, the people of Scottsdale are proud of their ZIP code and look down with disdain at the “poor folks” from the neighboring city. Desert Peace is one of many gated communities. At the entrance, there’s a barrier and an armed guard, so any…
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Tales from Arizona: Tombstone – THE LAST GUNSHOT OF WYATT EARP
In the lovely town of Tombstone, where the Santa Cruz River no longer flows due to drought, only one memory remains — a daily show in the center of town, nearly every evening. In the theatrical reenactment of the historic gunfight at the OK Corral, for two decades the role of Wyatt Earp was played by James Russell. But then age caught up with him — his voice and strength began to…
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Summer Stories from Arizona – Sedona: THE CACTUS THAT REMEMBERS
The Desert Silhouettes profile had just gained its milestone follower. Exactly ten thousand people on Instagram were enjoying Lena’s artistic photographs. Red rocks, canyons, open skies, and desert serenity—her eternal inspiration—were now capturing the attention of other lovers of landscape. The beauty of nature had long since crossed all borders, bringing joy alike to a Chinese farmer in Sichuan who had never heard of the internet and to a Silicon Valley hacker…
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A THIN BLACK LINE
We were once taught to seek the truth in newspapers, on the radio, and on television, and to develop our imagination through literature, theater, and film. But experience tells us that reality is quite the opposite: truth is elusive, and the world is upside down. Today, the media feed us fairy tales and shiny lies, while art carves a path to the truth, decodes and exposes reality, and often even predicts the…
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Egg-Shaped Reality: UP AND DOWN
A careful analysis of the political situation in the world—focusing primarily on Serbia and the USA, as the author of these lines is most interested in these two—leads to the impression that everything somehow revolves around eggs! Namely, at the dawn of the twilight of the Progressive Party government, the former minister in the late Government of Serbia, the “charming” Tomislav Momirović, said the following: “Two eggs for 22 dinars can keep…
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VOLUNTARY COLLAPSE OF DIGNITY
“MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”? By Dejan Krstic Scene One – Berlin, February 27, 1933: A massive fire broke out in the German Parliament building (Reichstag) in Berlin, causing enormous material damage. The Nazis immediately blamed the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and used this event as an excuse to persecute communists and other opposition forces. This event marked the further course of German history, as Hitler exploited the disaster to consolidate his…
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STORY OF FORGOTTEN PEOPLES
Native Americans in the USA and Serbs in Kosovo By Dejan Krstic I asked my friend, the artificial intelligence ChatGPT, to help me with a chronic health problem. Namely, after repeated media bombardment from domestic and international TV channels, acute symptoms appear regularly, giving me no peace. I describe them in detail, and after about ten seconds, I get an answer: “Waterboarding is a form of torture that simulates drowning. This method…
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ONE FOR A HUNDRED, MISERY FOR ALL
By Dejan Krstic “Human madness is often clever, and like a cat, a cunning thing. When you think it has fled, it may have only transformed into an even more refined form.” Herman Melville: “Moby Dick” The captain of the ship Pequod, Ahab, undergoes a personal tragedy when the white whale, Moby Dick, inflicts a severe injury on him, leaving him without a leg. This experience leaves a lasting psychological scar from…
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