William J. Furney, Author at Furney Times

December 1, 2018 Reportage / Travel

Out of This World in California

An adventurous journey from London to Los Angeles, filled with quirky characters, smoky dramas and a lively exploration of California’s charm.

October 13, 2018 Commentary / International Affairs

Saudi Journalist ‘Murder’ Would Be Indelible Stain on ‘Modernising’ Kingdom

By William J. Furney The alleged murder of a Saudi journalist at a Turkish consulate is, if proven, one of the more shocking events of modern times, and would show

September 21, 2018 Commentary

What on Earth Has Happened to Aung San Suu Kyi?

By William J. Furney Power does strange things to people. It’s like a potent elixir and one more powerful than any hallucinatory drug, because it seems as though once you

September 12, 2018 International Affairs / Interviews

Hunger-Striking American in Egyptian Jail Is ‘Distraught and Losing Hope’: Lawyer

By William J. Furney Mustafa Kassem is a taxi driver in New York who was visiting his wife and young son and daughter in Cairo, Egypt, in the summer of

September 8, 2018 Commentary / International Affairs

Egypt’s Mass Death Sentencing a Further Stain on a Once-Great Nation

By William J. Furney It’s a peculiarity that Donald Trump’s government has recently announced it’s cutting almost all United States aid funding to Pakistan and a United Nations relief agency

September 1, 2018 Commentary

Computer-Controlled Cars Will Not Drive Us Around the Bend

By William J. Furney Many people of driving age seem to react with horror at the thought of their vehicular autonomy being snatched away from them as the prospect of

August 27, 2018 Commentary

For the Embattled Catholic Church, Sorry Is the Hardest Word

By William J. Furney Priests of the Roman Catholic church have caused misery, torment and destruction all over the world, leading to lives upturned, ruined and lost. These “men of

August 19, 2018 Commentary

The Diet Delusion

By William J. Furney If you’re on a plane and your tray-table won’t come down because it’s perched at a perilous angle on your enormous gut, wouldn’t it be a

August 11, 2018 Commentary

The Muslim Veil Has No Place in Europe

By William J. Furney When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And when all over Europe, do as born-and-bred Europeans do, which is most certainly not to parade around

August 4, 2018 Commentary

Dabbling in the Dark Arts: Why the Occult Remains a Fascinating Medium

By William J. Furney Many people are fascinated by the occult, and all too terrified too, and for most that’s about it: a bit of a play-around at Halloween and

July 27, 2018 Commentary

Britain’s Long, Hot, Torturous Summer

By William J. Furney The British people are not happy. Perched on the northwestern edge of the great continent of Europe from which the civilised world, and democracy, sprung, they

July 15, 2018 Travel

Fear of Flying Is Irrational, Yes, But It’s Still Valid

By William J. Furney Whether humankind was designed or developed from a petri dish-like swamp, it’s a safe bet that either the creator or evolving genes didn’t envision that some

July 7, 2018 Commentary

World Is Unforgivably Indifferent to Syrian War Even as 400,000 Dead

By William J. Furney Syria is the war without end and one that keeps on giving — to Bashar al-Assad at least. The 52-year-old strongman will have been president of