· August, 2009

Stories about North America from August, 2009

Israel: Influence of Hippies on Israeli Culture

“Israel's always had a little more than its share of hippie tendencies,” writes My Urban Kvetch's Esther Kustanowitz, “From communal living arrangements (kibbutzim, moshavim, the army) to sandals and other footwear… Plus, unkempt beards, long hair, songs about peace.”

Israel: For the Love of Food

With the Jewish High Holidays approaching, food seems to be on everyone's minds. The Jewish blogosphere is ripe with sumptuous tidbits and contemplations about the cultural implications of food, food and identity, and the history and culture of our favorite culinary delights.

Israel: When Translations Go Wrong

Literal translations aren't always your best bet when moving between Hebrew and English, explains How to Be Israeli. She writes that the movie title “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” which is Biblical in tone in the native English, is translated in Hebrew as “Achi, Efo Atah?” which sounds a lot...

Israel: Hollywood in the Holy Land

September is a major month for Hollywood in the Holy Land. Israel will welcome Madonna, Leonard Cohen, Faith No More, Julio Iglesias, MGMT, and Dinosaur Jr. Both Madonna and Cohen's shows have sold out their 45,000+ seats. Israelity has the scoop.

Spain, USA : Artists (Dis)cover the Veil

  29 August 2009

Two recent events highlighting how artists look at the hijab issue inspired bloggers. Swiss motsd'images enthuses (Fr) about a beautiful outdoor photo exhibition of African women in Seville, Spain; and updateslive gives a thorough account of “The Seen and the Hidden, (Dis)covering the Veil,” an exhibition held in New York...

Japan: Marines and Okinawa

  28 August 2009

Peter Ennis at NBR Forum explains [en] the “role” of the U.S. Marines in Okinawa. “The US Marines are so heavily based on Okinawa for one reason:Budget. Japan picks up most of the bill. War plans for the Korean Peninsula virtually do not include the US Marines.” [via Tobias Harris,...

USA: Activism to Stop Human Trafficking

  26 August 2009

Human trafficking is an ongoing and often undetected problem in the United States. Individuals and organizations are taking actions to raise awareness and to combat this problem.

Global: Ramadan Mubarak

  24 August 2009

With the advent of Ramadan around the globe this weekend, Muslim and non-Muslim bloggers everywhere are wishing each other Ramadan mubarak (or "blessed Ramadan").

Bhutan: Starting Over in America

  18 August 2009

At Dal Bhat Tarkari photographer and documentary film maker Anya Vaverko writes about her recent documentary about the Bhutanese refugees of cultural repression and their new life in USA as a part of their resettlement efforts. The Documentary is titled “Big Buildings: Starting Over in America” and you can watch...

Pakistan: Say No To Drone Attacks

  18 August 2009

Ziyad Faisal at Pak Tea House builds his logic against the US drone attacks on Pakistani civilians: “Isn’t it abundantly clear that US drone attacks are merely providing the Al-Qaeda militants and Taliban with a wonderful propaganda opportunity, to recruit yet more people using the destruction from US attacks as...