St. Charles, Iowa, USA

Imes is the oldest of the surviving bridges of Madison County, Iowa. It has been moved twice since 1870 when it was built. At this location, its relationship to the land is lost. What good is a covered bridge without a stream passing underneath? [2008]

Panyee, Thailand

When an island's cliffs come right down to the sea, where do you build your village? The fishing families of Koh Panyee have solved the problem by building everything on stilts out over the water. Everything. [2011]

Paphos, Cyprus

Less than a hundred miles south of Paphos is the Aphrodite Gas Field. You can tell from the name that it lies within Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone. Desperation for fossil fuel will bring it into production, give a boost to the nation's economy, and add another insult to the Mediterranean ecosystem. What would Aphrodite think? [2004]

Jerusalem, Israel

Along a Roman street he runs. The street is the old Cardo of Jerusalem, built during the heyday of the Roman Empire. He is a boy of the Haredim whose ancestors came to Jerusalem from Mitteleuropa. Of bygone eras, both are reminders. [2010]

Jerusalem, Israel

In 1991, Operation Solomon airlifted thousands of Jews out of their home country, Ethiopia. By the end of the decade, entrepreneurs were trying to stimulate a tourist trade with Africa. [1999]

Jerusalem, Israel

The outpouring Jews from the Soviet realm began in the 1980s, then crescendoed with the complete collapse of European Communism. In the 1990s, over a million Jews from the former USSR arrived in Israel, stimulating a demand for Russian culture. Philip Kirkorov, for one, became very popular. Note the three languages: English, Russian, and Hebrew. [1999]

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

It's not a church and it's not Icarus. It's a concert hall and an eye. In fact, it's 'The Eye,' by Montreal sculptor David Altmejd. That's the official line, but I still think it's Icarus: burned right through by a sunbeam, face gone, wings melted. [2011]