Traveling Project Time Traveling Byzantine Architecture -- the Hagia Sophia In all my travels, no structure can bring about as much awe and respect as that of the Byzantine Hagia Sophia, an immense temple that merges East and West in a conglomeration of buttresses and minarets. Looking back at its 1,500-year history, I can only imagine the changes that the structure has undergone through those eras, from its Byzantine origins to its

Com). There was nothing obscene about the beauty of David, not even in the eyes of Catholic Italy, and long after the wars of the Italian city-states have ended, the glory of David lingers in the mind. Chapter 3: Islamic detour It must not be forgotten that many great, artistically-inclined civilizations existed beyond that of the borders of West: for example, remember the Islamic world during the Middle Ages. But upon gazing

This is the view taken by Salvaggio (1984), who observes that "Butler places her heroines in worlds filled with racial and sexual obstacles, forcing her characters to survive and eventually overcome these societal barriers to their independence. Sometimes her black heroines are paired with white men who challenge their abilities; sometimes they are paired with powerful black men who threaten their very autonomy and existence. And always, the society in

As Alexie himself recalls, this was truly the character -- or perhaps the concept, and the idea -- that truly germinated into the full novel. The author heard an interview with the flight instructor of one of the men responsible for the September 11th terrorist attacks, and the sense of personal betrayal that this real-life flight instructor felt was made palpable for Zits just as it was made perfectly

It is impossible to read the Great Gatsby without identifying if not with individual characters then with the struggles they experience. Truly, it is timeless. In my personal life, I have recently experienced several setbacks which forced a reassessment of those goals and achievements I had been working steadfastly towards for years. Much the way that Gatz had in the pursuit of becoming Gatsby. So certain was I as was

Trip of a Lifetime Bon Giorno, Italia! This is the trip of a lifetime to Italy, financed by a $50,000.00 inheritance from a nonexistent relative. The trip is for two people, including Yours Truly and a good friend who shall be known as "Zippy." Money is fortunately no object, as most researched financial aspects of this trip are stunningly high. Unfortunately, our time is limited to a two-week period, which is