Archive for the ‘In the News’ Category
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, [...]
Japanese cellphone novels
A few weeks ago, I saw an article in the NY Times about the exploding popularity of “cellphone novels” in Japan. Until recently, cellphone novels — composed on phone keypads by young women wielding dexterous thumbs and read by fans on their tiny screens — had been dismissed in Japan as a subgenre unworthy of [...]
Abu Dhabi gains cachet
Not a lot of people have heard of Abu Dhabi and the city likely doesn’t top any lists of favorite tourist destinations. How many people even know, for instance, that it’s the political capital of the United Arab Emirates? And yet, according to this Chicago Tribune story, Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world and is in the [...]
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 [...]
The world watches Super Tuesday
Today is Super Tuesday in the U.S. presidential race and 22 states across the country will cast ballots in the Democratic and Republican nomination battles. Although I’ve written about this already (and here), it bears repeating that this election is a big deal not only in the U.S., but also around the world. This recent [...]
Carnival celebrations in many nations
This year, February is Carnival month in Rio de Janeiro and Mardi Gras month in New Orleans. These are the most famous pre-Lenten celebrations in the world but they are far from the only ones. As this article points out, many countries and cities celebrate Carnival with a diverse array of local traditions. The hedonistic bacchanalia of [...]
Future of the Middle East
If you’re interested in the intersection of culture and geography with politics, and if you have any interest in the Middle East, then I highly recommend a story from the recent issue of The Atlantic. Titled “After Iraq,” the story written by Jeffrey Goldberg looks at how history, geography, culture and politics have combined to give us the current [...]
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia
Well, it’s a small sign of progress, at least. It’s possible that women in Saudi Arabia will soon gain the right to drive. Buoyed by recent advances in women’s rights, advocates for the right of women to drive in Saudi Arabia — the only country in the world that prohibits female drivers — say they [...]
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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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