Exclusives, MAY 06

CHILD SLAVERY - African Cocoa Farms
by NOOSHIN SHABANI, guest writer

Over 240,000 children have been sold as slaves in West Africa to work on coffee, cocoa, and cotton plantations. 15,000 of these children are aged between 9-12. While our children get an education, the children that we have forgotten about can only dream of such opportunities. They don’t get the luxury of education. Instead, they get a tortured life of abuse and daily beatings. This is their payment so that you can have your Mars bar.

COACHELLA - The Spirit of Woodstock Lives
by GILAD CHUDLER, staff writer


It’s difficult to describe what a day at Coachella is like, and pictures hardly do it justice. Electricity, aura, energy, vibe; whatever you want to call it -- there is something special in the air at Coachella. When you pull into the parking lot you can already hear the first bands of the day starting their sets. Anticipation is painted on everybody’s face as they eagerly make their way across the field in the beating sun towards the entrance.

McCLELLAN - Giving up a Tough Job
The United States Press Secretary Resigns
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, senior global correspondent

One of McClellan’s huge tasks as press secretary has been to apply diplomacy. Another issue that was discussed during that Monday afternoon on April 17, 2006 was the presence of homosexual couples with their adoptive children during the White House Easter Egg Roll. For this reason, McClellan was asked if the White House would welcome all sexual orientations to participate in the Easter Egg Roll next year.

Features, MAY 06

NORWAY - Do You Know the Way to Norway?
semester@sea.wldy
by ALEX BUDAK, staff columnist

I was constantly amused by the Norwegian fascination with American culture, the pinnacle of which occurred when I wandered into a shop that must be Norway’s version of Abercrombie. In the store – which was blasting Maroon 5 and Ludacris – were t-shirts with American sayings that I couldn’t help but wonder about.

Probably my favorite was a ¾-length shirt that boldly said “SOUTH COUNTY RHODE ISLAND” on it. What Rhode Islander would have enough state pride (or county pride, for that matter) to wear a shirt proudly displaying that they are from the smallest state in the union? Fear not, Rhode Islanders, there are Norwegian teens reppin’ for your state (and if you’re lucky enough to be from southern Rhode Island, your county as well).

AMERICA - This
Columbia, New York
by RYAN JOE, staff columnist

I've just enrolled at the ol' MFA program at Columbia and I'm getting pretty cynical.

Mike, back in New Orleans, pointed out to me that these MFA programs really are a bit of a scam. Consider that medical school costs an arm, leg and left nut because, in the end, the school must fund chemicals and all those shiny stainless steel implements used for dissecting cadavers (which also cost money).

What do MFA programs need? A photocopier. So in charging a lot of money to attend these programs, a university takes little risk but reaps big dividends.

Cover, APR 06

by AMY CHOU, cover artist.

Exclusives, APR 06

FASHION WEEK - The Culture of Beauty
In the world of high fashion, has ethnicity become an accessory?
by JENNIFER CHANG, creator

A specific culture surrounds the realm of high-end fashion, and it is one that, by necessity, must appear light years ahead of what exists in the present.

Fashion designers seeking to push the envelope must be able to identify beauty that is not readily observable, and not universally understood.

Designers who have created clothes out of things like trash bags, or deflated Mylar balloons will tell you that they can’t afford to be bound or blinded by societal standards of what is beautiful and what must be dismissed as ugly. The fashion world has long-since shucked off the lines of color and gender.


OLYMPICS - TORINO 2006
Looking Back: The Political Side of the Olympics
by ROXY VARZA, assistant editor


Sports have a political system all their own. Athletes live in a world where they become candidates aiming for election. They abide by sport laws and function under sport government officials. An athlete’s life is extremely political. But add a global element, where athletes no longer represent themselves or their teams, but rather their nations and their governments -- a whole new political element comes into play.

In this light, one can see how the twentieth Olympic Games, which took place in Torino, Italy, were anything but fair play.


POETRY - word & violin
Memories, Myths, and Migrations
by KATHERINE PARADERO, editor-in-chief

With the stage at the level of the floor, and with painted-over windows behind them, the performance that evening had its focus on themes of migration and on the myths that surround it.

The story of Lot’s wife, who becomes a pillar of salt when she turns back to witness the burning of Sodom and Gomorra in the Old Testament, is the inspiration for the parallel that Sundaralingam draws to the refugees who are the witnesses of their own burning cities.

For refugee women like herself, who have had to leave their countries and their homes to burn, there is a part of them that remains, like Lot's wife, forever frozen there. It is to these women that the poem, “Lot’s Wives” is dedicated.

Reviews, APR 06

CD REVIEW - "Bridge Across The Blue"
Connecting historical parallels among the very personal

and the ethno-cultural
by KATHERINE PARADERO, editor-in-chief

“Bridge Across The Blue” lifts the lid of the American ‘melting-pot’ and presents to you a selection of narratives – often delivered in the very same voices by which they were composed.

Only this time, producers Colm O’Riain and Pireeni Sundaralingam have done the courageous thing and stirred it up a bit before giving you a taste.

Voted by the editors of About.com as among the seven best spoken word / poetry anthologies to add to your collection, “Bridge Across the Blue” explores ideas of migration, and musical parallels, by drawing together many unexpected links across history, ethnicities, and personal journeys.

Features, APR 06

ISRAEL - Finding Self
Finding Self, Family, and Identity in the Middle East
by GILAD CHUDLER, staff writer

That day in Petach Tikvah represented everything I hold to be true and beautiful about Israel. It is a land where people from all different backgrounds can come together and celebrate each other’s faiths and cultures, and grow from it. It is a tragedy that the political conflicts receive the most attention.

Although war is an unfortunate reality in the Middle East, it is far from a constant war-zone. Israel remains a safe country to travel to, and still stands as one of the most incredible and unique countries to visit in the world. Regardless of what’s in store for its future, Israel will forever be remembered as country where East and West lived side by side for centuries, and a country that continues to inspire people of all backgrounds even today.


ICELAND - There's Always A Way
semester@sea.wldly
by ALEX BUDAK, staff columnist

Tevye, of “Fiddler on the Roof,” measured his life in sunrises and sunsets. It’s a good thing he didn’t live in Iceland, or his internal clock would have been way off. While in Iceland I saw both the most spectacular sunrise, and the most spectacular sunset of my life – all within a matter of 30 minutes.


Since Iceland is so far north -- right outside of the Arctic Circle – and we were visiting right at the summer solstice, the sun dipped below the horizon for just a fleeting second, only to reappear seconds later, now performing a midnight sunrise. Luckily for me, the 24 hours of sunlight gave me the time I needed to explore all that Iceland had to offer.


FRANCE - Villepin, Si Tu Savais
The CPE and Me
by ROXY VARZA, assistant editor

When the first big protest in Bordeaux took place on February 7th, I had no idea it would grow to be so big. The CPE gave employers the right to fire employees under the age of 26 without being obliged to communicate a motive.

Bordeaux was ranked consistently the third or fourth city in France with the most abundant turnout at protests, numbers generally between 20,000 and 40,000. Large protests took place in the center of town, without fail, every Tuesday at 11:30 am, coordinated with the rest of the nation through various different forms of organizational networking.


AMERICA - Free Kittens!
New Orleans, Louisiana
by RYAN JOE, staff columnist


First: Does anyone need a kitten? We found five kittens on our property that are about the size of guinea pigs. They are all simply adorable and they currently subsist off a liquid diet, fed through a bottle, just like old fogies in a nursing home.

If you would like a kitten and live reasonably close to me, then let me know as we cannot keep all five. Otherwise, we will have to put them in a little baggy weighted with rocks and toss them into the pool.

Cover, MAR 06

by AMY CHOU, cover artist.

Exclusives, MAR 06

MOHAMMED CARTOON DEBACLE – No Laughing Matter
The explosive situation may not be about the cartoon at all…
by GILAD CHUDLER, staff writer

In September 2005, the Jyllands-Posten, (a Danish newspaper) printed a series of political cartoons. This has wrought outrage among followers of Islam because of its depictions of Mohammed. What started as a political satire has turned into an internationally-recognized controversy.


In October 2005 al-Fag, (a popular Egyptian newspaper) republished the cartoons, criticizing them as a “continuous insult” and a “racist bomb.” The Egyptian readers received these cartoons as a deep insult, but continued to carry on with their daily business, and with no demonstrations.

When Danish Imams arrived in Egypt to stir up protests, they could only achieve this by planting face cartoons, all of which were far more offensive than the original twelve.



GLOBAL FAMILY - Do Two Daddies Make A Home?
Homosexuality blurs definition of "family" in France & beyond
by ROXY VARZA, assistant editor

The French define a marriage as the union between a man and a woman, the reason being that a child, in order to develop a proper sexual identity, must grow up in the presence of both a male and female parent.

However, in today’s changing world, divorced, single, and remaried parents are just as common, if not more common, than what the French call the PME or Père-Mère-Enfant family structure.



ACADEMY AWARDS - A Hollywood Ritual
78th Annual Academy Awards in the hands of Stewart and Cates
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, senior global correspondent

Even before the big day arrives, there is plenty to see to get into the Oscar high.

For true Oscar lovers, an exhibit by the title, “Meet the 50 Golden Statuettes,” will open up on February 10th at the Hollywood & Highland Center.

This will be a chance to see the golden statues close-up; before they go into the hands of the Oscar show presenters and winners.

Altogether, the Sunday March 5th ceremony will be a promising and spectacular day for those directly participating in, and for those watching the event from a distance.



ACADEMY AWARDS - A HOLLYWOOD RITUAL, PART 2
On Location Outside the Oscars
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, senior global correspondent

Next to camera people and other journalists, I was running along and taking pictures of the 51 students from the Inner City Filmmakers (a training and film industry job development program for young adults between age 17-22 in Santa Monica, www.innercityfilmmakers.com) who carried the 51 Oscar statuettes down the red carpet and into the Kodak Theatre.

Features, MAR 06

AMERICA - Hurricaine Amigo!
New Orleans, Louisiana
by RYAN JOE, columnist

Hurricane Dennis will probably not hit New Orleans. Florida will get the brunt of it, as usual, which is sad for them but they shouldn't have voted for Bush. God hates Florida.

The elderly in Native American tribes, when they felt that their time on earth was ending, would venture out into the wilderness alone to quietly die.

That's sort of what Florida is--our big American pastel-colored wilderness where baby boomers send their parents to quietly die on the beach. It's the Nursing Home State!

Hurricane Dennis was a category 5 hurricane at one point, which would've been bad. Now it's a category 2, which is sort of wimpy and befitting of a name like Dennis.