Morocco! The names alone are so enticingly exotic: Casablanca, Marrakesh, Fez, and Tangier. Each one conjures up film, music, food, architecture and the stuff Orientalist’s dreams are made of. Want pristine Mediterranean beaches, or perhaps a camel trek through the Sahara? Watch local women (and goats) produce the lovely Argan oil found in the cosmetics…
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Femicide Drives Central American Women to Our Border
Central America is an extremely dangerous place to be female. Women endure not only the familiar social insults – teen marriage, teen motherhood, and the resulting economic dependency – but also the criminal insults of domestic violence, trafficking, and femicide. Rates of domestic violence exceed 50% in some places; indeed, the UN reports that El…
Bus driver wanted: Position filled.
How did you wake up this morning? Was it by a loud buzzing alarm clock? Did you hit the snooze button? Was it by a child crying out for you? Did you wake up on your own without any assistance? Did you look at the clock that displayed 6:38am and in your head say “when…
Living In The Moment!
Recently, I took a mini vacation with my family. While it was super enjoyable, it was also quite different. You see, normally whenever I travel, I’m always researching ahead of time, where are the best places to stay, dine and visit. I then “ensure” I include in my vacation plans, those top 10 recommended places to…
Mindfulness–How To Really Live In The Moment
Really all we’ve got is right now in this moment that we are experiencing, feeling, and living. My mind is constantly thinking about things that have happened in the past or will happen in the future. And, you know what? It doesn’t matter at all. All we have is right here, right now. Thinking constantly…
Dear Books, Can We Be Friends Again?
The saying that friends are with us for a reason, a season, or for a lifetime… well, I think it is the exact same with books. Unfortunately, for way too many years, I considered books and the need to read them to be either an annoying chore or a mindless break while on vacation, when…
Actions – Life’s Dominoes
I love to people watch. Wherever I am, I tend to absorb as much of my surroundings as possible. I watch and wonder what made one person think the outfit they are wearing is “the outfit,” or I wonder what is causing another to smile or frown, or how their day is going by the…
Love Begins With Self
Valentine’s Day was just a few weeks ago and everywhere you looked retail stores and ads told us we needed a gift from someone special to feel loved. Chocolates, flowers, teddy bears holding hearts, chocolate covered strawberries even popcorn drizzled in chocolate. The stores were filled with husbands, boyfriends, partners and sons standing dumbfounded by…
My Favorite Book: the Qur’an
The Qur’an. It’s been cherished, vilified, targeted as a message of violence and hate, but is also a comprehensive guide for billions throughout the world. Never has a book engendered such conflicting emotions and opinions. It has led Muslims to live a life of peace and order but has been interpreted by others as a…
