JEFFERY SHIFLET (Mitchell Rock) 03/04

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Creme de la Cakeball

As a lover of sweets, I would go so far as to say you have not lived unless you have tried a cakeball.  Yes, they are that good!


I was introduced to a cakeball at one of my best friend's wedding, when she served them as favors.  Everyone was obsessed, and if you weren't quick to take your favor, people stole them off the table right under your nose.


She ordered her cakeballs from Kruffles in Los Angeles.  

images via Kruffles

Could the designs be any cuter?

But it was Creme de la Cookie in Dallas that instilled in her a love for cakeballs, and at her insistence, I made an impromptu trip to try out her original inspiration myself.

Let me just say, you will know where to find me if you ever happen to be in Dallas.  

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Cultural Tourism in Kenya

Tourism can be referred to as travelling for discovery or for pleasure to places that are of great interest. Tourists have an interest in people of the places they visit. They want to familiarize with their culture, their lifestyle and their practices. In Kenya, cultural tourism is practiced with an aim of understanding the origins of a people's culture, their attachment to some practices, their norms and taboos as well as their outlook on the meaning of life. Cultural experiences provide tourists with an experience that they would otherwise not get elsewhere.

Cultural tourism in Kenya mostly targets the indigenous communities that are still holding on to their traditional way of life. Among the communities that are targeted by tourists are the Masai, Samburu and Turkana, who are known to be rich in traditional songs and dances, not forgetting that, they form the population of cattle herders and pastoralism. Their food culture is also another aspect that seems to promote cultural tourism in Kenya, bearing in mind that their most favorite drink is milk mixed with fresh animal blood.

So much about these groups of people; let's not forget that Kenya has 42 different tribes and as such, 42 different cultures. Each of these has some cultural practices that would interest any tourist keen on cultural tourism. All these cultures are spread throughout the nation of Kenya. While the aforementioned communities of the Maasai and Samburu most occupy the Great Rift valley, others like the Swahili and Digo are to be found in the coastal region of the country. The cultural tourism around the area goes hand in hand with coastal tourism that is mainly an attraction due to the Indian Ocean, the coral reefs and the ferries. The coastal people have numerous festivals and ceremonies that are marked with traditional dances that are quite attractive to tourists.

To the west of the country are the Luo and Luhya communities. These are known to be the occupants of the Great Lake (Lake Victoria). Their culture is marked with fishing, and tourists enjoy engaging in the activity as well. Cultural tourism in Kenya has helped the Kenyan communities to hold on to their cultural practices. It gives much joy and pride when people travel from all over the world just to come and interact with the people of Kenya and to have a feel of what it is like to have some traditional practices to identify with. This culture gives a sense of identity and belonging to the whole Kenyan community.

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JEFFERY SHIFLET (Mitchell Rock) 02/04

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"I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere" interview

Scott Monty and Burt Wolder were kind enough to interview me about my BSI novel Baker Street Irregular for their "I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere" podcast series, and have just posted it.  Hear it at 
http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2010/12/episode-29-baker-street-irregular.html

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Monday Escapes

It’s Monday.  I'm in Dallas and it's cold.  So I am serving up another Monday Escape to an island locale.

Unlike the other Caribbean escape where there is no airport, you can fly directly to this island.  In fact, while descending into the airport you may feel as if you are going to land right on the beach.  A little further up the coast, you can feast on French pastries and enjoy the half topless/nude beach. 

Images via Travelmoon

 It’s St. Maarten/St. Martin, Netherland Antilles.


Stay warm this week!

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Best War Movies: THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS

The innocence of childhood savagely collides with the Holocaust in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Bruno (Asa Butterfield) knows that his father is a soldier and that they have to move to a new house in the country... a house near what he thinks is a farm. But his father isn't just a soldier; he's a high-ranking officer in Hitler's elite SS troops who's just been placed in command of Auschwitz. As Bruno explores the woods around the house, he discovers the concentration camp's perimeter fence. On the other side sits a boy his own age, with whom Bruno strikes up a friendship--a friendship that will have tragic consequences.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is most powerful in the details: The casual brutality of a Nazi lieutenant; the uncomfortable juxtaposition of the family's domestic life with glimpses of the treatment of the imprisoned Jews; a ghastly propaganda film suggesting that life at Auschwitz was like a holiday. But more than anything else, Butterfield's performance makes this film compelling. The young actor perfectly conveys Bruno's limited perspective even as the film carefully unveils the larger, darker reality. The movie's ending will undoubtedly spark arguments, but only because of the emotional complexity of what happens--The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is made with great skill and compassion. Also featuring David Thewlis (Naked) and Vera Farmiga (The Departed) as Bruno's parents.

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Greatest War Movies

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