The festival is small, but cute. I am in Newberry Springs, California, about twenty minutes east of Barstow along Interstate 40, on a crisp November morning, joining literally thousands (not at one time) of locals and visitors honoring the little green nut, the pistachio. Here in California’s high desert (high referring to the elevation, significantly…
In August of 1961, construction began on what was to become the Berlin Wall. An already divided Berlin in an already divided Germany would be saddled with a concrete monstrosity that would become the symbol of the Cold War. The wall would encircle all of West Berlin, stretching 96 miles, dividing it from both East…
On May 7, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally to the allied forces. As the war in Europe ended, Germany was divided into four spheres of control, each region “belonging” to one of the allied powers: the US, the USSR, Britain, and France. Berlin was divided into quarters, although it was surrounded by the Soviet region.…
Two children are born on the same day, and live two hundred feet from each other. They speak the same language, and are maybe even related going back a few generations. And yet, these two children will have completely different lives. One will have opportunities the other cannot even dream of. And this is all…
“Call me as soon as you’re back across the border,” said my mother. “Text me every hour,” said my girlfriend. “Just don’t go to Juarez. It’s not safe,” said pretty much everyone I told of my plan to cross the border from El Paso for a day. However, despite all the trepidation from both my…
Full Cup Farmstead isn’t exactly what one pictures a farm to look like. Nestled in the mountains of northern California’s Humboldt County, it is the sort of place one would imagine going to hike or camp, not to experience regenerative farming (click here to read more on regenerative farming). Blue skies, green trees, snow on…
“Gringo go home.” The writing across the sidewalk of Calle Loiza sort of smacks me in the face as I walk from the grocery store back to my rented apartment in San Juan. This isn’t my first encounter with that sentiment; a rally even took place in Old San Juan while I was staying here…
“Why are you going to Texas?” The question came at me from nearly every quarter when I announced my intention to spend a few days visiting the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Austin perhaps would be understandable. After all, Austin seems to be populated largely by liberal west coast expats. But Dallas? Dallas is “real” Texas. To…
Driving down CA 118, the Ronald Reagan Freeway, across the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, doubt creeps into my mind. Why am I doing this? I am certainly not a fan of Ronald Reagan’s presidency, for a myriad of reasons that don’t have any bearing on this article. Furthermore, I have always sort of…
Let not woes of old enslave you anew.Nydia Ecury, Aruban-Dutch writer The quotation stands in stark contrast to its surroundings, inscribed on a wall in front of what was once a post meant to chain slaves for public whipping. Smiling docents are likewise a contradiction, escorting tourists through Willemstad’s Kura Hulanda Museum, a series of…