The recent killing of Bangladeshi blogger Ananta Bijoy Das on May 12 was not the first of its kind in Bangladesh. In fact, there have been at least seven assassination attempts on secularist bloggers and activists like Das since 2013. Three of these murders have been in the past four months and the death threats…
Around the world in eight issues: Jordan-United States
Dalia Khattab is an undecided freshman from Amman, Jordan. What were you expecting before you came to the US? Well, I went to the American Community School in Amman, Jordan and, although we still had a big Jordanian population, we got pretty used to American culture. I think it prepared me well for American culture,…
Around the world in eight issues: China-United States
Xue Yan is a junior philosophy major from Chuangchun, in Jilin, China. What were you expecting before you came to the US? I think I was expecting it to be very open, friendly and open to different backgrounds and perspectives. The media is a big influence on our perceptions of the US, and these are…
Around the world in eight issues: Valentine’s Day
Xue Yan is a junior philosophy major from Changchun, China. People do celebrate Valentine’s Day in China, but it is treated as an imported western holiday. Like [at] other western holidays, people in China just do lots of shopping, buying lots of chocolate [and] flowers. I don’t think people know why it’s called “Valentine’s day;”…
Around the world in eight issues: Germany
Haedyn Smith is a junior German major from Antioch, IL. She spent Fall 2014 in Germany. What were you expecting before you went to Germany? I don’t really know; it was kind of a dream state that I was in. I had this idea of a traditional German city, but Berlin was nothing like that, it’s…
Around the world in eight issues: Turkey
Cansu Cabucak is a junior philosophy major from Izmir, Turkey. What were you expecting before you came to the US? Sadly, Hollywood plays a huge role in the perception of the US. As a child, I always imagined America as being full of wealthy and attractive people with their Starbucks coffees. Because of this influence,…
Around the world in eight issues: St. Petersburg, Russia
Tracy Johnson is a junior linguistics major from St. Louis who recently studied abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia. What were you expecting before you went to Russia? I think I expected it to be a bit more volatile than it actually was, even though I knew that it was very far away from any actual…
Crossing Borders: India – United States
Samhita Nagaraj is a senior psychology major from Bangalore, India. What did you expect before you came to the US? “It’s not something I paid much attention to because I was…pretty westernized. I grew up in a highly westernized part of society, one, and two, part of my city. Americans come with [their] set of…
Dining in Dairyland: Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is the perfect summer dish. It is fresh, tangy, filling and healthy. I do warn you, though, since tabbouleh is such a simple dish, the better the quality of your ingredients, the better it will taste. Try to get really good tomatoes — fresh, juicy and organic if possible — and get nice crisp…
Dining in Dairyland: Cold Broiled Asparagus Pasta
Yes, asparagus can be expensive, but it’s spring now and fresh asparagus is so good that it is worth it. You can rest easier knowing that pasta is cheap! Ingredients A bunch of fresh organic asparagus Olive oil Salt and pepper Balsamic vinegar Cooked and cooled pasta (spirals work well) Method 1. Rinse the asparagus…