Assorted Timely Resources

• Change.org - a place to sign or start a petition to promote change. • Celebration of France's Bastille Day with House of France and the Alliance française, and the San Diego Diplomacy Council • Action, Justice, Change What you can do right now to promote racial justice. • 20 Books that will take you around the world, courtesy of Great Big Story. • Corona Virus Information Updates from the County of San Diego • Corona Virus Information Updates from the City of San Diego.

International Television

The Casketeers (New Zealand) Netflix The Casketeers is a rather unusual reality-TV show. Filmed in New Zealand, the series is about two Maori funeral directors, Francis and Kaiora Tipene, who have dedicated their lives to helping families who have lost loved ones. To do so they have to navigate the rules, expectations, sensitivities and emotions of several cultures, sometimes simultaneously. Francis, Kaiora, and the other staff at the Tipene Funeral Home have big hearts and always strive to do their very best to provide funeral services that honor the departed and care for the living in their time of great emotional need. The series is not only culturally fascinating but quite humorous, particularly the relationship between Francis and Kaiora. They will steal your heart. The series was locally produced and loved by New Zealanders, but it has garnered international acclaim since it was picked up by Netflix. But rather than become star-struck by fame, Kaiora has said “It’s just Netflix eh? We’re not much into all that stuff”. Seeing how the Tipenes deal with death just might make you look at life a bit differently!

The Neighbor (El Vecino) (Spain), Netflix The Neighbor is a Spanish silly super-hero comedy about a lazy young man, Javier, who accidentally gains super powers from an encounter with an alien ship that crashes feet from Javier and his "almost" girlfriend, Lola, when the couple are a weekend getaway in the country. When the alien ship crashes, Lola is knocked unconscious and knows nothing of the message and powers that the alien imparts to Javier. Indeed, Javier himself can't quite figure out what happened, but he is sure that all good super-heroes must hide their identities. His discovery of his powers is quite hysterical and quite naturally his inability to control them creates havoc for Javier and everyone around him. His new super powers put a definite wrinkle in his attempts to woo Lola, who rightly thinks he's not the most mature or responsible option she might have. The comedy is mostly character-driven and while the show is unlikely to win many awards, it maintains its chuckle-worthiness throughout.

Movies

Wadja (Saudi Arabia) Netflix, Amazon Prime, You Tube, iTunes, Google Play Wadja is a film shot in Saudi Arabia, written and directed by the nation's pioneering female filmmaker, Haifaa al-Mansour. It was the first Saudi Arabian film directed by a woman. Wadja Mohammad is a 10 year-old girl that just isn't quite in sync with Saudi Arabian gender expectations. On her daily walk to school, Wadja sees a beautiful green bicycle being delivered to a local store and she begins dreaming about buying the bike and racing her friend Abdullah through the the streets of Riyadh. Two things stand in her way, the bike is expensive and common ideas that bike riding is not something that girls or women should do because it presumed to be physically dangerous for a girl to ride a bike and an affront to morality. Despite the terror of tongue-wagging and other more serious obstacles, Wadja persists in her quest . . . The film is bittersweet and charming but also offers hope for the struggle for greater gender equality. The director al-Mansour said the original script was darker, but she said "I decided I didn't want the film to carry a slogan and scream, but just to create a story where people can laugh and cry a little."

The Band's Visit (Israel), Tubi, Vudu, Amazon-Prime, iTunes If you have ever visited another country and gotten lost traveling (I have, more than once!), you may have had an adventure but perhaps not quite a humorous and poignant as the fictional experience of the fictional Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra from Egypt, that intended to travel to the Israeli city of Petah Tikvah to perform. However the band member who is asked to secure tickets has a very strong accent and the ticket seller mistakenly gives him bus tickets to the remote town of Bet Hatikva, where buses only visit once a day. Shortly after they arrive in Bet Hatikva, they learn of the mistake, and they are stranded in a town with no hotel and certainly no Arab Art Center to perform in. Of course the town doesn't get many outsiders, much less an entire band, and if the Egyptians are anxious about their detour, the townsfolk are curious. What ensues is a night of halting conversations and confessions only fit for a stranger's ear. The main dynamic is between the officious leader of the band and the self-assured proprietress of the only restaurant in town. But initial discomfort ultimately leads to a more tender understanding that above all else, beyond politics and misconceptions, they are humans. The Band's Visit was made into an award-winning Broadway musical (starring Tony Shalhoub as the band's leader), and the musical has won just about every award possible both for the off-Broadway and Broadway productions as well as the 2019 Grammy from Best Musical Theater Album. And although I have not seen the musical, it's a safe bet that the musical is louder than the quiet touch of the film.

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It’s Time to Commemorate Juneteenth Nationwide!

Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the freeing of slaves in America, has been celebrated by Black Americans since news of emancipation reached the last slaves to be freed in Galveston, Texas in 1865. Despite the holiday's historic importance, it has never been widely recognized in the U.S. However, that appears to be changing, as calls to recognize Juneteenth on a larger scale have emerged against the backdrop of the murder of George Floyd. By Ian A. Lutz

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The Worldview Project Guide to Getting a Passport

Less than one half of all Americans have a passport. People without passports not only can't go to far away places like Asia, Africa, Europe or South America, without a passport you can't even travel to Mexico or Canada. An important step in becoming a global citizen is actually getting out there and experiencing other cultures first hand. Don't limit your options! Passports don't expire for 10 years, think ahead and apply for or renew yours today! The steps to apply for a passport are not as daunting as they may seem. Whether you are looking to apply for a new passport or to renew your current passport, follow the steps in our handy guide! Compiled by Julie Tran

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Spotlight: The Center for World Music

The Center for World Music is a unique nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster awareness and understanding of the world's diverse performing arts and cultures through public performances and teaching. Its primary purpose is to draw public attention to the diversity of the world's performing arts traditions: Asian, African, European, Latin American, and American. (English • Spanish)

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A Freeway Runs Through It: Little Italy

Today San Diego's Little Italy is a bustling commercial, dining and entertainment district. But more than a half century ago, it was a largely residential area populated by Italian families, most of which were involved in San Diego's thriving tuna industry. Over the next few decades, Little Italy became a self-contained neighborhood with its own grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants, a Catholic church, an elementary school, a drugstore, and a fire department. Then a half century ago the community was cut in half by the expansion of San Diego's freeway system, devastating a once thriving community. Read about Little Italy's rich past and about local efforts to preserve the neighborhood's unique ethnic character and identity. (English ● Spanish)

By Tony Rocco

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Spotlight: The San Diego Chinese Historical Museum

A stone's throw from the Gaslamp Quarter, on the corner of 3rd Avenue and J Street, lies the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum. The museum offers San Diegans an artifactual, pictorial and interactive look into the history of San Diego's Chinese-American inhabitants. Admission is an affordable $2. The museum features numerous cultural, historical and artistic displays as well as regularly held educational programs for children and adults. For a small extra fee the museum also offers docent-lead tours of the permanent collection and featured exhibits as well as tours of the remnants of San Diego's former Chinatown. (English • Spanish)

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Spotlight: Persian Classical Musician, Kourosh Taghavi

Kourosh Taghavi, instrumentalist, vocalist and Persian classical musician boasts a passionate approach to music that has impacted audiences around the world. His collaborative projects with master musicians and local cultural organizations work to fulfill his lifelong dream to promote Persian classical music. More recently, his ongoing efforts with the Center for World Music bring the setar and Iranian culture to San Diego school districts through hands-on instruction in Persian classical music. (English • Spanish)

By Amanda Kelly

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