Archive for January, 2007
Mexican tortilla crisis
In another example of the interconnectedness of the globe, an increased demand for corn-based ethanol fuel is now being pegged as a culprit behind a tortilla crisis in Mexico.
Mexico is in the grip of the worst tortilla crisis in its modern history. Dramatically rising international corn prices, spurred by demand for the grain-based fuel ethanol, [...]
Savoring a Kenyan sunset
In a nice essay for the Christian Science Monitor, Daniela Petrova talks about her quest to see the Big Five game animals while on safari in Kenya. In the end, though, she passes up a chance to see a leopard in order to savor a sunset when she realizes that the pictures she sees with [...]
The challenges posed by clans and tribalism
I’ve previously written about clans and tribalism as it relates to Iraq and the Middle East. But this cultural topic is of course also an issue in other regions of the world, as shown by this recent article about Somalia.
… whether Somalia pulls itself together now or explodes into bloodshed again depends not on American troops, [...]
Buddhist economics
With all the focus on economic growth and development in the world, it’s interesting to read about a country that may actually be trying to pull back the reins on growth in favor of a more balanced approach. That, at least, is the story out of Thailand these days, according to this recent article in [...]
Travels in Afghanistan
Not many people see Afghanistan as a tourist destination these days, although a few decades ago it was a popular stop on the backpacker trail that went overland from North Africa across the Middle East to India. Despite Afghanistan’s fall from the tourist map, however, there are still travelers heading to the country.
As Joshua Hammer [...]
Women make gains in Spain
Women in every country have strived for decades to achieve some measure of equality in the corporate boardroom and in politics. Gains have been easier to come by in some countries and more difficult in others. Not surprisingly, progress has tended to be slower in societies that are more conservative or that have cultural tendencies toward the [...]
Public affection on the rise in India
The sight of couples kissing or showing affection in public is common in the United States and is almost a cultural requirement in Italy and France. That’s not the case everywhere, though, and particularly in a conservative culture such as India’s. But it appears that Indian society may be changing. There’s a fun little article [...]
Little Mosque on the Prairie
There is an interesting experiment happening on Canadian television at the moment. A sitcom about Muslims – called “Little Mosque on the Prairie” – that uses humor to explore relations between the Islamic community and other Canadians. According to this article:
The show follows a small group of Muslims in, of all places, a prairie town [...]
Cafe culture
I was intrigued by a recent article I came across that described the cafe culture of New York City. Not the culture that surrounds the crowded Starbucks on every corner, but the life of the European-style cafes where creative professionals gather and network most mornings over coffee or breakfast.
Such are the benefits of belonging to a [...]
Translation humor
Translating from one language to another is not always an easy task. Anyone who has traveled much has certainly gotten a chuckle now and then from seeing either a bad translation or a too literal translation of a local phrase into English. The Beijing government has apparently noticed these mistakes, as well, and it is now determined to [...]
Asian students and campus culture
There was an interesting article in the NY Times last weekend on how the University of California, Berkeley, now has a student population that is more than 40 percent Asian, and some of the ways in which that affects the campus culture.
On this golden campus, where a creek runs through a redwood grove, there are [...]
Buenos Aires becomes hip
It somtimes appears as if there’s a never-ending quest to find and label the new, hip international city. Paris in the 1920’s set the gold standard for this vision, which always includes cheap housing for expatriates, abundant cafes, a thriving arts scene and, of course, the newest incarnations of Hemingway and Fitzgerald chipping away at a literary masterpiece.
In [...]
Stay current with the Riel World
Subscribe by Email
Follow me on TwitterMeet Bob Riel
Bob Riel is a writer and a traveler. Go here to read more about Bob, his work and the Travels in the Riel World blog.
Two Laps Around the World
My travel memoir - Two Laps Around the World: Tales and Insights from a Life Sabbatical - is about two round-the-world journeys with my wife.
Great American Road Trips
Visit Travel Blog Exchange
