Travel and Food

Jewish community in Taiwan celebrates arrival of new Torah

By Danny Bloom TAIPEI, Taiwan — On a bright sunny Sunday afternoon in tasty, tantalizing and terrific Taipei, a group of around 200 people, Jews and non-Jews, marched through the city streets celebrating the arrival of a Hebrew-language Torah scroll donated by an Israeli businessman who flew in for the occasion as well. The festive

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Travel and Food

Bollywood star to play stereotyped Jewish gangster in ‘The Great Gatsby’

By Danny Bloom TAIPEI, Taiwan — Overseas, and in India in particular, the big movie gossip involving the 2012 Warner Bros. remake of The Great Gatsby has nothing to do with Leonardo DiCaprio or Tobey Maguire. Rather, it involves Bollywood film star Amitabh Bachchan and what will amount to the actor’s first-ever Hollywood film appearance

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Travel and Food

A rim with a view

By Carol Davis GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Arizona–For decades I have wanted to visit the Grand Canyon. Finally, on my 74th birthday in May, my friend Debbie and I set out (from her Las Vegas home) to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for a three-day excursion. Never in my imagination had I pictured

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Carol Davis, Travel and Food, USA

Finding a Shabbat service in the great ‘out there’

By Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO — Summer vacations. I remember road trips as a kid with my folks, driving south from New Jersey to Gettysburg, Williamsburg and Fredericksburg.  And another time, we drove through New England up to Canada, eventually to Montreal and Quebec City.   I’ve continued that tradition with my daughter. This year, we ventured

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Travel and Food

Money Maven: Investing in uncertain times

By Sheryl Rowling Sheryl Rowling SAN DIEGO –Dear Money Maven: The unprecedented debt ceiling issue and recent market volatility are making me schvitz with worry.  Should I move to cash or change my investment strategy to protect against a possible market slide? Fearfully, Fermisht Dear Fermisht: During these tumultuous times (and always), it is important

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Sheryl Rowling, Travel and Food

‘Musicophilia’ fascinates with medical stories of music and the brain

By David Amos SAN DIEGO — When I read a book for the first time, I like to lightly mark with a pencil the important thoughts, concepts, and paragraphs I encounter. This is especially useful if it’s a subject of a personally intense interest, or one which will become a book review. Interestingly, when reading Musicophilia,Tales

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Travel and Food