Writings From the Past

I've always had a sense that writing was something I enjoyed, and something that I liked to think I was good at. Ever since I can remember, it's been my strong suit, with math and numbers clearly not.

I began thinking about it seriously in high school, when I first joined the staff of the school newspaper, the Pepperbox. As I progressed into college, started at Emerson and later SFSU, and traveled abroad, I always tried to keeping putting my thoughts down on paper, whether for an assignment, or simply for myself. Below, I'm including some of my previous work, and a little background on each piece. I'd welcome any questions or comments you might have- feel free to contact me here


Note: Click on the text links for the stories, and the icons for the official website

Israel & Holland, Allies With...Issues
The relationship between Israel and the Netherlands has almost always been described as good, but with the intifada showing no signs of slowing, how has that relationship begun to be affected?

Hello Utrecht, Goodbye Bike
In 2002, there were 16 Million people in the Netherlands, and 16.5 Million bicycles- with a statistic like this, is it surprising that bicycle theft has reached truly epidemic proportions?

Schiphol: City of the Future?
As the world, and particularly Europe grows ever smaller, airports have had to reinvent themselves as much more than just arrival and departure points. Once a dirt strip and drained swamp, how has Amsterdam’s Schiphol transformed, and how is it looking to the future?

The Spectator
The EU grows ever larger and stronger, but there is a notable absence. Deep within the Alps, Switzerland watches impassively but considers whether its future will be on the outside looking in, or as a reluctant member of the Union.

Hell on Wheels?
On New Year's 2003, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh-Rasumussen vowed that in order to confront the 'biker menace,' he would "fight fire with fire..." Are motorcycle gangs such as the Hells Angels and Bandidos that much of a concern?

The Jewish Community of Athens: Rebuilding, yesterday and today...
Hitler's vision of a 'Final Solution,' a Europe free of Jews was a stunning success in Greece– fully 87% of the almost 80,000 strong population were murdered. When the lucky survivors, less than 2,000 of them, returned, they found nothing remaining of their former lives. How did their descendants rebuild, what issues are they facing, and will their efforts to preserve Greek Judaism be successful?

Athens, via Auschwitz: The Story of Berry Nahmias
As an 18-year old girl Berry Nahmias endured torments in Auschwitz beyond imagination. Rather than give in to her torturers, she discovered an inner strength, which she uses today to help the few remaining Greek Holocaust survivors.




Influence, or Impotence
The Sáme of Norway, often marginalized, have felt for years that their voice isn't heard in far-off Oslo. With a powerless elected assembly budgeted a mere 200 million Kroner, is it a case of money for nothing?

"Someday We'll be Seen as More Than Postcards"
For over 100 years the official policy of the Norwegian government was to eliminate Sáme culture. The old laws were abolished in 1959, but almost 50 years later, how much has really changed?

Broadcasting a Heritage
With a potential audience of less than 75,000 people, NRK Sáme radio and TV will never achieve the mass-market status of giants like MTV and Eurosport. Since 1992 it has embarked on a new mission, a combination of preservation and information...



Death Row Dharma
San Quentin's Death row is hardly an ideal place to begin a Buddhist practice, but Jarvis Jay Masters has done just that.

Is Satan In Your Schoolyard?
Dick Cheney is the spawn of Satan, Queen Elizabeth is running a drug-dealing ring, and, oh yes, Lyndon LaRouche would like your vote...

Murder of Foreign Minister Shocks SF State Swedes
Swedish students at SF State were shocked to wake the morning of the 11th, and find that one of their most popular politicians had been assassinated. 46-year-old Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, counterpart to US Secretary of State Colin Powell, was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant in a busy clothing store in downtown Stockholm on Wednesday afternoon, and died of her wounds early Thursday morning.

Project Rebound Brings Chances Back
In the early 1990's inmate number B8481, aka Ronnie Cole was released from the California state prison system. Today, Professor Ronnie Cole, aka Zumani, directs Project Rebound, a program for recently released inmates looking for another chance at an education...

Student Struggles with Tragedy in So. Cal Wildfire
As wildfires rage on through Southern California, San Francisco would seem to be relatively unscathed, with flight delays and worries, but little else impacting the Bay Area directly. This is not the case for Michelle Griesgraber, a journalism student at SF State.




Birthright Israel-A New Way of Seeing Myself and the World

When I left home for Boston in 1999, I knew that I was about to begin a new chapter of my life. I’ve always been something of a traveler- telling people exactly where ‘home’ was usually boiled down to wherever I happened to be living at the moment. It would be a time of new experiences, new adventures, and perhaps a chance to really figure out what I wanted to do with my life. What I didn’t realize was that I was going to be reunited with my heritage, in a way that I would never have thought possible.

The Middle East Divide at SFSU & The 2002 Hillel Israel Advocacy Mission: Making a Change, or Running in Place?
When I first traveled to Israel in January 2000, the attitude in the war-torn Middle East was that true peace was just around the corner. After Camp David, it wasn’t a question of if, but when. Only a fool would think otherwise. Apparently everyone was a fool. In the time since I first traveled to Israel, as part of the Birthright program, the Middle East had become a far more dangerous place. As everyone knows, it’s never been the most peaceful region of the world, but the outbreak of the 2nd Intifada, between September 2000, and late August 2002, when I wrote this travelogue was particularly brutal.