Category Archives: Culture

“Take me to the Light!” It is Christmas Day here in Australia: – A good time to reconnect with family and loved ones, even though some might be far away, or missing completely. An ideal time to reflect on the possibilities of love and peace – although the world at the moment seems to be providing few examples. […]

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Cool sands underfoot. Starry, wide-open skies overhead. Firelight and music and drums. There is magic in the desert air. “Midnight at the oasis Send your camel to bed Shadows paintin’ our faces Traces of romance in our heads…” – Midnight at the Oasis by David Nichtern for Maria Muldaur It was nighttime in the middle of the Thar Desert. The Great Indian Thar […]

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I loved New Mexico. What’s not to love about a state that reveres spiritual ancestors, country and western legends, Mother Mary, and extraterrestrials – seemingly in equal measure! It’s not that I have any particular affiliation with any of the above, but I admire a culture that allows for – and celebrates – such diversity. […]

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Agra, in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, is more than just the home of the Tāj Mahal. Once the capital of the Mughal (Moghul) Empire, ruling over all of India from 1556 to 1658, Agra houses many splendid Mughal-era buildings, three of which – the legendary Tāj Mahal, the wonderful deserted city of Fatehpūr Sikrī, and the magnificent Agra Fort – are UNESCO World Heritage listed. […]

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This year, the Easter long weekend marked the 25th anniversary of the annual Byron Bay Bluesfest. We were ready! Thanks to glorious, sunny, Autumn weather, we were able to leave our rain-coats and gumboots in the car – along with the folding chairs the organisers had rendered superfluous – as we made our way through the ticketing and […]

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