Archive for the ‘how we live’ Category
The dumbing down of America?
Nicholas Kristof had a thought-provoking column in the Sunday NY Times about the dumbing down of America and what this says not only about U.S. culture, but also about the potential future of our competitiveness in the global arena. An excerpt… Americans are as likely to believe in flying saucers as in evolution. Depending on how the questions [...]
Earth-eating black hole in Switzerland?
I had to link to this article, which I found fascinating if for no other reason than that it shows how physicists seem to exist on a different plane of existence than I do. I love reading about modern physics, but I truly can’t comprehend how any of this works. What about you? First of all, no, you’re not about to get [...]
New democracy born in Himalayas
This past week saw a unique event in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, as residents trekked to the polls for the first time in the country’s history at the behest of the king, who voluntarily decided to give up royal power in order to move his country towards a democratic future. The Washington Post has [...]
Technology opens up Cuba – slowly
From China to Cuba, governments have done their best to control technology and the internet in an effort to keep their societies from becoming too open. They’ve had some successes, but it’s nearly impossible to stop people from connecting to the outside world, as shown by this International Herald Tribune article about Cuba. Cuban officials have long [...]
Two views of Obama and the Islamic world
Consider the following two quotes. Does one strike you as more likely to be true than the other one? First, these thoughts from U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa): “When you think about the optics of a Barack Obama potentially getting elected President of the United States — I mean, what does this look like to the [...]
A new life for the Oxford of ancient India?
Interesting story in Newsweek about efforts to rebuild an ancient Buddhist university in India. Centuries before Oxford University even opened its doors, a school in northeast India attracted thousands of the brightest minds from China, Persia and Turkey. Deeply influenced by Buddhist teachings, it was known as Nalanda—the “giver of knowledge”—and its vast campus included [...]
Why does Finland excel at education?
That’s what the Wall Street Journal asked in a recent article, which noted that Finland placed first overall among 57 countries who recently tested their 15-year-olds in reading, math and science. This despite the fact that there is little standardized testing in Finland and very little in the way of assigned homework. High-school students here rarely get more [...]
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: [...]
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 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, [...]
Tribal cultures and urbanization
There is an article in the Christian Science Monitor about the Himba tribe of Namibia and how they are being affected by nearby urbanization. Within the story, there are interesting insights into the tribal culture of the the Himba. Reading something like this, it’s easy to see how indigenous cultures can feel disoriented when confronted by a rapidly encroaching outside world. It’s a half-hour drive [...]
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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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