Exclusives, MAR/APR 05

APPLE PIE - A Bite Out of Cultural History
Just how American is apple pie?
by CALIFORNIA KAY, guest writer

We’ve all heard one of the most patriotic and appetite-inducing phrase many times over: “As American as apple pie.” No other idiom stirs the salivary glands, although “That’s how the cookie crumbles” and “There’s the icing on the cake” come pretty close. But just how genuinely American is America’s beloved classic dessert? Of course, questioning the “American-ness” of the American Apple Pie is bound to stir pride of some, but we can’t always have our cake and eat it too. Nonetheless, here’s the tantalizing story of how a great dish became the favorite of a great nation . .



ART GALLERY - Jack Rutberg Runs a Unique 'Museum'
Rutberg's gallery brings poignant pieces of history to Los Angeles
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, special guest writer

A self-made man, Jack Rutberg discovered his love for the arts on "rainy and melancholy days", where he would find himself mostly in museums. Never having received any formal training, he was to learn about the arts, in much the same as he had acquired English, while being a French speaker upon his arrival in the United States. That Rutberg's passion would one day form into a long-lasting career was not intentional. "What at first only seemed to be a hobby, later got out of control", he said. "It was a revelation."



FILMMAKER - A Mendelssohn in Hollywood
The filmmaker Henry Jaglom is a descendant of the great German-Jewish thinker
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, special guest writer

... He has also directed and written the screenplays of films, such as A SAFE PLACE (1971), SOMEONE TO LOVE (1988), VENICE, VENICE (1992), DEJA VU (1999) and FESTIVAL IN CANNES (2002), in which he worked with Jack Nicholson, Maximilian Schell, Anouk Aimee and Greta Scacchi...

Jaglom's films often deal with women's issues – but not in the usual Hollywood manner. "Hollywood so neglects women's real stories and real lives and indulges in male fantasies about women that have little to do with the reality of women's lives," the filmmaker said.



SPANDANA - An Indian Classical Music Concert
by MADHAVI KARUNAKARAM AND N. RAMACHANDRAN, special guest writers

Perfection is like a horizon, the closer you go towards it, the further it moves away. Then why do human beings have this obsessive passion to reach perfection?

In any field to attain perfection is not easy. In Hindu philosophy, we say a perfect person is one who has attained ‘mukti’ or enlightenment. In Indian Classical music it is all about ‘hitting’ that perfect swara or note.

Reviews, MAR/APR 05

MUSIC - La Oreja (de Van Gogh)
"Lo Que Te Conté Mientras Te Hacías La Dormida"
by MICHAEL KAY, graphics editor

Lo Que Te Conté Mientras Te Hacías La Dormida (loosely translated, “What I Told You While You Were Asleep”) is a beautiful and ingenious album in many respects.

Although generally ranked among the rock/pop charts, Lo Que Te Conté has elements of dance, easy listening, and folk to satisfy the tastes of virtually anyone in search of delightful, easy-on-the-ears music.

Once you start up the first track, you can almost begin to visualize the vivid masterpieces of Mr. Van Gogh himself. Lo Que Te Conté is a one-hour escape from the pressures and rushes of everyday life, invoking feelings of nostalgia and romance.




RESTAURANT - Shahrzad
A Taste of Tehran
by ROXY VARZA, staff writer

You cannot leave a Persian restaurant if you have never tried ghormeh-sabzi. This stew takes a ridiculous amount of preparation, trimming cilantro leaves one-by-one from the stems.

Cilantro, onion, kidney beans, juicy beef chunks, and other spices and herbs are blended together with the tangy flavor of fresh lemon and limoo omani (dried lemon) to create a mouth-watering flavor. Iranians take this dish very seriously.

Exclusives, FEB 05

INTERNATIONAL PLASTIC SURGERY
You can’t blame it on Barbie: The Color of Plastic Surgery
by ROXY VARZA, staff writer

If it seems as though the west has set the facial standard, this is not necessarily the case. Humans of all cultures and ethnicities tend to find symmetry and youthfulness attractive. This includes large eyes, young skin, small noses, and full lips.

Therefore, double eyelid surgeries and nose jobs may be the result of a global ideal rather than a western standard.

But it’s probably more fun to blame it on Barbie.




LIVE AID CONCERT
Jammin' Tunes to Save Lives
by ANH V. NGUYEN, staff writer

For one day, this concert united the world with a common goal and raised approximately $110 million for the cause. Never before had anything of such magnitude been organized.

Bob Geldof eloquently stated, “to die of want in a world of surplus is not only intellectually absurd, it is morally repulsive.” To this day, he continues to convince the UN, the EU, and the World Bank to cease the governments’ attempt to spend money to subsidize farmers on agricultural export dumping as millions still die of starvation.

The Live Aid DVD provides over 10 hours of musical satisfaction. The proceeds will go to the Band Aid Trust in Africa, continuing the effort to alleviate the suffering caused by famine.




REMEMBERING THE TSUNAMI - If Symbolism Sets in...
The benefit held by UCLA's International Institute raises funds, raises hopes
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, special guest writer

The first half of the benefit ended with a remarkable performance by the Californian dance group, Sri Dance Company. The three female dancers, Sri Susilowati, Caroline Chang and Sydney Cassatta expressed, in abstract and metaphorical movements, the suffering of women.

Dressed in white shirts, colorful skirts and yellow veils, the dancers moved their bodies in ways that complemented the gentle music of the composer, Albert Chang.




THE CAPTIVATING FADO - and Its Origin
by HABEEB SALLOUM, special guest writer

The name fado comes from the Latin fatum (fate). It is the popular song and music of the Portuguese cabarets and nightclubs - the entertainment par-excellence of that land. A type of urban melodies rather than folk tunes, its origin is not clear to numerous music historians.

A number of Portuguese writers, perhaps still sub-consciously fighting the Crusades, claim that the source of the fado is to be found in Africa, Brazil or the sailor songs on the high seas. However, others more objective in their observations have asserted that it is of true Moorish origin.

In the New Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Theophilo Braga states that the root of the fado lies in Moorish or Arabian tradition. R.Gallop in Portugal, A Book of Folk-Ways quotes Arménio Correia Lopes who claims that not only the fado but the Spanish tango and habaZera are the direct descendants of the Arabian majuri.

Exclusives, JAN 05

SRI LANKA - More than a Tsunami Plagues It
by MEENADCHI GUNANAYAGAM, staff writer


In 1964, the Srimavo-Sashtri pact effected the deportation of 500,000 disenfranchised Tamils. Take the buggers back to India, the gov't said.

In 1983 however, the final straw was lit. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) killed 13 Sinhalese soldiers. On July 23, 1983 the government brought the fallen back in state, leading the coffins on a tour of the capital city Colombo.

It was the Kristelnacht of my country. A governmentally backed, anti-Tamil pogrom began. Tamil homes were looted and crashed, women raped en masse, and people were petrolled and burnt alive. Thousands fled the country and those that didn’t removed themselves from Sinhalese inhabited areas – fleeing to the North and East. The LTTE received cadres by the hundreds. It was the start of the civil war.



THE LEGENDARY SWORDS OF DAMASCUS - Now Only Museum Pieces
by HABEEB SALLOUM, special guest writer


Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth, was for hundreds of years known for its fine swords. ...they were legendary for their sharpness and were considered superior to all other swords.

There were many myths and legends relating to the swords of Damascus... One such tale tells of a meeting between Richard the Lion-Hearted and Saladin. Richard, to impress his guest with his great power, cut through with his broadsword a thick iron bar with a single blow. Saladin, unimpressed, threw a silk pillow into the air and, as it fell, sliced it into ribbons with his Damascene blade.

Another story relates that the Damascene blade is so flexible that a man can take the hilt in one hand and the point of the sword in the other, then bend the sword around his body and when released the blade would spring back to its original shape.

Reviews, JAN 05

MOVIE - A Very Long Engagement
A heart-wrenching tale of war, an up-lifting tale of romance
by ERIKA WHITCOMB, staff writer

The director John-Pierre Jeunet (director of Amelie) holds nothing back to depict gruesome battle scenes. Jeunet makes a point to allow the audience to get to know various soldiers, each one unique from the next. One particular soldier happens to be Mathilde’s (Audrey Tautou) fiancé Manech (Gaspard Ulliel).

The majority of the film shows Mathilde’s desperate attempt to find him, as the war is over and she faithfully believes he is still alive. The viewer gets a feeling of the genuine chemistry or love that exists between Manech and Mathilde but in a refreshing way. Jeunet shows the growth of their relationship from their first meeting as young children, along with all the quirks that came with it.



MOVIE - House of Flying Daggers
“I want to be free...like the wind.”
by Thu Pham, Staff Writer

The film begins toward the end of Tang Dynasty, when the government became corrupted. The movie revolves around a female dancer named Mei (Ziyi Zhang), whose rare beauty is enhanced by her intelligence and her deep perception of life.

Her encounter with two corrupted government officials, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau) leads to a whirlwind adventure that uncovers many secrets and surprises.




MUSIC - Gunther and the Sunshine Girls
Sweden’s Dance Sensation is Crazy and Wild
By CALIFORNIA KAY, staff writer

The greatest thing about Gunther and the Sunshine Girls is their ability to engage listeners in endless entertainment, musical satire, and the simple relaxation in letting listeners dance to their hearts’ content.

In many hip-hop music videos, girls (aka “hip-hop bunnies”) are scantily clad while the lead singer speaks of serious subjects such as growing up in a rough neighborhood or losing a girl (it goes without speaking, of course, that these subjects require scantily clad hip-hop bunnies).

Gunther, on the other hand, sings of sensual-oriented subjects like girls in string bikinis on a summer night, while the barely-clothed Sunshine girls rub tushes with each other (literally) in the music video of Teeny Weeny String Bikini.

Features, JAN 05

TRAVELOGUE - AMSTERDAM
Things you MUST do in Amsterdam!
by JEANNIE HO, exclusives editor

2. If you like beer, or if you are curious about how beer is made, go to the Heineken Brewery to achieve the Heineken Experience. Don’t worry, the cost is only 10 Euros and you receive three free cups of Heineken.

3. At night time, take a stroll through the naughty parts of Amsterdam to witness the world‘s oldest profession. The prostitutes in the Red Light District don‘t loiter on the street corners, rather they sit in front of huge windows which lead to their rooms. Red lights shine bright.




COLUMN - Twisted
What in the World?
by LAWRENCE LU, columnist
The people hurt by the wave DO very much need help. They have needed help for the longest time, flooding or not, but no one cared. But this time, the world’s media gave them the spotlight and with a wave of their money making wand, made them the next big “thing.”

Do you think a few million from a movie star is anything considerable? It would be more of a statement for an average citizen to give $10. There are those who appear truly genuine in their efforts like Leonardo Dicaprio, who wouldn’t disclose the amount donated, and who wanted to research what the money would be used for.

But for the others, it was like watching a pissing contest.

They just happen to be pissing cash over Asia.

Exclusives, DEC 03

HOW THE INTERNET CHANGED KOREA... ...and how internet publications will change the world.
Featuring an exclusive interview with Samuel Minje Cho, VP of a national daily South Korean newspaper
By JENNIFER CHANG, Editor-In-Chief

“Young supporters of No Mu-hyon flooded the internet with e-mails and saturated text messaging services with calls to get out the vote for No Mu-hyon……From what my wife had heard, candidate Yi Hoe-ch'ang was leading until about 3 pm on 19 December. The polls closed at 6 pm. If that's correct, there was about three hours for the No Mu-hyon supporters to rally and turn the vote around.”

Reviews, DEC 03

BOOK REVIEW - "Pillars of Salt"
A gripping tale of woe, love, lust, and insanity, set in the backdrop of an Arab world.
By JAMIE THORNTON, Staff Writer

“… I will recount to you an horrific story…unfold the multi-layered secrets of both past and present,” and this is exactly what Fadia Faqir does in her fiction novel, Pillars of Salt. The first chapter begins from the point of view of the ‘best story-teller in Arabia’ yet it is actually a story about two women who are committed to an insane asylum in Jordan and why they were sent there.

Fadia Faqir’s novel is a heart wrenching tale about two women stripped of their humanity based solely on the fact that they were born female and stood in the way of something that a male in their lives wanted.

Features, DEC 03

TRAVELOGUE - Esfahan (in Iran)
Things you MUST do if you ever travel to Esfahan, Iran
Dean Gransar - Staff Writer

Naqsh-e-Jahan Square:This square, meaning "pattern of the world", is an open field surrounded by structures all around where the king would receive guests and perhaps watch a game of polo. To get a good feel of it, rent a cart and take it around the square. The small shops making handicrafts and the structures (Imam mosque, Aliqapu, Sheikh-Lotfollah mosque and the old bazaar) are really all pieces of art.

The vaulted ceilings, exquisite tile-works and mosaics work with space and light creating a mood that must be experienced to be understood. When you look at the vaults, the pattern revolves around the center (representing God) and everything else (the universe) surrounding it. Astronomically many of these structures correspond to each other and were well thought out. This perfection is typical of structures built in the Islamic era.