Because of its fertile soil, abundant water and temperate climate, Jiangsu Province is known as China’s “Land of Fish and Rice.” In Yangzhou, the ancient Southern capital, the riches of Jiangsu are expressed in the design, construction and careful maintenance of magnificent urban gardens built by rich merchants centuries ago. Yangzhou gardens are designed to inspire, painting, poetry and calligraphy as well as friendly conversation and reflective thought…
By David DeVoss: We rose before dawn and began driving across Rwanda, a densely populated East African country on the edge of the Great Rift Valley from which springs the headwaters of the Nile. As the sun rose above the misty hills the roadsides filled with brightly dressed women balancing bundles atop their heads and men pushing bicycles piled high with agricultural produce. A mountainous, landlocked nation that calls itself “The Land of 1,000 Hills,” Rwanda has 12 million people who live in a country smaller than Maryland…
By Jacqueline Swartz Returning to Athens after more than a dozen years seemed like an emotional Odyssey. Would it still be the city I knew so well? Would I be able to appreciate the creative unpredictable, even when it turned infuriating? Would the people I knew from years of writing dispatches for Canada’s leading publications…
Kurdistan’s Rough Road to Freedom By David DeVoss Kurds in northern Iraq control their own land, maintain their own military, and share a common culture and language. They also have an overwhelming desire to separate from Iraq and become an independent state. But can a de facto nation become a real country if it isn’t…
Montreal is 375-Years Old and is Hosting a Year Long Birthday Party By Jacqueline Swartz Montreal is celebrating its 375th birthday this year. The French-Canadian city on the St Lawrence River has long been known for its festivals, including the dramatic, mostly outdoor Festival of Lights in freezing February. But this year will be special.…