MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: The World Is Falling Apart: It Always Is. “I keep an old map on my office wall, bought for nearly nothing at a used bookstore and then lovingly framed. It’s a National Geographic print from 1942, covering ‘Asia and Adjacent Areas.’ The legend informs you: ‘International Boundaries as of Sept. 1, 1939, the day Germany invaded Poland.’ A map of the same super-region published just three years later would look much different. One published just 20 years after that would be far different still. The changes have kept coming and keep coming even as I write this. I keep that old map over my desk because I love old maps, and I love old maps because they remind us that Bob Dylan got it wrong: The times are always a-changin’.”

This is my midweek piece for VIP members. If you’re interested, the promo code VODKAPUNDIT is good for a nice little discount.