Dear Readers,

Welcome to the latest edition of the San Diego Participant Observer. Our Book of the Month suggestion is Rotten Evidence by Ahmed Naji. Our Recipe of the Month is for what has been called "the best soup in the world," Paraguayan Vori-Vori. It is both unique and delicious. Our International Music selection is Angathin by Monieur Doumani.

There are quite a number of events to celebrate: Persian Nowruz, Holi, and St. Patrick's Day. There will be a Ukrainian Spring Celebration on the beach in La Jolla! And in a little over a week, the Cherry Blossom Festival will return to the Japanese Friendship Garden. Talks, music and dance concerts, and theatrical productions abound. No matter what your interests are, there are lots of things to see, do, and experience in our lovely city.

On a more serious note…

The United States is experiencing unprecedented political and social upheaval, much of it affecting organizations that provide humanitarian, social, scientific, cultural, and health services. The USD Nonprofit Institute just released a survey on Federal Impacts on Nonprofits: San Diego County Survey of Nonprofit Leaders, offering a sobering snapshot of the challenges ahead.

Among the nonprofit leaders surveyed, 15 organizations have already laid off or furloughed a total of 498 staff—and this is just the beginning. Another 18% expect to reduce their workforce in the near future. Federal funding plays a crucial role for 56% of surveyed nonprofits, making up an average of 31% of their budgets. The hardest-hit programs so far include those focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, immigration, citizenship, arts, culture, and libraries. These cuts are happening just weeks after new executive actions were implemented, and the pace of disruption shows no signs of slowing.

Many organizations are currently operating on previously received funds, but unless federal policies shift, the impact will only intensify.

Beyond reaching out to your representatives, we urge you to support local organizations. To help, we have compiled a list of local cross-cultural organizations already impacted, or likely to be impacted, by federal funding reductions and cancelations.Your support, in any form, can make a real difference. This list is a work in progress, so let us know if you have suggestions for additional organizations to include.

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Upcoming events:

Everyone here at the San Diego Participant Observer and the Worldview Project wish you fulfilling, illuminating, and culturally-rich experiences in the days ahead. See you next week!

4:00 PM	Talk: Celebrating the Soundscape of Music & Calligraphy in Chinese Culture UCSD
5:00 PM	La Familia Night Market La Familia San Diego
7:00 PM	Musical: Alice by Heart Howard Brubeck Theatre
7:30 PM	Musical: Once Lambs's Players Theatre
"	Musical: Motown: The Groove That Changed America California Center for the Arts
"	Spanish Nights Concerts Grossmont College
"	Stage: A Perfect Ganesh Lamplighters Community Theatre
"	Stage: 3 Summers of Lincoln Mandell Weiss Theatre, UCSD
"	Stage: White Scripps Ranch Theatre
8:00 PM	Stage: We Are Continuous Diversionary Theatre
Saturday, March 8
1:00 PM	Calienté Latin Music, Food and Spirits Fest Ruocco Park
2:30 PM	Anju Madoka La Jolla Riford Library
3:00 PM	Ukrainian Spring Celebration La Jolla Shores Beach
7:30 PM	Musical: Motown: The Groove That Changed America California Center for the Arts
"	Music: Third Coast Percussion & Salar Nader The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
8:00 PM	Music: Shamrock & Strings The Bornemann Theatre
10:00 PM	Bollywood Neon Holi Party Music Box
Sunday, March 9
11:00 AM	Holi Celebration Scripps Ranch Community Park
1:00 PM	MyHeritage Search Engine Workshop Lawrence Family JCC
2:00 PM	Musical: Once Lambs's Players Theatre
"	Holi Celebration North University Community Library
3:00 PM	11th Annual Mariachi Festival California Center for the Arts
4:00 PM	Music: Voices of México St. James by-the-Sea
"	ISSD Nowruz Celebration Lewis Middle School
Tuesday, March 11
4:30 PM	Holi Celebration Carmel Valley Library
Wednesday, March 12
4:00 PM	Author Talk: Nathaniel Ian Miller Online Streaming Event
5:30 PM	PCRF-San Diego Ramadan Iftar Sufi Mediterranean Cuisine
Thursday, March 13
10:00 AM	Cherry Blossom Festival Japanese Friendship Garden
7:00 PM	Film: Curveball - A True Story. Unfortunately Digital Gym Cinema
7:30 PM	Talk: Art of Wine and Eternal Rome Atheneum Music & Arts Library
Friday, March 14
10:00 AM	Cherry Blossom Festival Japanese Friendship Garden
3:00 PM	Film: Curveball: A True Story. Unfortunately Digital Gym Cinema
6:30 PM	Moroccan Night San Diego French American School
7:30 PM	Stage: Hadestown: Teen Edition The Grand-Ritz Theater
9:00 PM	Music: Los Amigos Invisibles Music Box
Saturday, March 15
9:00 AM	St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival Sixth Ave & Laurel St
10:00 AM	Cherry Blossom Festival Japanese Friendship Garden
"	Talk: The Effect of Mass Deportation on San Diegans Logan Heights Branch Library
NOON	Persian New Year Celebration California Center for the Arts
1:00 PM	SoCal Dance Fest Torrey Pines High School
2:00 PM	ShamROCK Festival Gaslamp Quarter
"	Music: Tango Obsession Mission Theater, Fallbrook
6:00 PM	Nowruz Celebration San Diego Marriott La Jolla
"	Arabian Nights Belly Dance Showcase Mediterranean Cafe
"	Music: Codigo FN Observatory North Park
7:30 PM	Stage: Hadestown: Teen Edition The Grand-Ritz Theater
"	Music: Transmigration UCSD
Sunday, March 16
10:00 AM	Cherry Blossom Festival Japanese Friendship Garden
11:00 AM	Holi Festival of Color The Flower Fields at Carlsbad
"	House of Ireland Lawn Program International Cottages
2:00 PM	Musical: Once Lambs's Players Theatre
"	Stage: Hadestown: Teen Edition The Grand-Ritz Theater
"	Music: Transmigration Mandeville Auditorium
5:00 PM	Music: Goitse The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
7:00 PM	Music: Anoushka Shankar UCSD
7:30 PM	Music: Goitse The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
Monday, March 17
5:30 PM	Music: Goitse The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
7:00 PM	Music: Highland Way California Center for the Arts
8:00 PM	Music: Goitse The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
Tuesday, March 18
10:00 AM	Music and Dance: Ballet Folklorico en Aztlan Children's Discovery Museum
6:30 PM	Open Reading: King Lear Coronado Public Library
Wednesday, March 19
All Day	San Diego Latino Film Festival AMC Mission Valley & Digital Gym
6:00 PM	Film: The Quiet American Coronado Public Library
8:00 PM	Sonido Latino El After Social Club
"	Music: Tarta Relena The Loft, UCSD
Thursday, March 20
All Day	San Diego Latino Film Festival AMC Mission Valley & Digital Gym
7:30 PM	Stage: The Pirates of Penzance Grossmont College
Friday, March 21
All Day	San Diego Latino Film Festival AMC Mission Valley & Digital Gym
7:30 PM	Trinity Irish Dance Concert Balboa Theatre
"	Music: Sounds of Dynasties - Living Traditions of China La Jolla Community Center
Saturday, March 22
All Day	San Diego Latino Film Festival AMC Mission Valley & Digital Gym
11:00 AM	Cervantes Festival International Cottages
1:00 PM	House of Mexico Lawn Program International Cottages
2:00 PM	Stage: The Pirates of Penzance Grossmont College
Sunday, March 23
All Day	San Diego Latino Film Festival AMC Mission Valley & Digital Gym
1:00 PM	House of Iran Lawn Program International Cottages
2:00 PM	Musical: Once Lambs's Players Theatre
5:00 PM	Flamenco Dance Concert San Diego Dance Theater
7:00 PM	Ballet Folklórico de Mexico de Amalia Hernández Balboa Theatre
"	The Balkan Brain Comedy Show Pushkin Lounge & Bar

Your Window to the World

Can Moldova – Population 2.4M – Show the World How to Stand up to Putin? The Long Wave: Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Celebrates African Roots ‘This Will Cost Lives’: Cuts to UK Aid Budget Condemned As ‘Betrayal’ by International Development Groups The Guardian View on Why Canada Matters: a Nation in the Global Frontline ‘We Used to Think the Ice Was Eternal’: Colombia Looks to a Future Without Glaciers ‘People Cry, Get Angry’: Remembering the Enslaved in Ghana’s Remarkable Sculpture Park Majority of Western Europeans Think Trump Is Threat to Peace, Survey Finds Women Behind the Lens: ‘In Cuba, Domestic Life Is Forced on to the Streets’ An Audience With the ‘Dragon King’ of Bhutan, From 1984 ‘Little Agency That Could’ Cheered for Act of Resistance Against Trump and Musk ‘I Focus on the Person, Not the Disability’: the Photographer on a Mission to Make India Inclusive Row Erupts in New Zealand Parliament Over Use of Māori Name Aotearoa State Dept. Plans to Close Diplomatic Missions and Fire Employees Overseas Where Being Gay Is Punishable by Death, Aid Cuts Are ‘Heartbreaking’ Many Chinese See a Cultural Revolution in America 36 Hours in Valencia Not Time’s Fool: a Rare Version of a Shakespeare Sonnet Is Discovered

Paraguayan Vori-Vori

This month's recipe is for Paraguayan Vori-Vori, a traditional soup featuring soft, cheese-infused cornmeal dumplings served in a rich, flavorful broth. Soup is a very common dish in Paraguay, and vori-vori is one of the most enjoyed soups. And the wonderful culinary website TasteAtlas crowned it "The Best Soup of the World" for 2025!