Reflecting on Chairman Mao Zedung, I can’t help but thinking of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Ode to Ozymandias. In the early 1980s, many in the world watched reports on the trial of the Gang of Five (Mao supporters).   In 2000…

Turkey.  Sufism is an order of Islam founded by the Turkish theologian Rūmī in the thirteenth century. When I was in Turkey in 2009, I was lucky enough to attend a service.  The congregation was super gracious.  I recall music and…

In northern Ghana, in the East Gonja District, sits the City of Salaga. Upon disembarking from the ferry and traversing the bank, I came to a fast-moving town. Beyond the rotary below, was a busy market place.  Some merchants sold from…

Japan. A walk in this sculpture park is good fun. Even in the rain, you won’t be disappointed in the characters you meet along the route. The Hakone Open-Air Museum is a sculpture park with an additional three houses of…

One of Poland’s oldest cities, Kraków has character. It is Poland’s second largest city and served as the Polish capital from 1038 to 1539. Like most European cities, it is situated by a water source; Kraków sits by the Vistula River.…