Author: Taylor Smith
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4,000 Miles Later: Discovering vulnerability and truth while running across the country.
People say habits are formed in 21 days. I say lessons are learned in 49. At least, that was the case for me this summer as I ran across the country with a group of 22 young adults raising money and awareness for young adult cancer. The opportunity to run for the Ulman Cancer Fund’s…
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In Iraq, thousands flee Fallujah and raise questions for Mosul
Over 60,000 civilians have fled the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah in the last week and are arriving in refugee camps to no tents, little water, and more death. Government officials and aid organizations are saying the lack of resources is due to the unprecedented numbers of people fleeing the fight against the Islamic State…
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Life in the Survivor’s Camp: Stories of Yazidi Trials and Tribulations
Photo credit: Taylor Smith On the fringe of Khanke Refugee Camp, lives a small settlement of escaped Yazidi women from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Coming from Solak, a village 5km from Sinjar, theirs is a journey of never ending heartbreak. “50 members of my family are in the hands of ISIS.…
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Bardarash Peshmerga: The Best Defense Against ISIS Is Broke
(Peshmerga General Ali Rashed/photo credit Taylor Smith) Last December, Peshmerga General Ali Rashed’s unit was ambushed by ISIS insurgents as they stood guard at the gateway between ISIS territory and the safety of Iraqi Kurdistan on the outskirts of Bardarash. Rashed lost 40 men in the battle, but they were able to keep ISIS…
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Work of Art: Syrians Paint a Former Saddam Hussein Prison Camp
Up in the northwest corner of Iraq lies one piece of history layered in even more history: a former Saddam Hussein era prison camp covered in street art by it’s Syrian refugee inhabitants. Every Friday, Syrian youth participate in the Castle Art Project, taking paintbrushes to the dreary walls of their temporary home and drawing…
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Sliver of Hope: Marathon Brings People Together in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan: There’s no denying that moving abroad expands your horizons and changes your perceptions of different cultures. But the best lessons occur when you attempt to bring your own cultural habits to a different cultural environment: like running a marathon in an Islamic country as a woman. A Boston resident for four years, I…
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Impending Doom: The Collapse of the Mosul Dam
The Mosul Dam is in danger of collapse due to increased rainstorms. The resulting flood would be devastating. As Iraq’s largest dam, it would send a 15-foot wall of water down the river to Baghdad, and Mosul would be engulfed in a flood. The immediate impact would result in approximately 500,000 people’s deaths and the…