Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas

My first encounter with “kimchi” was when my brother-in-law brought three containers of this dish from Manila ten years ago. Kimchi is actually this traditional Korean dish made of vegetables, like cabbage, that was fermented with a variety of seasoning. So the moment my brother-in-law opened the plastic containers, it nearly knocked me out [...]

So when my wife and I were driving from Tiffin to Fremont, watching mile after mile of corn, wheat, and soy fields, it made perfect sense that my wife would turn to me and say, “You’re going to lose your mind before I do.”

Maybe I already have!

I always sit and wonder why the world is just an unfair place…then something hit me…we were all born on a different day, time and way.
Some were born in the rural areas where even the talk of a dispensary is like a dream hence it is never mentioned, others while their mothers struggled to rush [...]

PREFACE
During March 2000, I studied Art and Architectural History while visiting and traveling in Spain. I made a Video Film pilgrimage to Spain’s castles, palaces, cathedrals, monasteries, convents, mosques, holy sites, and museums in order to study Art and Architecture of designated UNESCO National Heritage Centers. “As time travelers, we were embarked on a [...]

The Guardian features the genius of former Talk Talk frontman Mark Hollis, whose eponymous album left me gobsmacked by its fragile, elegant beauty. Here he is singing “I Believe In You.”
- Rudy Carrera.

There has been some debate over the authenticity of Paul Theroux’s claims about VSN, but one thing is for sure: the old guy is a charmer. Invited to meet Indian writers when he was travelling in India a few years ago, he told them that the world was not interested in their subject matter (life/growing [...]

A. P. David of More Intelligent Life Magazine writes two wonderful articles on the Father of Western History:
Reading Herodotus
Herodotus and Bad Fate
- Rudy Carrera.

NPR put up a story that gave me quite a surprise today.  So much so, in fact, that I had to do a double-take.  Did I read this correctly?  YaHoWa 13?!  I used to sell their records in my former life as one of L.A.’s hipper music buyers for Aron’s Records in my misspent youth. [...]

Myspace is serious in providing legal downloadable content now that they’ve teamed up with Universal Music, Sony BMG Music and Warner Music.
- Rudy Carrera.

Wow, that’s sad that a story like this comes out after the poor old sod has died and can’t defend himself from this hatchet job.
- Rudy Carrera.

The Washington Post waxes on one of the great elder statesmen of jazz, Dave Brubeck.
- Rudy Carrera.

Olavi Virta was Finland’s first king of tango well before the wonderful music Latin American giant Carlos Gardel ever graced the ears of Finns.
Virtual Finland has more on this story here.
- Rudy Carrera

George Lewis is a giant in American jazz.  If you are in Chicago during these dates, you may wish to check out this concert and performance.  Contact The Velvet Lounge for more info.

Sadly, I didn’t have a chance to post this before. I loved DC5, not as much as the Beatles certainly, but “Glad All Over” was as good a beat anthem that came out during the 60s, and it’s sad to hear of the passing of their singer, Mike Smith.
“Glad [...]

Wafting through a list of 100,000 links I need to sort through was the story of Xiao Qian and Wen Jieruo, a husband-and-wife duo brave enogh to tackle translating the James Joyce masterpiece.
- Rudy Carrera

One of New Yorks young lions of the avant-garde, Andrew D’Angelo, is fighting off a brain tumor. Consider, if possible donating to his site in order to offset his medical costs. There isn’t much protection for avant-garde musicians health-care-wise, sadly.
- Rudy Carrera