Archive for the ‘In the News’ Category
Appreciating Cairo
The Middle East is an underappreciated travel destination. The region gets a bad reputation because of Islamic radicals and the Israeli-Palestinian issue, among other things, and those realities do have to be considered when planning a trip. But it’s also true that the people of the Middle East tend to be incredibly hospitable, the ancient [...]
Doing business in Mexico
U.S. News and World Report this week takes a look at small firms that do business in Mexico. The article provides several ideas for business assistance, as well as these cultural tips: No doubt, face time is a must for potential exporters. “You really need to get a feel for what the environment is like,” Duncan says. [...]
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 [...]
Being a travel writer
Travel writer Rolf Potts has for several years now been running monthly interviews with fellow writers on his website. This month’s segment is with Amanda Jones. A sample: What is the biggest reward of life as a travel writer? I am one of the richest people I know in experience (with the exception of my [...]
A new life in Morocco
“It’s my duty to give my children an interesting childhood.” So says Tahir Shah, a British writer who moved his wife and two children to Morocco, renovated a 10-bedroom mansion, began a new life, and then wrote a book (The Caliph’s House) about the whole experience. The New York Times profiled Shah and his new [...]
Immigration and national identity
It goes without saying that immigrants are central to the U.S. identity. But that doesn’t mean that Americans have always agreed about the issue of immigration. Far from it. Descendants of the early U.S. settlers struggled to assimilate the southern and eastern Europeans that came after them, such as the Italians and the Poles. Today, those immigrant groups are equally [...]
Travel in the Balkans
Nice trio of travel articles in the Sunday Washington Post about the Balkan countries of Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro: But as striking as the panoramas are in this part of the world, there’s something deeper than aesthetics going on. Here, in the overlooked southeastern corner of Europe that once stood for brutal warfare but is [...]
Educational benefits of travel
Today’s NY Times has an excellent column by Nicholas Kristof about the educational benefits of travel. A few brief excerpts: Universities are – oh so slowly – recognizing that they need to prepare students to survive globalization. But most overseas studies programs are both too short and too tame. So here’s my proposal. Universities should grant [...]
Spring, baseball and culture
Well, here goes. How does one start a new blog? What is an appropriate first entry? The first day of spring seems like a good time to launch a new venture, and the advent of baseball season is a sure sign of spring, so why not begin with a post about baseball and culture? Jayson Stark [...]
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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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