Feature Story

By Tim Glanfield

For some, Britain is a glowing example of multiculturalism that continues to embrace cultures and races from across the globe.

For others, it is a fallen giant of a bygone colonial age, lacking direction, and struggling to retain an identity as the very notion of “Britishness” remains diluted.

It is against this confused and at times volatile background that more than sixty million Britons live, five million of whom hail from an ethnic minority background.

By Rozina Kidari

Ever since I was about 12-years-old, I had this dream about "discovering my ethnic heritage." Distant but recurring images of a far away land danced around over and over again in my mind laced with beautiful prayers in a foreign tongue, the smell of potent spices, and a canvas of a million colors of dress and ancient scenery.

Growing up with my single American mother in Arizona, I always felt this gap inside of me. It wasn't that I ever lacked love, stability or understanding—I was a happy little kid with an amazing and unforgettable upbringing from my mom, grandparents, and sisters. It was just that, as I got older, I felt more and more estranged from understanding where I came from.

By Ann Marina

Above the crowded, hardwood dance floor, hips gyrate, shoulders shimmy, feet hop and slide to a spicy Latin beat. A long, mirrored wall reflects sparks of childlike excitement in dancing eyes.

 It feels like Saturday night at a Salsa hot spot, but it's actually Wednesday morning at the YMCA in Bonita Springs, Florida. In stretch pants, T-shirt, and glittering belly dance belt, Angeli Chin-Franz amps up the volume and yells, "Let's Zumba!"

By Jake Singleton

Hypertension, known as the silent killer, often goes undetected or undiagnosed until it is too late.

Its symptoms, which can include fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, headaches, excessive sweating and vision problems, often go unnoticed and disregarded, or incorrectly linked to other conditions.

More than 50 million Americans suffer from hypertension or high blood pressure — making it No. 13 on the list of fatal diseases. Another estimated 15 million Americans also have hypertension, but it goes undiagnosed.