One of the world’s oldest cities, Kashgar serves as both the spiritual and political capital of traditional Uighur culture.  Since 1949, the modern People’s Republic of China has exerted strong control over the region, and Kashgar has been particularly hard hit.  Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, a province covering 1/6th of China’s territory holds a majority [...]

In Cambodia today, there is an increasing number of emotionally disturbed persons. Traditionally the emotionally disturbed in Cambodia have suffered from the trauma caused by the historical tragedy of the  Khmers Rouges, who killed one third of the population and virtually enslaved the rest. But now, according to  Psychologists in Phnom Penh, we have to [...]

There weren’t as many blondes on May 29, 2010 in Riga as expected by organizers, “tens of thousands”, but the event was conceived to change the public mood in Latvia, a country in Europe hit hard by economic crisis. The Latvian press said that this ‘Go Blonde’ will be a major tourist attraction for the [...]

Vietnam’s capital is at a critical junction, balanced precariously between its past and present, trying to maintain a certain sense of culture and identity while integrating further into the global economy. Rice fields and farmlands are being overtaken by new highways, skyscrapers and industrial areas. The lakes and rivers for which the city was once [...]

Thaipusam is the biggest annual Hindu festival in Malaysia, celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai. Pusam refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan, the youngest son [...]

In Lebanon, a small but densely populated country, there are 12 official camps with about 230,000 refugees. Compared with their counterparts in neighboring Syria and Jordan, Palestinians in Lebanon has the highest percentage of refugees who are living in abject poverty and who are registered with UNRWA’s “special hardship” program.
Shatila camp, located in Beirut’s “belt [...]