Thursday, October 21, 2010

Segobriga: A well preserved Roman City that thrived in the heart of Spain

Just imagine a fully functioning and well developed city, that seem to have everything a nice city would crave; theater, houses of worship, instructional halls and fori, craft centers, sewers, race tracks, gymnasium, amphitheater sitting over five thousand spectators, mansions, regular homes, swimming pool and bath houses, high city walls and imposing city gates etc. Then, all of a sudden, the residents of the city pack up and leave, forever! If you imagined this, you would be picturing Segobriga, a roman city in the heart of Spain., then part of the Roman Empire.


Segobriga is in the current Cuenca Province of the Catilla La Mancha region of Spain, just an hour south east of Madrid. It is one of the few most complete, well preserved cities built purposedly as a Roman city when the Romans defeated the Carthaginians in the first Punic war and went ahead to colonize the Celt-Iberian people in the peninsular and began the Romanization of the area. The city thrived for centuries but was believed to have been abandoned when the Moors and the Moslems invaded and occupied Spain. However, while Segobriga fell into ruins, the structures all stand strong today that virtually every facet of the city is vivid and tangible today, presenting a compelling picture of what life was like in the area over 2000 years ago.

The city, which was deliberately and strategically built on the highest point of the sloping landscape looks majestic on approach. One obvious cultural practice noticed right away is how the entrance to the city, outside the city wall was lined with graves. For some cultural reasons the people buried their dead outside the city walls, not sure if it had a religious component to it as some current cultures bury their dead as a protective force around their town. The graves, though hollow now, still retain the stonewalls with which they were constructed. Both individual, pair and family graves all lined up the entrance to the city. There were also further well developed cemetaries (necropolis) that lie a few yards away from the road entrance, with several graves numbering in the hundreds. Further away from those were another set of cemetaries and basilica that were built by the Visigoths when they defeated the Romans and became the main power brokers in the city for 200 more years before it got abandoned when the Moslems invaded.
The Theater

Once inside the city walls, every direction you looked had a familiar structure which you can easily walked up to for closer detail inspection and could actually recreate the event the structure was built for. In the gladatorial arena (the amphitheater), I walked into the area the gladiators waited their turn beofre a fight or performance, a room the size of half a standard room today and wondered what may have been on their mind as they prepared for a life or death battle. Just not too far from their waiting area were holding areas for the wild animals that performed or fought in the arena. Surprisingly the circular arena itself is as big and wide as today´s baseball field, with the surrounding concrete bleachers running as high around the arena as today´s sitting arrangement in a baseball diamond.
Amphitheater: I just wrestled a lion and won

Across the street from the gladiator´s amphitheater was a very imposing theater, complete with a large stage, orchestra pit and a stack of audience area that again ascended in the order we are familiar with today. The backwall doubled as the city wall because of its height, as the entire city was surrounded by 1300 meter wall with several gates, This theater was built in the first century and was where what would be classic tragedies as well as comedies were performed. Remarkably, class distinctions were very sharp then as even the sitting arrangements were marked by social standing and in fact the theater sitting arrangements were concretely marked off to separate the classes.
Watching a play in the theater

Perhaps the politcal and social behive of activities of the city was at the forum, which was a very large rectangular space with huge columns lining its side. It must have been the seat of power and where the major decisions concerning the city and its political life was conducted. It lies on the eastern side of the city and was constructed in the Augustan times as part of the urbanization program of the city..

What would be today´s city swimming pool was the baths in Segobriga. These were located between the the Theater and the street that runs close to the city wall, and not too far from the Amphitheater. It perhaps was for hygenic purpose as well as served a social and business networking function in the community. The changing rooms were like today´s locker rooms in most gyms, with individual stone etched row of niches where bathers could lay their clothes and possessions while lounging in a dry circular sauna in the center. The varied temperatured baths lay to the north of the room.. The sewer system and latrines were not too far from the baths, as you could still see the tunnel with stone-slab covering, as it snakes down the slope and away from the city where the waste is emptied.
The Bath and Sauna Locke



The historical influence of Segobriga as a Roman municipality and regional and administrative power in hispano-roman Iberia was well documented in the museum that is built on the grounds of the city. Objects and important carvings from the city are preserved in the museum to prevent them from further deterioration.

Unfortuanately but understandably, the public is not allowed to photograph any of those objects or the intricately exquisite sculptures that bring to life some of the movers and shakers of the Segobrigan society. Fittingly though, the ancient citizens of this city did not build right on the ruins of the city they abandoned for what ever reasons, but moved down the road about a mile to establish a current city named Saelices. I picture SEgobriga rivalling any modern city in beauty and organization but also recognize that life for the ordinary citizens must have been full of drudgery to maintained all that, and also maintained their place in a very stratified society.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Teruel: The home of Mudejar Architecture

Due south from Zaragoza was another Aragon province called Teruel with its seat located in the city of Teruel as well. This town was founded in 1176 by Sancho Sanchez Munoz and Blasco Garces Marcila and later became a cosmopolitan center with significant Jewish and Muslim population amoung its Christian inhabitants. Teruel is not a typical tourist hotspot but no one could resist its local history and culture and its place as the epicenter of the Mudejar architecture in Spain. This was the medieval period when the Christian rulers commissioned Muslim architectural pieces, which is distinct from the Mosarabic influence when Christians lived under Muslim rule.

One of the numrous Mudejar style towers
The city lies almost a thousand meters above sea level with a rough and sometimes harsh climatic conditions. That got turned into an asset as Teruel became famous for its naturally cured ham, called Jamon Serrano. They also uniquely have abundance of dinosaur remains in the province, which even prompted a dinosaur theme park that is unmistakeable as you drive into the city.

With the mudejar architectural influence, many of the buildings and towers were wonders to behold in their intricacy and bright ornamental detailing. Some of the towers are now attached to museums or cathedrals while others stand alone as the buildings they were connected to had fallen out of use or even destroyed in the several battles that took place in Teruel in the Spanish civil war years.

A significant symbol of the city is the bull. The main plaza of the city is adorned with a monument that depicts a tall column on top of which is mounted a small statue of the bull, locally referred to as El Torico or the little bull. In fact the city center is now commonly called Plaza El Torico. Teruel also boasts of high quality pottery which you can purchase in the numerous gift shops around the central plaza.
El Torico

Touring San Pedro, one of the many mudejar influenced churches, whcih was built in the 16th century, it was moving to see the mausoleum housing the mummified bodies of Isabel Segura (a wealthy lady) and Diego de Marcilla, a poor guy who battled at Crusades to earn some money with the intention to return to get married with Isabel but the happy ending tragically never materialized. Envision Romeo and Juliet. The lovers of Teruel or Los Amantes de Teruel is a significant lure that is now part of the legend of this city that is at once not widely known but also nurtures its distinct history and attributes in Spanish life and culture.

My one day tour of the city was well worth it, especailly freely gallivanting all over town, checking out cathedrals, museums, chatting with students of a college of Arts and Craft right in the city center and an irony of all ironies, having lunch in a Chinese restaurant also in the downtown area. But that was after gorging myself with the Teruel local pasteries from centuries old recipes..

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Aljaferia: Evolution from an old Moslem Palace to a new Aragon Regional Parliament

A feature of Zaragoza, the regional capital of the Aragon Autonomous Community (Region), is what could appropriately be referred to as its center of excellence and the epitome of the Taifa Moslem Architecture. The Aljaferia palace was constructed in the 11th century as the residence of the Moslem rulers of Zaragoza at the height of their power and the influence of Taifa Kingdoms in Spain. On my birthday in 2010, I decided to tour its grounds and walked the steps that the kings, queens and people who occupied this edifice for over a thousand years and the modern legislators and peopleof Aragon had/have walked, played, slept, debated and made great decisions in.

Welcome to Aljaferia Palace in Zaragoza
The grandeur of the palace conveys the architectural prowess as well as the intellectual pre-eminence that flourished in the era of liberal and enlightened moslem independent kingdoms in Spain. All these changed hands during the reconquest era when christian kings started recapturing cities and regions from the Moslem rulers. In 1118, Zaragoza was recaptured by King Alfonso I of Aragon, and Aljaferia became the king´s court and residence and from then on became the residence of the Christian Kings. The changes then also resulted in a good mix of what became Mudejar Architectural style.

While the basic structure remained the same, over the centuries, there had been some modifications and a few additions to meet the needs of the use at the time, including when it was briefly used as a military base. In fact a wing of it ultimately became slightly reconfigured to fit in the current Parliamentary chambers of the Aragon legislature.
Walking down the hallway

As ancient as Aljaferia palace is, it is right in the middle of the city with modern apartments sitting right across the street from which residents could look into the grounds of the palace, while a highway passes a few feet away from one side of the building, and residential parking lots sit on the other side. The front entrance had coffeeshops lining the streets across the road, presenting the palace as an oddity sitting in a modern chaotic residential and business city center.

The imposing structure left no one in doubt of its fortified defensive purpose, which was further buttressed by the semi-circular turrets and various watch .towers jutting out from the bulding. The immediate grounds was a huge moat encircling the entire infrastructure.

A model of the edifice
However the interior portions were a contrast to its stoic military outlook. The internal residential quarters boast of the best in luxurious living for any era. It has spacious rooms and halls with the most decorative arches, brick and tile works, as well as swimming pools, fountains, ornamental decorations in every nook and crevice, porticoes, courtyards for artistic and intellectual debating engagements, and down to a basement area that had various tunnels and channels running like a labyrinth of a totally different world from the upper chambers, with a gaping deep well, dug down to the river that flows several meters below the building so that water supply would neither be interrupted nor fetched from outside the grounds of the enclosed edifice.

One of the courtyards

The program literature confirms that äll of the artisitic achievements correspond to the work carried out during the second half of the 11th century under the command of Abu-Ya´far Ab-mad ibn Hud al-Muqtadir, and they serve to highlight the cultural imporatnce and the rich virtuosity of his court. Furthermore, the Aljaferia is thought to be one of the greatests pinnacles of Hispano-Moslem art, and its artistic contributions were later copied at the Reales Alcazares in Seville and of the Alhambra in Granada¨.

Obviously when the Christian kings took over the palace when Zaragoza was reconquired and reconverted to Christianity, the palace was not spared the rechristening stamp. So, during the medieval periods between the 12th and 14th centuries there was a lot of expansion and restructuring of the palace, especially in the upper floors that christianized the look and added chapels, paintings and sculptures reflecting the new power structure.
Front yard

In recognition of the Aljaferia Palace structure and its place in Aragonese life, in 1987 it became the host structure for the Regional Assembly of Aragon, The Aragonese Parliament, which represents over 1,300,000 people living in Aragon´s expanseive region made up of three provinces, Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel.

The Regional Assembly of Aragon is described as a single chamber assembly, made up of delegates elected every four years by universal, free, equal, direct and secret vote. There are currently 67 delegates in the Parlianement broken down to 14 from Teruel, 18 from Huesca and 35 from Zaragoza.
Tour completed, October 2010

It is indeed a privilege being in the halls, rooms, courtyards, basement and grounds of this magnificient structure. Who would have thought that centiuries later, I would be admiring such a wonderful piece of architecture conceived and built over a thoudand years before I was conceived. Remarkably, it looked like it was just completed a year ago.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Monasterio de Piedra: Majestic Waterfalls by Nuevalos and the Monastry of the Rocks

The big surprise that awaits you as you travel from Madrid to Zaragoza is the grand concentration of amazing waterfalls near Nuevalos within Aragon region in a place where a 12th century monastry known as Monasterio de Piedra or Monastry of the Rocks was built. The Monastry was founded by the Cisterian monks in 1194 in a location that is most peaceful and conducive for the contemplative lonesome life even by today´s standards.

The Piedra river which flows nearly, cascades at various points into extremely wide stadium sized cauldron of limestone canyons in splendid splashes of incandescent waterfalls. Some cascade in huge volumes down steep 100 feet drops while others cascade the surface of terraced rock outcrops along the mountain-sized Canyons. The contrast between the rugged canyons and the extremely lushy greenery of various plants and foliages gives it a paradisic and serene quality.

Over the years, caves and tunnels have been borne through some of the rocks and the managers of the park have gingerly created walkways for visitors to get up close within breathing distance of waterfalls that are over 70 feet above the ground whitewater levels. It gets more eery as you wander around the cavernous structure while hearing the rivulets and streams of water travel down the surface of the rocks that embowels you.

As you drive into the surface lot that houses the ancient monastry buildings that has now been converted to hotel rooms for staying guests, restraurants, gift shops and cafes, you get guided down a path by foot, that starts descending down a quarter mile to the flat bottoms of the hills, which spreads out into a behive of aquatic culture. It contains several whitewater rivers surging by while others are steady clear springs flowing gentlying down what seems like a circuitious route, while further down, some of the water are cordonned into fish farms and other aquatic animal nusery. From the base, any direction you look up, would shines mirrors of waterfalls streaming down the mountains and gently caressing your face with vapors of the freshly sented waters of this peaceful world away from all worlds.

The extremely natural beauty of the environment was definitely the attraction that brought the monks to the site. The monastry construction was said to have been done in three architectural stages which are clearly observable. There was the Gothic stage in the 13th century, the Renaissance Gothic stage in the 16th Centruy and the Classical-Baroque stage in the 18th Centruy.

While the reisdence of the monks now serves as a hotel, for visitors to the park complex, the cloister of the monastry especially the chapter house seemed like the worker-beehive of the monastic live. It is a complex built in the 12th century that has areas with centuries old equipment for wine making, bakery, which was the first location chocolate was made in Spain and the old world, sheds for horse carriages, prayer chapels, and even burial chambers in a basement structure in the main church-hall. It was remarkable that some bottles of wine made when the monastry was still in active use are preserved and displayed for visitors like me to view centuries later. Even the food they had on their menu list where also on display.
Monasterio de Piedra was indeed a complete city all by itself. It was run superbably even with hours it took to nearby towns by horse drawn carriages posted by the stable area. It did not seem that they lacked anything and indeed led a truly monastic and contented life totally surrounded by nature and peace. It was a great diversion on the way to Zaragoza the capital city of Aragon Region and today´s 5th largest city in Spain.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

October 12, 2010: National Day In Spain

October 12 that is celebrated in the US as Columbus Day, with its sometimes controversial connontaions is also celebrated in Spain for the same purposes but with a different mindset. The day is celebrated as Fiesta Nacional or National Day in commemoration of Columbus arrival in the Americas.

Spain has marked the day with different emphasis over the year, since 1957, it has been celebrated as Dia de la Hispanidad, day of the hispania, which emphaized their connection to the entire hispanic world spanning Asia, Africa and the Americas. Pre-1957, along with other hispanic communities around the world the day was celebrated as ¨Dia de la Raza¨.

October 12 and the Constitution Day celbrated on December 6 are the two national day celebrations in Spain. The celebration was marked with aerial military manouvres, parades led by the military corp, diplomatic observers and general merriment. But the mood this year seemed a bit sombre perhaps because of the tight economic situation the country is going through at this time. The pubic even had occasional bursts of disapprovals against officials in venting their frustration on the economic situation.

I took the relaxed atmosphere to tour and take in sites of Madrid starting with the Royal gardens called Los Jardenes del Buen Retiro, then important buidlings and boulevards like the Spanish central bank, Banco de España, the Puerta de Alcalá, the various neighborhoods af Sol, Chueca, Gran via, Atocha and the rest of the central parts of Madrid.

The pictures below were taken at different locations.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Carranque: A Step Back in Time and Grandeur

Unlike yesterday in Madrid that was wet and soggy with a steady drizzle all day long, today October 10, 2010 was a pleasant sunny autumn day. It turned out warm and yet comfortably breezy for a a good tour out in the countryside. My point of interest for the day following breakfast, was to visit a roman compound that existed in the fourth century near the modern existing town called Carranque. Carranque is smack 45 kilometers equidistant south of Madrid or north of Toledo but officially les in the province of Toledo in Castilla La Mancha region.

According to the program guide of what is now being restored as an Archaeological Park of Carranque was discovered in 1983 accidentally when a mosaic was uncovered. Samuel Lopez Iglesias made the discovery while he was plowing the fields close to the Guadarrama river. And as typical of Spain archeologists descended on the area with series of excavations resulting in one of the most important monuimental groups of Roman monuments unearthed in modern Spain.

Touring the first building referenced as the ¨Basilica¨, which seemed to have been built for a civilian rather than military purpose, but at some point it became used for ritualistic and burial purposes. There were several tombs intricately laid out in various corners within the building. There were also several displays of crucifixes, baptisimal fonts and sarcophagi that were recovered from the grounds . You could see some of the burial vaults in the pictures behind me.

The official history also confirms that ´throughout history, the building was reused by the vrious settlers of the region, as Visigoth remians (sarcophagi) and Moorish remains (an inscription on one of the columns) has also been found. The marble columns which are still displayed in prone position on the side of the building are in remarkable shape and were hewn from one big piece of marble said to have been brought from near east, possbily the present day Turkish region. This hypothesis was based on the decorative markings on the columns depicting features of that part of the world, including mythological scenes etc.

Though the building is flattened to its foundations with features that are at floor level showing elaborate detail, there was one section that still stands and towers what I would consider above 15 feet. Remarkably the brick and plaster work looks well chisseled and almost modern.

The living quarters known as the Villa of Materno is a showcase of the splendor that depicted the status and importance of the owner of such magnificent edifice in that and indeed any era. It is believed that the edifice may have belonged to Maternus Cinigius, the uncle of Emperor Theodosius 1 of Rome. Virtually every floor of the 20 room edifice was paved with mosaic designs that remarkably survived till this day in their original vibrant colors and intricate patterns. As can be observed while touring the interior of the building, the huge mansion is arranged on a square plan with a big courtyard through which you could access the various rooms and recesses of the mansion. They also had a heating system that was constructed with an oven-like furnace at a corner that piped in warm air under the slightly elevated bed and living room portions of the mansion.
 
The program book confirms that the most outstanding mosaics are those found in the main bedrooms of the villa, which are scenes depicting heroes and gods. Various sections of the mansion had depictions of what the people at the time thought appropriate for that section, be it the bedoroom, dinning room, rest area etc. Whoever commissioned that mansion was even by today´s standard extremely rich and very important personality.

Perhaps excavations will continue to tell more stories about the actual workers or villages that serviced this great edifice that is litterally a few feet away from the Guadarama river that I walked across into the splendid compound.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Eagle Landed Safely in Madrid, Spain

Back again to Spain for my annual vacation. Here is a short note to let you know that I had a smooth flight and landed safely in Madrid at 9am, (3am in the US).

I started off in Madison around noon October 6, 2010, flew up to Minneapolis, then from Minneapolis to Atlanta, and took off from Atlanta straight to Madrid at 7pm, arriving Madrid at 9am October 7, 2010 (which is actually Atlanta´s 3am). It was a great flight though the food sucked.

As usual, no hassles at the airport, it took me less than  10 minutes to get my luggage, clear customs and passport control and got out into town. My Wisconsin Maple Syrup I brought with me did not burst in my luggage. (Yes, it seems like pancakes and syrup are so foreign to Spaniards, some of my friends asked that I bring them some. You can´t even find them in any store as its not part of the regular breakfast diet)


Resting up a bit before combing through Madrid and Toledo later today. Over the weekend I should be heading up to Zaragoza in the Aragon Region, them Valencia, Alicante, Murcia etc. Valencia and Alicante are in the Valencia region, rough equivalent of US state and Murcia is also in Murcia region, all these are on the east coast of Spain facing the sea. Some refer to it as the Spanish Riviera. I will send updates whgen I visit various monuments there.

Hasta manana!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Fighting Bob: The Flame Still Burns Bright In Wisconsin

September 11 now has a special historical significance in our nation given the events perpetrated by extremist Muslim fundamentalist that thought the best way to make their point was to fly airplanes into the symbol of America’s economic and political power. Life has not been the same for everyone since that cowardly and dastardly act.


Thom Hartman addressing the crowd

However, this September 11, 2010…while honoring those who lost their lives and saluting their families for soldering on, Wisconsinites also took time to gather to address societal issues and advance progressive direction for the benefit of all.

Fighting Bob fest is a feature of southern Wisconsin, precisely in the Sauk County Fairgrounds in Baraboo, about 45 miles north of Madison. The political festival carries on the tradition of Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette, who was a very liberal Wisconsin Governor and also a US Senator. The fest is a rally for progressive ideas on issues facing Wisconsin and the nation. This year’s event and attendance was surely a sharp rebuke to the Tea Party movement that we have grown tired of hearing about their lies and racist tactics. US Representative Gwen Moore, aptly demonstrated that the Tea being served by these folks was just as lethal as the Kool-Aid served at the Jonestown.


According to the organizers, ‘Freedom and justice are defended through education, and the exchange of ideas, promotes solidarity among progressives. To this end, Fighting Bob Fest strives to provide citizens with a forum for democratic participation where frustrations with current policies can be constructively molded into calls to action”; a sentiment I endorse intoto.






Progressives paying attention
It was a leisurely drive up to Baraboo, as it was always fun driving up and through the Baraboo Hills that often looked insurmountable on approach from a distance. Arriving the fairgrounds about noon, the huge stadium-sized crowd showed right away that a lot more people attended this year than the previous years that I have always attended. Nothing could be as exciting as beholding a sea of progressives talk shopping, discussing issues at break-out sessions, gathering petition signatures, drawing attention to various causes while also reviewing and questioning various candidates running for political offices for the up coming primaries on September 14.


I spent my first hour staffing my Amnesty International local group’s table collecting signatures on petitions for various human rights defenders and prisoner of conscious individuals that have been locked away from the freedom most of us have to go about our business without fear or deprivation.
Wisconsin Progressives listening intently  

On ending my shift, I went over the larger open field area to enjoy the progressive choir of the Raging Grannies, which satirize various political events or lack thereof in biting songs that are at once entertaining as well as doling out hardnosed progressive political messages. They are an all-women social justice activist group who dress up in clothers that mock stereotypes of older women and use their songs to protest or draw attendtion to various causes.

Their very well received performance was followed by various key speakers and lined up for the afternoon. With Thom Hartmann, a well known national radio personality heard 3 hours every day on Mic 92.1 around southern Wisconsin. There were such well known speakers as Jim Hightower, Congressman Dave Obey, Congresswomen Tammy Baldwin and Gwen Moore, Reverend David Couper, Reverend Jesse Jackson who also received a lifetime achievement award, among many other speakers.


The enthusiasm of the progressive forces that gathered at the Fighting Bob Fest gives a lie to the media panic about America turning away from the changes that are occurring for the benefit of all in these troubling times.

It was indeed a great afternoon well spent.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Glory Bound in Janesville





It was a perfect summer evening in Southern Wisconsin. The sky was crispy blue with streaks of incandescent rays of the soft evening sunlight. The temperature moderated well in my nicely air-conditioned car as I cruised Highway 14 towards Janesville.

Jerry Oscarson and Deb Grenzow could not have chosen a better evening for the Dinner and Concert they hosted among adoring fans, friends and lovers of contemporary inspirational music.

They appropriately described the experience folks will take away from the concert as inspirational, Christian, upbeat, touching, heart warming, uplifting, easy listening and encouraging, and indeed no one left unfulfilled as they lived up to the billing all through the evening.
 
Jerry and Deb were quite a pair whose musical collaboration is infused with Christian charity, love, respect for each other and abiding faith in the power of the divine spirit, have been making inspirational music for several years both within their church community at First Christian church in Janesville and around different venues in southern Wisconsin. They have also cut a great album titled 'Glory Bound' that is out there for purchase if you want that uplifting feeling smoothing out your worries and calming your frayed nerves or self-doubt.

The venue of the concert was the VFW hall perched atop a hill by the Rock River, with an unmistakable presence in the neighborhood given the majestic air force plane mounted in the front yards.

Chuck Philyaw their accompanying keyboardist must have grown up as a musical wiz kid as he learnt playing the keyboard and piano with no musical training and yet could pick up any key or note and accompany any musical rendition as a pro that he definitely was that night.



Living up to the theme of the evening, Bob Maciulis, the compeer for the evening wove aspects of his own life story as he guided the audience through the program. His story demonstrated the love, Christian charity and hope that Jerry and Deb sang about. Bob was not just the master of ceremony but also pulled his family human resources together including his daughters, nieces and close friends to help cater and serve the dinner for the evening.

The audience packed the hall to its maximum capacity, men, women, young adults and some members of First Christian Church. I did attend with a bunch of karaoke and country western dancing friends from Madison.



While the main event was at one end of the hall, the Dessert Extravaganza was laid out in an island separating the two large halls. Was that heavenly? The desserts basically pulled you in right after dinner and begged that you heap your plates so high. You would think it was the first meal of the evening as everyone had plateful of assorted colored yummy mounds of the tasty treat. Jerry had earlier warned everyone who was on diet to suspend it for the evening.

The dessert was not the only treat for the audience. Gary stepped in there after to hand out door prizes through an instant lottery. The infectiously hilarious Gary did not disappoint, as he ran commentaries on the gift items and had good suggestions on how the lucky winners could use them. Oh, he was also the brain behind the ‘killer’ dessert extravaganza.

It was indeed a great night of charity and fundraiser and everyone that attended felt it was very well worth it. We were indeed glory bound in Janesville.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Cows Come Calling: We are Cheeseheads for a reason!

The Wisconsin state capital received a herd of cows with open arms on its capital terrace in Madison in an annual tradition billed Cows on the Course. It is a signature event that showcases Wisconsin heritage as one of the largest dairy producers in the United States and indeed the state that grosses most from a local product. The Cows on the Concourse is an integral event in the usually busy Saturday morning that features the farmers market that encircles the ornate and imposing State capital building. It is a very family oriented event and also a way for the Dairy industry to bring their craft and profession to the consumers of their product. As the children petted the animals and participate in the various games lined up by the organizers in what is a very festive atmosphere, the adults learn a lot about the inner works of the dairy industry, dairy production and what type of cows are bread for what kind of milk or cheese. Some of us got a chance to learn the differences among Holstein, Guernsey, Jersey, Shorthorn milking cow and so on. I definitely would not have known that the Holsteins give the most milk and command a huge percentage of the milk market, while Guernsey are beloved for the protein content of their milk. The Moo experts were extremely informative and definitely knew their craft. Though I am not sure I want to wake up at 6 in the morning to milk cows. I guess that’s why I did not go into Dairy farming. Besides the cow show, there were lots of dairy related events, vendors and food that kept the crowd pleased. Adding organized sound to the event was an incredibly good band that played a mix of jazz, rock and country tunes to the delight of everyone. The organizers summarized the event as follows: “Cows on the Concourse is a Madison tradition celebrating Wisconsin's dairy industry, which contributes over $26 billion to our state's economy. Wisconsin's dairy farmers have a strong heritage of quality, pride and craftsmanship in all that they do. Wisconsin has always been "America's Dairyland," so what better way to celebrate that tradition than to visit Cows on the Concourse and meet some of our hard working dairy producers with their cows? “

Monday, May 17, 2010

Riding High: Concrete steps for high speed train hub in Madison shaping up

One of the most relaxing aspects of my trips to Europe is the ridership on their intra-city metro trains and the intercity and international high-speed trains. The mass movement of people in ways that are more ecologically friendly, in a relaxed friendly environment is a winner in my books any day. The sweet irony in my last trip was being served crappy food on a major airline I flew to Spain, only to be wined and dined gourmet quality food as I disembarked and boarded a high speed train traveling from Madrid to Cordoba. I could not believe the main course and array of side dishes spread in front of me with as much beverage as I cared to consume. And this was all within the span of the two hour trip, which would be considered a very short distance compared to the distances among US major cities. The service, the purr of the train snaking and catapulting through the central Spanish landscape and the hassle-free experiences of high speed rails in Europe made me hooked on them, which now turns to be my first preference in a country with such network. So, you may now relate to those of us who enjoy the cultural offerings of mega cities but hate the traffic clutter and parking nightmare and are excited as it appears that help is on the way. The Obama administration as an integral part of his clean energy stance and boosting economic recovery announced the initiation of high speed train extension across the country; a system analogous to what obtains in most of Europe today and other big industrial centers around the world. The upper Midwest arm of the federal plan would link up Chicago in Illinois to Minneapolis in Minnesota with Madison and Milwaukee, the major population centers in Wisconsin being integral hubs in the chain. Wisconsin was awarded $823 million in the federal stimulus grant for the Wisconsin portion of the project. Passing through from the south eastern end to the northwestern end of the state, the high speed train will have major stops in Milwaukee, Brookfield, Watertown, Oconomowoc and Madison.. While construction begins this year, the line is scheduled to become operational in 2013. The Madison stop will be centrally located right downtown in Monona Terrace facing one of our two beautiful downtown lakes, within the city hall mall and a block from the huge state capital domed edifice. The location is also ground zero dividing Madison into east and west on both flanks. Our Governor, Jim Doyle who just announced the choice of downtown Madison for the rail stop made the point that he settled on this location after balancing cost, ridership and demand. The other three options examined were at the airport, near downtown on the East Side and the Kohl Center on the University of Wisconsin campus. To alleviate some concerns about parking, the Madison mayor, Dave Cieslewicz confirmed that the city will kick up plans for a 1,200-car parking ramp and bike parking structure. Yes, Madison is indeed a big biking city; bicycles, that is. While one is not sure yet the exact speed the trains would travel within Wisconsin, but even at the initial estimated speed of 110 miles per hour, trips to the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul to our northwest would be cut down to perhaps less than two hours instead of the current four. Chicago will be an easy breeze of about an hour train ride. Coincidentally, Wisconsin has awarded Talgo, a Spanish train company a $47 million contract to build the trains that will ply the Wisconsin route. The company in a gesture that would boost the Wisconsin economy announced that they will build the trains at a Wisconsin plant. The pleasures of train travel allows one to savor the beauty of the vast expanse of the country in which you are traveling and taking in sights that you would otherwise not be able to see. Given the vast distances between cities in America, you are always focused on the road if you were driving without as much casting a glance sideways to magical geographic feature a couple yards away, or the cluster of beautifully decorated houses in a lonesome looking town within eye distance from the railway. Such beauty that translate to a piece of cultural information met my gaze when my train crossed the state of Castilla La Mancha in central Spain into the state of Andalucia.. It was memorable to see the earth toned colored houses and villages give way to purely white painted houses that clustered into villages or towns and cities. My curiosity about the uniformity and lack of vibrant colors that would express the vibrancy of life in Andalucia was assuaged when I heard that the hottest parts of Spain as temperatures soar in the 90s and beyond, houses where painted white to deflect searing hit from the houses and entire villages. Even within the towns, houses are further crowded to shade the pathways from direct heat bearing rays of the sun. Well, I look forward to enjoying the serene beauty of western Wisconsin and soaking in the essence of those quaint towns snaking along the Mississippi river valley that was once the fur trading Mecca of the old world in the upper Midwest as I leisurely cruise to the twin cities. This definitely is my own stimulus from the government that is trying to bring us back from the brinks of economic collapse.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Good Hair and the Bio-economic Health of Black America

My book club does like mixing up our reading with other information and entertainment media, like Movies, Documentaries, Theater and Band performances and other forms of literary art. This past week, we settled on Chris Rock’s documentary ‘Good Hair’, which explores the African American storied interest in Hair. It was at once a satire, comedy, economic rebuke and a commentary on self-identity and internalized ‘foreign’ normative value programmed in the consumers of hair-image products. No wonder there was a bit of controversy that the documentary generated in some quarters. As light-hearted as Mr. Rock attempted to make the documentary, it successfully peeled off a veneer, which made some accuse him of exposing the secret that should best, be kept within the black community. The secret was essentially the notion that the black hair in its natural state is coarse and therefore considered ugly, and should not be seen in public without being dressed up. Nobody would argue that basic hygiene requires everyone to wash, comb or neatly keep their hair to look presentable in public like any other part of our normally exposed body. This cuts across all racial groups and all societies. Bad hair day is a bad hair day irrespective of race, phenotype or culture. The problem though arises not from having a neat well coiffed hair but chemically altering the hair not necessarily to aid in being neat but in imitating some other genetic other that is considered the norm for how a beautiful or acceptable persons should be. Some professional black women featured in the documentary horrifyingly said that if they were on an interview panel, they would not be inclined to hire a black woman candidate that does not chemically alter her hair. The reasoning for this was that nobody will take her seriously in professional company as her hairstyle will distract others from discussing the weighty issues at hand. Sadly, this is not an isolated thought and indeed I am aware of black women that have had issues in their workplace because their hairstyle choice does not fit the “normative” style that is expected of black women. The chemical damage inflicted on the body, as shown in the documentary when a scientist demonstrated the corrosive damage the chemical used in relaxing hair did to a metal beverage can was no less matched by the psychosocial import of not significantly altering ones hair to fit in. The brunt of this social conditioning is overwhelmingly born by black women. The documentary had hair salon proprietors confirming that the age of their female clientele has steadily declined to the point that they now have girls as young as 3 come in for perms and other chemical work to straighten their hair. Indeed, a 6-year-old girl featured as she was having her hair done considered the procedure normal and routine for a girl. Perhaps a less biologically harmful but perhaps more expensive alternative now is the weave and other hair extension. In its infancy, it was the extension of the natural hair with synthetic hair-like strands to give a longer and fuller body of hair to accentuate the beauty of the woman. However, that has now been taken further to using actual human hair. Demonstrating the new industry the preference for human hair has created, the documentary moved to India to show case a Hindu temple where women devotees as a symbol of piety and sacrifice shave off their very long nurtured hair at the temple. The temple officials gather the shaved off hair and sell them in bales to a businessman that created a cottage industry to ‘clean’ up the hair and package them for shipment to America and perhaps other overseas destinations. Another set of industry insiders on the US end buy the bales and bundles of hair to re-sell to Hair Salon proprietors and other hair marketing shops. In the end, the Indian hair find home on several black women’s heads. Creepy as it sounds, it evokes all kinds of emotion when you hear one of the salon beauticians pointing out the women in her salon and telling how much each of their hair costs, which all ranged from $1,000 to $3,500. With this multimillion-dollar industry in the black community, you would think that a majority of the fortune made in hair and hair care products would circulate a while in the black community before migrating elsewhere. Nope, the wealth goes straight into the hands of the Korean and Chinese businessmen and women that have cornered the lucrative market, as any hardworking businessperson should. Ironically when Mr. Rock gathered black hair from black barbershops and satirically went around to market the hair to the Asian hair care shops that carry “black hair” extensions and products, they did not just dismiss him out of hand but made sure they pointed out how ugly black hair was and how undesirable it was even to black people. That was quite telling. The extravagant production of the semi-annual Bronner Brothers convention, the largest hair convention, I dare say in the world, with hundreds of vendors has just a handful of black vendors in such a world gathering on Black Hair. Some of the black men featured in the documentary now make dating and relationship decisions about black women based on whether they could afford the care and maintenance of the hair-do their potential lover spots. A father bemoaned that he did not only have to care for his wife, but also for his daughter, leaving him with little to no pocket change. Of course majority of the women care for their hair themselves and do not need any support but even those women attest to the inordinate amount their hair products and styles consume of their budget that they would rather spend on other things if they had a choice. At the end of the day, this is not an either/or type of argument. While some people see a problem in the biological, psychosocial and economic burden inflicted on women based on an internalized formative value that may have been foreign to them, others see it as a matter of choice and the cardinal pillar of living in a free society where we can all legitimately move in and out of cultures, permeate barriers and indeed, create our own sense of identity that is uniquely ours with or without antecedent history. Both appear to be right.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Biological Anthropologists bring their craft to Madison

The African Diaspora and the Atlantic Research Circle, is an academic cluster within the University of Wisconsin, Madison focused on exploring the dispersion of African peoples within Africa and across the ‘new’ world and brings together multidisciplinary scholars interested in Africa to share ideas and research interests. According to the Cluster, they “… provide a global context to the study of African peoples. It looks at different historical waves of dispersal and studies their catalytic factors and directions of movement. It explores how the connections between the African and African diasporic communities reflect the dynamics of their forced or voluntary migration; their interactions and relations with other societies and/or among each other; and the adaptation, reproduction and transformation of African cultural, social institutions and expressive forms. Last Friday, March 12, 2010, the Cluster hosted a very informative symposium on Africa, African Diaspora, Genetics and Genealogy at the Red Gym on UW Madison campus. Three key presenters, all African American scholars critically dissected and in some cases strongly affirmed the place of DNA testing that is gaining ground within the African American community in piecing together a genealogical history for medical, historical, social and biological reasons. The traumatic uprooting of African people and their journey through the middle passage effectively cut the enslaved people from their traceable roots in Africa except for the indelible record of the DNA evidence which naturally survive generations in spite of the admixture in the new world. Those were the challenges these biological anthropologists, Michael Campbell, Fatimah Jackson and Shormaka Omar Y. Keita tackled and broke down for even the non-academic audience members to comprehend. There were also further presentations by Joan Fujimura and James Sweet. Their program and personal introductions as excerpted below signaled that we were in for some satiation of our individual curiosities about subjects one rarely studies outside academic contexts, and the explanation for the burgeoning interest in African genealogy. Dr. Fatimah Jackson who received her PhD from Cornell is an expert on the biohistory of African peoples and their descendants in the diaspora. During the 1990s, she was coordinator for genetics research on the African Burial Ground Project in New York City. In 2002, she co-founded the first human DNA bank in Africa (based at the University of Yaoundé in Cameroon) with the aim of changing the way that anthropological genetic research is done on the African continent by enhancing local infrastructure and expertise, and dramatically improving the potential for scientific understanding of the interactions of genotypes and environmental factors in producing specific phenotypes. She created a local context for data analysis and interpretation. Her objective was to upgrade the quality of genetic data on Africans by placing the molecular information within a sophisticated anthropological context. Jackson has published more than 30 articles in a variety of refereed journals including Human Biology, American Anthropologist, Annual Review of Anthropology, Journal of Black Studies, American Journal of Human Biology, Seton Hall Law Review, and the British Medical Bulletin. Most recently, she appeared in the BBC documentary, “Motherland: A Genetic Journey,” chronicling the search by three African Americans in their search for their genetic roots in Africa. Dr Michael Campbell a PhD in Biological Anthropology from Columbia University was self explanatory in his focus and interest which he describes as follows: “Across broad geographic scales, human populations have shown clear differences in levels of genetic diversity. Particularly, sub-Saharan Africans are found to possess the largest total number of alleles, as well as the largest number of unique alleles compared to non-African populations. Also, Africans have lower levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between alleles and more divergent patterns of LD than non-African populations. These patterns of diversity in non-Africans are consistent with the expansion of modern humans from Africa within the last 100,000 years. However, a continued challenge in evolutionary studies has been to characterize genetic variation among ethnically diverse human populations within continental regions, particularly in Africa. Given the central role of African populations in human evolution, understanding their patterns of genetic diversity and LD is crucial for reconstructing human prehistory. I am interested in studying the levels and patterns of African diversity to expand current knowledge concerning relationships among African populations, demographic history and modern human origins. Additionally, I am interested in identifying functionally significant variants involved in complex traits/complex disease using association studies to better understand genotype/phenotype correlations in populations of African descent.” Dr Shormaka Keita, the most critical of the avid focus on genotype in piecing together African diasporic historical roots is a biological anthropologist and physician who has long been interested in human variation, especially in Africa, as well as multidisciplinary approaches to the past. His research has focused on the areas of craniofacial variation, paleopathology, ancient Egyptian skeletal biology, the syntheses of biology, linguistics, and archaeology in order to study African population history, and the history of ideas about "race" and human variation in Africa. Recently Dr. Keita has developed an interest in the issue of building capacity to produce endogenous knowledge in Africa and the diaspora as a need for development. He has authored or coauthored publications in peer reviewed science and humanities journals including the American Journal of Human Biology, Science, American Anthropologist, the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Nature Genetics, and History in Africa. He received the doctorate in medicine from Howard University, a masters in general anthropology from SUNY-Binghamton, and the Master of Science and doctorate in biological anthropology from Oxford University The scholars acquitted themselves creditably and it was impressive to see the divergence of opinions even with a common concurrence that ultimately there is a place for DNA testing in the exploration of African peoples migration within the continent and across the oceans. Dining with them afterward and informally continuing their presentations showcased their passion for the work they do and the perceptible feeling that they are not pursuing solo careers but are committed quilters in our collective fabric as people of African descent.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Walking on Water: Ice Fishing in Madison

Madison, Wisconsin is sometimes referred to as the Four Lakes City…referencing the four major lakes in the city. Part of its charm is that two of the lakes are right downtown buffeting the city center including the State Capitol building into an Isthmus. The largest of the lakes, Lake Mendota (9,842 Acres) occupies the northern end of the Isthmus while Lake Monona (3,274 Acres) is on the south end of the Isthmus with yet a smaller bay cut out by a roadway (John Nolen Drive) and a train track. The lakes provide Madison residents a vibrant aquatic cultural recreation both in the summer and winter season. This winter as most winters, the lakes freeze over forming a huge surface area for all kinds of sporting activities. Lake Monona seems to be the most favored as you find folks carve out ice-hockey rinks, or skating rinks and having fun with the sports they enjoy. This season, as in many other seasons past, some ingeniously creative folks, remake a tradition that has endured since 1979. They create a huge head and crown of the statue of liberty in the middle of the lake, giving the impression that she is submerged in ice to the chin. While you can enjoy the view from the shores of the lake, the thick ice cover assures everyone the security to walk up to the statue over a hundred yards into the lake. As incongruous as this might look to non-resident Madisonians, just about another hundred yards away further from this sculpture last weekend, you saw some hardy families and friends lounging in lawn chairs on the ice, having a beverage and gazing into the brilliantly cool horizon as though they were sitting in their backyards gazing at the stars. By far the most popular winter activity on the frozen lakes is Ice-Fishing. I ventured out consecutively for the last two weekends to join other hardy fellows ice-fishing. Majority of the area fishermen and women seem to prefer the bay end of Lake Monona. Close to hundred people or more are scattered all over the lake surface, some clearly in the elements sitting on an upturned bucket or easy chairs fishing while others go the whole nine-yards with heated tents and other sophisticated gears to keep the cold away and fish in luxury, I might add. One common denominator among folks is a cooler of beer sitting at an arms length. An instant fishing buddy, I met on the frozen lake, Phil from a nearby city, Janesville, while not tenting, had some cool gadgets of his own, including gas powered machinery to drill a hole through the ice for the fishing lines. He also had a lunchbox-size gadget with a computerized surface to monitor the movement of fish underwater and alert you when the fish starts flirting or chomping at the bait and sometimes when it actually swallows the hook in the process. Such sonar tracking devise allows for guys to shoot the breeze without fixating on the lines. The camaraderie on the ice is like no other. Strangers are instantly transformed into good friends, as people freely trade stories and fishing tips. Even the generosity of sharing was evident with people easily lending their tools, or handing over their meager catch to one person to boost someone’s harvest than each person taking home a couple of fish that would not make a full meal for them. Until early Spring when the ice on the frozen lake starts cracking, and getting thinner, we will keep the spirit of ice fishing in Madison going strong! When next you are up in Madison during the season, ice-cold beer or beverage of your choice is on me…. on the frozen lake of course.

Ethiopia Winter Olympian: The Madison Connection

This is not the first time Robel Zemichael Teklemariam of Ethiopia emerged in the international winter sports spotlight. He was at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy four years ago representing Ethiopia. Well, he never did go away in spite of the wonder that someone from a country that does not experience snowfall will be so dedicated to a sport that feels more natural to those in cold and temperate regions of the world. While a native Ethiopian, Robel grew up in NY City where his Mom was a United Nations Development Program official, so, instead of honing his skills in the highlands of Ethiopia, Robel, carrying the long distance endurance and stamina genes of his fellow countrymen and women, learned his craft around Lake Placid in NY. Robel who was born on September 16, 1974 moved to the US in 1983 with his mother who enrolled him in North Country School, a small boarding school in Lake Placid, New York. He fell in love with skiing while there and competed in various races, ultimately winning an athletic scholarship to the University of New Hampshire. When his mother retired from the United Nation, she relocated her family including Robel to Madison. While in Madison, she opened a popular Ethiopian restaurant on Monroe Street, near Westside of Madison. Most Madisonians probably remember patronizing this restaurant that was nestled in a strip mall on Monroe Street just blocks from Edgewood College. Her entire family including Robel all worked at the restaurant during various tasks and waiting tables. Though the restaurant is now closed, Robel’s interest in skiing never dimmed even as he worked in yet another Ethiopian restaurant Buraka, on State Street, downtown Madison. On occasions, Ethiopians, other Africans and friends helped out with fundraisers to support his interest in a sport that is generally expensive. It is not a surprise that Robel remembers the support he received and still receives from Ethiopian communities abroad, including those in Madison. Roble’s tenacity and love for the sports inspired him to single-handedly set up Ethiopian Ski Association. In explaining the possibilities of the association, they echoed that for over 50 years now, Ethiopians have proven themselves successful in long distance and cross-country running evidenced by numerous gold medalists in both women and men’s competitions. They conceded that though snow does not particularly exist in the mountainous regions of Ethiopia; however that doesn’t mean that there cannot exist a winter athlete in the highest level of competition as Robel has proven this to be true. It was his dogged determination that carried him all the way to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. And now to Vancouver, Canada. The Ethiopian Ski Association in the face of all odds has a clear mission, which is “to be able to groom and organize young Ethiopian skiers who want to race and accomplish their dreams as an Ethiopian champion. This will be realized through the support of Ethiopians at home, the diaspora as well as compassionate supporters of the sport”. As the current Winter Olympics is drawing to a close, we have watched various news reports of victories, disappointments, and the perennial problem of possible violations of anti-doping laws at the games. At the end of the day, we will all celebrate the courage, ambition and ice-breaking of countries that have been under-represented in the games for reason of geography, as they are pushing through the fog to realize that skills, preparation and ambitious tenacity trump geography any day. Congratulations to all the Olympians out there and especially from those in tropical regions of the world that are boldly embracing the cold weather sports.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Madison Winter Festival: Making Merry in the Cold and Snowy Dairyland

In perfect alignment with the rest of the world, our Madison Winter Festival falls smack in the middle of the ongoing Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. So for two days last weekend (February 20 and 21, 2010) we peeled our eyes off the Olympics triumphs and agonies on our television screens to troop down to Madison picturesque downtown to actually play, compete, frolic and cheer in the snow, both under our feet and on top of our heads. The festival is around the eight city blocks, creating a 500-meter course that square our imposing state capitol building which is pretty much an exert replica of the US Capitol building in Washington DC. The marbled capital edifice seats smack on the Isthmus dividing the city into four cardinal quarters overlooking two of the four lakes within the city – Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. The Madison Winter Festival according to the primary organizers “is a weekend of winter celebration which was established in 2004 to promote fun and healthy lifestyles during winter by showcasing snow sports, festive recreational activities and opportunities to participate for everyone including individuals with mobility limitations”. The first event was held in January 2005. True to its billing and as always…the festival did not disappoint. As I left work on Friday evening, the four streets squaring the capitol, Pinckney, Main, Carroll and Mifflin, were cordoned off while snow was being trucked in and paved over the road pavement to form a thick coat of ice for the various races and events. Various sponsors were also not left out in setting up their banners and music stands, just as various beverage vendors were also setting up their stands. On Saturday proper, you would think you were in Vancouver as all the skiers were donned in their ski suits with their tag numbers firmly in place and boisterous supporters milling around and making the event a great winter celebration. To underscore the importance of this event, some of the participants in the previous year, are actually competing in various events in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this week. We are further proud that we have University of Wisconsin, Madison students/graduates among the US team, especially in the powerful male and female hockey squads. Among the popular events in the festivities included Cross country ski racing, Snow shoeing, Snowball Rail Jam, Tubing and Ice and Snow Sculpture. The events were not just for the professional skiers among us but the lanes were open for the public irrespective of their skill level. Folks on wheelchairs were also part of the fun and exercise. The inclusive nature of the gathering is a hallmark of Madison traditions that often bring our community together and create joy even in the midst of what other cities or regions of the country would complain as being frigid, snowy and inclement weather…for us, we get out there an play. As the scheduled festival packed up, some of us headed back to our frozen deep lakes for rounds of ice-fishing and more lake sculpting…I will be sharing that soon.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Brick Capital of the World: Pantoja and its neighbors

The brick capital coinage is my own adverb. You know, the American penchant for exaggerating every thing as number 1 or the biggest, ‘baddest’ or best. Remember our world series, which often involves only US and Canada? Well, there is no other way to describe the relatively small city of Pantoja, about 30 miles north of Toledo where I spent a couple of days with a Spanish friend of mine. The clay in the Pantoja and its neighboring towns of Cabeja, Alameda de la Sagra, Anover de Tajo, and Villaseca de la Sagra was described to be of the highest quality, hence attracting several brick factories to the area. If you know the Spanish love for tiles, both decorative and functional, you would understand why the brick industry could build regional economies. Even at this time when things are slow because of the global recession, you still saw trucks hauling bricks drive past you every 5 minutes. Based in Pantoja with a population of about 5,000, I visited nearby bigger cities of Yuncus, Numancia and Illescus. Sad you don’t get to hear about these cities but most of them are the size of American midsize cities with all the hustle and bustle of a big city, sprinkled with centuries old monuments amidst glitzy modern shops and conveniences and surprisingly very racially and religiously diverse. Being that far deep into the heart of Spain it’s always surprising seeing black kids playing around in the plazas or the adults tending shops or going back and forth from work, just as you see Moslem women clad in hijab (long robe covering the entire body but the face) resting on benches in front of old cathedrals and having good evening breeze with their kids. Determined to take home a cultural peculiarity of the area, if not the entire Spain I had my friend teach me how to make a cultural cuisine Paella, that is a specialty from the Valencia area of Spain. A tasty rice dish cooked with lots of seafood, including squid, shrimps, prawn, clams, mussels, chicken and assorted vegetables. For someone who is squeamish about irregularly eaten seafood like mussels, clams and squid, I found the dish mouthwateringly delicious and took notes. I have added it to my regular dishes to serve among friends and family. Sometime in the future, I will write about the various foods that I enjoyed from different regions of Spain. The assortment and originality of Spanish food are as rich as the tapestry of the civilizations that have called the Iberian peninsula home at some point in history.