Babel

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Posts

  • Potential to Do Harm

    elyssa_hand

    Reprinted with permission from Amor y Sabor.

    [Photos © Eliza Alys Young]

    In the days since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, we have, as a country, struggled to make sense of it all. Every parent has thought of their own children on that day and are grateful they are safe. Some are grateful for something else — that it wasn’t their child who perpetrated the violence. Others pray that there is no child like Adam Lanza at their school — a ticking time bomb of potential violence. (more…)

  • Third World Perspective

    Reprinted with permission from Amor y Sabor

    Featured Image: The Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo during a blackout (apagone).

    It is rather ironic for me to being here in the Dominican Republic, a country which has its share of hurricanes each year and see news of Hurricane Sandy devastating the Northeastern United States, the part of the world I grew up in. Hurricane Sandy passed by here upon my arrival but she was a mere tropical storm back then, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. (more…)

  • Sex Across Borders

    Statues at a Karma Sutra Temple in India

    Reprinted with permission from Amor y Sabor.

    Any one who has been in one knows that a long distance relationship is challenging…very challenging. Karan and I are in our third year together and half that time has been long distance. We see each other every three to four months. We Skype every day but in the beginning we couldn’t even do that – no video support and super slow internet so we are grateful for any progress.

    One of the obvious challenges of a long distance relationship is keeping the romance fresh. Now I’m not prepared to share my private life (completely) or offer advice but I am always observing and making connections as a way of managing my experiences. My observations have shown me the differences in how a man versus a woman handles long distance romance and that has led me to a larger observation of the cultural context of sex in the three cultures I have personal experience with: America, Dominican Republic, and India. But, I am getting ahead of myself…

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  • Immigration Rights

    In this U.S. presidential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the subject of ‘immigration reform’ is often raised. I feel that what they should really be talking about is ‘immigration rights” and how one qualifies for them. You see, immigration is an issue I have come to know a lot about in recent years… (more…)