By Dan Bloom CHIAYI, Taiwan — Longtime observers of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have said, “The China question is open as long as the CCP rules China.” And as long as the gates of freedom in China remain closed, as long as theseungainly scars of gates are permitted to stand, it is not the
China, tear down those gates! Read More »
International
By Donald H. Harrison ABOARD SEA PRINCESS – Across from the glass-enclosed elevators on Deck Seven, the third level of Sea Princess’s atrium, is a piano mounted on a platform. In front of the piano and curving around half the atrium are 120 seats. They start filling up about an hour before the
Singer Goldstein converts cruise ship lounge into his ‘living room’ Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Dan Bloom Danny Bloom TAIPEI — The Taiwanese just can’t seem to get enough of Steve Jobs, either in person or in the doppelganger department. Readers will remember news items earlier this year about a TV ad campaign in Taiwan that used an American expat named Brook Hall to play Jobs in a very
Have scammers done jobs on Taiwanese? Read More »
Travel and Food
By Carol Davis VISTA, California—It matters not that just last year, The San Diego Repertory Theatre in conjunction with San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts mounted an excellent and lively rendition of the Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan (book), Mark Shaiman (music) and Scott Wittman/Mark Shaiman (lyrics) 2003 Tony Award winning Broadway hit (directed
Hairspray at Moonlight is hair-raising fun Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES –A convicted murderer sits on Death Row convinced that he is Cary Grant. He is warm, charming, and black. Is he delusional or merely pretending in order to amuse himself? His defense attorney, who is appealing his conviction, believes his previous attorney badly mishandled his case. Moreover, she believes he
Murderer persuades himself he is Cary Grant in new play. But will he persuade you? Read More »
Cynthia Citron
By Donald H. Harrison TRACY ARM, Alaska – Less than a week after Sea Princess visited this fjord south of Juneau, an apartment building-size piece of the Sawyer Glacier crumbled into the water, amazing and then horrifying passengers aboard a small excursion boat. The “calving” of the glacier—as can be seen on YouTube—was a
Glaciers, bergy bits and growlers enliven visit to Tracy Arm Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Ira Sharkansky Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It was not a day for a Schlafstunde. Soon after lunch on Thursday, Varda called from the other room that I should turn on the radio. That generally means something unpleasant. This was the onset of a terror attack. As is typical in such events, early reports were
The Eilat attack and its possible aftermath Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — How many times have you heard a rabbi say, “You should live a Jewish life?” Ad nauseam, I’m sure. Well, doing so is easier than you think! A young man was studying with the chassidim of the Rebbe of Kotzk while his father-in-law supported him. He eventually had
Building Jewish values into daily tasks Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Donald H. Harrison DYEA, Alaska – It was the first time for any of us, and grandson Shor’s apprehension grew considerably as the unimog—described cheerfully as a “jeep on steroids”—climbed a logging road to where our Alaska Excursions Mammoth Waterfalls and Ultra Zipline Adventure would begin here in the northern outskirts of Skagway. Nancy
Zip goes your life in Dyea, Alaska Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Roz Rothstein LOS ANGELES — The StandWithUs community is outraged and heartbroken by the coordinated terrorist attacks near Eilat in southern Israel on Thursday. At least seven people are reported dead and an estimated 25 injured in a three-stage terrorist attack along Israel’s border with Egypt on Thursday. Two children, a four-year-old and a six-year-old,
Eilat attacks should be denounced worldwide Read More »
Middle East
By Donald H. Harrison SKAGWAY, Alaska –The narrow-gauge railroad that climbs from this town 20.4 miles to the Canadian border at White Pass, and then some 90 miles farther north up to the Yukon territorial capital of Whitehorse, is given the same sort of respect by civil engineers that they accord to such marvels as the
White Pass & Yukon Route RR provides interesting history and dramatic scenery Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Gary Rotto Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO — Baseball and kosher hot dogs. A new summer time tradition is reprised by the Jewish Federation and the Padres. On a recent homestand, our local nine hosted a Jewish Community Day, the first one organized in conjunction with local Jewish organizations in almost a decade. Back when the Padres
San Diego Jewish community turned out for the Padres Read More »
San Diego Calendar
By Donald H. Harrison SKAGWAY, Alaska – Carlin “Buckwheat” Donahue bought and sold oil leases in Colorado, acted in Skagway’s gold-days pageant, and tended bar, before he found his Princess. “Thanks to them, I’ve had a wonderful career,” he boomed. Princess Cruises has been bringing passengers to Skagway since the 1980s, and holds the
The ‘confident Alaska spirit’ exemplified in Skagway Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–The following statement was issued Tuesday by the Middle East Quartet (United Nations, Russian Federation, United States, and European Union): The Quartet is greatly concerned by Israel’s recent announcements to advance planning for new housing units in Ariel and East Jerusalem, and reiterates its position in this regard, in particular its statement
Quartet “greatly concerned” by Israeli plans to build in Ariel, East Jerusalem Read More »
Middle East