The Worldly JULY 2008 Issue

Dear reader,

The following posts represent our new articles for the July Issue of The Worldly. Click on the post titles to read the full articles, and please feel free to comment on any and all of them. We have some great topics up for discussion this month, from travel to culture to race relations.

For the unacquatined, The Worldly is a web magazine and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We rely on your support and donations to keep running. Meanwhile, 100% of profits from our store go to a different international charity every month.

This month we're raising $250 to buy a water buffalo for poor families in the Philippines, so stop on by!

THE GREAT TRIP TO THE GLORIOUS AMERICA - Part 8 - The City of Chicago: Moroccans of the World

We got back to Chicago at noon. It was a very hot day. I could not believe this worldly city called Chicago was so hot, even though it was built on the beautiful breathtaking Lake Michigan. The grand avenues, the skyscrapers and the busy streets were the first glimpses I caught of this cosmopolitan city...


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The Imprisonment of Women’s Rights Activists in Iran

On June 18, 2008, 21-year-old and women’s rights activist Hana Abdi was sentenced to a five-year prison term in the West Azarbaijan Province after having been in detention since her arrest in November 2007. The Sanandaj Revolutionary Court issued Abdi the sentence on charges of “gathering and collusion to threaten national security.” What had Abdi been doing that posed such a threat to national security? She had been collecting signatures on behalf of the One Million Signatures Campaign for Equality, a grassroots effort to collect one million signatures in support of changes to discriminatory laws against women. Because of this she was given the maximum prison sentence possible...

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TANTALIZING - The World of Spanish Tapas

We had just finished a week's tour of Spain's Levant coast where we had been treated to the bottomless pit of Spanish hospitality. Now, for the last night in Spain, the owner of Resaurante El Callejon in the heart of Madrid was hosting us. Ernest Hemingway's description of it in his novel, The Dangerous Summer, brought it into the limelight when he wrote:

"We got into Madrid in time for a late lunch at the Callejon, a narrow crowded restaurant on the Calle Ternera where we always ate alone because we both thought that, day in and day out, it had the best food in town"...

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FURO - Japanese Bath-Turned-Dance

Cultures mesh as minds unite on the Tel Aviv Port in Israel for a multicultural modern dance production: Furo. Japan’s Ohad Naharim and Tabaimo both collaborated with Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company to create an original visual and audio spectacle.

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Nadav: A True First-Hand Account of Poker in Israel

Summary: This narrative journalistic piece takes a look at poker culture in Israel and contrasts it through the eyes of Nadav, an American who lived in Israel for two years and came back to visit friends and family there. The article attempts to show differences and similarities between the way a casual tournament in America would be as opposed to how it was in Israel....

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LARGO - The Best Kept Secret of Los Angeles' Subculture

It is 7:45 on Friday evening, and the Los Angeles sky threatens rain. On Fairfax Avenue, across from the famous Canter’s Deli, a thin strand of white lights illuminates a modest sign that simply reads, ‘Largo’...

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The Worldly JUNE 2008 Issue

Dear reader,The following posts represent our new articles for the June Issue of The Worldly. Click on the post titles to read the full articles, and please feel free to comment on any and all of them. We have some great topics up for discussion this month, from travel to culture to race relations.

For the unacquatined, The Worldly is a web magazine and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We rely on your support and donations to keep running. Meanwhile, 100% of profits from our store go to a different international charity every month.

This month we're raising $250 to buy a water buffalo for poor families in the Philippines, so stop on by!

THE TROPICANA - A World of Cuban Fantasy

Situated on the outskirts of Havana in lush tropical gardens, the Tropicana, from 1939 until our times has been a myth mixed with fantasy. Established as a casino/entertainment nightspot by the mafia, it became a mecca for American tourists before the Cuban revolution. Then after the overthrow of Batista, it was turned into a folkloric cabaret for workers who performed well at their jobs. Today the wheel has turned a full circle and again the Tropicana has become a major tourist attraction - sans the mafia, roulette wheels and slot machines...

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SHANE COOPER STAYS INSANE - An Unconventional New Zealand Artist Creates Provocative Museum Pieces When He's Not Engineering Software

Shane Cooper’s day job keeps him sane. His artwork, according to him, keeps him insane, and for that, he is very grateful.

As a software engineer, his work “satisfies some weird, autistic urge inside me,” says Cooper. “It’s not that my work is boring, it is in fact highly challenging and I am constantly learning new things, but I need an outlet for the bizarre thoughts and images that are constantly flowing through my brain...”

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THE LAYERS OF LIFE IN SAYULITA - A Small Mexican Beach Town is Heaven... Or Is It?

This last May I spent the entire month in Mexico. I stayed in a little beach town in Nayarit called Sayulita. Like most places today, the city has reached a crossroads between progression and modernization, or maintaining old traditions. I heard conversations about rising costs, increasing numbers of Americans buying property and continuing modernization. The oldest ATM machine has only been around for two years. People there still remember the days when horses provided the only means of transportation...

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MY LUFTMARE - A Traveler Encounters an Un-crossable Barrier in Frankfurt

When we travel internationally, we usually concentrate on passports, visas, impending lack of sleep, and possible diarrhea. And so when I was to make what would be my final return trip to Russia in 2004, I thought I had all eventualities covered...

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LET THE GAMES BEGIN - There are no winners in the recent protests in the East. Tashi Wangdi, representative of His Holiness, on Tibet

With only a few months before the Beijing Olympics, an outburst of protesting and unrest has erupted within Tibet, spreading not only awareness but also outrage throughout the world. But what many do not understand is the unique situation – culturally, politically, as well as historically – in which Tibet stands. In order to get a better grasp of the situation in Tibet before the Olympics propaganda fully explodes on both sides, here is an exclusive interview with Kasur Tashi Wangdi, former Kalon and current Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas...

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LIVING IN A DREAM AT LAS POSAS - The surreal vision of Sir Edward James exists as a lush Mexican jungle paradise

I’m sitting high up in the trees, overlooking the incredible hidden city of Las Posas, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. A light rain is falling from an electric sky, which is itself obscured by towering extraterrestrial trees. Abstract buildings lie dormant—swallowed up by the jungle. Massive tree roots spiral up around concrete obelisks like boa constrictors. Welcome to the tropical La Huasteca rainforest at Xilitla...

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JIMMY CARTER IN SYRIA - Striving for peace, or in bed with the enemy?

Last month, former president of the United States of America Jimmy Carter flew out to Damascus and held talks with Hamas – a radical Islamic group that legally came to power in the 2006 Palestinian Parliamentary elections...

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AT CHARLEVOIX’S LA FÊTE DES SAVEUERS

It seemed to be a confusing mob scene as the elite of Quebec’s Charlevoix gourmet region milled around – some arguing, some gossiping, some discussing politics while others were simply enjoying themselves at La Fête Des Saveuers held at École secondaire du Plateau: a cooking teaching establishment. Hosted by the Table Agrotouristique de Charlevoix, it was the fourth annual celebration by this eco-friendly organization, which draws some 250 annual participants...

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THE WOULD-BE TEACHER - A traveler, a rebel, a writer, and the path that chose him.

Once upon a time in a far off distant land known as America, there lived a woman named Muriel who gave birth to a baby boy and called him Julian. Since this was during the time period following the minor conflict known as World War II, there was no need for political correctness. Thus, Julian grew up totally oblivious to the fact that such a preposterous idea ever existed. However, once it had manifested itself he stubbornly refused to have anything to do with it, just as he would throughout the rest of his days...

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39 MONTHS IN SIBERIA - CHAPTER 9 AND EPILOGUE

As soon as I had returned from my visit with my parents in California and moved into the flat on Morskoy Prospyect, I called Galina to arrange to get together, just as we had agreed in June of 2002. So my second day back, I went to her flat. The minute she opened the door, I was struck by her beauty and charm, as I had only seen her once before, and that was three months prior. She looked exactly as she did in a photograph, which she had e-mailed to me during the summer. She was simply stunning with her green eyes, shoulder length blond hair, and model-like figure. Her mannerisms were notably feminine and kind. She definitely represented a younger age than she had, while at the same time, one could see experience in her face...

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THE GREAT TRIP TO THE GLORIOUS AMERICA - Part 7: Music Park

The second day of our stay in Freeport we were invited to a music show by the students of the local university at a very beautiful green park. It was almost six when arrived. The orchestra was already there and they had set up their instruments. People started arriving from every corner. We chose picked seats that were right in the front. Said, Abdul and I sat in the same row on the same bench. The other colleagues and the interpreters were sitting three rows behind us...

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IRAQ: FIVE YEARS PASSED

Last month marked five years of American presence in Iraq. After watching three of the most important buildings in America topple, citizens of the most powerful country in the world wanted revenge for these horrific acts. Many in the United States were swept up in the fervor of Bush’s “axis of evil” and became convinced by the administration that an invasion of Iraq would help prevent such attacks in the future.

Five years later the world is as dangerous a place as ever and the Middle East hasn’t been this turbulent since Lawrence of Arabia. In a speech that was prepared for the anniversary’s date, President Bush said, “Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision – and this is a fight America can and must win”...

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RELIVING SPAIN’S MOORISH HERITAGE AT PETRER

We were in high spirits as, with my wife Freda and two daughters, Muna and Leila, I drove from Alicante that May day, through rice fields and orchards, first introduced and planted by the Arabs after their conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, to attend the Moros y Cristianos Festival at Petrer or Petrel near Spain’s eastern coast. Rewardingly, our first sight was the Arab built fortress-castle overlooking the village. Was the festival to be held in and around this fortress? We did not know. However, we planned to find out...

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39 MONTHS IN SIBERIA - CHAPTER 8 - Morskoy Prospyect

Just before leaving for America in early June of 2002, I rented a flat on one of the main streets of Akademgorodok called “Morskoy Prospyect” (Boulevard of the Sea). An American couple, while working for the Peace Corp, had lived there. I knew them through NSU, so when it came time for them to leave, they told me their flat would be vacant, as they knew I had been looking for a place of my own. They gave me the name and number of a woman, Olga Volkova, who was handling the rental, since the owner of this flat was living in Moscow with her daughter and son-in-law...

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THE GREAT TRIP TO THE GLORIOUS AMERICA - Part 6 - Freeport: The City of Lincoln-Douglas Debate

It was approximately nine when we left the airport. It was dark outside. The van ride from the airport to Freeport was full of fun. Everybody was energized, screaming, dancing and making fun of each other. Everyone was full for excitement to discover this new part of the country. I personally had no idea about Freeport. I knew Chicago, its skyscrapers, Michigan lake and its emblematic personality Al Capone. I wanted to visit his home, listen to people talk about him and visit places where he used to go. I also knew that Chicago is compared to the biggest Moroccan city, Casablanca...


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SHANT FORGET THIS - The Life of a Shantytown at UCLA

Truthfully, I was pretty darn scared that it was going to rain. Regardless, rain or not, I was still scared; it was so cold. I remember calling a director of Hunger Project as well as of Habitat for Humanity, and asking if the event would still go on and the answer I got was “of course.”

“Of course,” I thought to myself, “what at a stupid question; shantytowns don’t just disappear because of the weather – they’re always there”...

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TROUBLE ON THE HORIZON: Food for Thought - Violence Escalation in Gaza, And the World Watches

Anybody who follows Middle East events, or simply follow the news, has heard that violence has been escalating in Israel and Hamas-controlled Gaza. Israel pulled out of the Gaza territory in 2005 and their problems have begun to reach a critical point over the last few days...

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THE GRACIOUS AND SEDUCTIVE MERENGUE - The Dominican Republic’s National Dance

For many years visitors usually came to the Dominican Republic for its salt, sand, sex and sun. Now after decades of neglect, the country's folklore had come of age. In an extraordinary interior in one of a network of caves, 5 km (3 mi) long, located on a ridge overlooking Santo Domingo's Mirador South Park, there is an excellent merengue entertainment centre. Called Guacara Taina, the cave has been transformed into the country's cultural nucleus and top discotheque. With a seating capacity of over 700, it has been designed to promote Dominican folklore and culture - traditionally not offered to visitors...

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THE WORST KIND OF RACIST

Those of us who live in California, especially Los Angeles, are terribly, terribly spoiled. We are swathed daily in the “sun-kissed mist” wistfully crooned about by Al Jolson. We know how to party, said (says…?) Tupac. And in Los Angeles, most of our racism is out in the open. Take that, rest-of-the-country!

“Is she being sarcastic?” Well, hear me out...

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GLOBALIZATION IS… Illumination and Musings on the Trend

Globalization is a term that folks living in the 21st century encounter on an everyday basis. Whether in the newspapers, on television, in classrooms, or at your local anti-globalization hippie ecological pep rally, it’s a term that is now all but unavoidable...

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ON THE "WHY" QUESTION

I arrived in U.S. in 1977 at the height of the Cold War tensions. At University of Michigan where I learned English as a second language, I met a lot of American students who after hearing my name, with the accompanying heavy accent, would usually ask me, “Where are you from?” To my surprise, most could not place Iran in their minds...



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KISSING KULTURES - Reflections on a social nuance in the U.S., Russia, and Mexico.

Here in America, we have evolved to the point of unacquainted men and women feeling quite comfortable in social settings. We give a salutary hug or peck on the cheek upon arrival and departure. This is assuming of course that “political correctness” doesn’t interfere...

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39 MONTHS IN SIBERIA - CHAPTER 7 - NSU

Akademgorodok is the home of Novosibirsk State University, which prides itself on an eight-to-one students-to-teacher ratio. Many of the graduates from NSU go on to work as scientific researchers or software engineers right in the Novosibirsk area. As small as it may be, Akademgorodok is becoming the IT capital of Russia. Life in a small university town can have its advantages. Ira knows a woman who is in charge of the computer room for disabled students, as well as being a professor of chemistry at the university...

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THE GREAT TRIP TO THE GLORIOUS AMERICA: Part 5 - Portland

The plane started lowering its height. The pilot said that we had started descending. The environment was very green with a very white mountain standing in front of us like a huge landmark for spotting Portland. I cannot remember how many miles or how minutes we went through this green paradise. It was a huge forest. Endless and limitless...

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