Joanna Slodownik

Europe does not dream of empire. It does not want to die in foreign lands fighting wars that never quite become its own. And if we are honest — Europeans value a good, comfortable life. Stability. Dignity. Time to live. This is not weakness.It is a civilizational choice. And it is precisely why Europe’s path to renewed global leadership will not run primarily through tanks or oilfields — but through food. Let others fight over oil. Europe can build something better. The world today is loud...

"The Silent Cry” by Joanna Slodownik, inspired by “The Great Silence” by Ted Chiang Christmas has its share of outlandish legends and traditions, such as gravity-defying reindeer, Santa Claus sneaking through chimneys to deliver presents to those who were good, or the belief that at midnight on Christmas Eve, animals gain the power of speech. That last legend — common in Eastern and Central Europe where I come from — refers to farm animals and household pets alike and stems from the belief...