CADY ABE WRITES — In preparation of the Holiday season, Netflix released the new Christmas movie, Love Hard, on November 5th, 2021. The movie premiered with an all-star cast, most notably comedian Jimmy Yang and The Vampire Diaries’ Nina Dobrev as the two romantic leads. Amid all the large steps…
Month: November 2021
MIDDLE EAST: THE ILLICIT POPPY TRADE IN AFGHANISTAN
TESSA MULLER WRITES — Afghanistan’s economy is hugely dependent on the illicit poppy trade. This was true throughout the 20-year war with the US, and it continues to be true in the aftermath of U.S. troop withdrawal. One hundred days after the official withdrawal date, the Taliban now controls the…
BOOK REVIEW: WINTER PASTURE (2021) – THE BEAUTY AND COMPLEXITY OF WALKING THE WORLD
ALEC FARMER WRITES – Nature is a brutal place with harsh conditions that can push anyone to their limits. Despite the vastness of its glory, nature can also be a place of unmatched serene beauty. This dichotomy of truths is ever-present for those who live and move alongside the Earth.…
INTERVIEW WITH A UIGHUR: YES, HE SAYS, IT IS GENOCIDE
FRANCESCO FIMIANI WRITES — On November 4, 2021 I had the pleasure of interviewing Bugra Arkin, owner and founder of Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine located in Alhambra, in East Los Angeles.. Prior to our interview, I sat down and had lunch at his restaurant. In the entrance you find a large…
SESAME STREET: THE NEW ASIAN MUPPET THAT IS NO PUPPET
ALYSSA MONTALVO WRITES — The iconic and dearly loved children’s television show, ‘Sesame Street,’ will add its first Asian American muppet, named Ji-young, on Thanksgiving Day with its ‘See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special.’ According to Channel News Asia (CNA), “At only seven years old, Ji-young is making…
BOOK REVIEW: SO WE LOOK TO THE SKY BY MISUMI KUBO (2021)
ELLA KELLEHER WRITES — Is it possible that some relationships teeter on the edge of societal acceptance while others are too tame? Ranging from cosplay sex with an older, married woman to a couple that rarely touch each other, Misumi Kubo’s new novel explores five deeply intimate and intertwined stories…
US-CHINA RELATIONS: HOW BARACK OBAMA CAN HELP AND HEAL THE RELATIONS
TOM PLATE WRITES — If fine oratory is a valuable art form, it is nonetheless becoming a lost one. Beware the mere glitter of charisma alone. In a politician, it is often no more than wrapping paper around a thin gift box of costume jewellery, but true orators can move…
INDONESIA: A GENERATION’S FUTURE COMES OUT TO BEG
GABY RUSLI WRITES — Beggars roam the busiest streets of Indonesia’s capital cities, some with the intent to gather funds for a cause no one really knows much about, while others simply out of a desperate desire to survive. Imagine you’re a typical driver running errands on a Wednesday. You’ve…
SAUDI ARABIA: WILL THIS BE THE HOST COUNTRY FOR EXPO 2030?
AHMAD ALSADHAN WRITES — The World Expo, held every five years for a duration of six months, is an event that gathers nations into one venue as a way of presenting solutions to current global challenges. Expo 2020, which was postponed by the pandemic, is currently being hosted by Dubai,…
US-CHINA RELATIONS: START BY RECOGNIZING ITS ANIMAL NATURE
TOM PLATE WRITES — International peace and stability, more vital to survival than ever before in our enervating epoch of pandemic-proliferation and climate-deterioration, requires a collaborative community of responsibility. What is needed – urgently, obviously — is a global ethic of helping-out and digging-in for the common long haul rather…
MALALA GETS HITCHED: A LOOK AT THE ISLAMIC NIKAH MARRIAGE CEREMONY
CRISTINA PEDLER WRITES — Malala Yousafzai, human rights activist and champion of women’s education, announced her marriage to the world via social media on November 9, 2021. The happy couple tied the knot during a Nikah ceremony – a legal agreement between bride and groom in her home of Birmingham,…
LOS ANGELES: “HEAD IN THE CLOUDS” FESTIVAL FELT LIKE HEAVEN ON EARTH
JARED SIVILA WRITES — After such a long break from large crowds, the record label 88rising and its many talented artists took to the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA from November 6-7 for the annual Head in the Clouds festival. Having had to move online last year by streaming…
AND/OR: A MEMOIR AB0UT SEX(T), LIES AND VIDEO POLITICS
ANDREA PLATE WRITES — American women know well the indignity of being defined, and best-known, by the men they marry. But Huma Abedin, author of the utterly readable, just published memoir And/Both: A Life in Many Worlds (Scribner), is no ordinary woman; nor did she marry a nice ordinary man,…
ANOTHER SAUDI TAKEOVER IN ENGLISH SOCCER: IS THERE A REASON FOR CONCERN?
MILES WHITTINGHAM WRITES — In October 2021, the majority of the well-known English Premier League club Newcastle United was purchased by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The move has been met with widespread skepticism by fans and executives alike. This isn’t the first time that something like this…
CHINA: A TENNIS STAR LOBS AN ASSAULT ALLEGATION AGAINST A FORMER POLITICAL PLAYER
NATALIA FALCHI WRITES — Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai recently shared a personal #MeToo experience on Weibo, accusing former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. But her post was removed within minutes. Zhang Gaoli of course served on the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee from 2012 to 2017. Ms.…
VIDEO: 5TH ANNUAL WILLIAM J. PERRY LECTURE SERIES BY SEC. JANET NAPOLITANO
EVENT – Former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet A. Napolitano presented a special lecture on women leadership at the 5th annual William J. Perry Lecture Series. The event was held at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea on Thursday, November 4, 2021, 4:00PM KST. *This event is sponsored by…