Archive for February, 2008
Entrepreneurialism in Russia, but also corruption
There was just a three-part series about Russia in the Christian Science Monitor. It focused on the young people who are part of what has been dubbed the “Putin Generation” – those who have come of age in a Russia that is more stable and prosperous, but still tightly-controlled politically and beset by corruption in business. [...]
Riel World photo – Shaba Reserve, Kenya
Shaba National Reserve, Kenya In redesigning my blog, I decided to add a bit more original content. Part of that effort begins here, with Riel World travel photos, in which I will regularly publish photographs that I’ve taken during my travels. Many of these pictures can also be seen on my Flickr page. This photo was [...]
Walking to Argentina with a donkey
From Oregon to Argentina, to be exact. At least that’s the goal of Jonathan Dunham, who has already trekked down the West coast of the United States, through Mexico and Central America, and is now in Venezuela. The donkey (named Judas) has been with him since Mexico, when it was given to him by a [...]
The politics of “Late Boomers”
For most of my adult life, I’ve struggled to determine which generation I belong to. Not because I don’t know when I was born, but because I’ve never felt connected to the Baby Boom generation that, according to demographers, I technically belong to. However, since I was born at the end of that demographic explosion, I shared none of the [...]
New realities for India’s younger generations
The economic advances that have been made during the past decade or so in India are beginning to change the country in ways that reach beyond bank accounts and consumer goods. India’s younger generations, for example, have developed high expectations for their careers and are even beginning to question centuries-old social values. Business Week reports on the changes: [...]
Learning to Tango
Do you love to watch the tango? If, like writer Joe Ray, you’re obsessed by the sultry movements of the dancers and want to learn to tango yourself, you might want to do what he did and head to Buenos Aires for some lessons. He wrote about his experiences for the Boston Globe: It’s every male wallflower’s [...]
Americans in Iran
Two recent articles in different sections of the NY Times recently spotlighted the experiences of Americans traveling in Iran. First, there was a travel article in which James Vlahos explored the country and was particularly charmed by the city of Esfahan: I knew only the news-report version of Iran: renegade developer of nuclear technology, member of [...]
The Dharma of Dow Jones
Here’s an interesting confluence of religion and business – the Dow Jones Dharma for faith-based investing. Business Week has the story. Back in India, a new generation of gurus is promoting the latest thing to hit the Indian stock market: values investing. Not to be confused with Warren Buffett-style value investing, values-based investing draws on [...]
Valentine’s Day…in Saudi Arabia
Today is Valentine’s Day. Red roses, cards and romantic messages exchanged between loved ones. Well, unless you’re in Saudi Arabia, according to this report. Saudi Arabia has asked florists and gift shops to remove all red items until after Valentine’s Day, calling the celebration of such a holiday a sin, local media reported Monday. “As Muslims [...]
The travails of a female Indian tennis star
Most people are likely not familiar with the name Sania Mirza. Nor should they be, really, since she’s an Asian female tennis player who has of late been ranked about 30th in the world singles rankings. In short, she’s an excellent tennis player, but she’s not exactly Maria Sharapova or Serena Williams. In India, however, it’s a [...]
The call of the Alaskan wild
Ever fantasized about getting far away from it all? It’s hard to get much further away than a 10-day rafting trip above the Arctic Circle through the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, so that’s where Paula Stone recently headed with her husband. She wrote about their experiences for the Washington Post. But my biggest source [...]
The tragedy of Kenya
Although the outcome is still far from certain, there are now scattered whispers of hope that the two sides in Kenya’s ongoing electoral dispute may soon be able to reach some sort of power-sharing agreement. But regardless of any future political reconciliation, it’s hard not to feel that something irretrievable has been lost in Kenya, [...]
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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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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.
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