Issue link: http://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25178
letters to the ed itor:: cloud called "global ignorance" that hangs over the USA. Your stories make people want to not just explore distant places, but learn about the culture, history and environment of those places. That's something not just benefiting Americans but the whole world. DinoGardi Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand THE MOROCCO ISSUE (OCTOBER 2000) The Thule car rack systems advertisement blue published, depicting a young child seat-belted in a car while a snowboard is strapped into the childseat (page 39), is in very bad taste. I understand that you are not responsible for Thule. However, this is an offensive ad and blue ought to know better. Most parents would be quite upset by this ad. This ad isn't edgy, cool, or progressive, it's sick. What a totally wonderful article on snowboarding Iran ("Mullahs and Mountains," page BO). I am half-Iranian and the picture that your writers painted of Iranian peo- ple and culture was absolutely right on. It is a beautiful country with intelligent, articulate, hospitable people and it was good to see a story that conveyed that. Through the lens of the sport of snowboarding you also gave an accurate description of the problematic pol itical reality there, while giving the country credit for all that has been accomplished in the past 20 years. Congratulations, bravo! Mitra Martin NYC,NY blue magazine is trying to pitch adventure travel/lifestyle to a nation most of whom don't know there is a world out there beyond the 50 states. Only nine percent of Americans have a passport (fact taken from 1999 US census). While I lived and traveled in 2B of the 50 US states, I was continually amazed at American ignorance of global knowledge, culture and geography. While traveling in many so-called "third world" countries, Americans were the ones who openly complained at the lack of (American-style) amenities. But in these countries, where education is poorly fund- ed, electricity is scarce and TV is a luxury, nine out of ten people knew all about the li ttle country I am from (New Zealand) and impressed me with thei r knowledge. In America, with supposedly some of the best education and communi- cation in the world, only two out of ten people could tell me: -what language people speak in China or Brazil -where the Black Sea is -the capital of India Americans have asked me how long it takes to drive from Auckland to Sydney. (Yes, truly.) I stil l scratch my head at why and how America became so igno- rant and forgot what a big, beautiful and fascinating place the rest of the world is. blue is trying to change the above (and succeeding). No magazine in America seems open to the whole world like blue is. Amazing stories of faraway places, including photos, maps and facts. Well done blue, for challenging this dark PLEASE SEND LETTERS, COMMENTS AND IDEAS FOR PUBLICATION IN blue BY POST: 61 1 BROADWAY. SUITE 405. NEW YORK. NY. 10012. USA ATTENTION: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR/AMY SCHRIER BY EMAIL: LETTERS@BLUEADVENTURE.COM LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR SPACE ANO CLARITY