Archive for the ‘how we live’ Category
The future, what’s that?
Very interesting story in this morning’s news about a Stone Age-like tribe of hunter-gatherers that left the jungle behind and wandered into a Colombian city. The article is interesting for its descriptions of the indigenous Nukak tribe’s collision with the modern world, but my favorite quote was the one that pointed out a very different conception [...]
A Russian looks at the British
A recently released novel by a Russian writer provides insights into British culture. Andrei Ostalski has been living in Britain for 14 years but confesses that he still struggles to understand the cultural differences. So he wrote a story (“The English Rules”) that contains some of his reflections. In an interview with the English-language Moscow [...]
Saudi society on screen
It’s not every day that a big budget film is produced in a country where movie theaters are still considered illegal (because it promotes the mixing of the sexes). But that is exactly what is happening in Saudi Arabia, with a new movie by Saudi producers examining the conflict within a family when a young girl [...]
Face and Chinese relationships
Interesting story on relationships in China and how the concept of “face” turns up even in the selection of marriage partners. Chinese women like their male partner to emphasize the value of their “face.” This value is determined by society and many of its cultural practices relate to this concept. For a woman her “face” [...]
From Italian architecture to American reinvention
Interesting piece by Roger Cohen in the Sunday NY Times that discusses some of the cultural differences between the U.S. and Europe. Cohen begins by talking about an Italian architect who was recently wounded while working in Afghanistan: … his presence in the western city of Herat was somehow comforting, even if what had happened to [...]
U.S. scientists drawn to Singapore
Singapore is making a concerted effort to attract foreign scientists, and is beginning to have some success with U.S. stem cell researchers. The Southeast Asian city-state is trying to grow its biotechnology sector in an effort to become the “Boston of the East.” Singapore’s siren song is growing increasingly more irresistible for scientists, especially stem [...]
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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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