The International Writers Magazine: LIFESTYLES & OPINION No: 4 - 2008

Lifestyles: 2008 Economic Suicide without Frills Joe David Once upon a time, not too long ago, in a world almost completely forgotten by the 21st Century, airline travel was a pleasant adventure. The crew actually served food and drinks gratis, and passengers even had enough space to store legs and other needed bodily parts comfortably during the flight. In Praise of…The Marcus Garvey Library, Ronald Elly Wanda I first discovered The Marcus Garvey Library at Philip Lane in Tottenham over a decade ago and have remained a frequent visitor ever since. It is host to a number of controversial books and many activities that other public libraries dare not entertain. It is, to say the least, ‘Radical’. Did an oil slick inspire Monet’s Paintings? David Russell Looking at his body of work, it would seem that everything he saw that was water related found their way onto his canvases: boats, ports, shorelines, stormy and calm waters; with obvious palette changes as he matured. Maybe It’s Rude to be Polite Gabriella Pessin I don’t realize I’ve allowed my Israeli passport to expire until I pop over for a family wedding last month Summer in France Sam North So, meanwhile back in Hasparren, seems I am also, in addition to being vulnerable the cold virus, allergic to chickens and sheep. Cat is a bit off with me despite carrying out specific feeding instructions Eygpt Waiting Jack Shenker Towering over the polluted chaos of one of Cairo’s main flyovers is a huge advertising billboard. Sandwiched between colourful posters for Pizza Hut, Coca Cola and Doritos, the billboard features nothing but a giant red question mark, accompanied by the words ‘Wait For It’.  A Puff of Smoke James C Clar Natsuko was reading Paul Theroux’s The Happy Isles of Oceania. She found the author somewhat arrogant and mean-spirited at times but Oh how he could write. And, she had to admit, he did have a wonderful feel for the Polynesian mentality. Score Carol Falaki Today we are in Iran. Tomorrow we fly back to England, but first I have a promise to keep. I am waiting for Shahyar. From here I can watch for his arrival. A Wallflower's Rhapsody Piper Davenport I've felt the need to write and re-write and write again. The feeling is getting stronger. I think I'm almost ready to move forward with my own, personal story/stories. Is anyone out there, though? Is anyone listening? Am I ever going to get paid for this? In Uruguay on a Bus Tetsuhiko Endo I was sitting on a city bus late one Sunday night in Montevideo, Uruguay, with no idea where I was, only a vague idea of where I was going George Carlin 1937-2008 James Campion For over a half century George Denis Patrick Carlin was the standard bearer of the principles on which this space was founded: Nothing is Sacred and Truth Need Not Apologize Craic Tetsuhiko Endo The Irish have this word, craic, which has no direct translation in the English language.  Generally speaking, it describes a good time.  But it's not just any good timee... Van Gogh’s Spicy Little Secret David Russell "That’s been so done.  You're wasting your time!", was the not so subtle reaction reaction to a Van Gogh story idea I had, "Following Van Gogh". It was a specific photograph taken in Arles, that sparked my thought line. . On Reading ‘Pulp’ Dr Marwan Asmar Pulp, is written in an easy style, one that gets you very quickly involved from the first page, even first word, sentence, and paragraph. Cultural Dementia (The Emigrant's Fate) Remembering how I have changed Lois Tietzel These are only a few of the things that I suppose I can remember having changed after coming to Germany, in a cultural sense. See, after so long in a foreign culture, you forget what has changed and what hasn't, It's a hap-hap-happy day James Skinner No matter how bad things are around the planet, Spain, its government and its people always look on the bright side Froggy went a courtin’ on the Web Antonia Greco While carelessly perusing the Internet the other day, I stumbled across a creepy, new phenomenon in Internet chatting called Camfrog. Eerie resemblances Dr Marwan Asmar The resemblance is eerie. He is the same and the same and the same. Muay Thai Kawila Training in the Big Stadium in Chiang Mai Antonio Graceffo “Ten in a row on each side.” Said the coach. If he had been talking about punches I might have been OK. But it was the last few minutes of grueling, two-hour training session, and he was talking about kicks. After the storm on Wisteria Lane Gabriela Davies I guess it can only mean a few things. The cast has fallen out. The budget has dried up. The creator has a mental block. Basically 'How to Kill a TV series.' Patrick Swayze James Skinner When my daughter visited us a few months back, as my wife and I were watching a video of ‘Dirty Dancing’ her first remark was, ‘aren’t you a bit old for that kind of movie?’ Who wants to Retire? Not me James Skinner Retirement is a dirty word. It means the end of a working life, the down turn on the usefulness marketing cycle Take a Long Walk Down a Short Pier Steven Tothill Rawai Pier - Function over Form Sit Down and Start Editing Marwan Asmar All I knew was the ability to speak and write English and use the computer when I started long ago On Winning at Portsmouth Alex Hillman 1-0: Who really loses – Cardiff or non-football fans? Alex Hillman examines Portsmouth’s reaction to the FA cup final. Red Eye John M Edwards Back in the days when I ate TV dinners in a partially flooded basement, watching, “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” and “Land of the Giants,” while my folks played the board-game Acquire upstairs and guzzled “frothies, The Suffering Continues in Burma Antonio Graceffo New unconfirmed figures from the UN have the death toll, possibly, at 216,000. The junta still hasn’t allowed any aid workers into the country. Czech Republic Jay Caauwe goes in search of a beer The uneasy look on our drivers face ... he had conscripted with three Chicagoans embarked on a Saturday morning drinking mission Adventure Writer on Seven Years in Asia Antonio Graceffo turns 40 Until someone asked me I had no idea that it had been seven years since I had quit my job on Wall Street and come to Asia to be a full time adventure writer. Pushkin in Britain – Pure Russian Spirit with English Translation (June 5th-10th in London) The Festival is a wonderful and exciting Literature occasion literally packed with interesting events – readings, competitions, workshops and, of course, inspiration Brazilian Apartment Hunting Auyon Mukharji Last week, my friend Vinicius and I strolled around Santa Teresa, an artsy, bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro The Regenerator System James Skinner A brief history of the world’s first telecommunications company Bluebell Spring Marianne de Nazareth The rustle of Spring and new life!The trees are leafless. Standing like sentinels against the grey, rainy skies. Arabic Marwan Asmar Compared with English, Arabic is an easy read if it is written well. Eve of Destruction, my friend James Skinner Man is the only animal that trips over the same stone twice, or a dozen times! Some Fools on a Hill Darren Skelton in Haxey Round our way you see ‘Hood Day’ is bigger and better than Chrsitmas Day itself From Fighter to Paramedic Antonio Graceffo in Manila EMS school Having spent most of my life learning to end life, it is a bit of a change learning to save it. Big Adventures in the Minor Leagues Brett A Padelford A 3,250 mile trip through the American West experiencing minor league baseball in its many forms A Florentine Affair to Remember Antonia Greco My night started out like any other: a dinner of risotto, accompanied by the finest bottle of Chianti that five euros could buy. People you May Know Lexi Vance A few days ago I’m lackadaisically browsing Facebook, when out of the corner of my eye something interesting pops up Delhi Billions Nathan Bell Nearly every female was beautiful enough to have starred in Bollywood, and every guy looked wealthy enough to marry them. A Love Arrangement Nathan Bell I spent my junior year abroad in the Indian city of Madurai, located in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Gone Kurtz - Mercanaries in Burma Antonio Graceffo Anyone fighting today should be doing it for free Twists & turns of an Arab traveler Dr Marwan Asmar We Arabs differ from Europeans, Arabs generally don’t have the ‘must holiday’ spirit on their calendar list, despite the fact things might be changing New Family on the Block Lois Tietzel New Life in Germany Let The Home Buyer Be Aware - Fast Track to poverty Michael Levy Are you considering buying a home right now? Youth and Beauty Ben Smith I awake only to move to the couch. And there I stay, rising only to down a Paxil. Stupid Opinions on Linguistics held by failed Language Learners Antonio Graceffo There are a number of urban myths, commonly held misconceptions, about the way we learn and process language. Encounter Nature Through the 12 Senses Josef Graf Most beings here - plant or animal - are melded into this spacious and soul-purifying landscape. Amman—A livable metropolis Awni Kawar Amman is our pride-of-place, it is a local city yet so cosmopolitan in character. We need to make it greener in the next decade Swansea Marianne de Nazareth I have been here in Swansea for almost eight months and it has rained and been dreary and depressing for most of those months. The Mule James Skinner ‘There is a small fishing town tucked away in a miniscule bay on the north Atlantic on the southern coast of Galicia, Spain, called Hio. The Circle Unbroken Dean Borok Spitzer did a good thing going after all those structured finance thieves on Wall Street. A Post-Women’s Day Thought Leela Solomon No one forgot Women’s Day Heartland Families & teachers Ari Kaufman Growing up in a coastal "liberal" family, most of my friends shared similar, ignorant views on what those strict parents in the so-called "heartland" were all about. Today's Technology & Other Animals James Skinner When I retired as Honorary British Consul I lost my fax machine, my high speed digital line, my mobile phone and my PC. I had to start over. The Elastic Always Gives Up Marcia Dumler I had gathered up a garment bag of clothing and shoes for my friend and neighbor who had wrecked her car. It and I Charlotte Hansen I don’t know how I ever lived without It. I think back to when I was so alone, without even the sound of its beautiful tone, its insistence that I be with It, Britt Ekland and Me… in 1973! Colin Todhunter The world is void of mass cynicism and instant gratification, of needless complexity and lingering apathy. Angel in "Abahaya" Lalita kakanadan If you drop me in a junction and ask me to find out the way on my own, I would naturally take the wrong direction! It's on my destiny. Obama: A Middle East Viewpoint Marwan Asmar The world is watching Barrack Obama, the up-and-rising African-American Senator as he bids for the highest office in the land of dreams No Country for Aches and Pains James Skinner Many people, when they retire take up a new hobby, or they go back to college to study The Majestic Camphor Shadows - The stone fox watching moths in moonlight kab - I think I could have found my way to Mitaka by myself. I had, after all, found my way to the Sagano forest in Kyoto How I Ought to be as a Writer Piper Davenport Who knows where I am going to end up at? I can’t predict anything, all I can do is love the words on the page and the language and everything that makes me feel good and go from there. Close Encounters of the Third World Kind John Edwards Here are 10 tips to speed you through the confusing congestion of customs and weird freeways of the “extreme sport” of foreign food eating Shan People Antonio Graceffo Defying the Burmese government’s ban on journalists, I crossed the border under the protection of the Shan State Army, and began filming interviews with IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) within the war zone. The Spanish National Anthem debacle Colin Fisher Here in Spain they have just had a competition. The Spanish Olympic Committee decided it would a good idea if the Spanish national anthem had some words written for it. Chasing the Dragon Will Collins ‘Brown’, ‘Skag’, ‘Smack’, ‘Junk’, ‘Gear’, ‘Shit’, ‘Dope’, ‘H’, ‘Horse’, ‘Curry & Rice’; never once was the word ‘heroin’ mentioned. Wayne first ‘chased the dragon’ at the age of twelve ... The Kindness of Strangers - a true story Annie Lalla "Hello, Hello!" I yelled louder and louder hoping someone would respond. My face was pressed up against my tiny bathroom window. Falcon: A Prog Rock Tale Mark Cunliffe For many music lovers, Prog is a dirty word, an era best forgot. But to those who accept, admire and wish to address prog rock, then look no further than Falcon. Cultural Receivers Marwan Asmar Like it or not we are cultural receivers, and I dare say, if western audiences were exposed to "our culture," the influence would be much more balanced Soc Gen Scandal D. Borok on banking Far be it from me to impugn the integrity of the French banking establishment, but something about the story of one trader single-handedly causing €5billion inlosses to Société Générale stinks Visions Dean Borok Sometimes the visionary can overcome the boundaries of concrete reality, where most of us are more or less condemned to dwell, and fly to the moon. Small Town Crap Rosalea Hostetler A Beginner’s Guide to the Idylic Life in Small Towns of the Prairies So you dream of living in a small town because you are tired of the stresses of big city life? Dream on, dream on. Small Town Crap Part Two Rosalea Hostetler Getting Established for Acceptance You are willing to take the risk of being rejected, and don’t mind if you are shunned and isolated. Or you are confident you can play by the rules well enough to fit in and be accepted. Small Town America - Crap Towns Pt Three Rosalea Hosetler Expect the Unexpected When you arrive at your new town on the prairies, make it easy on yourself -stay in a motel Moshing in the Philippines One week with the Pinoy 'red punks' Andrew 0'Brien My new friend Joy and I reach for the wet steel bars over the window as the jeepney rattles and bounces over the potholes on the decaying city street. It’s my fifth day in Manila and the pounding monsoon rains have hardly let up for a minute. Under Fire Marwan Asmar ‘For every reporter killed, there is a lost report, a lost dispatch and a lost message Everything's coming up crazy Caitlin McCallum Arriving in LA I had one pressing issue that needed to be addressed: finding a place to live. Howard Loves Vince; The Queer subtext of The Mighty Boosh by Jodie Corney 'That’s what this is all about – me and you – the arguing, the bitching...' Holding On To Illusions Michael Levy I explained to her how fear is an illusion of the mind, even though it be a persistent one Buying & Cooking Food in Spain Colin Fisher Frankenstein squid and shops the size of wardrobes

Opinion: 2008 Hillary shines in Gail's Universe James Morford Three days before the Ohio and Texas primaries, Gail Sheehy shook hands with Hillary Clinton. It was, ". . . a full five-knuckle handshake-one of the strongest I've ever felt." She was tough, manly tough, and Gail Sheehy wants everyone to know it. Open Letter to Barack Obama James Campion Keep the chin up and the hands clean and we might survive this weird experiment until mid-September with a puncher's chance. Beijing Olympics: Let Pestilence Ring! James Campion This is what comes from being in debt to monsters. For the best manifestation of this please refer to either video of the president dancing like an imbecile at the Olympic opening ceremonies or the later chapters of Brett Easton Ellis' sophomoric novel, Less Than Zero, Obama in the Uphill Part I Superstar/Timing+Liberal/Minority =Longshot? James Campion Fresh from his world tour as media darling, Barack Obama, Democratic nominee for president and political rock star extraordinaire, looks invincible. He is charismatic, youthful, and one of the most consummate orators this country has produced in decades; 18 IN '08 Parts I & 11 James Campion The Internet influences every dimension of the political and campaign process. In fact, its driving many campaign professional out of their minds. They no longer have complete control over their message. I know that's a long answer, but I feel very passionate about it. Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie Barack Obama Buries The Boomers James Campion 'This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face.' Senator Obama A Crossroads in Serbia Brian Rogers In downtown Belgrade all eyes are on an orator who’s words I do not understand in a literal sense, but who’s meaning I percieve innately. Health and Safety in New York Dean Borok You’re never safe in New York.  My downstairs neighbor when I lived on 83rd St. got hit in the head by a flying chunk of a luxury condo under construction on 85th St., which knocked her out cold.  Scott McClellan James Campion Scott McClellan wants to go to heaven now. He thinks writing a book confessing his sins will get him there. Dick Nixon and Bill Clinton tried it. Chuck Colson and Ed Meese too. George Tenet, Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neill gave it a shot recently, and some may have forgiven them for it, but God is not likely to be counted among them. Will the Real John McCain stand up James Campion McCain has to distance himself from the currently doomed Washington atmosphere and rally the very troops who stand accused of screwing everything up. How to Pop The Oil Bubble Michael Levy When essential commodities are no longer traded in a free market that relies on supply and demand new legislation The Great Divide James Campion on Election'08 Race, Gender & The New Frontier The cultural landslide that has sprung from the 2008 Democratic primary race is nothing short of historic. Nothing about it can be measured by the past. Nothing Let's Make A Deal James Campion - Election '08 The unrecognizable stench of bitter and lasting defeat draped the air. And for the first time, deep inside Campaign Fantasy Camp, everyone understood the initiative had changed. These are not safe times to call oneself a thinker Bryan Blake on US politics Sounds to me like I need to improve upon the cubicle fort I’ve recently built to keep out the babbling idiots and social golems of the office Indulging in Derived Hell Michael Levy You would think after the Enron scandal and the dot com bust that human financial infamy and shamefulness would cease...well think again. Keystone Kop-Out James Campion Why Barack Obama’s Inability To Bury The Clinton Ghost Dooms November The Fun Part - continues Dean Borok The monied interests reacted with dismay at Clinton’s huge victory. What Oil Crisis? 04.23.08 Michael Levy Pumping up Oily Propaganda Swiftboatin' 04.21.08 Bryan Blake Pay no attention to Pennsylvania – consummate fundraiser Governor Ed Rendell has the state locked down, Confession of an Elitist 04.19.08 James Campion I am repeatedly, and in many ways, revoltingly astounded how utterly stupid most people are, and by most people, I mean anyone but me. Iraq - The New Iran James Campion General Petraeus Hands Bush A Tehran Surprise ...the most important phrase uttered by the man was "malign influence" Chinatown Dean Borok on Election 2008 It’s Chinatown.  You’ll never get to the bottom of it. The Party v The Machine James Campion Behind The Scenes Of Madam Shoo-In's Last Stand - desperate are the times for the doomed Hillary For President campaign That Speech + Readers Letters James Campion on Obama To Our Bitter Demons & Better Angels The Democrats are Burning James Campion The unabated immolation of the Democratic Party, has now officially become a raging firestorm. The Emperor's New Factory Girl The Madam Shoo-In Shuck Jive Express James Campion There is only one book ever written worth a damn on the subject of politics The Shining The Fun Part 03.07.08 Dean Borok "Now comes the fun part." – Hillary Clinton at the initiation of her campaign to "define" Obama The Cheesehead Victory Lap James Campion Mere seconds after the Associated Press had called the Wisconsin primary for Barack Obama, the young senator stood at center stage grinning from ear to ear. Independence Rules James Campion Nothing has crossed the divide of this polarized nation than the quickly emerging, highly influential, and increasingly mighty Independent vote Goodbye Super Tuesday Madam Shoo-In & Master Barack Draw James Campion Only one party has managed to rubber-stamp a presumptive nominee, John McCain, whose right-wing obstinacy and an abject rejection from the south has all-but gained him a seat on the big ride. Serbian Elections Jack Shenker Belgrade has straddled the border between East and West since the 4th century, when the Roman Empire was torn apart by a schism that would last over a thousand years. And Then There Were Three James Campion McCain Seals Deal/ Dynamic Duo Cage Match Somewhere in the late hours of 1/29, George Will, Bill Bennett, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the faux conservative Republican voices in and out of the party came to fully understand, once for all, the jig was up. Spain: Another Balkans? James Skinner Spain’s history is riddled with rebellions, coupes, military dictatorships, monarchies, civil war, and finally a consolidated democracy that permitted its entry into today’s modern world Obama in SC Dean Borok It’s obvious after the South Carolina primary that Chicago politician Barack Obama has the lock on the African-American vote. Heart & Soul of Party Politics - Part II Democrats At The Crossroads 2008 James Campion Standing at the crossroads of revisionist hard-sell, old-fashioned populism, and disenfranchised symbolism are three wild-card presidential candidates. The Heart & Soul of Party politics - Part One James Campion Republicans Define Internal Battle For 2008 Despite dismal approval ratings, second-term numbness, and a celebrity fatigue worthy of the latest Britney Spears meltdown, George W. Bush is still the president of the United States New Hampshire: Same Song & Dance James Campion Madam Shoo-In Weeps To Upset/Mac Is Back & Rudy Exhales. Momentum Halted. Freight Train Derailed. Revolution stalled. Iowa: What Happened? James Campion Obama Rises, Hillary Skids/GOP Field Swings Wide On A Holy Huckabee Blip After Fidel James Skinner ‘Jim, there’s a bullet riddled trawler being towed into Georgetown! Cubans, Gov! There must be about 40 of them.’ My Year of Living Dangerously Caitlin McCallum New Year's Resolution: three words that simultaneously inspire and terrify me, like Hilary Rodham Clinton or competitive eating contest. Sudden Death in Pakistan Dean Borok The assassination of Benazir Bhutto again throws US diplomacy into a tailspin La Deluge - US Election Analysis 2008 Dean Borok Clinton has the same appeal for me as German chancellor Angela Markel, not exactly a fashion plate herself. Clinton looks as though she will protect American interests in world markets A Teacher's Lot Trudie Hannah There has been a lot of discussion lately, about the merits or otherwise of a return to the grammar school system. This seems to me to be about as relevant as a discussion about what colour to paint the Titanic. Surely the first thing to do is to alert the crew and passengers that the whole damned ship is in danger of sinking. Mother Earth - A Letter Caitlin McCallum 9 Billion Souls by 2050 Israel and the Arabs in the Parisian book world Dr Marwan Asmar Arabs were right to boycott the Paris book fair That Sucks -I'm Fine but you're screwed Gabriel Constans The way we speak drives me crazy!  Well, it doesn’t really “drive me” anywhere, nor causes me to have a psychotic break, but it can be intensely frustrating. The Galician Ganja Trail James Skinner ‘We’ve got a real potpourri of world problems going on at the moment with a whole sleuth of experts in all fields trying to solve them. Two for One Houses - Make Me an Offer James Skinner 'What is a bubble? I looked up the meaning of the word the old fashion way. The Beverely Birch Interview Aby Davis Finding myself sitting in front of a woman with 43 books in her name and the power to make and break young writers dreams is rather humbling

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