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...
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...
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!
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...
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...
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...
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...
