The International Writers Magazine: LIFESTYLES & OPINION No: 4 -
New 2010-11 Section 5 begins here

Lifestyles: 2009 The Pot that is Hot Darren Skelton Without a shadow of a doubt the greatest culinary discovery I chanced upon on following my arrival in Harbin is Chinese Hotpot Tragedy in Savannakhet David Calleja I could sense that something was wrong but I did not have the courage to ask what was happening. Book Jacket Puffs: Judging a Book By its Cover Chris Mills The phrases must leap out at the casual browser. Review quotes are chosen to be snappy, eye catching and bold. And very persuasive. But how useful really are the quotes? Quo Vadis Spain? James Skinner Spain is in a mess and can only get worse as unemployment rises Obama, Change and the Missing Conversation Christina Baldwin How are you Barack Obama? What are you reading? Who are you listening to? Unified Berlin: 20 Years On by Nate Barron How long is twenty years? For the city of Berlin, it is both Augenblick and Ewigkeit: an instant and an eternity. Book Miles Chris Mills Have I ever considered the miles a book may have travelled before it reaches my hands The Third Pole Marianne de Nazareth 'We in Nepal recognize that Climate Change has become possibly the greatest development challenge of our times...' Ramadan Readings Marwan Asmar Ramadan is a spiritual month, serving to in-gather Muslims worldwide for a higher existential being, the one that can’t be touched or seen but is everywhere An Unbreakable Bond Marianne de Nazareth Chandra Rajendran and Neeta Dutt, a mother/ daughter duo have turned the sari into an art form, in their venture named Sakhi. Water Colored Memories Marcia Dumler "Buttercup! Stop that! You're going....." too late, the glass of water top heavy with my water color brushes had already tipped onto my therapy painting for today. Umrah 2009 – A wish fulfilled K Fatima In the first Salat Al Fajr a realization struck me: In that huge crowd of Muslims from everywhere, speaking all sorts of languages but praying together in Arabic, it felt like Yaum al Qiyama First steps to Gladrags Dean Borok There was no point to sticking around Montreal any longer. It was 1982 and the economy was in the tank. I put all my things in storage, packed up my best clothes and my design portfolio, and caught the Montrealer express train to New York Revolutionary Wrath John M. Edwards rogue ancestor, Aaron Burr, shot Alexander Hamilton with a Hoss-pistol from a mere ten paces away—and got away with it. Happening upon Hamilton’s gaudy mausoleum in New York City, Edwards says our foppish former Treasury Secretary deserved it! The Ultimate Getaway Lesley Boutilier What do you get when you combine the extreme adventure sports of whitewater rafting, riverboarding, and skydiving? It¹s called the ultimate adrenaline rush and Millinocket, Being Russian For Two Weeks David Russell in St Petersburg We had made arrangements to live with a Russian family in St. Petersburg for two weeks fostering "better understanding among people". Flaming Lips and Earthquakes: Concert Going in Chiba, Japan -Jeffrey Rambo What’s it like attending a big summer music festival in Japan? One Sunday evening in August, I got my answer Healthcare Panic Dean Borok I am not here to debate the merits of universal health insurance. That is a given. I am complaining about the lunatic fringe of society – loudmouth sociopaths who are being bussed around the country and paid cash money by insurance companies to scream and yell Honda Dreams Marcel D'Agneau I have this reoccurring dream. I am always happy to have it but distinctly unhappy to wake up and discover it wasn't real. Vaishali and Sachin Nate Bell The first time I met Vaishali was in Madison, where my seven classmates and I took Tamil in preparation for our year in Madurai. Bass Ponds Tyrel Nelson I hadn’t been here in forever. The biting wind made my eyes water as I watched my breath drift away and disappear into the morning air. Sniffling to fight off a runny nose, a familiar feeling came over me while I listened to dead leaves dance atop the asphalt. It was definitely November in Minnesota. Goodbye Gloom & Doom James Skinner Our regional government announced yesterday with great pomp and circumstance that our city will be connected with Madrid by high-speed train no later than the year 2015. The Art of Timeshare Danielle Levanas My story starts with a sailor landing on a lush Mexican beach. He comes across a sun-bronzed Canadian cowgirl living in a palapa. The cowgirl joins the lucky sailor’s crew, and in the time it takes to down a bottle of tequila, the pair falls madly in love. Michael Jackson's Quest for Paradise Lost Michael Levy The passing of Michael Jackson played out like a Shakespearean tragedy and was a timely reflection on how not being true to ones' self ends in an early demise. Exploitation Anomaly Jones The economic recession has hit me right in the groin, and if my failed attempts at employment continue, I stand to get hit in the groin over and over again. Self Delusions Michael levy The new normal contains vast amounts of erroneousness, and it is becoming harder to know who or what to trust Aung San Suu Kyi turns 64 David Calleja On 19th June, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will turn 64 years old. Instead of being amongst loved ones and the millions of people in Burma who revere her for standing up for human and civil rights, she is in isolation Open letter to my Wife: Part Two A Continued Apology Ten Years In The Making James Campion I send this missive to press on the tenth anniversary of our marriage from a hotel in Barcelona, Spain, The Influence of Orwell on Writers Workshops Chris Roberts The following investigation and first hand experiences is into the particular practices of a single writers workshop/discussion site Reflections of a Backpacker Dan Cann in Australia I was on holiday and it really felt like it with the sun on me now feeling totally carefree. I did not have to be anywhere, go to a job, get stuck in traffic, go shopping, or keep an appointment. Drugs, Values and the World of Sport James Morford Critics never tire of pointing out the ancient Olympians exemplified the Greek ideal of mind and body. By comparison, they depict contemporary athletes as pampered money-mad celebrities elevated to God-like status Chris Flaherty documentary exposes Ethiopia’s political vulnerability - David Calleja In May 2005, the ruling Ethiopian Revolutionary Patriot’s Democratic Front won elections amid allegations of electoral fraud and a campaign of intimidation against opposition groups. The Corporate Bookshop Chris Mills The bookshop as a museum: when is a bookshop no longer a bookshop? Or bookselling the chain store way: the advent of the lifestyle destination. Reading - New York Matt Allison A couple of months ago after years of knowing of this historical novel, I had Naked Lunch in my backpack. Waiting for a subway in Queens I opened this novel and read the first few pages... Madness and the Valuation of And Chris Roberts It defies definition, deftly evades categorization and will put lastingly before the reader And’s derivative value Parting The Red Sea – in 1980 David Russell Before we agreed to take on the project, we had serious internal conversations. What we were about to embark on was a process never done before with such a limited "commercial" budget and time constraint. Being There: Sunland Racetrack and Casino Lizette Espinosa Creased wranglers paired with pointy cowboy boots, a big round belt buckle, and a matching cowboy hat, little, old ladies sitting at the tables with binoculars trying to read the TV.s with racing numbers... Hubbard's Cupboard John M Edwards I decided to enter the forbidden zone. Whence I was immediately greeted by a stunning woman with long black hair and wide friendly eyes who acted like a member of an evangelical church welcoming a walk-in with a rhubarb pie. Goodbye Mohican James Skinner ‘This is the second part of my adventure into learning all about professional writing at Falmouth College of Arts, meeting up with a whole new bunch of characters and revisiting an area of the world I had known decades ago; an event that would open up a new phase of my life. A Long Farewell to Oz 2009 Tabytha Towe Landing in Australia I knew immediately there was a special voyage ahead of me. I didn't expect myself wanting to be there longer than nine months, maximum. I already had my flight booked for home by a specific date! But that was back then.....  Some New Concept of Home Megan Welch We ended up together in Madrid from different schools, for different reasons. Some of us to escape our university campuses, some to seek adventure, others to find a place away from America, away from the familiar and banal. Sessions with Sigmund James Morford It was to Freud’s Vienna home/office that in October of l934, a 28 year old American psychiatrist, Doctor Joseph Wortis, came to begin a 4 month "didactic psychoanalysis" (teaching analysis) with the 77 year old Freud. Humanity or Bust: Why the Carbon Footprint Threatens More Than Just the Future Benjamin Frew Before I get to the nub of this article, I would like to declare that it is a statement of personal opinion and not a carefully deducted and objectively reached conclusion. That Kid could sure eat David Russell We were headed from Los Angeles to Islamabad, Pakistan, with a planned stop in Manchester, England, to share a long weekend with our daughter Mara The Bodyguard of Aung San Suu Kyi David Calleja Since I know injustice takes place in Burma every day, I know that I am safe in Australia, but I cannot forget what has happened to me. Should the Aid plug to Africa be pulled out? A critical response Ronald Elly Wanda Lately in the African literary and development circle, Dambisa Moyo with her new book Dead Aid: How Aid is not working and how there is another way for Africa, has become a 'star'. Putting in Earth Time Christina Baldwin      It’s the night after Easter weekend, and while we started off Friday evening enjoying an amazingly professional concert of sections of the Brahms Requiem performed by the local Methodist church choir and island musicians, my main spiritual practice this past weekend has been largely focused on gardening.    The Art of Timeshare Danielle Levanas My story starts with a sailor landing on a lush Mexican beach. He comes across a sun-bronzed Canadian cowgirl living in a palapa. The cowgirl joins the lucky sailor’s crew, and in the time it takes to down a bottle of tequila, the pair falls madly in love. Christmas in Paris John Edwards With everything closed in the city and a light snowfall, it’s no wonder I ended up drunk in the slightly dodgy section of Barbés Rochechouart Castleton: A Brush with local history P Farrell-Vinay "You like painting don’t you? Come and look at this." Insane Polyglots Their brains are just different Antonio Graceffo Learning a new language rewires your brain. Could learning a new language make you crazy? Spontaneous Prose Tony R. Rodriguez Maybe I shouldn’t be driving 85 on a 65 MPH freeway when the road’s saturated with the rain from last night Monkey Master in the Cage Antonio Graceffo Master Hisam’s hands are huge and swollen, as hard as rocks. In demonstrations, he uses them to smash granite slabs to dust On the Scales Charlotte Francis It’s over ladies, put those multi-packs of crisps in the bin, chuck the chocolates away, and get used to salad Its Over, Get Used To It. Dan Bond It’s funny how the programme ‘Friends’ does not provide the best backdrop to one of those defining moments in teenage life. Anomaly Anomaly Jones It must have been him. He’s the reason I sit here now, dazed and a bit confused. I’m known to confuse even myself sometimes. Hidden People Jeannine Pitas A few years back my parents began hosting foreign exchange students who came to live in our house for a few months Fiachna O Braonain Interview Aurelie Montfrond Discussion with Fiachna Ó Braonáin From Hothouse Flowers to Prenup In Kon Tum's Ethnic Villages & Orphanages David Calleja The ethnic minority people, the Bahnar, Jolong, Rongao and Sirang, are kind and hard working. All we wish for is to be as equal Secret Door Freya Scott I used to drag all my little school friends upstairs before tea and hide in the airing cupboard. You Have Won One Million Dollars Norman A. Rubin One serious drawback of the Internet and of e-mail is that it makes it quite easy for nefarious villains to steal your money and your identity. Images of a Friend Tyrel Nelson When I saw José Martínez for the first time, he was coughing up a lung outside my neighbor’s front door. Predatory Shopping Greg Mosse Shopping is a hunter’s job – but no one has told the shop assistants who is the hunter and who the hunted A Religious Experience Tetsuhiko Endo The woman would materialize out of the background for just long enough to put out her hand, be ignored and recede back into the stone so that if you weren’t looking carefully, you wouldn’t have notice her at all. Learning Languages in your PJs Antonio Graceffo I set up a rigid schedule of watching TV. Over several weeks, I saw my listening and speaking grow by leaps and bounds. My Nightmare James Skinner ‘Haven’t you been watching the news lately? Seen what’s happening to the stock markets the world over? In God We Trust James Skinner ‘When I am ranting and raving over the state of the universe, usually directing my verbal abuse during conversations with my wife, she never says a word. All About Me Rosanne Stewart It's tricky to say at the exact moment I thought I was going to die; perhaps the moment I buried my head into my hands Little Denmark John M. Edwards I was standing at the bar at the Jolly Trolley, staring at my beer when I decided I was so drunk I would indeed have a hangover in the morning Magic Marshland Shivani Shah God's golden fingers break the diaphanous, misty morning veil that drapes the landscape… a flash of electric blue of a little-blue kingfisher, lilies break into bloom on cue from the sunlight President bling-bling is watching you! Maria Marlais There are, contrary to what many people might think, many different kinds of people in Paris. The Forgotten Author in Beijing Peter Linsley I arrive at Beijing's Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery just after ten o'clock on Sunday. The gate guards look at me strangely. "Can you tell me where this foreigner is buried?" Slingshot showdowns in Southeast Asia Alexander Hanke You meet a lot of other travelers and backpackers while on the move. Some are outgoing, adventurous and independent others are understandably not as confident Self Fulfilling Prophecies of Greed, Fear & Doom Michael Levy In the beginning, the money orientated greed god said; let there be greed and yay, it was good. Well, maybe not good, but it sure felt good to the housing cartel of owners and estate agents who were feasting on an upward spiraling market. Politicians Lies, Truth and Opinions James Morford Must politicians lie? Niccolo Machiavelli thought if politicians did not lie they would surely fail because lying was fundamental to politics. Not to lie ignored reality Banquet For Phnom Penh's Rubbish Dump Residents - David Calleja “SOM CHO BEIE JOUR!” The limits of my Khmer are obvious to everybody in sight, but I am still able to obtain laughter from those who seek another type of medicine A Positive Outlook For Life: A Partner in Compassion David Calleja it is difficult to go anywhere in Sramouch He without finding a person who does not have a family member or friend affected by HIV/AIDS. The Raid Karen Phillips A Goth club, Mexico City…how or why we had booked a gig there, I have no clear recollection, but los goticos might still enjoy our Mexican-rock-and roll-viva-las Zapatistas type music for a change. Traveling with Mom (I should've known better) Rick Steigelman I might’ve guessed what I was getting myself into. Reversal of Survival Gordon Ray Bourgon “Her name is Jane Doe.” The Banking Debacle Explained Antonio Graceffo I wrote this piece just to explain in simple terms, how a bank can become insolvent because of poor credit policies and over-inflated assets. Roman Holiday Gabriela Davies It is that time of year when we’re all reminiscing about holidays. Sitting by the kitchen window looking at the boring rain falling as you eat. Life is too short to work a full year with no holiday, and sick days just don’t do the trick. The Winds of October Eric D. Lehman Afternoon waves at Hammonasset grasp at the tufted dunes, driven forward by a stiff wind from the southwest. My wife Amy and I wander along this windswept beach, trying to catch a sunset on the Sound, My Generation Des Daly When I travel, I like to do so quickly, quietly and comfortably. But these days I find that achieving this simple wish is becoming increasingly more difficult. Temptation Chris Chapman At my age if I can start the day by not falling over when pulling on my ‘y’ fronts, I reckon it’s a good omen. If, when approaching my computer I find that I've remembered to put the mouse on charge overnight, and not left it languishing on the desk, dead, that’s even better. Tropical Depression James C Clar Something else that attracts me to Waikiki is the fact that it’s still the haunt of all sorts of engaging and exotic characters, many of whom are willing to pour out their life’s story at the slightest provocation. Addio Stadia (Shea Dreams) James Campion Maybe, if you're lucky, there are a few places you can say you've frequented for a lifetime; places experienced through the eyes of a child to young adult to adulthood and so on Doing Something is Better than Doing Nothing Antonio Graceffo Since earliest childhood I had the dream of being a movie star. I wanted to be rich and famous. When I read that Elvis had to rent out an amusement park, just so he wouldn’t get mobbed by his fans, I said, "that is exactly how famous I want to be." I am still not there. Joys of the Meditteranean Lifestyle  Julia Reynolds As an American freshly residing on the serene Grecian isle of Mykonos, there is a certain notable discrepancy between the sets of traditions and priorities existing in the respective cultures of Greece and America upon the significance of which I would venture to explore. Happiness Manifesto Julia Reynolds Today I spent a sunny morning doing a bit of housework, picking flowers from the garden to brighten up the house, then walking down to Parangha Beach, Mykonos, Greece for a brief and chilly swim and a little time to myself for reflection. The Road to Branson Jay Caauwe Leaving as planned for 'The Natural State ' Arkansas. We had been invited to spend the week at K's aunts house and drive back my mother-in-law, who had been vacationing there for the month. . Remembering 9/11 Al Zain’s Palestine Post 9/11 debunks myths of Palestinian ‘terror’, Dr Marwan Asma As the world remembers the anniversary of 11 September, Osama Al Zain’s feature documentary Palestine Post 9/11 becomes ever more relevant The Best $5.00 Meal I Ever Had In Spain David Russell In the middle of the tables sat a huge bubbling cauldron, positioned over burning wood logs. I learned that fire never went out. And the fish soup in the cauldron never stopped bubbling. On one wall was a chart in color with exes, he said, marked the fish he caught. A Night with Casanova David Russell On a business night in Paris, I chose to take associates to dinner at the famed La Coupole restaurant, which I had no way of knowing was now a nightly yuppie mob scene and so upscale I couldn’t recognize it from the La Coupole my wife and I had eaten at 30 years earlier. On Being Nowhere Lois Tietzel Purgatory for the brain - the delightful bliss of being nowhere at all – flying over the Atlantic Ocean: how places shape the way you think, be, type, eat, view the world in its entirety. Skateboarding Should Not be an Olympic Sport Matthew Allison Sure there are standards like the 360 flip, but there is also an almost artistic range for creativity in the sport, and various styles. Standardization would ruin that, to give riders a list of rules and tricks to abide to. Olympics does that to sports, 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 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. New York People Dean Borok New York City has got the loudest, pushiest women in the world Serfdom USA Andy Carloff The economic, buyout plan of the United States government is made with the thought that the New Deal of Roosevelt ended the depression; but the unemployment during the "New Deal" only worsened during this period Anarchy in the UK James Campion G-20 Summit Sends The Euro-Masses A-Riotin' Nothing jacks my adrenaline like a good old-fashioned protest riot. Mexican Standoff Dean Borok A lot of people are very unhappy about our border with Mexico. A couple of years ago the complaint was about Mexicans sneaking into the U.S. in search of jobs. Now there are no jobs. Feel better? Outrage Squared Pitch Forks & Torches, La Spring Chic James Campion Outrage is cheap currency these days. It's a full-out poll-to-poll pogrom on both the rich and powerful and the poor and disenfranchised. Bankers to welfare moms, stockbrokers to inside traders are all on the block. CDOs - The Other Shoe 21.03.09 Dean Borok If you believe that this is the end of endlessly shoveling money into the AIG black hole, think again. The other shoe has yet to drop

Opinion: 2009 The Great leap of Faith James Campion After a mere month in office, the president of the United States placed his nearly two-year, almost robotically orchestrated rise to power on the slimmest of reeds Economic Update - New York Dean Borok The solution advanced by Obama is akin to a blood pumping machine that replaces the heart and pumps energy to the rest of the body until a new banking system can be constructed and grafted on Where have you gone Muhammad Ali? - James Campion I miss Muhammad Ali. I miss his defiance, elegance and grit. Vox Stimuli James Campion What is transpiring throughout the world economy is about survival now. It is not about ideology or theory or political one-upsmanship. There is no longer room for heroes, only villains What the dickens...it's Mr. Dickens Colin Fisher Am I saying that whereas English has evolved throughout the centuries, adapting itself to changes within society, renewing itself constantly, Spanish has remained static? The Change Express James Campion