One can’t watch the events unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa these days without a sense of awe at the bravery and yearning for freedom displayed by ordinary people living under repressive regimes and leaders there. Many of us have traveled to these countries and worked with their people, enjoying the warm hospitality and generosity so much a part of their traditional cultures. In school we learned of the great civilizations that grew out of these lands, the birth of major religions, the explosion of the arts and intellect. Most of us knew far more about the ancient history of the area than the restrictions on freedom we take for granted that the modern-day citizens there live under. Now, the technology that has shrunk our world and made our lives both easier and more hectic has proven to be both catalyst and conduit for rapid and widespread changes in that part of the world. It’s human nature to be focused on the events in our own small orbits and less aware of other’s daily lives and struggles. Side by side with reports of leaders giving up their power and peaceful demonstrations leading to new freedoms and governments come announcements of the effects of these political earthquakes in our own lives. We hear of soaring oil prices leading to fuel surcharges being imposed by airlines, cruiselines and shippers. We have only to hop in the car and drive to the corner gas station to see that prices at the pump are already rising there. Short term, business or travel plans may have been disrupted, and we wonder how long before it’s safe to reschedule those trips and make new connections. It’s easy for me to zero in on these effects of the shifts in power now occurring so far away yet having such an immediate impact here. When I look at the price those people have paid and are continuing to pay for what I have so often taken for granted, my little inconveniences are really nothing. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor