Since the success of the 2010 World Cup, tourism to South Africa has dramatically increased and for the first time, Americans are leading the pack with reservations for South African adventure packages.

If you feel that you are past the stage of...

For many years I have been hearing that Costa Rica is a great place to go on vacation. I also heard that the country was the leader in eco-tourism. All of that sounded great, but I have to admit that in my urban mind, I expected Costa Rica to be...

The Premiere Brazil! 2010 film festival, hosted by the Museum of Modern Art (NY) and the Rio Film Festival, produced a line up of films that can best be described as the art of social activism. Beyond the sensuality that Brazil is famous for,...

If your idea of Canada is dominated by maple syrup, hockey, flannel shirts or the G-20 Summit, it's time to discover Toronto as the new capital of Cool.

Toronto boasts a population of five million people, 200 ethnic groups and 130 languages. Each year...

Since 1913, The Armory Show Art Fair has been the preeminent international exhibition of modern art in the United States. Every March, galleries, private dealers, and artists descend upon New York to review, sell and purchase the latest work by contemporary artist working in...

The Spirits of Itaparica from Lauri Lyons on Vimeo.

For most people the idea of Black History month is relegated to the African-American experience in the United States. While Africa...

An estimated 22,000 youth are runaway or homeless each year in Minnesota. The most common reason for homeless youth, cited by the MN Department of Human Services, is a background of poverty, family conflict, abuse, mental illness or chemical dependency.

The Kulture Klub...

In the context of popular culture the history of Hip-Hop has been recited and mythologized many times over. Born in the 1970's South Bronx, from a foundation of Jamaican DJ techniques and verbal delivery, African-American soul music, Brazilian capoeira inspired breakdance moves,...

The Apollo Theater's memorial tribute to Michael Jackson might as well have been Mardi Gras in Harlem. Thousands of fans surrounded the Apollo Theater with a line that wrapped around three city blocks. People from all over the world paid...

Barack Obama and the American Dream from Lauri Lyons on Vimeo.

The 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama was not only a bold step forward for the...

What is America?

It is a challenge to singularly define America because the country reinvents itself on a daily basis. Growing up I have been able to view America from several perspectives: Black, female, first-generation American, and a former military child. Always being on the move has made me...