Archive for June, 2006

Boosting tourism from Beirut to Bahrain

Have an interest in traveling to the Middle East?  The region has dramatic landscapes and friendly residents.  So long as you avoid a few unsavory locales, it’s quite an interesting part of the world for travelers.  Now, countries in that region are boosting their efforts to attract tourists. The International Herald Tribune reports on endeavors by Arab gulf [...]

June 8, 2006 Middle East/N.Africa 0 Comments

Creative Brazil, Orderly U.K., Optimistic U.S.

Lots of World Cup coverage in the news this week.  Last week, one of my posts discussed the influence of culture on a country’s style of soccer play, particularly as it related to Brazil.  This past Sunday, the New York Times published a sports magazine with a few Cup articles.  If you read through the stories, you’ll [...]

June 7, 2006 sports cultures 0 Comments

McArabia flatbreads and fried rice patties

Ever had a craving for a Kalubi beef burger on fried rice patties glazed with soy sauce?  Or chicken on flatbread with onions and garlic mayonnaise? These menu choices are a part of McDonalds’ efforts to cater to local tastes in its international fast food empire.  The Kalubi burger was a hit in Taiwan and [...]

June 6, 2006 culinary cultures 0 Comments

The country of Transdniestria?

What is a country?  That’s a more difficult question than it first appears, as we saw in the wake of Montenegro’s recent vote in favor of becoming an independent state.  Now, the Christian Science Monitor has an interesting article about “The Coming of the Micro-States.” Experts fear that many “frozen conflicts” around the world … could reignite as ethnic [...]

June 5, 2006 countries & regions 1 Comment

Adapting medical care to culture

Medical facilities in the U.S. are becoming more aware of the need to adapt their practices to different cultures, as evidenced by this article about New York area hospitals. (This) reflects a broader national shift in health care as urban hospitals move beyond the translation services that started becoming common in the late 1990′s and [...]

June 4, 2006 health 1 Comment

European migration and Irish pubs

Now that the European Union allows workers to move around the continent for jobs, some interesting migration patterns have developed.  According to this NY Times article, Germany, Britain and Spain are three of the top landing spots for immigrants from other nations.  These are not just laborers in search of a construction contract, but also thousands [...]

June 2, 2006 business 0 Comments

World Cup culture

It’s June – the month soccer/football fans around the world have been anxiously awaiting, for it means the start of World Cup ’06 (June 9).  With teams from 32 nations about to descend on Germany, it’s also a chance to look at how culture interacts with sports. In March, I wrote about this topic in connection [...]

June 1, 2006 sports cultures 1 Comment
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