Persian Heroes of the Past: Cyrus the Great and His Wannabees

Preface: How many of us have traveled to storied places, like the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum, and crossed them off our bucket list, without knowing a lot about their historical or current context?  I must admit to some of that when I went to Ephesus in Turkey.  Even without much … More Persian Heroes of the Past: Cyrus the Great and His Wannabees

Gender in Iran

Note:  This second post about my two week trip to Iran is about my impressions of special rules for women under Islamic law in Iran.  I make no claims to be expert in these matters, but since I am female and subject to most of these rules as a tourist, I paid special attention. At … More Gender in Iran

Ten Things Helena, Montana has that my Hometown Doesn’t

Helena is the Capital of the state, but only has 35,000 residents (There are only 1 million in the whole giant state!) As a result it has many of the features of a small western town in the U.S., but also features you would expect in a larger cosmopolitan area. I visit frequently from Minneapolis, … More Ten Things Helena, Montana has that my Hometown Doesn’t

Three non-traditional days around Amsterdam, on your way to somewhere else

Ed note:  This itinerary is taken from a 10 day, four city trip in the Netherlands led by myself, half Dutch, and a friend, 100% Dutch, in mid-October, 2015.  Just a warning about the timing:  By mid-October  you are in shoulder season, when the prices are lower. It can be rainy then, and we experienced … More Three non-traditional days around Amsterdam, on your way to somewhere else

Public Health Work Requires Cultural Immersion

The past few weeks I have been reading historian John M. Barry’s book about the worldwide influenza pandemic of 1918, where an estimated 50-100 million people died over a two year period.  This story of massive public health failure is told from the American context. That context was the entry of the U.S. into the … More Public Health Work Requires Cultural Immersion

Visiting Theo World

My first career was in early childhood education. It was an exciting time when preschool childcare centers meant that women could continue careers, enter graduate programs, and work without worrying about how their children were getting along during the day.  After moving to Minneapolis in 1974, I found myself working in a parent coop with … More Visiting Theo World