Archive for the ‘Life in the World’ Category
Which American states are the happiest?
If you want to be happy, apparently, it helps to be wealthy, to live in a family-oriented community, or to be surrounded by natural beauty. Those are at least some of the conclusions that can be drawn from the recently released study of well-being scores that ranked Americans by state and congressional district. Utah and [...]
Tales from the ‘Taxi Gourmet’
Here’s what you do: Move to Buenos Aires. Hop in a taxi. Ask the driver to take you to his favorite place to eat. Write about your adventures in a blog. Repeat weekly. Become semi-famous when the Washington Post publishes a feature story about you. I have to hand it to Layne Mosler. It’s a great [...]
More great cafe cities
If you recall, I recently wrote about some of my favorite cafe cities around the world. Well, now World Hum has come out with the very same story. Hmmm, maybe I should have submitted my idea there first? In any case, they have an intriguing list that includes some overlap with my choices (Rome, Vienna and Buenos [...]
Varieties of hot chocolate in Latin America
This is the time of year that people’s thoughts turn to steaming mugs of hot chocolate during chilly evenings at home. So I was pleased to stumble across this story about the history of hot chocolate in Latin America. This region is arguably the home of hot chocolate, which was once sipped in a more bitter [...]
The geography of the American mind
Where would you like to live? If you could be guaranteed a reasonable facsimile of your current job, family situation and network of friends anywhere in the country, where would you choose? The Pew Research Center did an extensive study on where Americans would like to live, and the top three cities were Denver, San Diego and [...]
Changing world clashes with Indian traditions
As globalization creeps into every corner of the globe, the traditional values of some cultures are bound to clash with the changing values and morals of a younger generation that has been exposed to a wider world. And so in India, when young women go out to a club after work, it offends the sensibilities of a [...]
Seven favorite cafe cities
There is something to be said for the cafe culture that has developed over decades or centuries in some other countries, so here is a compilation of my favorite international cafe cities.
United States of Africa?
It may be a bit far-fetched, but it’s a real goal for at least some African leaders, most notably the new chairman of the African Union, one Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya. The obstacles to such a union are daunting, but an article in the International Herald Tribune lays out the pan-African dream that Qaddafi and others would [...]
Slumdog Millionaire or slum voyeurism?
I had the pleasure of seeing Slumdog Millionaire this past weekend. I enjoyed the movie and can see why it’s a favorite of awards voters this year. But in addition to the accolades, the movie is also receiving its fair share of criticism for what critics have dubbed “slum voyeurism.” I don’t get the criticism, frankly. [...]
The changing face of America
America is changing. Always. It’s part of the deal in this country of immigrants. And yet, for all of the ways in which immigration has in the past forged new concepts of nationhood, nothing really compares to the present. The United States has become a stunningly multicultural place and is becoming more so with each passing year. [...]
The canals freeze, the Dutch rejoice
Anyone who is familiar with the Netherlands knows that the Dutch have a unique and special relationship with the water. And in the winter, what they really want to do is to skate on the frozen water of the canals that crisscross their country. Sadly, though, an activity that was once an annual obsession now happens [...]
Why reading matters
Today, Barack Obama is being inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. Yesterday, though, there was a fascinating article in the NY Times about Obama’s reading habits. Written by the paper’s book critic, Michiko Kakutani, the piece explores how Obama has been shaped by the books he has read and, by extension, how books [...]
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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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