Posted in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda on November 18th, 2009 5 Comments »
It’s sometimes hard to identify your own culture – particularly for Americans, who are comprised of so many different people. People overseas often ask me what my favorite American food is. When I say Mexican, they just give me a strange look. But really, what is American food? Burgers and fries? (no, those are “French” [...]
Posted in Japan on August 20th, 2009 4 Comments »
Japanese society is, as so many have put it, a contradiction. Its conformity seems at times to clash with its penchant for outlandish individuality. Its social welfare system that has virtually eliminated poverty doesn’t jive with the (uber)-polite homeless people in some big cities. The top-notch education system doesn’t explain the country’s protective isolationism, nor [...]
Posted in India, War of Misinformation on July 21st, 2009 4 Comments »
If ever there was a symbol of the conflict between female education and tradition in Central and South Asia, this was it.
One of my students from the slums of Mumbai (where full black burqas are not uncommon), 15-year-old “Sally” takes the train to school everyday. Her parents had no idea that she was secretly meeting [...]
Posted in Yet To Be Determined on June 22nd, 2009 7 Comments »
I stood outside of the stone-walled compound in rural northern Afghanistan passing time with a couple of UN drivers.
A young boy on a donkey ambled up and joined us, curious about the foreigner. Smiling, he began asking me questions, which were then translated by one of the drivers. Where are you from? What is your [...]
Posted in War of Misinformation on April 7th, 2009 8 Comments »
After the shooting rampage in Binghamton that left 13 people dead, the city’s police chief – the man charged with protecting the citizenry – said in a moment of stupidity:
“If some crazy lunatic decides to pick up a gun and go someplace and start shooting people, I really don’t have the answer how…[to] prevent anything [...]