Archive for November, 2007
Outsourcing personal tasks, as well as jobs
The idea of outsourcing is no longer new, and most people take for granted the fact that many manufacturing and service jobs are now being done from abroad. But the outsourcing industry has added a new wrinkle in recent years – that of outsourcing personal tasks. Yes, one can now find a math tutor, a researcher [...]
Los Angeles and Italy, city and village
What’s the difference between urban life in Los Angeles and village life in Italy? I found this interesting nugget in a recent story about an LA woman who now lives part-time in her family’s ancestral village in Italy. The paragraph is an apt description of the differences between two different ways of life. She still lives in [...]
A new world for business expats
The world of the business expatriate is not what it was a decade or two ago. The destinations are different, the cultural challenges have changed, and new business skills are needed for success abroad. That’s the opinion, at least, of this interesting article in Time magazine, which focuses especially on executives who work in China and [...]
Hiking the Cinque Terre
Sure, Italy has Rome, Florence and Venice. It has Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast. But Italy also has the Cinque Terre, a slighty lesser known region on the country’s western edge, where five colorful villages hug a rocky coastline and are linked by a stunning trail system. Barbara Bodengraven recently hiked the Cinque Terre with her [...]
Nonconformist whistleblowers in Japan
In the Japanese culture, loyalty and conformity have long been valued traits. This is especially true in the relationship between workers and employers, where nonconformity has long been frowned upon. In recent years, though, Japan has seen the emergence of a new phenomenon – the whistleblower. According to a story in the Christian Science Monitor: It’s not [...]
Thanksgiving in Mexico
Happy U.S. Thanksgiving! Familes across the U.S. are sitting down today for a traditional holiday meal. Boris Fishman, though, recently had a different sort of Thanksgiving meal – in Xalapa, Mexico – which he wrote about for the NY Times. You’re going to be part of an experiment tonight,” Justo Fernández Garibay said. “We couldn’t [...]
Afghan women take up boxing
A few months ago, I linked to a unique story about females in Thailand who had taken up kickboxing. Now, it seems, according to this Associated Press article, young women in Afghanistan are trying to shatter more gender barriers by taking up the traditional sport of boxing. The boxers belong to a new generation of Afghan youth, [...]
A new generation for China
There was a fascinating article recently in Time Magazine, called China’s Me Generation. It was about twentysomethings in China and how their lives have been transformed by a growing economy and China’s rise as a global economic powerhouse. Interestingly, while many of these young adults have more career choices and disposable income than ever before, [...]
Doing business in China with guanxi
The term guanxi refers to the time-honored way of doing business in China by cultivating relationships. Anyone who works in China or with a Chinese company eventually has to learn about guanxi. This week, Business Week magazine has an article about the practice of building relationships with the Chinese and discusses not only the traditional meaning of guanxi [...]
Still living at home in Italy
It’s fairly common in Latin cultures for young people to remain living at home until they get married. But with young adults now marrying later, and with the cost of first homes rising, some Italians believe this tradition has gotten out of hand, to the point where it could affect the country’s economy and future demographics. You can read [...]
Praying vs. baring in public
Interesting essay in the recent issue of Time Magazine. Carla Power examines a key difference between Western and Muslim societies, notably that Westerners are uncomfortable with public prayer while Muslims are uncomfortable seeing bare skin in public. She writes: Reams have been written on the differences between Islamic and Western societies, but for sheer pithiness, it’s hard [...]
Old San Juan
Should Puerto Rico be considered to have a North American culture, because of its relationship to the United States? Caribbean, because of its location? Latin American, because of its Spanish colonial heritage? All of the above? Regardless of the answer, it’s an intriguing island. Paul Schneider recently wrote about his experiences there for the NY Times. [...]
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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.
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