Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker James Longley on Gaza: “I remember all those beautiful, brave people… I remember the erased cities”

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

On March 24, Hamdan Ballal, one of the four directors of No Other Land, the winner of the Best Documentary Feature at the recent Academy Awards, was beaten by a mob of fascist Israeli settlers and soldiers, and detained by the military. The incident occurred three weeks to the day after Ballal, along with fellow co-directors Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, had stood on the platform at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles and received the documentary feature honor.Hamdan Ballal, co-winner of the award for best documentary feature film for No Other Land, after the Oscars on March 2, 2025. [AP Photo/John Locher]The assault on Ballal was in part an act of retaliation against the award for No Other Land, which exposes the savage Zionist campaign of ethnic cleansing and violence in the West Bank. In response, various documentary film festivals and organizations, as well as many individual members of the Academy, immediately issued statements condemning the vicious attack.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in Hollywood, however, which had actually bestowed the award on Ballal and the others, remained entirely silent for two days. In response to criticism, the Academy eventually issued a miserable statement, à la Pontius Pilate, in which it washed its hands of any concern or responsibility for Ballal’s fate.The statement, signed by Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang, sought to justify the organization’s previous silence by noting that because of the “conflict and uncertainty” of the times, “we are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political and economic events. In these instances, it is important to note that the Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.”Adding insult to injury, the statement mentioned neither Ballal’s name nor the title of the film, as though that were beneath the dignity of the “Academy.”The declaration, a kowtowing to pro-Israeli elements in Hollywood, to the Trump administration and to the Israeli fascist attackers themselves alike, provoked outrage among filmmakers and members of the Academy. A letter began circulating, which has been signed by nearly 1,000 Academy members, which condemns the attack by the Zionist thugs and criticizes the Academy’s silence. Out of a total membership of 693 in the Academy’s documentary branch, more than 460 have endorsed the protest.In the wake of this incident, the WSWS contacted a number of documentary filmmaker members of the Academy and asked for their comments. Some indicated they opposed the Academy’s actions, but were nervous about doing so in public.Iraq in Fragments (2006)One of those who responded strongly was James Longley, a nominee for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature—the award won by Ballal and his colleagues—in 2007 for Iraq in Fragments. The WSWS spoke to Longley twice the year before, for Iraq in Fragments and Sari’s Mother, about an Iraqi mother struggling to get help for her 10-year-old son, afflicted with AIDS. He subsequently directed the documentary Angels Are Made of Light (2018), about struggling students and teachers in Kabul. He is currently working on another documentary about Afghanistan.Longley sent the WSWS the following eloquent statement, which focuses on the catastrophe in Gaza and the criminals responsible.*  *  *  *  *  *I am the first and probably the only US-born filmmaker to have produced a documentary feature film entirely inside the Gaza Strip. I made my Gaza Strip documentary in early 2001 during the second Palestinian uprising. It was my first film, still little more than student work, and it is available for free on YouTube.In 2009 I came back to Gaza, in the aftermath of the Israeli bombing campaign and ground invasion that they called Operation Cast Lead. Block after block of Palestinian homes were leveled. Whole extended families were wiped off the civil registry. The main grain depot was in ruins. A thousand Palestinian civilians killed. Tens of thousands wounded and maimed. Cast Lead was the first of many large-scale bombing campaigns by the Israelis against the population of Gaza.For those who believe that mass violence started on October 7, 2023, it is instructive to remember that at least 6,400 Palestinians were killed by the Israelis between January 1, 2008 and August 2023. During the Israeli bombing campaign against the people of Gaza in 2014, the corpses of Palestinian infants filled up the ice cream freezers because the morgues were already overflowing with bodies.James Longley (jameslongley.com)My own direct memory of Gaza stretches back to 2001, of course. I remember distinctly how the Israelis fired anti-personnel weapons into neighborhoods teeming with Palestinian families, leaving the concrete walls of their apartment blocks covered in lethal metal flechette darts [small, sharp, metal projectiles, typically with fins for stability, designed to be dropped from aircraft or fired from weapons, often used as anti-personnel weapons]. I remember how the Israelis shot children right in front of me, the IDF soldiers firing from the safety of their jeeps on the patrol road beyond the concentration camp fence near Qarni Crossing.I remember how the Israelis would fire heavy machine-guns into the refugee camps at the edge of Khan Yunis on a nightly basis, the glowing red streams of their tracer rounds floating through the darkness, followed swiftly by their terrible sound. In the afternoon Israeli soldiers tap out English football claps with their US-supplied weapons, luxuriating in their unlimited ammunition and total impunity. The schoolchildren scatter. Shave and a haircut, two bits.I remember how the Israelis came in the dead of night with a massive armored Caterpillar D9 bulldozer fitted with a machine-gun and a grenade launcher to crush the homes and lives of the Palestinian refugees while an Apache attack helicopter hovered overhead in the black sky, firing a 30mm chain gun and Hellfire missiles into the town. I remember all of the Palestinian hospitals that have since been destroyed, even then filled with the dead and the wounded. I remember all those beautiful, brave people. The doctors, the ambulance drivers, the journalists, the shopkeepers, the teachers, the kids. I remember the erased cities.Gaza Strip (2002)I remember the first day I entered the Gaza Strip in January 2001, passing through the military checkpoints and the endless rows of 30-foot concrete barriers. I remember the Israeli soldiers in sunglasses, well-fed and muscular, sitting confidently behind the gun barrels of their Merkava tanks. When I saw the reality of the situation I knew right away that the Israelis would massacre the Palestinian people. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind.My documentary was finished in 2002 and was well reviewed by the New York Times, Village Voice, and others. It was never broadcast anywhere in the Western world. HBO passed on my film for reasons best known to themselves, and instead sent filmmaker James Miller to Gaza. James Miller was a multi-Emmy-winning perfect gentleman from a Jewish family in Wales. Israeli First Lieutenant Hib al-Heib shot James Miller in the neck and killed him as he held out a white flag. His film was finished by Miller’s filmmaking partner, journalist and producer Saira Shah, and is called Death in Gaza. Miller’s killing by the Israelis had the intended chilling effect: HBO never tried to make another documentary in the Gaza Strip.In those days there were relatively few cameras in Gaza, and making a film there was something rare. Today everyone has a camera in their pocket. The Palestinians of Gaza have recorded their own genocide at the hands of the Israelis in a desperate attempt to raise international awareness. Our social media feeds fill to the brim with images of the mass murder of civilians killed with weapons and political cover provided by our governments. We heedlessly airlift the bombs that Israel drops on Gaza, day in, day out.Sari’s Mother (2006)And so the murder goes on and on, barely remarked upon by the cowardly so-called journalists of our major media, as the Israelis slaughter the real journalists of Gaza in their hundreds. The journalists of Gaza could have taught our journalists a thing or two about bravery if we had not hunted them down and stolen their lives with our feeble silence and our lies. Our country gleefully facilitates the massacre of starving people in their tens of thousands, we cover up the rape of Palestinian doctors in prison camps and ignore the execution of aid workers by the score. Our politicians rush to take part in the genocide. The spokespeople of our governments smirk as they lie through their bloody teeth on both sides of the Atlantic. International law is dead and buried under the rubble of Gaza. Human rights are make-believe. Nobody in power will lift a finger to stop the killing. On the contrary.Politicians of all stripes in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom come together to support Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing. The mass murder will not be stopped by the complicit western powers. We are the champions of extermination. We will starve and bomb the Palestinians to the last. We will pursue their children with flying death machines for even daring to lift their eyes toward freedom. Our algorithms will acquire a taste for the blood of babies. The mask of civility has fallen away and the entire world can now clearly see the true face of a fading empire presided over by murdering cowards, shameless thieves and senile liars. It is a spectacle to make the heart scream.And all of that is why I completely understand the cowardice of the Academy leadership and their beige, formless silence. That is why I have deep empathy for their spineless, obsequious non-apology and for their inability to speak the truth. They are right to be afraid. Their fear is the soul of prudence. I am also afraid, and I understand them. If the Academy leadership have any sense at all they should be shaking in their boots and cowering under their desks at what has been done and what is coming. They would do well to keep their mouths shut. People who are ready to commit genocide against a starving population trapped in a concentration camp are truly terrifying people. They are merciless. To witness what they are capable of justifying and enabling makes the blood run cold from fear at their sheer reptilian inhumanity.Angels Are Made of Light (2018)Academy leaders [Bill] Kramer and [Janet] Yang are completely correct that the Academy is a big tent whose members hold “many unique viewpoints”—including support for the torture and detention of Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who won the Oscar only weeks before for the courageous documentary No Other Land. I have no doubt that the pro-genocide contingent is alive and well at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, just as it is in our past and present presidential administrations and the US Congress. One must tread carefully when the halls of power are so slippery with the blood of children.I remember having coffee with one very senior Academy member, 16 years ago, only days after the end of Operation Cast Lead in early 2009. The subject of Gaza came up. This particular Academy member was already an old man then, and has since passed away. He had been the head of a major Hollywood studio and produced many famous films that you have all seen. He knew that I had made a film in Gaza. I wanted to know what he thought of what we had just witnessed the Israelis doing in Gaza in the month prior.This particular Academy member told me without the slightest hesitation that he thought the Israelis had been far too lenient: “They should have killed all of those animals!” he insisted, banging his hand on the table and making the spoons rattle. “They should have slaughtered them down to the last child!” Then he calmed himself and said: “In the end, we’re just going to have to push them out to some other place, and the taxpayers will have to foot the bill.”Sign up for the WSWS email newsletter
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Four books that discuss the use and consequences of drugs

Arts & Culture, Books

From “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” to “Valley of the Dolls,” here a few novels that explore the effects of drugs on mental state.
Writing has always been a form of self-expression that can transcend what readers typically expect. Books that discuss drugs fall under many categories, and while some books depict drug use in detail, others offhandedly mention them and use these struggles as plot devices.
While not every interpretation and understanding of drug use and addiction is perfect, there are a few that stand out for their unique approach to this difficult topic. Here are four books that talk about drugs, and more importantly, their effects on individuals and those close to them.
“Junkie: Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict” by William S. Burroughs
“Junkie” is a semi-autobiographical memoir written by Burroughs in the 1950s about his experience with heroin and morphine addiction. The main character, named William Lee, is based on Burroughs, and the novel roughly follows his real-life experiences with drug use. Because the events of the novel are inspired by real moments in Burroughs’ life, the content of the book is much more impactful, as his direct prose doesn’t sugarcoat the harms and struggles of addiction.
Though the events of the book may seem outlandish and often unrealistic due to the fast pacing, Burroughs’ writing style allows the reader to experience William Lee’s struggles with addiction and its impacts on his mind and the people around him.
A founding writer of the Beat literary movement and author of “Queer” — later adapted into a 2024 feature film released by A24 — Burroughs was well known in literary circles for the heavy topics featured in his work. Other notable Beat writers, like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, influenced Burroughs’ work, and Ginsberg was a part of the drafting and publishing process for “Junkie.”
For several decades, “Junkie” faced backlash and censorship due to its heavy content. However, over the years, uncensored versions of the novel have been published, and these versions, along with the rest of Burroughs’ work, have become increasingly popular among young adults.
“Go Ask Alice” by Beatrice Sparks 
“Go Ask Alice” stands out among the other three books on this list for its writing style. Published in 1971, the nearly 200-page novel details the journey of a 15-year-old runaway girl as she attempts to navigate her life amid a battle with drug addiction and her self-destructive behavior. The novel is made up of fictional diary entries written by the girl, beginning with her confessing and detailing her day-to-day life as she tries to survive on the streets.
What makes Sparks’ book stand out is that the name of the girl writing the entries is never disclosed, though some readers believe that “Alice,” who is mentioned in the book, is the one writing the entries. The anonymity of the writer emphasizes the struggle the writer has with drug use, presenting the novel as real diary entries of a young girl struggling with addiction.
The ending of the book emphasizes the isolation drug use can cause. While it has battled censorship over the years just like Burroughs’ “Junkie,” “Go Ask Alice” has risen in popularity over the years, serving as a reminder that drug addiction must be taken seriously.
“Valley of the Dolls” by Jaqueline Susann 
Susann’s 1966 novel explores the destructive nature of drug use in the entertainment industry. It focuses on the interconnected lives of three women — Anne, Jennifer and Neely — and the effects the amphetamines and barbiturates, or “dolls” as the women call them, have on their mental state and lives over 20 years. The novel is considered to be a roman à clef, or a novel that features real people or events under different names and circumstances, and Susann drew inspiration from Hollywood’s Golden Age.
The entertainment industry and the drug use it pushes on its members are the clear villains of Susann’s novel, directly causing all the misery that the three women suffer. The word “dolls” references the way young women were seen in the entertainment industry during the Golden Age. The women were expected to be young, beautiful, thin and malleable for industry moguls and men to exploit at the expense of their mental and physical health.
The women’s perpetual drug and alcohol abuse causes their slow alienation from the industry, as they become more and more dependent on the “dolls” as they age. “The Valley of the Dolls” not only shows how drugs were easily abused but also the rampant misogyny during that period, serving as a reminder that not much has changed in both the improvement of support for those suffering from addiction and the inherent misogyny still seen in our society today.
“My Year of Rest and Relaxation” by Ottessa Moshfegh 
Lastly, Moshfegh’s 2018 novel, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” is a modern approach to the destructive nature of addiction and society’s general ignorance and rejection of the issues caused by drugs. Moshfegh’s novel is set in New York City from late 2000 to early 2001, where the narrator decides to embark on a journey to “reset” her life and mind after a year of rest and relaxation. She does this through a combination of prescription medications, like sleeping pills and antipsychotics, prescribed to her by a dubious and eccentric psychiatrist, which she ingests with heavy alcohol.
The narrator’s goal for a year of rest and relaxation is constantly interrupted by outside influences, such as concerned acquaintances and professional responsibilities. She quickly abandons interaction with the outside world, no longer interested in participating in society due to their disconnect with the world and their general distaste for human interaction.
The novel is fast-paced, and it has many black comedy qualities, serving as a reminder of the morbidity of the situation the narrator has placed herself in and the consequences of drug abuse. The narrator experiences lapses in her memory as she sleepwalks to and from her apartment, participating in dangerous situations she doesn’t remember.
Moshfegh’s writing is thought-provoking, as the story is told by a narrator who believes that what they are doing is beneficial. The reader realizes from a sentence in the first chapter, “My hibernation was self-preservational. I thought it was going to save my life,” that this journey is harmful from the start. “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” shines a light on the incompetence of the medical community in helping patients who suffer from drug abuse, the disturbingly easy way that prescriptions are handed out without cause or care, and the general discomfort and disinterest society has when it comes to addressing these issues.

It’s time drug education be rooted in science

Science and Health

An all-or-nothing stigma has furthered political and moral gain, destroying healthy skepticism.

Suhiliah Lall

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When it came to my attitude toward weed, I used to be an uneducated asshole. In my early high school years, I would constantly lecture any of my friends who smoked weed, saying that it would kill their brain cells, get them addicted and ruin their future, and how they were “so much better than that.” I had no clue what I was talking about.
Nothing specific fueled this hatred for weed in my head; it was just random tidbits of information I had heard throughout my life and naively chose to believe. Previously, I wouldn’t even consider liking a guy if he had any interest in weed, and now I couldn’t date someone if they held the same stigma toward weed that I did.
Looking back, my judgment wasn’t just misinformed — it was a product of systematic fearmongering. Growing up, I absorbed media portrayals of “stoners,” or chronic smokers, and the lingering consequences of the Reagan-era War on Drugs. I grew up with D.A.R.E., or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, assemblies at school and “Just Say No” public service announcements that framed weed as a slippery slope to failure, which, to avoid, required a hard-line commitment to zero curiosity.
My high school health teacher warned us that smoking only once could lead to heroin addiction, while posters in the hallway equated a joint with a syringe. No one, including my health teacher, mentioned that cannabis had been used medicinally for millennia or that the “gateway drug” theory was unsupported by decades of research.
Instead, drug education leaned into morality tales, not science. I never questioned these narratives until I actually educated myself, and it became clear that, with constant misinformation and fearmongering as well as mainstream culture’s tendency to cling to tired beliefs despite growing evidence of cannabis’s benefits, the War on Drugs continues to do more harm than good.
My educational institutions’ approaches backfired spectacularly. By painting all drug use as equally dangerous, programs like D.A.R.E. made it harder to distinguish between real risks, such as overuse by teens or whether weed really did kill brain cells. As I got older, I witnessed as my friends, who had used weed for years, continue to do so without descending into chaos. The “lazy stoner” stereotype crumbled when I met grad students who used weed to manage anxiety and artists who microdosed for creativity.
I not only realized how much I’d been lied to, but it became difficult to trust any of what I had been taught, even if they were true, effectively destroying weed education’s saving grace. The often extremist and uncompromising educational tactics meant that teens would have to experiment and educate themselves when faced with reality.
The horror stories I’d absorbed weren’t just exaggerated with no end; they actively diverted attention from real issues, like why Black communities were (and still are) disproportionately arrested for possession while white students get shrugs and eye-rolls. In some cases, these horror stories also actively fueled support for racist narratives, and vice versa.
As we look forward, destigmatization and healthy approaches to weed cannot be confined to simply outdated education — it’s that stigma persists even as legalization spreads. Weed is now a billion-dollar industry, with gummies even being marketed as “self-care,” but the people overwhelmingly criminalized for it rarely benefit. Meanwhile, the “bad kid” labels I had internalized shadowed medical users and casual smokers alike.
Destigmatizing weed isn’t about pretending it’s harmless. It’s about replacing moral panic with nuance: acknowledging its benefits, like pain relief, without ignoring potential risks, like overuse by teens. Most of all, it’s about asking why we were taught to fear a plant more than the systems that weaponized it.
Suhiliah Lall is a sophomore majoring in cinema. 
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the staff editorial.

Scientists Say Pollution May Be Masking True Extent of Climate Warming

Science and Health

An international study found that clouds are more sensitive to aerosol levels than previously thought, indicating a stronger cooling effect from human-made particles. This finding, based on long-term measurements, could improve the accuracy of climate models and projections. Puijo Tower. Credit: Wille Markkanen
Human-made aerosols cool the climate more than expected by altering cloud properties, revealing gaps in current climate models.
An international study led by the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Meteorological Institute has shown that the formation and characteristics of low-altitude clouds are highly sensitive to changes in atmospheric aerosol concentrations. This discovery has important implications for understanding how human-generated fine particles may have moderated climate warming caused by greenhouse gases. The findings were published in Nature Geoscience.
The research drew on long-term data collected at ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure) monitoring stations in Svalbard and Finland, specifically at the Puijo Tower in Kuopio and in Pallas. These observations revealed that cloud properties respond more strongly to changes in aerosol levels than previously believed. Because cloud characteristics vary widely over time, long-term, high-quality measurements are essential to accurately assess how aerosols influence cloud behavior.
Aerosol Emissions and Climate Cooling
“Emissions of anthropogenic fine particles have cooled the climate by modifying cloud properties and have thus partly counteracted greenhouse gas-induced climate warming. Based on these results, this cooling effect is at the upper end of previous estimates based on satellite data,” says Professor Annele Virtanen from the University of Eastern Finland.
The study also evaluated the ability of climate models to describe the relationship between cloud properties and aerosol concentrations. Comparing models with observations revealed issues in how key processes are represented in the models. Additionally, the study identified significant differences between models in their predicted interactions between aerosols and clouds.
“These findings will help us develop more accurate climate models to predict future climate change. These models play a key role in assessing the climate impacts of different emission scenarios,” says Research Professor Sami Romakkaniemi from the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
Reference: “High sensitivity of cloud formation to aerosol changes” by Annele Virtanen, Jorma Joutsensaari, Harri Kokkola, Daniel G. Partridge, Sara Blichner, Øyvind Seland, Eemeli Holopainen, Emanuele Tovazzi, Antti Lipponen, Santtu Mikkonen, Ari Leskinen, Antti-Pekka Hyvärinen, Paul Zieger, Radovan Krejci, Annica M. L. Ekman, Ilona Riipinen, Johannes Quaas and Sami Romakkaniemi, 3 April 2025, Nature Geoscience.DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01662-y
The study, led by the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Meteorological Institute, was the result of extensive European collaboration and involved several key European research institutions and universities.

90 Million at Risk: Scientists Warn of Looming Andean Water Crisis

Science and Health

Glaciers in the Andes are shrinking at an alarming rate, thinning by 0.7 meters each year, which is 35% faster than the global average. This rapid loss threatens the water supply for around 90 million people who depend on glacial meltwater. Scientists warn that climate change is destabilizing this crucial water source and emphasize that current efforts to reduce carbon emissions are insufficient.
Shrinking Andean glaciers threaten water supplies for 90 million people, with near-total ice loss possible by 2100 unless urgent climate action is taken.
At the first-ever World Day for Glaciers, hosted by UNESCO in Paris on 21 March 2025, scientists from the University of Sheffield warned that the rapid retreat of glaciers in the Andes threatens the water supply of 90 million people across South America.
These glaciers, located high in the Andes Mountains, spanning Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, are vital sources of freshwater. They support domestic water use, hydroelectric power generation, agriculture, industry, and livestock farming.
A new policy brief titled The Future of the Andean Water Towers, co-authored by researchers from the Universities of Sheffield and Newcastle, was presented at the event. The report highlights how glacial retreat is already reducing water availability and poses a growing threat to both water and food security for communities across the region.
The Andean glaciers are thinning by 0.7 meters a year, 35 percent faster than the global average. This could result in an almost total glacier loss in the area of the Tropical Andes, with other areas of the mountain range experiencing a loss of over half its glacier coverage according to some of the worst scenarios predicted.
Climate Change Driving Glacier Retreat
Dr. Jeremy Ely, from the University of Sheffield’s School of Geography and Planning, said: “The first Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change was published in 1990, and since then, very little has been done to curb the global carbon emissions fueling climate change.
“Our brief shows that what scientists have been predicting for years is now coming true, and swift action needs to be taken if we stand any hope of saving and preserving the glaciers that so many people rely on as a source of water.”
Climate change is raising air temperatures, causing more frequent and severe extreme weather events, decreasing snowfall, and increasing droughts across the Andes, all of which are threatening the stability of the Andean glaciers as a water source and the security of the people who rely on them.
Glacier Loss Has Accelerated Since 2000
The brief demonstrates that the shrinking of the glaciers has accelerated in recent decades, with unprecedented rates of ice loss post-2000, coinciding with increased greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
For the 2015 Paris Agreement – the global treaty on climate change – countries around the world agreed to commit to take actions to keep global temperature rises within 1.5°C, as letting average global temperatures reach any higher would lead to extreme weather events, water shortages, lower crop yields, economic losses, higher sea levels and greater damage to nature.
However, that target was already surpassed for several months in 2024, and recent projections of a higher than 2°C warming scenario, show that areas of the Andes will be entirely, or almost entirely, ice-free by 2100.
The brief highlights that, as well as curbing global carbon emissions, effective management of water resources is necessary due to the consequence of changing human and natural systems and changing supply and demand affecting the region.
As glaciers shrink, supply diminishes, and many countries will be forced to try and mitigate the problem by building major water storage infrastructure, such as dams. However, this will take significant investment that poorer countries, and those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, may not be able to afford.
Dr. Ely said: “Such a loss of ice across the Andes needs urgent attention as it will increase the stress on freshwater resources relied upon by communities and major cities downstream of the glaciers.
“With temperatures predicted to rise anywhere up to 4.5°C by the end of the century across the Andes, the risks and hazards of climate change will threaten the water and food security of millions of people.
“All the targets that have been set have already been missed and failed, yet the only way to preserve glaciers is to drastically reduce carbon emissions once and for all. The situation is serious, and it will take global cooperation to tackle climate change and make meaningful difference for the communities around the world most vulnerable from the effects of climate change.”
Reference: “Deplete and Retreat Publications and Outputs”

Shield Your Data on the Go: The Ultimate VPN for Travelers

Travel

Some say spring is the best time of the year. Flowers are blooming, and trees are getting more colorful. We, however, tend to travel as soon as we feel the warmth of our beloved Sun. That’s where a VPN comes in!
Traveling abroad without proper data protection is borderline dangerous! Public WiFi networks are havens for hackers and cyber-criminals looking to snatch your private information.
However, a VPN, such as NordVPN, will keep you safe perfectly. As soon as you connect to the server, you can browse the web freely, anonymously, and without restrictions, all while your privacy remains intact. Here’s how.
Travel Abroad Safely With NordVPN
How NordVPN Helps You Travel Safely
Many experts agree on using a VPN when traveling abroad.
Public WiFi hotspots are unsafe and are often targets of cyber-criminals. As soon as you connect to one, your personal data is vulnerable and easily obtainable by a skilled individual. There’s more to be worried about.
Hotels and restaurants are under the same umbrella! The former can even collect your web history and sensitive information, directly negating your privacy. If you travel abroad, also be aware of frequent geo-restrictions.
TV channels from your home won’t be accessible overseas. In some cases, you won’t be able to use online banking either! The whole set of issues is easily avoided with a reputable VPN service, such as NordVPN.
NordVPN offers:
Servers in 118 countries
Military-grade 256-bit encryption
No-logging policy
Double VPN protection
Malware and ad-blocking
Apps for all devices
Unlimited bandwidth
Fast 10 Gbps server speeds
All of the above is more than enough to ensure all your adventures are private. Its servers protect you against public WiFi threats, allowing you to enjoy the internet safely in cafes, restaurants, and hotels.
Plus, with so many servers, you can access BBC iPlayer abroad or stream on a plethora of Netflix libraries. Unlimited bandwidth and the fastest-ever speeds are part of the deal, leaving nothing more to be desired.
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Bible Study Essentials: From A Shelf of Books to Logos

Arts & Culture, Books

Bible Study Essentials: From A Shelf of Books to Logos Bible Software.
In my journey to lead a quieter life—one rooted in simplicity, depth, and thoughtful faith—I commit a lot of time to study and grow. Over the years, I have had to rethink how I study and grow based on the season I am in. As a pastor and student, I’ve always loved sitting with a physical book and experiencing the book, but recently, I found myself leaning more toward new and digital resources than ever before. In the next few blog posts, as part of the Bible Study Essentials series I am blogging through, I am exploring resources that I find myself inseparable from. The Bible Study Essentials series will explore resources that I believe will help me to study and grow. I hope that through this series, you will find some resources that will help you study and grow to better lead a quiet life that is rooted in simplicity, depth, and thoughtful faith.

First, in this Bible Study Essentials series, I want to explore Logos Bible Software. Please note that I haven’t been asked to review Logos Bible Software or paid to say any of this, but after a full week of using it heavily for sermon prep, academic writing, and personal study, I knew I wanted to start this resource series on sharing my experience with Logos.  Logos Bible Software has become more than just a tool; it’s a quiet companion that fits the rhythm of a slower, more intentional life of faith focused on study and growth. Through this post, if you aren’t using Logos, I hope you will consider it.
My Introduction to Logos Bible Software
I’ll be honest – it took me a while to warm up to Logos Bible Software. I am someone who loves the feel of a real book in my hands. The smell of paper, the texture of a page, the beauty of the binding, and the experience of reading with the right setting, light, chair, and cup of coffee — reading has always been an experience for me. Sure, I own books on the Amazon Kindle app, Apple’s Books app, and other digital platforms and PDFs. However, none of these offer the same romanticized, nostalgic experience that a printed book does.
For many years, I collected books that made up my own library. At one point, I had nearly 3,000 books in my collection. That may be small compared to some pastors or professors, but it was a collection I regularly studied, sat with, paged through, and referenced. Those books felt like an extension of who I am and what influenced me. One of the churches I had pastored in had custom-built shelves wrapping around two walls of my large office. I filled them with the books that I collected, books that I knew and loved — commentaries, theology, church history, and practical ministry guides. When someone first recommended Logos, I gave it a try. I downloaded some free books and added a few here and there. However, I did not love it. To me, at the time, it felt slow, clunky, and cold (reading without the experience). It wasn’t the reading experience I was used to, and I knew that building my collection would be an investment.
My library in a previous office.
A Professor’s Recommendation Changed My Perspective
That started to shift during seminary. Fuller Seminary remarked that it would be good to have a bible study software. Many other professors made remarks like this in passing. However, for the most part, I continued to invest in books in print that I found used and through sales. While I was studying for my first master’s degree in Theology and Ministry at Fuller Seminary, I had a class on the parables of Jesus that was taught by Dr. David Parris. Parris is an Adjunct Associate Professor of the New Testament and runs a YouTube channel called The Caffeinated Bible, where he extends academic learning beyond the four walls of seminary. His research and work are well known. Early on in his course, Dr. Parris convincingly and constantly emphasized the importance of having good Bible study software for our studies.
Even though he personally used Accordance (I believe that is what he utilized), Dr. David Parris acknowledged that Logos was a solid choice. I believe he even said that he wasn’t so invested financially in his current software; he might have gone with Logos because of their many new features. I recall his remarking that the best software, is the one you are using and is updated with manuscripts and newer research and commentaries. My professors’ encouragement, along with the practical reality that I needed books that could travel with me and be more diverse than I could own in print, pushed me to give Logos another try. At the time, the church I was pastoring in offered a $1,000-per-year resource fund for continuing education and study materials. I started to use that to purchase Logos books, especially commentaries and theological works. Over time, as my library grew and the diversity of my collection grew, I continued to notice that my view of Logos changed.
Dr. David Parris has some YouTube Videos on The Caffeinated Bible show that are worth watching on the importance of having software for study. You might enjoy – Strong’s Concordance VS Software! The Ultimate Showdown, The Best Free Bible Software?, Bible Study Hack 2: Bible Software, Should You Buy Bible Software?, and How Much Do You Need to Spend $$$ on Bible Software?.
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When I Changed Careers, Logos Became Essential
In 2020, I transitioned out of a pastoral role I had been in for seven years. That meant I had to give up my office — and with it, my beloved bookshelves that housed my growing libary. I didn’t have space at home for even a third of my book collection in my home office. Most of my books went into storage bins. Truthfully, five years later, many are still on temporary shelves and stacked on the floor in my home office. Though a few book collections came with me to my new office at Water Street Mission, where I now serve people experiencing homelessness, I knew I wasn’t going to haul my collection in and out. Plus, as a pastor in two contexts (Water Street Mission and River Corner Church), it made sense to have most of my collection at home where they could be accessed for my work as a church pastor as well. In this change of peace, I noticed that Logos Bible Software suddenly became a necessity. I needed a way to access scripture, commentaries, and theological resources from my phone, laptop, or wherever I was. Logos filled that gap. Over time, I got better at reading digitally. While print is still my preferred format, I’ve come to love the portability, depth, diversity, and power of Logos Bible Software.
My Logos Library Today
I now have nearly 3,000 resources in my Logos library (I am four or five books short of 3,000). My collection includes 593 ancient manuscripts, 546 biblical commentaries, over 195 Bible translations, over 25 Systematic Theology books, and countless others. I have especially enjoyed the access to early church fathers like Origen and Augustine, scholars like J.B. Lightfoot, and modern voices in biblical studies from Keener to Moo— all at my fingertips. As a pastor, doctoral student studying the Lord’s Prayer at Kairos University, and regular preacher at River Corner Church, this has become invaluable to my sermon messages, answering questions in pastoral care sessions, and theological research for my dissertation. Currently, I am on the Max Subscription plan and have purchased some basic libraries over the years, but I have not invested in a specific customized library collection yet through Logos.
Why I Love Logos Bible Software
Just this week, while preparing a sermon, I realized again how much I rely on Logos and how much I love the diversity of my collection in planning a message. In preparation for a message on Philippians 3, I was able to reference more than fifteen commentaries and dozens of historic sermons and explored Greek usage of Paul’s use of the verb χαίρω throughout his Philippian epistle. Even more, Logos allowed me to copy quotes with automatic Turabian-style footnotes into my sermon manuscript and recent doctoral research (you can customize citation style too!), which I just love. The ease of searching the original languages easily, comparing translations quickly, and accessing linked resources with a simple click is unmatched in preparation. To top it off, I can use my library anywhere — from the office, home, coffee shop, or even in a meeting. I truly believe that the software has also become faster and more user-friendly over the years. What once felt bulky now feels smooth and intuitive.
The Subscription Model: A Bittersweet Shift
When Logos shifted to a subscription model, I was initially skeptical. It felt like another consumeristic ploy. However, with an academic discount and an early deal, I got a two-year Max Subscription for under $100 — and it ended up being more than worth it. In addition to purchasing individual books, library collections, and more – you will find that Logos now offers different subscription levels – The Premium level is good for for small group leaders and personal study, the Pro level is a good option for pastors and general sermon prep, and the Max level is perfect for deep language study and academic research. You will still want to add your own book collections and resources to make Logos custom to your work and context. 
There are a lot of features within Logos that many find helpful, too. For me, it’s not the features so much as there are many I have never used — it’s the books and linked resources that are optimized for use in the program. One benefit to using Logos is also that Logos adds free books monthly that you can simply just add to a free plan and build your library slowly and simply, and when you are ready you can take advantage of the the subscription level that matches your ministry and you will find with it a collection of books that includes hundreds more. Students, academic pricing is something to certainly take advantage of (you will have to renew it every six months, but it is easy to do so). You will find that seasonal sales make it easier to build your library without breaking the bank.
The Drawbacks
Logos isn’t cheap. Some commentary sets, like The New Interpreter’s Bible, which I have in print but not yet digitally, are still just under $600 — even with discounts. And yes, I’m now deeply invested in Logos. I’ve spent close to $1,000 on resources. If Logos were ever to shut down or lose prominence, it’d be a real blow. But they’ve been around since 1992, and they show no signs of slowing down. This feels like a good time to mention that Logos Bible Software was founded in 1992 by Bob Pritchett, his father Dale, and Kiernon Reiniger after leaving their jobs to create Christian software. Since then, it’s become part of the Faithlife Family and grown into the leading Bible study platform trusted by pastors, scholars, and students around the world. Many seminaries insist on it and even give you access to libraries that they have customized. With over three decades of innovation, a solid track record, and remarkable partnerships, it’s safe to say that Logos isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Still, be aware that the investment is real — financially and practically.
Final Thoughts: Is Logos Worth It?
If you’re a pastor, seminary student, or serious Bible nerd, Logos is worth it. It took me a minute to get used to it, and now I cannot imagine a minute without it. Even if you’re just curious, there’s a free version you can try. The free version of Logos includes helpful tools like Bible Word Study, basic study workflows, a limited version of Factbook, and several free books to get you started. And no, you won’t lose access to any books you’ve purchased if you cancel your subscription. The free books are always free and yours. Anything you buy is yours to keep, forever. I haven’t gotten rid of my physical book collection yet, though it’s been trimmed down. There are still times for the experience of reading. However, Logos is still right on par with my physical library, and maybe even referenced more.
Why I Recommend Logos
I love and recommend Logos Bible Software because it gives me instant access to thousands of biblical resources, ancient texts, and commentaries—anytime, anywhere. As a pastor, student, and lifelong learner, it’s become an essential tool for sermon prep, academic writing, and personal study. I can explore original languages, reference church history, and study scripture in depth, all from my laptop or phone. The automatic footnotes, linked resources, and growing digital library have made Logos far more than just software—it’s become my go-to study companion and a vital part of my ministry and learning rhythm.
If you’re looking for a powerful, professional, portable library to support your ministry or studies, give Logos Bible Software a try. It might just change how you study scripture.
This post kicks off my Bible Study Essentials series with a closer look at Logos—not because I was asked or paid to, but because I use it regularly. Logos has become more than just software; it’s a quiet companion that fits the pace of a slower, more intentional life of faith. If you’re not already using it, I hope you’ll consider exploring what it has to offer.
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