The International Writer's Magazine - February 2008 - Welcome

DESTINATIONS: Travel stories & guides

OPINION Politics & Issues

LIFESTYLES: Ways of living

Do The St Lucia Shake Linda Regan Saint Lucia- our peaceful Island in the sun. That was the advert that lured us into the travel agents. It sounded exactly what the doctor ordered... Bangkok Blues John Edwards Bangkok Massage ...rows of hospital beds full of fully clothed, groaning patients, whose limbs were being gleefully mangled amid the wild hoots and derisive snorts of bystanders The Search for Crazy Horse Harlan G. Koch on a Harley We wanted to actually "see" wagon wheel tracks and pony express stations. At Wyoming’s Independence Rock we wanted to see proof of pioneer names and dates carved into stone

Obama: A Middle East Viewpoint Marwan Asmar The world is watching Barrack Obama, The Cheesehead Victory Lap James Campion Mere seconds after the Associated Press had called the Wisconsin primary for Barack Obama, the young senator stood at center stage grinning from ear to ear. La Deluge Dean Borok on Hillary Clinton has the same appeal for me as German chancellor Angela Merkel Serbian Elections Jack Shenker Belgrade a thorn in Western Politics for 1000 years.

Visions Dean Borok Sometimes the visionary can overcome the boundaries of concrete reality and fly to the moon. The Galician Ganja Trail James Skinner Too many problems? Too many sleuths. Tales of OZ Tabytha Towe in Australia Leaving Thailand nearly a month ago was extremely surreal and rather hard to let go of. I was still stuck in Thai mode for a few days until I realized, abashed and confused, that ‘shit, I’m in Australia!’ Vogelherd Caves in Lone Valley Eva Bell A trip to the Vogelherd Caves in Lone Valley is not advertised on any travel brochure.

Call Some Place Paradise, Kiss it Goodbye Eric D. Lehman on why he won't tell you where he has been Why keep the name of that town a secret? The reason is that this town isn’t sharable at all. Muay Lao, the forgotten art of kickboxing - Antonio Graceffo “You can gain extra power on your kicks by throwing your kicking arm down, but you need to protect your face with a cross arm defense.” Cultural Receivers Marwan Asmar Like it or not we are cultural receivers, and I dare say, if western audiences were exposed to "our culture," the influence would be much more balanced

Spain: Another Balkans? James Skinner Spain’s history is riddled with rebellions, coupes, military dictatorships, monarchies, civil war, and finally a consolidated democracy that permitted its entry into today’s modern world Shan People Antonio Graceffo Defying the Burmese government’s ban on journalists, I crossed the border under the protection of the Shan State Army, and began filming interviews with Internally Displaced Persons within the war zone. Spanish National Anthem debacle Colin Fisher Here in Spain they have just had a competition. The Spanish Olympic Committee decided it would a good idea if the Spanish national anthem had some words written for it.

Falcon: A Prog Rock Tale Mark Cunliffe For many music lovers, Prog is a dirty word, an era best forgot. But to those who accept, admire and wish to address prog rock, then look no further than Falcon. The Kindness of Strangers - a true story Annie Lalla "Hello, Hello!" I yelled louder and louder hoping someone would respond. My face was pressed up against my tiny bathroom window. Chasing the Dragon Will Collins ‘Brown’, ‘Skag’, ‘Smack’, ‘Junk’, ‘Gear’, ‘ Wayne first ‘chased the dragon’ at the age of twelve ... Close Encounters of the Third World Kind John Edwards Here are 10 tips to speed you through the confusing congestion of customs and weird freeways of the “extreme sport” of foreign food eating Save Your World Tabytha Towe Oh what a day! Hanging out with my girl friends nude on the beach, I can’t think of anything better

DREAMSCAPES FICTION

More FICTION Original Shorts

REVIEWS Film & Books

The Fall of Me Tessa Foley I did care for them. You learn to care for anyone you work with every sunlit hour God sends. I watched the children grow like weeds in Spring. I would be lying if I said it didn't touch my icy, red heart when they smiled or cried Surviving the Moroccan Bath Sidi Benzahra When I was six, or probably seven years old, my mom always took me and my sisters to the public bath. Whenever we built up a good thick layer of dirt on our skin, or had gone two weeks without washing for some reason or another, she would take us there. Happy Ending Saeed Tavakkol  “Good evening, Sir. I’m calling from Happy Ending. You’ve been selected to win a prize.” From Dreamscapes 1 archives Zwolf the wonder dog David Tavernier - ...They need a dog willing to travel through the eye of this tornado of shining tomato paste. They need a dog who is willing to give his body for their lives. Spink It was an awkward meeting from the very start. Leon uneasy, edgy, keen to go the moment he arrived, looking at his watch and cellphone and there was Arnold, carrying a full caffeine load, mid-sentence in a difficult moment for Detective Spink – one of Vancuver's least finest cops Merton's Pizza G David Schwartz Merton's dream was about to be fulfilled. The  good Lord willing, and a little bit of luck, Merton would have what he had been nagging me about for the last twelve hours. Merton was about to be satisfied.

Carpe Diem Will Collins She was the jewel in the crown of Liquorice’s dancers: as delicious, elegant and alluring as any vintage wine; the most requested dancer; the most fascinating treasure. The Pefect Scandal Emma Callan 'Tell me Mr. Stead. How did you, such a respectable man, come to witness…’ The boy who never had a good day David Tavernier There was once a boy who looked in the mirror, and all he saw were pimples. He thought he was the ugliest boy on earth The San Juan Bagels Parking Lot Dean Borok La Creta dwelt in perpetual fear of the parking lot, which was two doors away, separated from the factory by the Taliban shish-kebob garage where resided the The Forty Thieves of the spicy halal chicken and rice wagons which were ubiquitous around Manhattan, led by their boss, ZiZu. The Prisoner Tom Sheehan The sound came once more. He stiffened. It was closer. His whole body knew it was closer. It was not just in the hearing. It approached. Small Change Rich Raitano Small Change. That’s what they called him on the street ,,, because he would do just about anything for a hand full of next to nothing.

Day for Night Directed by Francois Truffaut Dan Schnieder Critics argue the film shows how much François Truffaut loves film. So? Love without action or meaning is rather sterile- the perfect description for this well made but dull and simply pointless film. Fishing Explorer – a life at sea and a mystery Quentin Bates It’s been a good few years now since I met Ernie Suddaby. Someone mentioned to me that a former fisherman had a story to tell and had written a book about fishing that he was trying to get published –maybe we could help each other out? Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips Charlie Dickinson The premise of Marie Phillips's debut novel, Gods Behaving Badly, makes a certain sense if your old Methuselah self has been around a long time, say, even thousands of years. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch Review by Jack Clarkson Scott Lynch seems to share the cynical imagination that Terry Pratchett used to make Discworld so popular. The characters were likeable and hate-able in all the right places. The Catkin by Nick Green Faber &Faber Paperback Too late Ben realises this is not Tae Kwon Do but Pashki, the lost art of cat kin. They are going to learn to be cats. The Farewell Angel Carmen Martin Gaite Anna-Marie Dover Some works of fiction can be read in just a few sittings; others take somewhat longer. The Farewell Angel is not a book to be rushed.

Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em and little fleas have lesser fleas ...ad infinitum - Augustus de Morgan

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