Hookah: Facts vs. Myths
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RAPID CITY, SD -
Hookahs have been around for centuries, but they've never been more popular than now in KELOLAND. Rapid City has two lounges that allow customers to use the water pipes for smoking tobacco.
But what exactly is a hookah, and how do the health risks compare to cigarettes and cigars?
It's not something many people associate with South Dakota, but hookahs have become a common item in Rapid City.
"I'd go to different house parties, for example, and see hookahs more and more. So it's just becoming more appealing," Sahara Nights co-owner Spencer Seljeskog said.
That's why the 21-year-old college student decided to open up Sahara Nights in Rapid City.
Source: KELOLAND TV
Arabic Day Festival educates students
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Last week, the Arabic Language and Culture Club (ALCC) and Professor Wasan Manati hosted an Arabic Day Festival for which the UAB Green was transformed into a Souk, or open-aired market.
In the midst of Dabke dancing, hummus, fashion shows and hookah smoke sessions, cultural exploration was in full force. Over 150 UAB students attended and were eager to explore Middle Eastern ways of life.
Because the media primarily exploits Western culture, the ALCC took the opportunity to educate students about Arabian etiquette, fashion and more.
Not only did I learn that Dabke is an Arab folk dance or that Arabian fashion, especially the traditional Arabian dress called a thawb, has greatly influenced Western fashion, I also discovered hookah etiquette.
Source: UAB Kaleidoscope
Hubble-bubble spells trouble
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There, they chat and puff on the fruit-flavoured tobacco, taking turns on a hookah, the tall water pipe with a long hose and shared mouthpiece which originated in the Middle East and is typically passed from person to person at the same table.
Hossain, who's in his late 20s, has been smoking shisha once a month for about five years now. He says that the trend has really caught on among young people in Chicago, where he lives.
He doesn't think shisha will do him any harm whatsoever, reasoning that the tobacco has a mild flavour and that the smoke passes through water before it is inhaled. For him, it's just a normal social activity, all the more enjoyable because it can be indulged in with a group of friends.
Source: Bangkok Post