Monthly Archives: January 2009

Guantanamo: The Guided Tour

Posted on January 28, 2009 by julie

Text & Photos: Julie Schwietert Collazo As President Obama makes good on his promise to close Guantanamo’s detention facility, there’s no better time to help the world understand a bit more about Guantanamo. To that end, I agreed to an interview with Steven Roll of the Latin American travel blog, Travelojos, which you can read … Continue reading »

At Last!

Posted on January 23, 2009 by julie

There were so many many moments from inauguration week in Washington, D.C. that moved me to tears: *Standing on the mall with an estimated 1-2 million people from 6 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, sharing conversations with people from around the country and the world who couldn’t be anywhere else except here; … Continue reading »

Categories: Julie's Writing | Tags: 2009 inauguration, At Last, Barack Obama, Beyonce, Etta James, First Couple, first dance, First Lady, inaugural ball, inauguration, interview, Michelle Obama, President Obama's speech, Robin Roberts | 2 Comments

Operation Filmmaker: A Perfect Example of “Help” Gone Wrong

Posted on January 16, 2009 by julie

A few weeks back, the PBS show “Independent Lens” featured “Operation Filmmaker,” a documentary that both the director and the viewer probably hoped would be a neat, feel-good narrative about a couple of generous Americans doing their part to atone for the damage their country has done in Iraq. The story is this: A young … Continue reading »

Categories: Julie's Writing, Uncategorized | Tags: aid, help, Iraq, MTV, Muthana, Operation Filmaker, Operation Filmmaker, PBS, refugees | 5 Comments

Hope, Change, and Yes, We Can… in St. Kitts

Posted on January 14, 2009 by julie

Text & Photos: Julie Schwietert Collazo I’ve been in St. Kitts this week, a country about which I knew little before I arrived. The trip has fit another piece into the postcolonial puzzle that I’m sure I’ll spend the rest of my life putting together and working to understand. St. Kitts, a tiny country (68 … Continue reading »

Categories: Julie's Photos, Julie's Writing, Uncategorized | Tags: Barack Obama, Basseterre, Caribbean, Caribbean islands, Caribbean tourism, Carribbean, Carribean, Denzel Douglas, Dr. Denzil Douglas, elections, English-speaking Caribbean, independence, Nevis, Obama, postcolonial, Saint Christopher, Saint Kitts, St. Christopher, St. Kitts, tourism | 3 Comments

Good Gifts

Posted on January 10, 2009 by julie

I’ve received a lot of good gifts in my life. Just the other day, I received a handmade collage from my friend, Kaitlin. I love it because she made it, but I also love it because it features a very dapper looking Obama, circa 1970s. There’s some hope for you. When I turned 21, a … Continue reading »

Categories: Julie's Writing | Tags: best gift, cookbook, cooking, gift, gifts, Joy of Cooking, present | 4 Comments