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2013-05-23 06:47:05 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 23 +1s)

H2O at the source: putting the cycle of life into spring gear

Look up and you see the liquid water droplets that make the clouds.  Look just below and you see the crystalline water ice that makes up the powder snow (that spring skiers, like myself, adore).  Under the powder lies solid water ice that, under certain conditions, can create a glacier or an avalanche (that spring skiers, like myself, live in terror of).
Meanwhile, in the deep ravine between the greening slope and the white peak, water is flowing, along myriad rivulets into a planetary network of currents, streams, torrents that will all, eventually, run into rivers & lakes & seas, visible or subterranean.

And all the while, some of this water is evaporating, to turn back into cloud, and cycle again & again, forever.  
Always the very same water.
... more »

2013-05-22 15:42:42 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 26 +1s)

Inflection point: the last species of tree to sprout leaves this spring

Against the shady sides of still snow-capped mountains, finally, these trees also, can pose proudly with their fresh, bright green plumage, tinged with a pinch of red. They are the laggards of the forest, along with the ashes.  And just as with the ashes, they also produce leaves & flowers simultaneously, in a hurry to reproduce.

I can understand the rush better in their case since their fruit, unlike that of the ashes, is very rich (and, therefore, quite time-consuming for the plant to get it ready by autumn).

Most of you have had the fruit & know the tree.  Who can identify it?  
DO NOT give the name outright, rather comment with an obscure hint that shows you know it to me but not to the other guessers!

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see more of the nomadic garden here:ht... more »

2013-05-21 17:09:06 (18 comments, 2 reshares, 33 +1s)

Like an eggshell bursting with the impatience of new life...

... this flower tears its protective skin, that has allowed it to brave through mud & stone, and explodes with color & potential.

Nature preserves good design: life needs armor when young & vulnerable.  But when the threshold has been passed and new life finds itself in the right conditions, it shreds the coating, cracks the egg and joins the living.

As with protective membranes, I am also stretching my metaphors: a flower is not an embryo (as a chick in an egg), it is genitals, from which, one day, given another set of "right conditions", an embryo will spawn.  
But it is too early in the season for seeds to be bursting, and I wanted to share this photo with you:  *it kinds of reminds me of waking up groggy in the morning in a mess of crumbled sheets*.
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2013-05-20 08:58:50 (10 comments, 2 reshares, 23 +1s)

Urban cowgirl: fashion rules

Despite the warm spring weather - and the accompanying immediate lifting of skirt lengths - teenage girls in Naples / Napoli, obeying obscure (to me) fashion diktats, keep their boots on!

This year, it seemed to me that the approved objects of desire were in the elaborate cowgirl style.  So, throw away your cat-girl minimal slick-black tight-fitting knee-high fetishes.  Instead: tan-brown, loose-fitting, buckle-heavy, embroidered & studded is the look for Spring 2013.

(My taste for the warm seasons runs more basic: a nice pair of flat sandals after a nice home-made pedicure.  "You understand nothing", my teenagers scoff at me...)

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My contribution for #shoesmonday (+Shoes Monday) curated by the indefatigably creative team of: +Laura Harding +Olga Kafka +Mee Ming Wong +Pablo LuisGo... more »

2013-05-17 15:58:30 (27 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

4e.Intrepid: The smell of blood in their nostrils, Medea and Circe sped towards the castle ...
[Warning: Mature Audiences Only]
[Click here for the previous episodes in the Intrepid series: #nomadintrepid]

She thought of his eyes, his lingering lips.  
She pulled the key from the lock...
She knew what awaited him.  These two never failed.  Whatever it is that they wanted from him, they would get.  They knew no limits and their loyalty to Ernst Stavro only matched their terror of him.
It would start with Circe, administering her potions, drop by horrible drop, gradually increasing the dosage and the agony.  
And if the handsome agent would not divulge his secrets under Circe's poisons, he certainly would under Medea's knives.  He would be stripped naked and tied to the large oak table with the overhead mirror, so hecould... more »

2013-05-19 07:47:27 (45 comments, 0 reshares, 23 +1s)

You couldn't be more wrong by mistaking us for endives...

... in this family photo.  In fact, we are distant relations of the sisters you see below (or, here: http://goo.gl/N9pC5), though we are not too close to them because, frankly, they are a bit too uptight and snobbish for our taste.

Unlike theirs, our fame and beauty, is not limited to our pristine whiteness, but extend below the belt.  In fact, it is to our subterranean parts that we owe our name and notoriety.  

It has taken you humans, that understand so little about our much more evolved world, millenia to figure out our secret powers:
- you learned that we can help you with menopause & acne
- that we can speed up the healing of your cuts & bruises
- (the clever Koreans understood that we make an excellent, healing, herbal tea)

But you are far fromdi... more »

2013-05-14 17:41:44 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 37 +1s)

Let us make this clear: we are just two sisters...

... that like taking garden walks in our white hats.  We do not understand why you humans cannot simply accept that and let us be.  We object strenuously to being told that we look like "tears".  And, thank you very much, we would like to stay away from politics: 
- so, France, please choose something else as your Labour Day flower (why not a red poppy?)
- and, Finland, our friends the lichens would love to be your National Flower - we prefer to keep a lower profile...

Finally, our biggest gripe.  (It is OK, as a one time event, that Catherine Middleton chose us for her bouquet on her wedding to Prince William).  
But no, emphatically no, we do not want to be the official flower to any fraternity!   Beer makes us sick!  We much prefer a nice cup of tea, thank you very much!
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2013-05-13 07:44:13 (16 comments, 3 reshares, 25 +1s)

Her choice: Two suitors: Which one will it be?

They are both hot & bothered as they face off on either of her sides.  Both contain millions of pollen, transmitted to her royal stickiness through wind or insect.  Out of all these sweet love whispers, only one of them will be successful, only one message will be read & be combined with her own secret codes.

Or, are they both too late?  To me she looks a bit too swollen & self-satisfied.  Has the miracle already occured?  Maybe +Rajini Rao  can give us a tip on how to tell when a flower has been fertilized, with the naked eye.

(She is, of course, a tulip, a Dutch "Tulipa Sweet Impression", irresistibly pink & very very soothing to a tired, jet-lagged Nomad who finds solace in contemplating the miracles his garden produces despite the neglect of his absence...)

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see moreof th... more »

2013-05-13 14:48:22 (74 comments, 3 reshares, 31 +1s)

Men's socks, Dublin

Right across from Trinity College, this shop window full of playful men's socks caught my eye.  It was +Frederick Wright  's birthday and I thought to send this photo to him as a virtual gift.  Imagine my surprise, yesterday, when catching up with my circles I noticed that Frederick got a few pairs of socks for his birthday, quite similar to one of these (here: https://plus.google.com/113496435820500591827/posts/1sc5w3AXiPM).

G+ serendipity!

If anyone wants to buy me a pair, my favorite is the rightmost on the top row (gray with orange).
- Guys: which one do you like?  Or, would you never be caught dead wearing one of these?
- Ladies: which one would you give to your favorite guy? (BF, son, dad, bro, whatever) 

(You can tag your favorite.  If you click the photo & hover over myfavor... more »

2013-05-06 09:17:45 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 35 +1s)

Island cultures / Mountain cultures: Insularity & Openness

Islands & Mountains breed a certain sort of insularity in a culture. Is it only because of the definitiveness of their borders?
- beyond our coast, it is no longer Ireland
- beyond this Alpine range, it is no longer Switzerland

Us & Them:
- "Us": this side of the coast or of the mountain range. "Our unique culture."
- "Them": all those on the other side. Yet, both islanders & mountain people are natural traders: they are always importing & exporting. It is an aspect of their uniqueness that they make things that others want: Swiss quality, Irish culture. They also need things that they cannot make.

Nothing is static:
- Ireland used to export labor while, now, it is both an exporter & an importer of labor. (I was wrong... more »

2013-05-05 13:42:49 (20 comments, 0 reshares, 36 +1s)

"Sundaynightis": tell me why I don't like...

... Sundays! Even while traveling, when it should matter less. I suspect I am not the only victim of "Sundaynightis". The worst part is not exactly Sunday night, but the dreaded Sunday Afternoon. It is not that I hate Mondays: in fact, all symptoms of "Sundaynightis" evaporate Monday morning, upon waking, when I am my usual chipper self. There is a certain heaviness on Sunday afternoon, a certain inexplicable ennui, that persists even during holidays, even during long academic summers of no work, even during sabbaticals.
I have various explanations, none of them very satisfactory, but, if you are a fellow "Sundaynightis" sufferer, I would like to hear yours.

Nomad is in transit!

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follow the nomad's travels around the world here:... more »

2013-05-03 11:37:31 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 30 +1s)

A journey needs its intermissions

Just as life does...
I have noticed that some of the most memorable travel moments in my life have been "in transit", in places that were not the journey's objective, that were, somehow, unavoidably, "on the way." It works best when you have absolutely no agenda whatsoever during your stay, either because the place is familiar or because, frankly, it kind of bores you. In these places, you gather your forces, you reflect on what has passed or what lies ahead, or, better, you just let go, sink in, melt into ordinary tasks: a stroll along Lake Leman, a meal, a nice bath, a good night's sleep.
No pressure, no sightseeing, nothing to "wow" about, just the regularity of being suspended.
Which is, in fact, no regularity at all! Because, in life, we are rarely suspended, rarely without... more »

2013-05-02 08:50:56 (30 comments, 0 reshares, 23 +1s)

Train traveling

Movement through space "on the iron horse" feels different depending on where you are:
- India: still a late 19th century experience: 72 hours to cross the country by train: you still "alight" on trains here
- US: mid-20th century without the luxury: a moving Walmart linking bleak downtowns
- Switzerland/Germany/Japan: state of the art
- Trans-Siberian: pure tedium, terrible food, smell of dirty socks
- banana republics: "real train journeys" still available: adventure, monkeys, bandits, breakdowns
- nostalgia: new "fake" Orient Expresses popping up (esp in Asia) to recreate the golden years of rail
Do you like train travel?
What is your favorite journey?
Where do you dream to travel by train?

Nomad O'Dimitri is in transit!

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follow the... more »

2013-05-01 15:59:30 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Public Transport: People vs Cattle

Maybe, 200 years from now, if we are lucky, we will have, in the US, a train system like the Swiss have had for the last 20 years.

Incredibly civilized. AMTRAK is practically a human rights violation by comparison.

Nomad is on the way to Ireland

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2013-05-01 10:29:01 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 38 +1s)

Here, I may not have had the journey...

... I had planned, but I got a whole lot more.

As so many of you predicted, this was a people trip. And storytelling was the glue.

I had no idea the Irish were such storytellers. All the right ingredients are here:
- gift of the gab
- love of exaggeration
- rich lore / tradition to draw from
- need to kill time indoors until the squall passes
- sharing aspect of a social, friendly culture

Stories are not about facts and, in many ways are an antithesis to facts. Actually, facts, more often than not, kill stories, with their "objectivity". Stories are, by definition, subjective and, therefore, emotional. They make connections between people and build bridges. The Irish, more than many other cultures, understand this to their very core.

Which is... more »

2013-04-30 23:21:40 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 23 +1s)

Theater night in Dublin

1960s England. Michael is an Irish immigrant integrated into English life. Until his wild brothers show up from home...

"A whistle in the dark" by Tom Murphy. Classic Irish drama on identity, pride and inferiority. Brutal exploration of the idea of the "bad seed" and the impossibility of escaping your roots - the family as a stain and a curse. Violence as virus.

Quickly, another Guinness!

Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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2013-05-13 06:13:24 (25 comments, 2 reshares, 29 +1s)

Proofs of commitment

I have committed to daily Irish breakfast. With the cold, the motorcycle riding, the salty air and all, a hearty breakfast makes sense.

It's an uneven affair. Pictured:
- home made
- at little seaside cafe
- at plastic city center breakfast place

(Tartines coming soon!!!)

Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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see more nomadic food here: http://goo.gl/05itG #nomadimitrifood

2013-04-30 22:04:38 (33 comments, 1 reshares, 27 +1s)

Beach Town Dublin

I had no idea Dublin had such outstanding coast. Accessible even via public transit, as quickly as 15 minutes from downtown, you can be on excellent uncrowded sand beaches.
As I am here just after full moon, the tides are especially pronounced, adding to the sense of ample space.

A true delight few, if any, European capitals can boast of.

Who knew?

Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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follow the nomad's travels around the world here: http://goo.gl/99Fn9
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2013-04-29 20:39:52 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

3 (& final). In search of Johny Murphy's boots, 1956-1996, RIP

With the boots and the rain safely behind us, we continued our progress through the Killbillenny cliffs. Your head plays tricks on you on a long hike: I could not stop whistling "These are a few of my favorite things." And I could not stop seeing images of Uma Thurman, in bright yellow catsuit, galavanting through the heather like a stately giraffe in a safari park.
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Nothing like ending a hike with a cup of milky tea accompanied by a plate of scones, jam & cream. And, my very favorite Irish friend & philosopher, Paddy O'Duffy!
"Listen Sunshine," he started, "I never worry about anything in the future... because it may not happen after all."
Music to my ears! My entire adult's life effort in one sentence. In front of this clear-eyed,... more »

2013-05-13 06:13:43 (19 comments, 2 reshares, 26 +1s)

I buckled.

I swear I had not planned it. I was walking past the place. I picked up the scent of soy sauce. The words "mandarin", "dim sum", "roll", "crispy", "shrimp", "duck" flashed in front of me.
I looked inside and there out was, the unmistakable sign of quality: the place was full of chinese!
I swooned. Like a sleep walker, I found myself ordering from a menu.

Bliss. Call me a traitor, I could not resist. Or, just call me Nomad O' Ming.

(In my mind's eye, +Mee Ming Wong was sitting across from me, slurping along).


Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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see more nomadic food here: http://goo.gl/05itG ... more »

2013-04-29 08:34:16 (39 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

"The mother of invention"

Introducing our new line of Irish Overwear: "Sonny Dayz".

Who can help us with the tag line?

(Our best effort so far is "Your twice-a-year boxers" but we think it's too obscure, no?)

A great tag line should emphasize the convertibility of the garment, while playing with irish weather.

The winner gets a free "Sonny Dayz" trip to the Sahara.

(pictured: "The Sullivan", in green, as modeled by Nomi. Location scouting & styling: Wilkens & Wilkens).

Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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2013-04-28 21:05:42 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 24 +1s)

"I just hope I get to sell my Nobel prize"

... told me the great scientist with a mischievous smile and a twinkle in his eye. On the 60th anniversary of his discovery of "the code of life", Dr. Watson is in Dublin this afternoon to inaugurate a new DNA sculpture in the city's Botanical Gardens.

He is adorable: funny, playful, open, comfortable in his skin, the very portrait of someone whose place in history is forever assured.

Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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2013-04-28 10:04:36 (10 comments, 2 reshares, 17 +1s)

With the Maserati at the shop...

... time to dust off the Suzuki. This way, the rain will drench me horizontally. Feeling like I am strapped onto a submarine, I am off to my second try to find the real Ireland... to the extent that Poseidon will allow.

Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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2013-04-28 09:21:42 (61 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Here, I love being a "Fir"

What a great word for "man"! Suddenly, I have images of me as a great conifer, under whose thick shade nymphs and centaurs (ok, and leprechauns - but what are they?) frolic about.

"Homme" reminds me of my human rights and my underarms (Pour Homme). "Andras" evokes my animal,
macho nature. "Laki-laki" sounds like a wimp.

But "Fir" is grand! Carpentry, pipe smoke, old leather, Sean Connery (I know he is Scot but they are Celts too).
After Ireland, I will forever think of myself as a "Fir".

Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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2013-04-28 09:41:51 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 18 +1s)

2. In search of Johny Murphy's boots, 1956-1996, RIP

As we quickly pulled on plastic pants and raincoats, Paddy, in his gravelly historian's voice, recounted the story of Johny Murphy's boots:
"Johny, only 40 years of age, died hiking these here hills. Nobody knows how or why. His people left his boots next to a cairn on the top of the cliff where he have up the ghost.
Ever since then, hikers that go by these parts, make a stop by Johny Murphy's boots. At some point, some people poured some sort of liquid silicon over the boots so they would be preserved from the elements."

Finally, it became clear to me, why +Eileen O'Duffy wanted me to join this mission...

Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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2013-04-27 15:47:18 (18 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

"Any particularities I should know about the car?"

... I asked, as my friend handed me his keys, all excited to be driving "on the wrong side", on my own, all the way to the fabled Western rugged coast of Eire, for the weekend.

Seven hours later, stuck for hours smack in the middle of the emerald isle, on the shoulder of a highway that could be in San Jose, waiting for a tow truck, I cursed my lack of faith in my own intuition.

For he had replied: "None at all. And I just changed the battery this week." A small gnawing annoying part of me did not like that battery change one bit, but I overrode it. Sure enough, the bad battery had been a symptom and not a cause, and I cursed it, and my luck, as I bid forever adieu to the rugged coasts by the side of the tarmac...

ALL THIS, OF COURSE, ON THE ONLY SUNNY DAY OF 2013!... more »

2013-04-26 20:29:19 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

1. In search of Johny Murphy's boots, 1956-1996, RIP

Like a Spartan woman urging her brave warrior to fight in the Peloponnesian War, +Eileen O'Duffy delivered me to her father, Paddy, and his buddy, Neil, to join them in their search for Johny Murphy's boots.

We left for Killbillenny in the morning, fully armored against the vagaries of Irish weather, the slushiness of heath and the prickliness of heather. Despite detailed map printouts, a compass and 2 GPS devices, we got lost 10 minutes into the hills. As the ominous rain clouds advanced, endless arguments broke out about which path to take and which device could be trusted best.

It was then, while waiting to be lashed by freezing rain, lost in the middle of nowhere, that an awful possibility first dawned on me: that the Irish might end up being some sort of Greeks of the North!
... more »

2013-04-26 18:48:22 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 25 +1s)

Castle O'Duffy: her winter residence

To penetrate her lair, you first have to get past the electrified fencing, the medieval wall speckled with glass shards, the anti-paparazzi counter-snooping installations, the flock of Swiss-trained doberman attack dogs. There is no moat.

Past all that, cocooned in a sea of tranquility & understated elegance, the Princess receives you, with the ease and lack of affectation that only such breeding as hers can bestow on one.
At the crennelated terrace, overlooking the emerald bay, you quietly sip 8 pints of Guinness together.

Nomad O'Dimitri is in Ireland!

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2013-04-26 07:41:10 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Here, they built half a city worth of buildings...

... in less than 15 years. This is known as a bubble. Thankfully, it does not last forever.

Luckily, for Dublin, unlike in some southern european countries with similar bubbles, the buildings here are nice, both in design & construction.

Example: this elegant Calatrava-looking bridge that reminded me of the Guinness harp logo laid sideways.

(or, have I had one too many?)

Nomad is in Ireland!

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2013-04-26 08:29:47 (18 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)

Fool & Belle

+Eileen O'Duffy with +nomadimitri in Dalkey, Dublin. Do NOT, for a second, be fooled that this is real sunshine. It is all smoke & mirrors: lots of Eileen's friends with reflectors, and lamps and super flashes.

In fact, it was hailing while the photo was taken. We had to run to Bono's house for shelter as soon as the camera snapped. He was not at all nonplussed to see us on his doorstep: "Ah, it's you two", is all he said.

Nomad is in Ireland!

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2013-04-25 17:56:51 (21 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

Ireland: very first impressions on a first visit

Language:
- immediately extraordinary: sounds like nothing I have ever heard
- what's even better: the written form looks completely unrelated to the spoken form: what you see is NOT what you get
- it is like they are playing an elaborate joke on you, because there are 3 versions of reality you must deal with: the english, the written irish, the spoken irish
- and there seems to be zero latin in the irish: your brain searches frantically for a link, a cognate, but the language stays completely opaque: Afrikaans is more accessible!
- and it sounds great!

Nomad is in Ireland!

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2013-04-25 16:53:19 (23 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Ireland: very first impressions on a first visit

Weather:
- o h m y g o d !
- [Disclaimer: I am a Californicated Mediterranean, spoiled by "perfect weather"]
- I often ski on T-shirt & jeans and I am known to like cold weather
- but this!!! It kneeled me!
- the cold here creeps into your very innards
- it helped me understand Samuel Becket in a brand new way (of course he had to "wait", I am going to wait too. For the sun.)
- the moisture-laden skies! I propose a new camera setting for light exposure: "Ireland"
- I am wearing ALL the clothes I brought with me, and I am considering pulling my boxers over my head because my beanie and scarf do not seem to be able to block "the damp"

Nomad is in Ireland!

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follow the nomad's travels around the world here:... more »

2013-04-25 10:26:26 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Here, they have this incredible accent

I always loved how the Irish sounded in movies (even though I sometimes wished for subtitles).
So, starting today, I am in full immersion Irish accent, 24/7. (Confession: I cannot yet hear the difference between Irish & Scottish accents, they both sound rich & guttural to me. I suspect I better keep quiet about this while I am here, lest I ruffle green feathers...)

Nomad is in Ireland!

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2013-04-25 08:12:35 (8 comments, 3 reshares, 11 +1s)

Ireland: simplistic brushstrokes for my first visit

Basic thoughts in my head as I prepare myself for Irish culture:
- islanders
- small country
- powerful neighbor
- sense of having been badly wronged by neighbor
- internal strife: religious & geographic
- old country: history & tradition
- culture of poverty, struggle & immigration
- disproportionately talented: literature, music, poetry, theater etc
- diversity: not much
- tension: proud insularity vs post-modern openness
- recent: bubble, crash, effective response, rebuilding
- expected problems: alcohol, pride, stubbornness, disenfranchisement
- expected pleasures: people friendly, jovial, fun-loving, red hair/freckles, humor, black hair/blue eyes,curious, hospitable, playful...

... kind of like, which other people?

Nomad is... more »