FROM MARRAKECH TO TORONTO, BEHIND SCENES OF LATEST TRAVELS

When I travel, I enjoy giving you a behind-the-scenes look at experiences that help make the trip memorable. What follows are snapshots from my current dash from Marrakech to London to Toronto to Washington, D.C. to Miami.

LATE IRON LEAVES ME STEAMED

Giving the prologue at the Atlantic Dialogues in Marrakech.

I arrived in Marakech on Thursday to attend the Atlantic Dialogues. I was honored to be asked to do the prologue, the opening speech that sets the stage for the discussions to follow. The night before the opening, I asked the hotel for an iron. None came. Fine, I thought, I would use steam the shower to unwrinkle my shirt. It worked. An hour before the speech, I heard a knock on my door. I opened it to find that housekeeping had finally sent the iron. I didn’t really need it but thought what the heck, I should run it over my shirt to give it a crisp look. I untangled the cord and began ironing, my mind mostly on the speech. I felt a sting on my thigh and quickly pulled the iron away. Yep, I had accidentally burned myself. Sometimes, I thought, best to leave well enough alone, as my mom used to say. As I gave the prologue, I could still feel a slight pain in my thigh. Probably explains why some in the audience said later that I was on fire.

CATCHING UP WITH FRIENDS IN MARRAKECH

Karim, left, and Hassan, right. We enjoyed a delicious meal and great conversation in Marrakech.

One of the great delights of travel is visiting with friends around the world. In Marrakech, I had the great pleasure of catching up with my friend Karim. We met on my first visit to Morocco more than five years ago. His family is connected to the family of another good friend, Madhu Metha. At Madhu’s request, Karim showed me around Casablanca. He was a great host and guide. The best part of the visit was dining at Rick’s Cafe, which made me feel for a moment that I was part of a different time. Sam was even at the piano.

I emailed Karim when I arrived in Marrakech to see if he planned to be here for the weekend. I was surprise when he said yes; he had a wedding to attend. We met up a day after the wedding and his brother Hassan joined us. It was great catching up over dinner at the Pacha Complex, a massive compound of restaurants and clubs that he co-owns in Marrakech. Over great wine and food (I had the rabbit) we talked about everything, from Middle East politics to the Florida gubernatorial elections. After dinner, we popped into a few of his other restaurants and the Pacha nightclub. His Churrascaria Marius Brazilian restaurant was incredible: people clapping, dancing on tables. It was quite a show. Dining there next time I’m in Marrakech. I returned to my hotel just in time to get an extra hour of sleep because clocks were being turned back an hour. (See next post).

MARRAKECH HOTEL AND TIME MANAGEMENT

I had problems sleeping most nights. My first morning, I got up in the night and wondered the time, having forgotten to set by watch. I dialed the front desk. “7 minutes to 5,” came the voice on the other end. “7 to 5?” I asked, a bit puzzled. The TV was showing a different time, although I didn’t quite trust it. “Are you sure?” I pressed. He responded with 6:55, which matched what I was seeing on the TV. Of course, that’s far different from 4:53 – although I could have used the extra couple hours of sleep.

 CONNECTING SIR ISAAC NEWTON, FAREED ZAKARIA AND BLOOMBERG’S DAN DOCTOROFF

Sir Isaac Newton. Lived across the street from my hotel in London.

Sometimes you see something that makes your jaw drop. That happened Monday morning as I sat for breakfast at the Radisson Blu Edwardian at Leicester Square in London. As I bit into one of the most delicious omelets I’ve ever had, I looked across the street at what a new library building. A historic marker was etched into the side: “SIR ISAAC NEWTON LIVED IN A HOUSE ON THIS SITE. 1710-1727” Wow! I thought. That night, I was to interview Fareed Zakaria and Bloomberg CEO Daniel Doctoroff at the Toronto Global Forum as part of the Executive Club dinner. I had just read on the flight to London (where I spend the night en route Toronto from Marrakech) that Fareed was listed among the 100 great thinkers of our time. I thought I should refer to this somehow in the introducing both men – I’m a big fan of both – to help begin and

Historic marker to Sir Isaac Newton on library in Leicester Square, London.

frame the discussion that was to follow. I told the story of spotting the sign and referred to Fareed and Dan as great thinkers of our time. Dan demurred. But after our discussion, I don’t think anyone in the room disagreed with my characterization. They were outstanding. We traveled the world, touching on issues from Brazil to Obama to the Middle East to the European economic crisis to the attack in Ottawa to 911 to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Wish we had more time: wanted to get to Russia and quantitative easing. Next time.

PUSHING FOR PRESS FREEDOM IN THE CARIBBEAN

I was recently in Trinidad to  participate in a series of workshops on media self-regulation and election coverage. It was a great experience and I believe progress was made in efforts to advance press freedom in the Caribbean and in deepening election reporting. One of the local newspapers, the Trinidad Guardian, sat down with me for a report on my visit.  Journalist Reshma Ragoonath did a good job of capturing our conversation and my various presentations over the two-day session. Here’s some of her report:

IPI vice-chair to T&T journalists: Push for more press freedom

By Reshma Ragoonath

Published: Sunday, October 12, 2014

Miami Herald world editor and vice-chair of the International Press Institute John Yearwood. PHOTO: MARCUS GONZALES

International Press Institute (IPI) vice-chair and award-winning Trinidad-born journalist John Yearwood says while this country’s press freedom remains “very much alive,” local journalists must continue to push for more freedom to practice their profession. Yearwood, also chairman of the IPI North America committee and world editor at the Miami Herald, in an interview with the Sunday Guardian on Thursday, said Government’s repeal of criminal defamation was a positive step, but journalists must take charge of their enshrined right to freedom of the press.
“That (repeal) gives you a sense that although the Government does not always listen, it does on some things in helping to advance the cause of press freedom.  “But as with everything else, journalists need to continue to push and push for more freedom, and I think that is really, really important. “It is good to see that the Government is involved in helping that, but journalists need not to stop, they need to keep pushing for it,” Yearwood contended.

Yearwood, who is orignally from Point Fortin, but is now based in Miami, was in T&T last week for the Association of Caribbean Mediaworkers (ACM) and T&T Publishers and Broadcasters (TTPBA) media workshop on covering elections, at Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s. He said more was needed to be done to protect journalists who are threatened and subjected to abuse and intimidation. This, he said, is really unfortunate. “The intimidation of some journalists, that needs to stop.” He hastened to add, that for the most part, the conditions journalists operate under in T&T “is much, much better than in many places around the world.” He said the workshop, which featured sessions on understanding the elections process, reporting on election surveys, democracy and journalistic excellence in the Caribbean and media self-regulation, was a good initiative by the ACM and TTPBA.

For the rest of Reshma’s report, go here.

IPI ‘EXTREMELY CONCERNED’ ABOUT ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS IN FERGUSON, MISSOURI

CNN report after journalists were arrested in Ferguson, Mo.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS INSTITUTE

NORTH AMERICAN COMMITTEE

For Immediate Release

MIAMI, Aug. 18, 2014 — While Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has replaced local “militarized” police officers with the State Police and National Guard, the North American Committee of the International Press Institute calls on law enforcement entities in Ferguson, Missouri to, in the future, abide by the U.S. Constitution and not impede the work of journalists covering the aftermath of the tragic death of Michael Brown. Journalists have reported being harassed, tear-gassed, shot with rubber bullets and even jailed while on assignment in Ferguson.

“We are extremely concerned that police in Ferguson trampled on the First Amendment in their zeal to bring the situation there under control,” said John Yearwood, chairman of IPI’s North American Committee. “We call on all law enforcement agencies operating there to respect the rights of journalists to report on conditions in Ferguson and to do so without intimidating the media.

“To see journalists in America treated with disdain and disrespect and threatened with bodily harm – much like the journalists we work so hard to protect around the world — is horrific and unacceptable.”

The North American Committee is one of 20 International Press Institute national committees. IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists. It is dedicated to the furtherance and safeguarding of press freedom, the protection of freedom of opinion and expression, the promotion of the free flow of news and information, and the improvement of the practices of journalism.

For more information, contact John Yearwood,jyearwood@miamiherald.com, or 305-376-3467.

SOUTH AFRICA: CAPTIVATED NATION

Oscar Pistorius at his best.

JOHANNESBURG — I’ve just landed in South Africa and it hasn’t taken long to learn what’s captivating this nation.

Moments after hopping into a taxi at Oliver Tambo International Airport for the ride to the smaller Lanseria International Airport (to catch a flight to Cape Town), the driver switched on the radio, saying “it’s time to hear the latest on the Oscar Pistorius  trial.” Sure enough, the coverage was dominating the airwaves as he switched among channels.

During the 45-minute ride, he often shook his head in disbelief as he listened to the athlete being grilled on the stand. At the airport, I picked up three newspapers, all with the Pistorius trial dominating their front pages.

Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp.

I don’t know whether Pistorius intentionally murdered his girlfriend, the model Reeva Skeenkamp. But what’s clear is that lots of people here are hooked on every word.

I did hear a new theory — at least to me — on the radio. One caller said Oscar didn’t know Reeva was in the bathroom because after their fight, she was sleeping in another room. Not sure if that’s fact or fiction. But interesting stuff.

If you want to keep up with the trial, The Star newspaper had the following links: www.iol.co.za; www.iol.co.za/Oscar-live-blog; www.iol.co.za/Oscar-live-video.

FOOD & DIPLOMACY

Food & Wine Festival

With the South Beach Food & Wine Festival taking place over the weekend, Miami was a great place to be if you love food. It was also a good place to be if you love diplomacy.  I enjoy the former but much prefer the latter. And it’s even better when you can combine the two. My weekend involved lunching with the former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda on Saturday, driving to Palm Beach on Sunday to interview former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and lunching with Miami’s entire diplomatic corps.

Jorge happened to be in town over the weekend and my friend Beatrice Rangel, the highly regarded international business executive, used the opportunity to bring together a few friends for a lunch on her Miami Beach terrace. The group was a mixture of people from around the Americas — Venezuela to Argentina to Mexico to Trinidad.

LONG WAY FROM RABAT

I last saw Jorge in Rabat last October at the German Marshall Fund’s Atlantic Dialogues. It was a great to catch up with him. We had great conversation about pressing issues in

Jorge Castaneda

the region and at one point we were passing around cell phones to show pictures of the demonstrations taking place in Venezuela at the time.

A big thanks to Beatrice, one of the first people to take me under her wing when I arrived in Miami a decade ago. It’s good to see her back in town. (Two weeks ago, she was my guest for the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations annual dinner.)

PALM BEACH VISIT

On Sunday, I drove to the Four Seasons in Palm Beach to interview Barak for an upcoming Miami Herald Issues & Ideas newsmaker Q&A. I reminded him that I was in Israel seven years ago when he was first appointed defense minister – after his time as Prime Minister.

With Ehud Barak

We had intended to talk for about 25 minutes but our conversation stretched on for 40. We touched on an array of topics, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran, Egypt, Syria, Haiti and Latin America. He was in town to speak at the American Friends of Magen David Adom, which supports MDA, Israel’s national emergency medical response and blood services organization. MDA was among the first outsiders on the ground in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010.

CONSULAR CORPS LUNCH

On Monday, I attended the annual American Jewish  Committee’s Consular Corps luncheon. The speaker was Rabbi David Rosen, the AJC’s international director of interreligious affairs and former Chief Rabbi of Ireland. I

Miami Consular Corps

spent 10 minutes with him before the luncheon to talk about his recent meetings with Pope Francis and the pope’s planned trip to Israel in May. Rabbi Rosen has met the pope five times since he was inaugurated last March. Look for that conversation in the Miami Herald soon.

Komla Dumor: Great spirit, big heart

BBC presenter Komla Dumor

I’ve worked with young people around the world for a decade now, helping to empower them to seize the future. Many have created innovative projects on everything from reducing poverty to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

I though the youths could benefit from listening to someone I have only recently come to know. His name: Komla Dumor. We met in October at the German Marshall Fund’s Atlantic Dialogues summit in Rabat. Komla gave a short speech to open the summit; I moderated the opening plenary and spoke at the group’s Emerging Leaders Forum. Komla and I hit it off instantly. A Ghanaian journalist who eventually settled in London, he became the face of the BBC in Africa. His latest job: presenter of Focus on Africa and European mornings on BBC World News TV.

We strategized on how the BBC and the Miami Herald could partner on coverage in specific areas. We were excited about executing an idea out of Ghana that will have impact with the Herald’s large Caribbean readership. I looked forward to visiting with him on my next trip to London. In the months since, we exchanged emails and followed each other’s activities on Twitter.

As I prepared to attend this month’s youth summit in Dakar, I thought Komla would be a terrific addition to the program. I emailed an invitation. Silence. I was surprised because I know how much he enjoys working with young people. I resent the invitation.

“I’m sorry for not responding quickly,” he wrote back, almost instantly. “I’m just a bit overwhelmed by a number of issues I’m dealing with.”

And he apologized for not being able to join me in Dakar. Last weekend, as I flew out of Dakar after the summit,  came the most tragic of news: Komla Dumor was dead. Heart attack as he slept.

At just 41 years of age, Komla had made a success of his life but he had so much more living to do. And so many more lives to influence. I am saddened beyond words. I offer my deepest condolences to his wife and three children. He left us way too soon.

A TRIBUTE TO MY DEAR FRIEND MURIEL WITH THE HELP OF BEYONCE

REST WELL, DEAR MURIEL

Muriel Glasgow. Born in Guyana she went on to a great life of service to her community and the world through her work with the United Nations. She’s a true humanitarian who will be missed.

It’s an understatement to say the news of your passing shocked me to the core. You always seemed so full of life. And that’s regardless of where I’ve seen you — whether riding on a New York transit bus or on a presidential jet. Your passion was infectious; I know far more about early childhood education than I ever thought possible. Above all, you maximized each day, living as if tomorrow’s not promised. What a fearless heart!

When we launched the M&M Project, you embraced it with fury, although none of us was quite sure where it would lead. The time you spent with us was all too short. But who am I to question its length? I’m thankful for the precious hours, days, months and years. And like everyone you touched, I can proudly say that you were here.

Rest well, dear Muriel.

THANKSGIVING SPECIAL: FINDING A SEAT AT THE TABLE

Hoping that everyone is able to find a seat a the table this Thanksgiving. This was the second World Desk show I did for the Miami Herald on a Thanksgiving Reader published by the American Jewish Committee. The goal is for everyone to celebrate our differences at Thanksgiving. My guest was Brian Siegal, the AJC’s director for Miami-Dade and Broward.

MISSION TO FREE JOURNALIST IN VENEZUELAN GOV’T CUSTODY

Miami Herald Andean Bureau Chief Jim Wyss chats with Heather Guimond of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas shortly after his release from 48 hours in Venezuelan gov’t custody.

MISSION TO CARACAS

I’m looking forward to a relatively quiet weekend — a big change from two weeks ago. That’s when the Venezuelan government detained one of my staffers, Miami Herald Andean Bureau Chief Jim Wyss. Jim has written a great piece about how the detention happened, details of his treatment and what was occurring around him during the 48 hours he was in custody. Last week, Herald Executive Editor Aminda “Mindy” Marques Gonzalez wrote about the “full-court press” to secure Jim’s release as quickly as possible. As part of that effort, I was dispatched to Caracas to locate Jim and help speed up his release. What follows is Mindy’s account, which was published Nov. 17 in the Herald. I should note that the column is accurate but it doesn’t tell the full story. You might notice a few holes as you read it but we cannot — at this time — disclose the full scope of our efforts because it could put lives at risk.

A full-court press to release a Herald reporter

BY AMINDA MARQUES GONZALEZ

AMARQUES@MIAMIHERALD.COM

It was just before 7 a.m. when John Yearwood got the call.

Twelve hours earlier, he had heard from Jim Wyss as he prepared to wrap up his reporting trip to San Cristóbal in Venezuela, a border town with Colombia known for contraband, drug trafficking and intense politics.

Jim’s girlfriend, Ana Soler, was on the phone. Jim, she told Yearwood, was being held by the Bolivarian National Guard, an arm of the Venezuelan government, and he couldn’t leave.

“You never want to get that call,” said Yearwood, the Miami Herald World Editor. He has probably gotten two or three such calls during his past 10 years directing our coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean. Each instance was resolved quickly and quietly.

This time, at first, seemed to be simply a case of miscommunication.

“I thought they picked him up thinking he was a spy. I wanted to establish quickly [with Venezuelan authorities] that he was a journalist,” Yearwood said. “As we discovered, it was far more complicated.”

Wyss has traveled extensively in Venezuela as the Miami Herald’s Andean Bureau Chief for the past three years. Although there is an element of risk with almost any foreign assignment, Wyss has encountered relatively few during his travels, mostly a testament to his deep roots in the region after decades-long work as a journalist in Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama and Mexico.

“Nine times out of 10, there are never any problems,” Wyss said. “I’ve never been through anything like this.”

Suddenly, we were confronting a rare and delicate situation: the detention of a veteran reporter in a foreign country without the protections of U.S. laws and processes. Complicating matters were the fragile and frayed relations between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments. Just last month, each country expelled three of each other’s diplomats.

Read the rest of the story here and let me know what you think.

VIENNA TO PRAGUE: ONE TRAIN, TWO CONDUCTORS & NO CROWNS

I’ve recently returned from an extended visit to Europe. On many of these trips, I like to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like as I move around. This one deals with my planned travel from Vienna to Prague by train. While at the International Press Institute’s offices in Vienna, I asked Christiane Klint, membership manager, to book the trip to leave the following Sunday. She did and emailed me with instructions to pick it up at the station. When I arrived, the ticket office was closed and the machine didn’t recognize the reservation number. With the train scheduled to arrive in a few minutes, I pondered  what to do. A guy buying a ticket suggested I get on the train and sort it out with the conductor. Seemed like a good idea.

TICKET PLEASE

I got on the train and took a first-class seat. As the train pulled away, the conductor entered my compartment. “Ticket please,” he said. I handed him my iphone showing email confirmation that the ticket had been purchased. He read it and without saying a word, turned around and left. Wasn’t quite sure what to make of that but I relaxed. So much so that I fell asleep. A knock on the door jolted me awake. It was a different conductor. “Ticket, please,” he said. I explained that I already told the other conductor that I didn’t have a printed ticket. “You are in the Czech Republic now and we don’t accept electronic ticket. Only paper ticket.”

This was not going to be easy. “Can I buy a ticket from you?” I asked, thinking that I can get a refund in Prague. He said yes and quoted me a price of 28 Euros. Another problem: The change kiosk near my hotel was closed as I left at 6 a.m. and I didn’t get Euros. “You accept American dollars or credit cards?” I asked. No, he said, “only Euros or crowns (Czech currency).” We steered at each other for maybe 30 seconds. Felt like an hour.

NO CROWNS IN THIS CAR

He pulled his iphone from a pocket and began tapping on the screen. I thought he was texting someone because he didn’t put it to his ear. “That would be $45,” he said. I prayed I had exact change; he had none. I handed him two 20s and five ones. His ticket machine hummed. He closed the cabin door as he left.

At the first stop inside the Czech Republic, I peered out the window and was stunned. The conductor, with a bag slung across his shoulder, appeared to be hurriedly walking from from the train. Was this a shakedown — or had I been dreaming?