Brave New Traveler » Culture

Neill Blomkamp (District 9) On Alien Life And The Coming Singularity

Ian MacKenzie — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:04:31 +0000

The director of District 9 shares his take on aliens and the future of intelligent life.

Last November, I was lucky enough to attend TedX Vancouver, a satellite conference based on the popular TED talks.

One of the speakers was Neill Blomkamp, director of the sci-fi film District 9. As his time slot arrived, everyone eagerly anticipated seeing the director on stage… until we realized he wasn’t coming.

Scheduling conflicts prevented him from being in Vancouver. Instead, Neill offered this video exploring what he thinks “real” aliens would look like, should humans ever encounter them.

He also discusses the various Types of civilizations (humans are currently Type 0), and the coming Singularity.

What do you think of Neill Blomkamp’s take on the future of intelligent life? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Old Glory: Why American Travelers Need To Reclaim Their Flag

Natalie Grant — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:38:22 +0000

For too long, the American flag has been undefended by travelers unwilling to bear the brunt of foreign scorn. Natalie Grant believes it’s time Americans show the world they are better.

Photo: seagull productions

At the time of the last Presidential election, I was living and working at a backpacker’s hostel in Scotland.

One of the only other Americans there at the time helped me celebrate what she and I christened ‘Obama Day’ by baking a massive cake and frosting states red or blue accordingly as the ballots came in.

When the cake was just over half-frosted, the room, which was riddled with mostly Spanish, Canadian and Australian onlookers, gazed in awkward amusement as we burst into tears, held hands and shrieked the Star Spangled Banner at the top of our lungs.

Since then, I have never been able to think of that day – that moment, erupting with unadulterated national pride – without feeling guilty about how rare those moments are for me.

After all, I travel with a Scottish luggage tag on my backpack.

According to TIME magazine, the number of American flags sold by Wal-Mart on September 11th 2000 was around 6400. September 11th 2001? 116,000. And it doubled the next day.

Patriotism comes in unpredictable waves, and too often, the icon of the American flag carries negative connotations – like excessive consumerism, for example. Recently some new stigmas have popped up: one might misconstrue flag-flying as condoning the war in Iraq, a judgmental religious fanaticism, or worse, a feeling of superiority over other nations.

This last one is what really kills it for me. As a traveler, it’s in my nature to feel quite the opposite.

Diminished At The Edges

Every so often, though, “Old Glory” (as the flag was nicknamed by William Driver, an early nineteenth century American sea captain) can be a poignant reminder of the principles on which our country was founded.

“A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.” – Benjamin Franklin

Post 9/11 flag-flying is a classic example of how our country’s emblem can suddenly dump all those unfortunate legacies of our cultural and international wrongdoings and be re-conquered by the compelling and inspirational ethos of our founding fathers – if only temporarily.

Sam Adams wasn’t just a future mediocre-tasting lager. He was a visionary who called for citizens to take individual responsibility for themselves, to carry out their civic duties. And Thomas Jefferson did more than seduce his slaves. He insisted that “the cement of this union is in the heart-blood of every American.”

That’s us, even when we’re haggling in Peru or paddling up the Yangtze.

In fact, Benjamin Franklin had a tasty little metaphor: “A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.” Our country’s reputation is easier to nibble at abroad, where there are fewer people to stick up for it.

That is, expat Yanks worldwide are America’s fondant and sprinkles. The jaded trail-bums, the naïve Kumbaya-ers, and especially everyone in between… we are all the edges of Obama’s cake. Unfortunately, we are the edges of the Iraq-Halliburton-Enron cake, too.

This is a call to put more responsibility on our shoulders than we bargained for when we flew, starry-eyed, across our first ocean.

Missing Out

I’m guilty of hiding behind the Scottish flag. And it seems many Americans play it safe with the Canadian flag too.

In Egypt, I was told to pretend to be Australian as we entered a Mosque. Even a friend once recommended a city to me and added, “But you’ll have to say you’re from Canada if you want people to be nice to you.”

To be honest, it’s not entirely our fault that so few of us are willing to expose Old Glory while traveling. Travelers and expats bear the heaviest burden – much heavier than that of everyone at home.

We are the faces and voices of our nation’s past mistakes. We are the messenger, the tangible entity at which resentments can be aimed, the minimum-wage single mom who happens to be on the other line of a 1-800 complaint number. We are the ones who repeatedly and involuntarily must defend, apologize, and explain.

This, the constant risk of verbal judgment or attack, is why many become too shy, tired, over it, or embarrassed to bring a tangible form of Old Glory along for the ride.

At our hostel, everyone had their national pride on display somewhere. Aussie boxers, a South African flag hung above a bed, a Kiwi beach towel. At one point the few Americans congregated and realized we didn’t have much in the way of insignia.

We admitted we don’t usually bring Old Glory with us. And, looking around, we realized what we might be missing out on.

Reclaiming the Flag

The way I see it, travelers are citizens of the world – we shouldn’t bear the burdens of our government everywhere we go, especially if we travel to escape or to forget a stigma we did not choose for ourselves.

At the same time, if we are open-minded, considerate, adventurous, and passionate, isn’t it more important to carry the flag with us? After all, how else are we to change people’s opinions about our country; if we let the intolerant and the corrupt carry the flag alone?

Sam, Tom, and Benji would be ashamed of those of us who play pretend when we don’t have to. Representing the U.S. in a positive light should be a welcomed civic duty.

Every traveler has the right to decide whether they want to blend in or say it loud and proud. Both choices come with a sacrifice. Bringing Old Glory with you when you travel can highly influence how you’re treated.

Yet whether you choose to put it on your keychain, your hat, or nowhere at all, you can’t change where you come from. You can only change whether or not you have a positive attitude about it – quietly or otherwise.

If we’re brave enough pack our national identity with us, we can start to change people’s discriminatory attitudes by setting a positive example.

Rescuing our most meaningful and remarkable icon… Benji Franklin would be proud.

Photo Essay: Holi, The Wacky Hindu Festival of Colors

Ross Lee Tabak — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:39:38 +0000

Depending on who you talk to, Holi is either a spectacular celebration of subcontinental heritage or a day to get baked out of your head and grope any woman that comes within reach. It’s actually both.

Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated at the end of winter throughout India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Though the most well-known festivities are held by Hindus, Holi is sometimes observed in Sikh and Buddhist communities as well. Holi is generally celebrated on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, but it lasts up to two weeks in some areas of India (such as Bihar).

The night before Holi (Holika Dahan), giant bonfires are lit to commemorate Prahlada and symbolize the letting go of last year’s troubles. The next day people roam the streets dumping colored powder and water on each other, often chugging diluted vodka from water bottles and eating balls of hash.

Women generally stay far away from the colorful packs of disinhibited, sexually repressed young men, except in Barsana where tradition dictates that they beat them with sticks.

Darjeeling isn’t a popular destination for Holi, but it happens here just the same. Colored water is frowned upon because of the late-winter Himalayan chill, but enormous amounts of powder make up for it. (Just don’t eat it – the red stuff probably has mercury in it).

1. Men prepare the Holika bonfire with scrap wood, straw and offerings.

2. The fire.

3.A branch is stuck in the top of the pile before being lit. When the fire catches, young men scale the flaming mound, yank the branch out and run around shaking each other off it it. The last one holding on will be married this year.

4. A young man takes a video of the fire.

5. A man jumps off the bonfire while others throw on more fuel.

6. A trash fire burns the night before Holi.

7. Kids are usually the most enthusiastic about getting colored.

8. A man sells boxes of colored powder in Darjeeling’s Chowk Bazar.

9. Pink is the cheapest and sticks the best, but the variety of colors available isn’t lacking.

10. One of Darjeeling’s depressed ponies sees a rare moment of joy.

11. No one is safe.

12.A man and his crew.

13. After the excitement has died down, Darjeeling looks like a clown massacre.

Community Connection

Want to see more wild festivals? Check out the focus page to Burning Man and Carnival Travel.

And don’t forget to check out Life’s Recipes to Celebrate Holi.

Have you ever experienced Holi? Share your comments below!

The Truth About Happiness and Travel

Christine Garvin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:38:05 +0000

The act of travel doesn’t make us as happy as the plan of travel. Here’s why.

Photo: Digiart2001 | jason.kuffer

Breaking out of the regular routine, sipping cocktails on a beach, hiking mountains in far-off lands – most of us tend to equate vacation getaways with happiness.

But according to a recent study in the Applied Research in Quality of Life, it’s the vacation planning that makes us happiest, and not the actual vacation itself.

The happiness boost not only occurs when clicking away on different travel sites or thumbing through Lonely Planets, and plotting your adventure. These researchers from the Netherlands (aren’t people generally happier there anyway?) found that the act of mapping out that time off increased happiness for up to eight weeks – two whole months – ahead of the trip. That’s certainly a lot longer than most vacations I know about.

Guess it makes sense in a way. In reality, vacation or travel tends to be more stressful than we anticipate, what with the little annoyances like lost luggage and improperly booked hotel rooms. Or the bigger ones like dropping your camera off a mountain cliff in Tasmania (check) and forking over $1000 for a last-minute flight to London from Zambia when you thought you were going to Niger for about $100 (check check).

Then as soon as the vacation is over, most of us have to get back to work, which immediately negates any possible happiness we did derive on that Carnival cruise…I mean, eco-friendly work-trip in Honduras.

Relaxing Or Barf-Worthy?

After reading this article in the New York Times, pointed out to us by Milos Trylon, I thought back to some of the trips I’ve taken in my life that were supposed to be “relaxing” – i.e. sitting on a beach, sipping daiquiris, checking out oiled-up men.

Ok, I’ve never really been on a trip like that, but I did participate in the requisite Spring Breaks in the Bahamas and Cancun in college, attended a wedding in Hawaii, even – sigh – jumped on one of those cruises.

That’s not relaxation, that’s food/alcohol-coma-nightmare.

I must admit, I’ve never had the kind of fun on these trips that it seemed I was supposed to have. For these types of vacations, which are ones I think the general public tends to fantasize about, it becomes a competition to drink and eat the most for your money. “Oh, alcohol’s included? Just go ahead and bring me four pina coladas now!” “All day buffet on deck 4? Sweet, it’s been over 45 minutes since we last ate, let’s go grab a nibble!” Ugh, that’s not relaxation, that’s food/alcohol-coma-nightmare.

Even if the vacation is less inclined toward booze and more inclined toward say, nature, hiking, and sightseeing, we often pack as much as possible into 7-days roundtrip. This leaves us so exhausted that first Monday back at work, we end up complaining about needing a vacation after our vacation.

The Power of Suggestion

Photo: Scott Ableman

Beyond whether or not vacations end up actually being as fun as we think they will be, it’s interesting to think about the mindset of travel and time-off.

We crave time away so much when feeling over-stressed at work, and researching different packages and options gives our bottomed-out adrenaline a little jolt.

Yet, since it turns out the actual vacation isn’t giving us the happiness we think it will, maybe giving our brains some time off could have the same affect?

Reality is what we see, think, and believe. Our thoughts are what bring us happiness, and the anticipation of something good gets those endorphins going. Can we use this knowledge in order to build in more daily escapes to look forward to, even if that’s just walking through a different neighborhood in our town, or taking ten minutes for the ultimate mind-trip meditation?

This is not to say that I think travel, taking time off, and even island-hopping college vacations aren’t valid. The point of travel is not only to achieve a high return on happiness – it’s also to learn about ourselves, other cultures, and even to be challenged to grow via those pesky annoyances.

This is not to say that I think travel, taking time off, and even island-hopping college vacations aren’t valid.

And I think there is a distinction between the mindset of those who travel for longer periods of time vs. those who are taking a short vacation, due to the fact that long-term travelers usually know they’re in for some rough patches. That’s almost a part of the purpose.

Still, when we can’t get away, whether that comes from a lack of funds, time, or dealing with life issues, it’s good to be reminded that mindset is the name of the game. We have the power to get away in the here and now.

Which just prompted me to head out the door to a personally-uncharted little town nearby to get the rest of my work done today.

Do you derive more happiness from vacation-planning or the trip itself? Share your thoughts below.

In Defense Of The Introverted Traveler

Christine Garvin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:14:58 +0000

Photo: Francesco Rachello

Why does the enjoyment of travel mean a person should enjoy meeting new people?

I would classify myself as landing almost directly in the middle between introvert and extrovert. At least, that’s what most of those fun personality tests have told me.

Sometimes I get energy from being around people, while other times I need to refresh with some serious alone time. So I can easily appreciate view points that fall on either side of the equation.

But being an introverted traveler is not something we often discuss. It almost seems like the antithesis of going out to explore the world to say “I’m not much interested in meeting the people that are a part of it.” Which is why I so appreciated a recent article by Sophia Dembling over at World Hum entitled, Confessions of an Introverted Traveler.

I love how Dembling sheepishly admits “I’m always happy enough when interesting people stumble into my path,” she says. “And when the chemistry is right, I enjoy it.” Hear, hear. But going out of your way to meet people? Striking up a conversation with a random person? Not really her thing, and I can relate (unless I’ve had a particularly large amount of caffeine that day).

What’s so wrong with being an introvert, anyway? Well, as Dembling notes:

I have long been shamed out of owning my introversion by the extroverts who dominate American culture. Extroversion has long been considered healthier than introversion, and introverts often try to push against our natural tendencies in order to fit in, to seem “normal” so people will stop scolding us.

Yeah, what’s up with that? Can’t us innies get just as much from hiking the hills of a new city, reading about the history of a Cathedral or slum, or watching locals pass by as we sit on a bench Unter der Linden as those who like to chat up every person that walks by?

Extroversion Benefits

Photo: Ed Yourdon

I was at a concert last night where I noticed a completely obvious “benefit” of being an extrovert. There was a guy who chatted people up left and right, who had obtained a backstage access badge due to his personality “tendencies.”

That’s not the part that got me, though. When we stepped outside for him to smoke a cigarette, he confessed he wanted to smoke “something else”… except security was hovering. Suddenly, another guy came up and lit a joint.

Bam! Undercover security rolls up and grabs both of them to kick them out. The guy with the backstage pass just says, “Hey, man, I’m with the band,” and the security guy lets him go. The other guy, who didn’t say anything – well, you know what happened to him.

In other words, in travel, as in life, it pays to know how to be that “healthier” talkative person. No doubt those extroverts get bigger discounts at hostels, are better equipped to haggle at a market, and may get in with the locals – and more authentic local culture – than introverts.

But maybe, if we let those extroverts get the extras they thrive on (like getting out of sticky situations), and allow those introverts to enjoy their time watching others without making them feel less for “not getting out there,” it could work out for all of us.

As for me, guess it depends on the day. I’ll take a few extras now and again.

Do you think introverted travelers should make more of an effort to connect with people during their travels? Share your thoughts below.

Avatar, And The Fable of the White Messiah

Gabriela Garcia — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:23:11 +0000

Avatar

As with many “feel-good” movies, Avatar portrays the white man as savior to the oppressed people-of-color.

After hearing so much buzz about James Cameron’s sci-fi drama Avatar, I finally had the opportunity to watch it.

Amazed by the trippy graphics and the dream-like world that blossomed before my eyes, I applauded its anti-war, pro-environment message. Even though I left the theater disappointed that the flowers around me weren’t glowing and that my car was so blasé compared to a magical flying bird creature, I had the strange feeling that something wasn’t right.

I was disturbed by the portrayal of the N’avi people as having a blend of Native American/Caribbean/African characteristics. It was also confusing how the film’s hero seamlessly took over this population, married its most desired princess, tamed the creature no one else could, and was instantly transformed from an outsider into a great leader.

NY Times columnist David Brooks’s critique of the movie as a “racial fantasy” was the first of many that sparked debate all over the internet:

[Avatar] rests on the stereotype that white people are rationalist and technocratic while colonial victims are spiritual and athletic. It rests on the assumption that nonwhites need the White Messiah to lead their crusades. It rests on the assumption that illiteracy is the path to grace. It also creates a sort of two-edged cultural imperialism. Natives can either have their history shaped by cruel imperialists or benevolent ones, but either way, they are going to be supporting actors in our journey to self-admiration.

The “White is Right” Syndrome

It’s not a new story – white person penetrates the culture of noble savages (or inner city black kids), realizes that culture is so much simpler yet more awesome than their own, then ends up saving the population and gains redemption for themselves by way of benevolent paternalism.

This is a narrative that has been played out countless times in films like “Dances with Wolves,” “Pocahontas,” “Fern Gully,” “Dangerous Minds,” and “The Last Samurai.” It’s a plot line that draws easy distinctions between good and bad, framing the white savior as the only character able to cross such lines.

Some critics think Avatar reflects an attitude of white guilt, while others see it as downright racist. Annalee Lewitz of io9.com noted:

Whites need to stop remaking the white guilt story, which is a sneaky way of turning every story about people of color into a story about being white. Speaking as a white person, I don’t need to hear more about my own racial experience. I’d like to watch some movies about people of color (ahem, aliens), from the perspective of that group, without injecting a random white (erm, human) character to explain everything to me.
Others are skeptical and think that the critiques are in themselves a reflection of a constant intellectual game of one-upping on racial sensitivity. A commenter to the io9.com post wrote:

Speaking as a Left-Leaning White Guy™, I can’t help but feel there’s a culture of “white guilt oneupsmanship” in academic criticism these days. It’s like a game to see who can be more guilty. “You think YOU’VE pointed the finger at racism? Ha!…

The problem with Avatar is that it ignores the actual complexity of humanity – that there is oppression within oppressed groups or that heinous acts are often carried out under the banner of good intention. It popularizes the idea that whites can choose a culture to “help” as they see fit, and that they can even dominate it as its hero.

Unfortunately, these collective images radiate far beyond our 3D glasses.

Admiration in Ghana

Photo: US Army Africa

I’ll never forget the day I walked through a village in rural Ghana and was bombarded with children dying to grab my hands and walk with me. It started with a few kids and then built up to 30 or 40; what felt like the whole youth of the village.

Suddenly I was Angelina Jolie or Oprah, surrounded by so many admiring faces, except that I’d done nothing to deserve such attention other than possess skin color something closer to white. Black members of my travel group (also tourists) received no such attention.

It could be argued that this attitude stemmed simply from the novelty of seeing a person with white skin within a largely isolated community, but it was obvious after many interactions that there was an expectation that white equaled answers, sources of aid, and direction in a time of need.

For someone interested in solidarity work, and the promotion of self-determination, such realities are disheartening. Of course, there are many other historical, economical, and sociological factors behind such ideologies, but my concern is that media images like those in “Avatar” contribute to a one-sided lens in a complicated world.

What do you think: is Avatar harmless? Or do these white savior myths have global implications? Share your thoughts below.

Photo Essay: Inviting The Gods With The Japanese Mochi Ceremony

Allison Grossman — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:43:29 +0000

Allison Grossman photographs the spiritual and cultural mochitsuki ceremony, where mochi, a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice, is pounded into paste and molded into shape.

As Carolyn Carreno explains:

According to Shinto belief, making mochi invites the kami, or gods and spirits, to visit. The mochi themselves are thought to contain the presence of the kami; they also represent perfection and purity and are believed to imbue the eater with these qualities.

Allison Grossman visits the Chino family, on their 50-acre plot just north of San Diegoto, to experience firsthand the mochi ceremony.

1. The fan used to cool off the mochi.

2. Smoothing out the new crop rice before it is steamed and made into mochi, this labor of love, spirit, and and soul starts soon after sunrise.

3. Pouring the steamed rice to be pounded, the ceremony has begun. It truly takes a village.

4. Perfecting the pounding of the glutinous rice.

5. Once the rice is sufficiently pounded, it’s taken to the table before being torn into smaller rice balls.

6. Mochi sitting pretty. Shintos believe that mochi invites and contains the kami–Japanese for gods.

7.Although mochi is the main star of the show, sushi and sashimi are eaten plentifully during the ceremony.

8. These tsukemono–Japanese pickles–are made from Chinos’ fresh vegetables.

9. Up and close.

10. Onigiri–sticky rice enveloped in seaweed.

11. The final phase of the ceremony begins by adding yomogi (mugwort) to the rice. The hunched back exemplifies the hard work put into executing this ceremony well.

12. Filled and filed mochi.

13. After a hard day’s work, a much-needed drink is sought and carefully inspected.

14. The glorious farm prepares for rest once guests have left. Next year is just around the corner.

Community Connection

Check out more of Allison Grossman’s other photos essays: Images on Istanbul and Window on India.

Have you visited a mochi ceremony? Share your thoughts in the comments!

How To Defy The Definition Of Dangerous

Natalie Grant — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:47:47 +0000

Photo: maureen sill

Is it possible to re-imagine our understanding of dangerous destinations? Natalie Grant explores how to make the shift, though our understanding of risk and reward.

Preparing for my trip to South Africa was a blur of warnings, an avalanche of don’ts and watch-outs.

Once there, however, my dear friend Jess (born and raised in South Africa) explained the real meaning of the oft used phrase “This is Africa” (TIA) over two cool glasses of Savannah Dry. Essentially, that things here rarely work out like you expect them.

As we rambled about the differences in legality in our respective continents, she shook her head with regret and added: “The world’s gone soft.”

As many of us are undoubtedly aware, savvy traveling is a fickle see-saw; on one side, confidence can become arrogance, and on the other, caution can become paranoia. The former will get you into trouble, and the latter will deny you the best experiences.

The trick is to decide for ourselves how adventurous we’re willing to be, and, consequently, how much of the world we’re willing to experience.

Yet the mishmash of advice and horror stories with which the media inundates us makes it almost impossible to decide objectively. These occasionally useful hand-me-down prejudices are why people so confidently, and so foolishly, insist on branding country X as ’safe’ and country Y as ‘unsafe.’

Definition Of Dangerous

The area where Jess grew up is filled with more tragedy in one week than could fit in my local paper back home. It makes me ask: what defines a dangerous country? And how can we avoid letting fear paralyze us?

Worried parents say, “Go with a buddy.” Doctors say, “Get vaccinated.” But your backpack says, “What are we waiting for?”

I can’t help but wonder if I myself have grown soft along with the world, and if it’s possible to de-soften – to scrub away the sterilization

This is why someone who has camped out in Burma might still fear walking alone at night in Brooklyn, or why someone can improvise à la 007 when his car breaks down in Egypt but can’t change a tire in Montana. This is why so many of us crave those hard-knock travel lessons like junkies: because that kind of traveling very easily shreds the definition of ‘dangerous’ into tiny pieces of arbitrary, amusing confetti.

As I silently observe the strength of people here in Africa, something irrationally pops in my head – a law midterm I wrote in college about the elderly woman who sued McDonald’s because she was burned by their coffee. Jess is right. The world – part of it anyway – has grown much, much too soft.

I see the electric fences around everyone’s farms, the orphaned Zulu children looking for work, the wrecks on the highways… but I also see how vibrant and breathtaking the country is, and how everything – the volume, the emotion – is seemingly turned up.

I can’t help but wonder if I myself have grown soft along with the world, and if it’s possible to de-soften – to scrub away the sterilization until the resolve, the spirit, and the dirt under my fingernails to reflect those of the people who embody the hardness I so admire.

The World In Common

Sometimes there does seem to be an overabundance of crime and suffering in the world. The fact is, people act desperately when faced with desperate situations. And it’s difficult to comprehend the mentality of extremism without seeing extreme conditions with our own eyes.

Photo: maureen sill

Perhaps this is why we tend to label countries ‘unsafe’ – out of misunderstanding.

A developed-world upbringing can obscure one’s perception of suffering. For example, war that is so horrific and arbitrary from the front lines can seem, from our safe classrooms, simply necessary in the course of history – both as a mother of invention and as a primal standard for survival.

And yet the same human problems – like hunger or heartbreak – exist regardless of what side of the picket fence you call home. The difference is that we can usually find a way to distract ourselves from those problems, while the overwhelming majority of people in the world have their eyes peeled back Clockwork-Orange style.

Whether it’s poverty or consumerism that we battle, whether it’s governmental corruption or political apathy that undermines us… when the shiitake hits the fanfaronade, the world does have more in common than one might think.

Getting Ready To Live

A country is only ‘dangerous’ if you choose to define it as such. Without labels, all places on this earth have their upsides and downsides, have certain elements of risk that can be foreseen and unforeseen.

This is not to say one should charge merrily into Somalia and start teaching soldiers to line dance. Savvy traveling is all about the tentative and skilled balance between confidence and caution.

If we travelers can embrace our adventurous attitudes boldly and responsibly, we can help to alleviate those media-charged fears just by understanding them. This is not mere danger tourism, but a realization that life is continually chaotic.

There’s an old Chinese proverb: People in the West are always getting ready to live.

How many of us would, if we could, trade our Purell and SPF 70 for some wicked scars and stories? Think of your best travel stories; I bet they involve a mishap, a scare, or some averted danger that is your new party trick.

Every one of those surreal travel moments is another millimeter your comfort zone gets stretched. And though some of our loved ones will still worry when we travel to a ‘dangerous’ destination, we travelers know that the only real danger is pretending we are ever in control.

Perhaps this mentality could be captured in a new phrase: T.I.L. – This Is Life.

What do you think about the definition of dangerous travel? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Caste Vs. Class: How Status Plays Into India’s Social Media, and Ours

Christine Garvin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:33:18 +0000

Groups on Orkut, India’s Facebook equivalent, are often divided by castes.

Photo: Jazz Defo

I’ll often join a group on Facebook, without much thought, when a friend requests me to do so. I wanna share the love, and don’t necessarily take the time to delve deeper into the meanings of of groups like, “Hot Chocolate” “F-ck Gluten, I’ll Punch Gluten In the Face” and “Those Who Enjoy + Partake In the Distribution and Acquisition of High Fives” (yes, all groups I am a part of).

But it is certainly interesting to check out some of the groups on Orkut, India’s Facebook equivalent, as did a recent Global Post article. That’s because it is a place where “young, urban” Indians can meet people in their caste, as part of groups such as Brahmins of India, The Great Marathas and i love intercaste marriage.

Oh, right, the caste system. Something we sometimes forget (or maybe assume has changed in the youthful, urbanized centers of the country?) about India, what will all of the yoga this and spiritual that, and even with the well-publicized slums that we consider somewhat comparable to our homeless in the West.

Seems the caste system, according to social media expert Gaurav Mishra, has failed to shift much at all:

Surprisingly with urbanization, with education, with more people traveling and getting exposed to other cultures, these divisions have not really gone away. Caste even now — even in urban, educated India — is still an extremely big issue.

Caste Vs. Class

It really should come as no surprise that the caste system ended up playing a role in social media. From the more simple voting in polls about the shyness factor of Brahmin (one of the highest castes) girls to the more complex socio-political ramifications of discrimination, programs similar to affirmative actions, and empowerment or disempowerment within tribes, social sites are simply a microcosm of culture the same way they are in the West.

Hearing about this setup made me ponder our own social networking ways. Then I remembered an article I read about the caste…ahem, class divisions popping up between MySpace and Facebook users, beginning in 2007. As Facebook initially was an “invite only” platform for college students developed by a couple of Harvard minds, it quickly became the “cool clique” to get into.

The divisions between Facebook and MySpace became clear: one was for college students, the other was for those who didn’t quite make the cut.

Even though it opened to high school kids in 2005, their beginnings, and the negative media coverage that MySpace was beginning to get about being “sketchy”, made the divisions between Facebook and MySpace clear: one was for college students, the other was for musicians and those who didn’t quite make the cut. And to some extent, although Facebook has grown by leaps and bounds since then, the socio-economic breakdowns have remained the same.

So, I can’t help but wonder – are our social networking habits really that different from India’s? They may not be quite as well-defined, but there certainly seems to be a similar flavor.

What do you think of India’s caste system showing up in their social media, and the class system showing up in ours? Share your thoughts below.

Do New TSA Screening Techniques Amount to Sexual Harassment of Muslim Women?

Christine Garvin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:44:59 +0000

A Town Talk reader argues that Muslim women face much worse sexual harassment in their own countries than by the hands of the TSA.

Photo: Beth Rankin

Without going into what I think about the increased TSA enhanced screening techniques implemented after the attempted December 25th attack, I found this editorial comment to the Town Talk fascinating.

The writer, Jerry Doyle, is referring to guest commentary written by Mary Manjikian, former U.S. Foreign Service officer and visiting lecturer at Regent University, to the newspaper. In it, she notes that new airport screening techniques such as body scans and pat-downs, with targeted use to visitors from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Yemen and other countries of interest:

…subjects Middle Eastern women to sexual harassment and to a hostile environment upon their arrival in America.

Given, we’ve got some real winners over in the TSA, including the guy who was recently fired for a prank on a 22-year-old college student, after producing a bag of white powder from her computer case and demanding to know where she got it from.

Plus, the effectiveness of the TSA certainly has left something to be desired over the past nine years. As writer Becky Akers noted in a 2006 piece on Alternet, Rep. Christopher Cox, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in May 2005, explained why the TSA spent $4.5 billion on manufacturing equipment:

He also inadvertently admitted that the agency is merely window-dressing for the Feds: “After 9/11, we had to show how committed we were by spending hugely greater amounts of money than ever before, as rapidly as possible.”

But do these new techniques, supposedly put in place to make us safer, really feel that threatening to Muslim women?

Personal Freedoms Vs. Security

Photo: Bohman

Alright, getting back to Doyle and his response to Manjikian. He argues that Manjikian is “suspiciously quiet” about the “gross human rights violations against women and religious minorities in these countries.”

He continues that the Koran “in many ways dehumanizes and subjugates Middle Eastern women,” notes that in Pakistan, an average of two women a day die from “honor killings,” while in Tunisia and Algeria, Muslim women cannot marry legally outside the faith while men can, and that in many Muslim countries, marital rape is not recognized at all.

Here is his final point:

Ms. Manjikian’s sulfurous anger over [enhanced screening techniques]…strikes no emotional chord with me…the United States is in the midst of a war on terrorism and as our society moves forward in countering the terrorists’ aggressive acts to kill Americans, it will be a struggle for all Americans, but especially for Middle Eastern Americans (including Ms. Manjikian), to reconcile contemporary life with the ancestral truths of Islam.

Wow. On the one hand, this brings up the same debate that occurred after 9/11 about whether or not we (often meaning those of Middle-Eastern descent, of course) must give up our personal freedoms for the good of freedom overall, or if that approach simply defeats the purpose.

But I think this is the first time I’ve seen the argument made within the context of women, in this case of Middle Eastern descent, needing to give up what they consider their rights around their body, based on the fact that we consider what they have to go through at home as being worse.

I’m not trying to say that Doyle does not make good points about what a lot (though not all, let’s remind ourselves) Middle Eastern women face. But would we stand for white American women being “processed” in a fashion that we considered sexual harassment in another country, even though that country did not have the same beliefs? Better yet, would we stand for white men facing such trials?

I’m extremely curious to hear your thoughts on the subject. Please share them below.

Community Connection

Be sure to check out Tom Gates’ harrowing experience with security at Heathrow Airport in Locked Down At London Heathrow.

New PBS Travel Show Goes Behind World Music

Christine Garvin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:42:32 +0000

For the travel show fan, this new series takes an inspired-twist on cultural education.

Photo: PBS

It’s hard not to see how the world is growing closer. With the outpouring (though not necessarily the execution) of love and support for Haiti, it seems as if the pain and suffering we see others experiencing is truly hitting us in the heart.

But the connection doesn’t necessarily need to be all about pain – it can also be about joy, movement, music. And maybe a little bit of drama, politics, and revolution just for fun. Which is exactly why I’m looking forward to a new travel series on PBS based on stories behind world music (and countries) you may not otherwise hear about.

It’s called Soundtracks: Music Without Borders, and it premieres this Monday, January 25th at 10pm on your local PBS station. Here’s a little clip to draw you in:

If you can’t wait, aren’t in the States, or prefer to watch shows online, they’ve already got the pilot episode on their website. Along with telling the story of Fela’s Afrobeat, seen in the clip above, the reporters find out what’s behind a pop-inspired Putin propaganda song, and my favorite – why the hell an internationally-known Kazakh violinist would ask Borat’s (Sasha Baron Cohen) brother to write a symphony for the country.

If you dig the episode, let PBS know on their comments page. This is what they have to say:

If enough of you agree that SOUND TRACKS is the kind of series you’d like to have on PBS, you can look forward — starting next year — to a world of exciting music, surprising destinations and unforgettable stories.

Some of those possible places include the “bayous of Louisiana to the backstreets of Havana, from the nightclubs of Paris to desert music festivals in Mali.” Plus, they promise to interview Bollywood singers, and you know you’re dying to ask if they are being serious when they sing and dance like that.

Community Connection

Need some help to find the best world music available? Then bookmark Paul Sullivan’s fantastic resource, #MusicMonday: 50 Music Sites That Matter.

For What It’s Worth: Should Our Values Define Us?

Christine Garvin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:45:30 +0000

Although it is easy to judge the rights and wrongs of others, it might be time to accept the human tendency to shift values.

Photo: guydonges

When I set foot in a new place, consciously or unconsciously, I’m assessing the people around me. This is true whether I’ve driven three hours north to Lake Tahoe or have just landed in South Africa.

Putting people into boxes, for good or for bad, is our mind’s way of easily identifying what might threaten us, and at the same time, where we best belong. It’s actually an evolutionary survival mechanism, one it is good to recognize so we can counteract it when necessary.

But how exactly do we determine another person’s values? And what do we do when they seemingly don’t correspond with our own?

Religion often guides our values and beliefs. Either we are brought up with a certain religion, and therefore were instilled with a particular set of rights and wrongs. Or, we go against what we have been taught, believing the opposite – or somewhere in the middle – is truth, and so we subscribe to a different religion, or no religion whatsoever.

Unfortunately, condemnation often quickly sets in once we’ve subscribed to a certain belief system. And we all have one, even those hipsters that don’t think they do.

Judging From Afar

In the media these days, there is a lot to judge from high up on the mountaintop (really, isn’t that the main thing the media does?). I just learned via the Values Gals that Brit Hume gave Tiger Woods some advice: Buddhism won’t give him “the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith.”

Sweet. Guess Tiger is a Buddhist (and apparently a Christian wouldn’t do such things). Not sure if this is a new, post-sexilicious-scandal-breakdown, or if he’s been a devoted one for years. Wait, I guess this quote comes from a 2008 Reuters interview with the man himself:

In the Buddhist religion you have to work for it yourself, internally, in order to achieve anything in life and set up the next life. It is all about what you do and you get out of it what you put into it.

Amy of Values Gals adds:

Okay, I’m not a Buddhist but that makes a lot of sense to me. I believe that it is what is inside of us that guides us in our choices, helps us become better people and allows us to reach our goals and realize our dreams.

I’ve began to wonder lately if our values are not only guided by our backgrounds and experiences, what we normally deem as “inside of us”, but also by something bigger than, and outside of, us. Something that may force a change in those values depending on the situation in which we find ourselves.

Accepting Fate

Photo:*Aemaeth*

Though I am no Tiger Woods (fingers crossed), during a recent astrology reading, I was pressed to accept that I must learn how to hold a fate that includes both taking care of people and sometimes hurting them.

Turns out it is in my nature to be drawn to the dark underbelly of the human persona (like I didn’t know that already).

Hearing this did not exactly sit well. I believe similar to most people out there, I like to think of myself as a good person who tries to be aware of the course of my actions and how they may effect others. But why exactly should I try and fight myself when it is my fate to learn how to accept this humanness? Maybe real values are based on wholeheartedly looking at our sometimes ugly/sometimes insensitive/sometimes cruel side and handing it some love?

It also made me realize even more (or once again?), that if we haven’t walked in the shoes of another person, how can we know their lesson in this life? I understand this can be a slippery slope – a good example is the possible manslaughter defense of a man who shot and killed an abortion doctor in order to save “countless” unborn babies – but, on the whole, I’m not sure condemning others for something that is a necessary part of their path is the best way to create a more harmonious existence.

Of course, a lot of this depends on if you believe in fate or not. Still, for the purposes of stepping foot smack in the middle of a new culture with extremely different values than your own, it might be worth remembering that not every “bad” action or value defines a person. Rather, it simply makes them human.

Do you believe there are certain necessary values? Share your thoughts below.

Deal Breaker: Questioning the Ethics of Bargaining

Christine Garvin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:13:38 +0000

Is it fair to haggle in a developing country when your flight there cost more than ten years worth of the seller’s wages?

Photo: JasonDGreat

The fine art of bargaining has been around probably since the dawn of time. But I gotta admit, I still hate it.

Jeremy Kressmann over at Gadling recently posted a piece on negotiating anything from a souvenir to hotel to cocktails (I’m assuming) in Southeast Asia. In South by Southeast: Ugly bargaining, he notes five ways to make hustling less of a hustle, and essentially work it out in the best possible manner for both sides.

This, I can appreciate. Still, even as a relatively poor, struggling writer/artist/traveler, I continue to have qualms with the whole haggling thing. Kressman’s rule number 4, “Keep Perspective”, sums up my thoughts on the subject relatively well:

Sure, you might be saving a few bucks, but the gap between your income and the average merchant in Southeast Asia is huge. A week’s wages for you could be more than they earn in an entire year.

In other words, I often wonder if it is ethical to bargain – even though it is a part of the culture you are visiting – when the playing fields are so vastly different? I completely understand that starting prices in markets throughout the world are exorbitant, and have an added “tourist tax”. I also get that to buy everything at that asking price could easily eliminate a person’s travel budget and possibly the ability to continue the trip.

Still, how much did your flight cost to get you there? And how much did you spend on that new iPod to have plenty of music to listen to on your trip? What about that brand new backpack? Ok, you get my point.

The Bigger Picture

We’ve tackled the subject of budget travel and its implications before at BNT, most notably in the piece, When Does Budget Travel Become Exploitation? Author Ernesto Machado notes:

Life is the biggest trip of all, and that’s why I’m a budget traveler at all times, not just while on the road. Being frugal at home means I can avoid being cheap while traveling.

But, if you are going to bargain (and I get that most of us will, including myself), Matador has its own version of how to haggle your way across Southeast Asia. Turner Wright observes what it might mean not to haggle: “Letting merchants believe they can get away with such deals will only drive up prices and could cause even more inflation.”

And Sarah Lane certainly makes a good point in her piece Top 10 Things I Miss About Traveling (But Hated At The Time): “Haggling can be a very rewarding experience. In California, a soy latte is $3.50 and I can either pay up or take a hike. Everything is way too expensive, and nobody cares.”

Maybe we should start a haggle revolution in the West?

Do you think bargaining is ethical? Share your thoughts below.

5 Amazing Travel Truths for 2010 (That You Already Suspected)

Christine Garvin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:03:45 +0000

Once the clock strikes Jan. 1, travel will become a whole different ballgame.

Shocked at what’s in store / Photo: CarbonNYC

Here we go, just a few days left in this God-forsaken decade. Well, it hasn’t been all bad, but we certainly are in for some changes in the next decade, no doubt (or, so we hope).

The same is true when it comes to travel – there are new fads and traditions already on the horizon. So why not take a little gander at what’s in store?

Thanks, Mark Morford, for your inspiration, as always.

Sexting

Oh, things certainly have changed since my day. To think, I spent five months in Italy in 1999 without sending a single text, much less participating in any kind of sexting (apparently a media term, not what the kids are calling it). I’m not sure the same could be said about the cigarette-chomping, cell-phone jabbering teenage Italians that surrounded me on the trains, if texting existed then.

Nonetheless, if America’s youth tells us anything about the world (and you know it does), probably at least a third of the kids you will encounter in most parts of the world, save certain areas in Asia and the Middle East, are texting a nude photo or video to a “loved” one right as we speak. Watch out in 2010, it’s just going to get hairier.

But before you text that hottie you met in Spain, give it a ponder:

Gay Spiritual Travel

Gay spiritual travel is here to stay, people. Get used to it. But please don’t use this site to book a vacation (introduction to boating?).

Astral Travel

Astral travel, the exiting of the physical body, will be all the rage starting in 2010. Seriously. Actually, it already is – these two words show up at least 4 times a day in my Google alerts. And no, my Google alerts do not include the keywords “astral travel.” At the very least, it certainly is a cheaper and easier way to get to India.

Religion Vs. Science, With a New Twist

Religion vs. science, science vs. religion. Eh. We’ve debated it quite a few different ways here at BNT over the years, so I think 2010 deserves a new way of looking at the subject matter.

Wait! Religion Dispatches is already ahead of the end-of-the-worst-decade-ever curve. Looks like we’ve been viewing things all kinds of wrong for a while now, when all we had to do was look to the WWF (and I’m not talking about the World Wildlife Federation).

Check out Dan Mathewson and Byron R. McCane, who “reveal how the equally toothless performances of New Atheists like Richard Dawkins and creationists like Ken Ham share more with the garish world of Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik than with serious scholarship.” Priceless.

Rasslin’ with Religion & Science from Religion Dispatches on Vimeo.

Now you can feel comfortable debating religion and science with anyone anywhere in the world, from Israel to Kentucky. Maybe.

Being Removed From Flights

When even Ivana Trump is getting kicked off flights, whose next? Babies? Best watch what you do as you board those flights starting in 2010.

What other fantastic travel truths do you see ahead? Share your thoughts below.

Change is Not a Four Letter Word

Christine Garvin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:37:03 +0000

Photo: spcoon

It’s also not just a simple snap of the fingers.

This is my last post for the week as I begin the holiday ritual of traveling to see family and friends. It is a ritual that takes on a bit more importance with each passing year.

I’ll admit, Christmas has always been an exciting time for me. More than a few of my friends say that’s because it’s also my birthday. Ok, ok – I’m not going to deny that’s part of the reason. But the type of excitement around my birthday has changed dramatically since I was a child, or even since my early 20s. It now comes from appreciating the year I’ve just lived through, and anticipating (and declaring) what I hope for in the coming one.

Last night, a recurring dream – one I haven’t seen in a while – showed up. It always begins with me as an undergrad at UNC Chapel Hill, usually right before senior year. I’m debating where to live – on campus or off – even though I have already been living in an apartment.

It has had its odd variations depending on where I find myself at the time, such as if I live on campus there in North Carolina, how will I make it to dance practice in San Francisco? Living off campus meant tiny rooms, while living on, being a senior, I had the most massive and expansive rooms to choose from.

The excitement now comes from appreciating the year I’ve just lived through, and anticipating what I want in the coming one.

Still, I could never decide. The one thing that is always noted, though, is that I had already graduated from there and gotten my Masters. Yet for some reason, I’m back.

There was a palpable difference in the outcome this time, though. Last night, for the first time, I chose what I wanted – the big, beautiful (shared) room on campus. And I was extraordinarily happy about it.

My take-away: I’ve been debating whether to change something in my life that I’ve been hesitant to take on because of struggles I previously encountered. But the purpose of change arriving now is to get it right this time, to take my time with it, without the same type of struggle. This dream showed me I’ve finally taken that first little, yet expansive, baby step.

The Rise and the Fall

Photo: Beverly & Pack

Sometimes – often – we look above the surface for proof of change. We want big, ferocious, in-your-face, Obama-winning change. All else takes too long and therefore doesn’t feel real.

I can’t help but give a little knowing look when people start to complain about how “little” Obama has done since taking office (Jacob Weisberg shows a different perspective in his piece on Slate.com).

This knowing look does not come from the fact that I believe he has done little, but rather that the day he was elected – although historic on many levels – I thought, “oh no.”

Americans (in this case, at least the ones who backed him) did what we do best – quickly elevate a “savior” to heights impossible to attain, and then when he doesn’t immediately deliver the goods, we tear the savior down just as swiftly and call him tragically flawed.

The reality is, change comes at a slow, but steady pace. We must first determine the larger vision, what we want in the end. But we can’t get hung up on that; instead, we must contemplate the ingredients necessary to make the changes happen, and then implement them in a steady fashion.

The fruits of our labors won’t show up right away – as my 23-year-old self had hoped after finding out I had some sort of vague, undefined sickness – but rather over time, with small shifts and changes, tweaks and re-tweaks.

I guess maybe the one-foot-in-front-of-the-other Capricorn goat of my almost 31-year-old self is finally beginning to emerge.

Burden of Proof

Photo: The New Yorker

The New Yorker recently ran a story about a safe zone in Pittsburgh, one that has risen from the ashes of “deindustrialization and urban decay”. There on the North Side of the city, the owner of a successful telemarketing firm, Ralph Henry Reese, bought a house in 1980.

Since then he, along with his wife Diane Samuels, purchased four more on the same street, and in the last decade, decided to turn these houses into refuges for persecuted writers from around the world.

Previously a blight on the city, this block of homes now provides rent-free shelter for two years to writers whose lives are threatened, mostly by their own governments. As a part of the international organization Cities of Asylum project, Reese and Samuels also provide extra expenses and medical care.

Sometimes we revel in these small stories of change; sometimes, we barely notice them. But as we sit in a season tailor-made for reflection (if we want it), the story of a house shifting from something seemingly useless and ugly to a true sanctuary with immense beauty clearly demonstrates the power of change. There is death of the old and rebirth of the new, but without the old, and in many ways, revisiting it, we have no new. The key is to give it the time, and energy, it needs to bloom.

I hope all of your desired changes build slowly and fruitfully through 2010, and that you give them the time, space, and air that they need to flourish in the long run. Me, I think I’m going to dream a little more.

What are some of the changes you’d like to see in 2010, personally or globally? Share your thoughts below.

Local Culture Club: The Universal Desire to Fit In

JoAnna Haugen — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:53:07 +0000

Photo: US Army Africa

Can we ever really integrate into a local culture when we travel abroad?

“Ninataka samaki tafadahli.” I closed my menu, confident in my ability to order a meal in Kiswahili.

“You want fish?” The waiter asked the question, confirming my order in English.

“Ndiyo,” I replied in the affirmative. “Asante sana.”

“You’re welcome.” He placed half a paper napkin and a fork on the table, took the menu and walked into the restaurant’s kitchen.

I fumed. I’d been living in Kenya for nearly eight months and once again I hadn’t made it through the conversation in the local language, though this wasn’t due to my lack of language proficiency. Despite my greatest attempts to assimilate into the culture, I found myself feeling frustrated that I was still treated like an outsider.

Respecting Customs and Culture

In traveling overseas, we’re always told that we need to respect the local customs and culture. This means wearing appropriate clothing, avoiding photography in sacred spaces, knowing what types of body language can be offensive, and receiving and giving gifts or food in certain occasions.

Photo: Shared Interest

During my training as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, we spent hours talking about the local culture and customs. I took copious notes on the little things I could do to help immerse myself in the Kenyan culture and become a true member of the community I would live in during my service.

I was living in a culture where indirect communication was the norm. So when street hawkers at the bus stop hassled me, instead of telling the men that I didn’t want to buy their cheap items at all, I told them I was not interested in buying them today.

I had been advised not to wear sunglasses so that those I spoke to could see my eyes. I tucked my shades into the corner of my suitcase and wrote them off for the remainder of my stay. Better to endure retina burn than offend my neighbor.

In a country with tens of thousands of street kids, there was no doubt that I would be accosted and followed. To deal with the situation, the best thing I could do was turn my back and walk away like the other folks that wandered around town. As just another local person, the street kids would read my body language and find someone else to bother.

Translating my desire to fit in with the local culture and my success in doing so were two entirely different things.

This all sounds good in theory, but translating my desire to fit in with the local culture and my success in doing so were two entirely different things. Despite my greatest attempts to do everything I was told in order to respect the local culture, I was still treated like an American. My actions might have read “Kenyan” but my accent and skin color screamed “Westerner”.

I was the minority so I stood out from the crowd. Even though I did what I could to assimilate and immerse myself into the culture, it was impossible to escape the person I actually am.

Searching For Balance

Photo: babasteve

Kenya is not an isolated case for me; this happens frequently when I travel abroad and make an effort to observe the local culture and customs. I understand that this is something I must face. I also know I am not alone in trying to find the balance between fitting in with the locals and being myself.

In a recent blog post on The Longest Way Home, Dave wrote about a similar struggle in his nearly five years on the road:

I’ve lived in a local community, given my time, money, and experience. In return I’ve been treated very well, I’ve been awarded great prestige and honors. I’ve been invited to houses for dinners, parties, celebrations. But, I still have not been able to grasp true social integration with local people. Maybe it never happens. There is always a missing link that neither side can manage to cross over and truly grasp.

Even in my attempts to “become” a local by observing the same habits and body language that the Kenyans had, the people with whom I interacted responded to me like the person I am – an American. In this way, we would volley back and forth between cultures, me playing the role of a local person and the local person responding as though I was a Westerner.

It happened in restaurants, with street hawkers and on public transportation. I ordered in Kiswahili, they responded in English. I said I’d consider buying something tomorrow, and instead of walking away, street hawkers hounded me more, moving from simply trying to sell me cheap goods to touching, laughing and pointing at me. Ditto with the street kids, who didn’t think twice about harassing me while I meekly tried to shoo them away.

Accepting Who I Am

Photo: chasing butterflies

I look back now and think that it took me too long to realize I could never fully assimilate into a culture that wasn’t mine by nature. By the time I recognized this fact, I felt like I’d lost my self-respect and integrity in an attempt to please the local people.

I felt irritated, angry and jaded. I realize now my efforts at being someone else can’t come to fruition simply because, underneath the façade, I am still me.

This isn’t to say that being a Westerner abroad has to be a bad thing – it just means that when I travel now, I acknowledge the things that I will face as a result of being an American on the road. I do long to fit in seamlessly with the locals I meet on the street, whether they are in Cusco or Kampala, but the reality is that it can never happen.

I have learned, instead, that I can respect the local culture and customs, but I can expect to receive different treatment than those actually integrated into the culture. If someone is going to treat me like an American, in certain situations I have to act like one, like myself – in the most respectable way possible.

If I need those sunglasses I so carefully buried in the back of my suitcase, so be it. Perhaps I’ll pull them out and slip them on after all.

Have you had a similar cultural experience, or do you think it’s easy to assimilate into certain other cultures? Share your thoughts below.

Video: Artifacts Depicting Sex Sparks Cultural and Religious Debate [NSFW]

Christine Garvin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:44:22 +0000

Some believe Western religions demonized sex, while others think ancient cultures might not have been that different than our own.

Here’s a little video making its way around the internet that proves once again, we are a much more sexually inhibited society than our predecessors:

If you are having trouble viewing the video, it can be found at Reuters.

The museum’s director notes that on rooftops of houses and public paintings at the time – 700 BC to 400 AD – these types of sexual scenes were displayed for all to see, including “children, adolescents, men, women, everybody.”

Reuter’s reporter Paul Chapman adds that these ancient cultures viewed “nature, ideas, and actions all in balance.” Or is that just what we’d like to believe?

Christianity Made Sex Evil?

Over at the Huffington Post, most commenters agree that this video is “not news” if you know anything about ancient Greek and Roman cultures, or have stepped foot in Europe. They’ve got these naughty artifacts hanging around everywhere.

But some interesting thoughts were brought up around the rise of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, whose belief systems are arguably the reason for turning the clock back on accepting open sexual behavior. As futate01 notes:

Sexuality became evil when Semitic religions spread around the world. Before Judaism, Christianity, and Islam most world cultures had healthy attitudes about sex. It was viewed as a method of the creation of life and a gift from God to be honored and appreciated.

Insidious takes it further, saying, “Prudish is too nice of a word to describe the “demonization” of female sexuality from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.” HystericHistoria adds, “Not only female sexuality, but all sexuality. Yes, generally men in Western culture…have been…allowed more freedom than women since the inception of the Judo-Christian religions began, but even then it is nowhere near as ‘free’ as what the ancients experienced. Homosexuality, for instance.”

Insidious’ final take:

I agree with you…but it’s not just Western culture…in our global world, controlling female sexuality has been tantamount in oppressing all female behavior: From wearing the Burqa or highheels to Female Genital Mutilation to pornography as the new “erotica”. I think that the war against male homosexuality is an extension of the control over anything not “male” and is a form of misogyny. Just like there is no gray area for women’s sexuality, there can be no gray area for male sexuality...this is the case that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam purport.

Not the Whole Story

Photo: John Griffiths

Although these artifacts are obviously graphic, some commenters argue that they were simply on the “fringe” of society, and that the women depicted were prostitutes, much like our “billion-dollar porn industry.”

In other words, we can’t use these symbols to classify cultures that pre-date Christianity, Judaism, or Islam as completely open sexual societies (who didn’t oppress people) in the same way that strip clubs and bathhouses fail to prove that “deviant” sexual behavior is accepted in ours.

If people thousands of years from now can only get their hands on some copies of Hustler and a vibrating contraption, will they assume our society had extremely open views about sex?

Javida adds, “Normally, most faiths encourage the sharing of sexuality between married people. That is, not acting promiscuously or adulterously. But keeping sex inside marriage does not detract from it’s expression” (ahem, that is if you are allowed to be married, or not forced to be married, of course).

No matter what side you fall on, gotta love a guy with a very proper British accent saying, “the Greeks were always game and the Romans were permanently raunchy.”

Do you think current Western religions demonized sex, or are we just rewriting history? Share your thoughts below.

The Rights and Wrongs of Traditional Cultures

Christine Garvin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:20:18 +0000

Whether we romanticize – or condemn – a traditional culture’s practices, we are often missing a part of the picture.

Photo: wwarby

Sometimes, I think about the romantic notions that arose in my Masters program, on my part just as much as others.

A good chunk of what we did was take a look at traditional ways of healing. Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and Native-American healing are all extremely valid, deeply historical systems that are often dismissed in our Western allopathic mindset.

Even though, of course, each has been around hundreds to thousands of years, and seen millions of more patients than medical doctors.

Sometimes, learning about disregarded, lesser-known or underutilized traditions can lead us to the conclusion that all is right with the world in the “natural order,” while our current approach is kind of, you know, evil.

Sure, there is a lot wrong with the way we live life in the West. That’s a given. So it is easy enough to fall into the trap of longing to live in a place where the 8-6 job does not exist, people are still rooted to the Earth because they actually work with it, and family connections leave little room for depression or other American institutions. Ah, wouldn’t life be grand?

The Wrong Parts

Photo: Sand Paper

Then, way over on the flip-side, there’s the shock that arises when seeing a traditional culture up close and personal. Andy Jarosz at 501 Places just tackled this topic in his piece, When is ‘local culture’ just wrong? Now you are facing a particular tradition that you not only don’t understand, but inherently believe is immoral.

The first thing that popped into my mind as I began reading the piece was female genital mutilation, and my own struggle around believing we shouldn’t step into other cultures and tell them what is what (through war or other means) and at the same time, believing no woman should ever have to face this barbaric, misogynistic act.

One of the stories Andy related was about a blind girl he met in Uganda while working at an eye camp. He notes:

Her corneas were totally opaque. At first she said didn’t know what had caused this, but on further examination and in conjunction with a local nurse, we found out that she had been to see a local shaman about a matter unrelated to her eyes, and he had given her a liquid to wash her face with, and specifically to put in her eyes. The main ingredient was horse urine, and this potion had proceeded to render this young girl blind.

He was obviously extremely angry about what he witnessed, and rightly so. But the nurse he was working with explained it was a “slow, frustrating and often dangerous” process of educating people away from their faith in witch doctors.

And what exactly might be offered in return? A system that also damages a lot of people with pharmaceutical drugs and unnecessary surgeries? Even with the positives of Western medicine, these traditional societies would never have continuous access be made available to them.

Not So Pretty

Reality is a lot less pretty and succinct – all cultures and places have their ups and downs, their “rights” and their “wrongs.” Trouble is, some of the things many on the outside see as wrong, such as wearing a burka or even seeing a shaman, are not only deeply embedded in cultures, but also have valid points that we would never truly be able to comprehend from our own cultural mindset.

There are certainly things indigenous cultures would be flabbergasted by if they came to the West.

Sometimes, what we see as gruesome may actually be distinctly connected to the Earth in a way that our Western hands-off approach to all things icky just can’t wrap our heads around. And as Andy noted in his piece, there are certainly things indigenous cultures would be flabbergasted by if they came to the West – people being forced to live on the streets as open, empty buildings sit nearby, or the forgotten elderly generation that is so prized in their own culture.

The real question is, how does removing both romantic ideals and disapproval get us closer to a just world for all?

What do you think about romanticizing or condemning other culture’s beliefs? Share your thoughts below.

Photo Essay: Ground Zero for 2012 in Copan, Honduras

JoAnna Haugen — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:48:47 +0000

According to Hollywood, the world is doomed for destruction in 2012. Not so, say the people living near the Mayan ruins in Copan Ruinas, Honduras. “It’s a rebirth,” they say. “It’s a time for celebration.”

There are mixed stories flying across the internet about which, if any, planets will be aligned on December 21, 2012, and many noted scholars and astronomers debunk the end-of-the-world theory altogether.

The stars may or may not be aligned, explain these Hondurans, but 2012 will be a time of positive change, positive energy. An opportunity to move forward and start again.

1. Looking across the lush valley from the Mayan ruins in Copan, Honduras, I realize that this area of Honduras can define itself. It doesn’t need the world to write its story.

2. Copan Ruinas is a charming town with steep and narrow cobblestone streets set far from everywhere but close to the earth. It is significant in the 2012 discussion because of its magnificent Mayan ruins, but the people here are just living their lives one day at a time.

3. Cowboys lounge on street corners, tipping their hats as I walk by.

4. Children from the nearby Chortí community, today’s Mayan descendants, gather on doorsteps, their hands full of the cornhusk dolls they create and sell to generate income for their village, La Pintada.

5. The ruins near Copan are grandiose and detailed but quiet.

6. I spend long minutes contemplating the Mayans’ tenacity in creating structure upon structure as new rulers took over. One of the people I am with mentions that it’s a good thing we don’t build White Houses on top of one another.

7. There are very few people wandering the grounds, and the experience is made more personal with the attention of a guide who is passionate about ancient Mayan history.

8. I watch the shadows bounce across the stone structures and piles of G.O.K. (God Only Knows).

9. Beneath a shade structure, I stretch my neck to view the one of the longest inscriptions of hieroglyphics on the planet.

10. An archaeologist who has helped unearth the Copan ruins balks at the idea that 2012 will be the end of the world. “It is only the end of a calendar cycle,” he says. “It is a time of new beginnings, not the end of the world.” Just as we would change our calendars on December 31, the people in Copan will do the same.

11. At a roundtable dinner, where I have the chance to chat with people who were born and raised in Copan, the message takes on a hopeful tone. In addition to being a pragmatic change in time, some people in Copan look at 2012 as an opportunity to deal with the things that are wrong with humanity. “The change is already coming. Look at all the unrest in the world,” they say, pointing to war, famine, disease and general anger simmering around the planet. One thing is for sure, no one is counting down the days until the end of the world.

12. I relax among my emerald-splashed surroundings in this isolated area of Honduras, far from the fast-paced fury of my plugged-in life, and I hope they are right. We could use a change, a new beginning.

13. Life in Copan will continue as it always has. People will shop in the market. Children will chase each other down the street, and women will sell hot food from their street stands. Right now, December 21, 2012, is a long way from this corner of Central America.

Pagan Traveler: The Mysterious Origins Of The Green Man

Marc Latham — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:42:44 +0000

Photo: the_justified_sinner

The icon of several religions, the Green Man’s history spans from medieval churches to hippies in the 60s.

As a born-again pagan hoping to keep the UK green, the Green Man seemed a perfect place to start.

The forest symbol was, of course, a part of British heritage and a defender of green spaces. When I started my research into the motif, some of the literature supported my original image of the Green Man; these books generally focused on his spirit.

The “Green Man” forest spirit has traveled the world for centuries, and seems to have adapted to local cultures as the centuries have passed.

However, another line of research concentrating on archaeology and history declared the Green Man a well-traveled universal religious icon, brought to the UK by Christianity. I was intrigued by the split personality of the Green Man, and will describe what we know about an archetypal symbol that continues to influence and inspire cultures around the world.

The “Green Man” forest spirit has traveled the world for centuries, and seems to have adapted to local cultures as the centuries have passed. Some of the best evidence of the phenomenon today is interestingly found on medieval churches in France and England. But in ancient times, this pagan God of nature lived not only among Celtic forest tribes in northern Europe, but also among great architectural empires such as Egypt, Greece and Rome.

So how did the Green Man find itself becoming a common church decoration, and what do we now know about its origins? The trail appears to stretch from Eastern Asia across to North America.

The Continental Connection

One theory about the origins of the Green Man in the West is that it is a pagan artifact derived from the ancient Celts’ worship of the head. The Celts regarded the head as the seat of the soul.

Interlaken / Photo: tm-tm’s photostream

An armlet found in a Celtic grave at Rodenbach in Germany, dating from around 400 BC, provides material evidence to support a link between the Celts and later representations of the Green Man, as it has a decoration that culminates in an abstracted male head wearing a crown of yew-berries.

As Christianity later spread across old Celtic territory, pagans who converted to the new religion may have influenced the adoption of the nature symbol by the church.

The first record of such a figure in a Christian setting is on the fourth century tomb of Abre in the Church of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand in Poitiers, France. Abre was the daughter of Saint Hilaire, who was a high-ranking pagan that converted to Christianity and became a renowned figure in the church.

Christianity may also have become accustomed to the foliate heads through the recycling of pagan ornaments, as many old temples and statues were adopted by churches. For example, in the sixth century, as the Franks took power in North-Eastern Europe, Archbishop Nicetius of Trier maintained several foliate head figures in the cathedral church he rebuilt, despite their origination as a pagan symbol.

A few centuries later, the foliate heads became a common feature on continental medieval churches. They then crossed the channel into Britain with the Normans, but remained largely unnoticed until being named Green Men by Lady Raglan in 1939.

After their naming, a common theory for the origins of the foliate heads was that they had been passed down from ancient British pagan tradition, along with the Jack-in-the-Green May Day figure.

However, an exhaustive historical study by Dr. Roy Judge found no evidence of the Jack-in-the-Green before the eighteenth century, centuries after the Green Man foliate heads crossed the channel into British churches.

An Asian Heritage?

Although the Green Man may be a descendant of old Celtic and European culture, there is another line of thinking that traces its origins to south and east Asia.

Photo: stevecadman

Renowned Green Man researchers such as Mercia MacDermott and Mike Harding argue that the most common representation of the European Green Man, which disgorges vegetation from its mouth, bears a striking similarity to statues of the kirttimukha and makara in India.

Harding also found a similar design in the Apo Kayan region of Borneo, and thinks the motif traveled along the trade routes linking Europe and Asia.

Another motif that links the East and Europe at that time is the Three Rabbits/Hares figure which often appears in churches alongside the Green Man. Harding explains:

“This second motif consists of three rabbits, or hares, chasing each other in a circle, with each animal sharing an ear in much the same way as six foliate heads on the roof boss in Chichester Cathedral each share an eye with their neighbours. The earliest known example of this triple rabbit motif occurs in Buddhist cave paintings, dating from the late 6th/early 7th century, in Dunhuang, on the edge of the Gobi desert in western China.”

As with the Green Man, there is no written record of what the Rabbits/Hares motif symbolizes. Chris Chapman offered the following theory:

The hare is strongly represented in world mythology and from ancient times has had divine associations…in Christian contexts, the three hares may be associated with the Virgin Mary in her role in the redemption of mankind. This might explain why a Three Hares boss is often juxtaposed in western European churches with a boss of the Green Man, perhaps a representation of sinful humanity.

New Homes for the Green Man

Although ecclesiastical Green Man figures peaked in medieval times, they found a new home on secular buildings around the world during the Victorian era.

The Green Man’s resurgence gathered pace in the twentieth century, starting with its naming by Lady Raglan, and then becoming an environmental totem for the counter-culture movement that emerged during the 1960s.

The Green Man now looks very healthy for a 2500 year old global traveler, but whether this is one Green Man archetype that has traveled the world, or many similar designs that have emerged like pyramids in the Jungian collective unconscious, is still unclear.

We may never know the truth.

What do you think about the history of the Green Man and his cultural influence? Share your thoughts below.

Are Americans Afraid of Overseas Travel?

Christine Garvin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:36:34 +0000

Photo: smokeonit

According to Nomadic Matt, Americans still aren’t traveling abroad. But what is the real reason?

For me, going abroad – admittedly with a bit of trepidation and fear – my junior year of college was something I decided to do in part because several good friends had already done the same thing. And they loved it.

Tons of wine, endless pasta, bread, and cheese, and gorgeous surroundings in Florence? This did not sound like a problem.

But, as Nomadic Matt recently noted, I find myself in the minority. He questions why Americans still aren’t traveling overseas, a subject he first tackled in a post last year.

Yes, 21% of Americans have their passports now as compared to 15% a few years ago (obviously, still a pathetically low number). But travel off of the North American, and higher areas of the South American, continents has actually decreased. According to Matt, more people have passports because you need them to get to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, where travel has increased.

Less About Money, More About Ignorance

Photo: Capture Queen ™

His reasoning? It’s not so much that people don’t have the money to travel, even in these hard economic times, but it has more to do with cultural ignorance, as in “not knowing about other cultures” and not “Americans are ignorant buffoons.”

Other factors include fear, priorities around work, and lack of awareness – especially politically.

Despite the rise of China, Brazil, and India, our politicians tell us everything in America is the best (yet #38 in healthcare). Countries will always do what we want. America is the leader. We are the city upon a hill. An when you are the best, why go to “godforsaken” countries where they hate you for being American and might rob you?

Last year, Julie Schwietert asked if Americans are afraid of travel after the not-so-excited reaction to Obama’s Middle East and Europe trip in July 2008. She noted, “It’s a trip that should make America proud (particularly given the geographic and diplomatic gaps in the current president’s consciousness), but Americans’ response to Obama’s trip has been curiously tepid.”

And we all know how media loves to stir up our fears of the “other.” As Sarah Menkedick wrote in response to the media shitstorm blaming the three Americans held in Iran, “There are two themes here. One is that travel (outside of the U.S and perhaps Western Europe) is dangerous, reckless, and stupid. The other is that only starry-eyed, pot-smoking hippie backpackers are dumb enough to try it, and they get what they deserve.”

The Flip Side

On the other side of the argument, you have a few people noting that “Americans are still traveling abroad,” despite the economic downturn. Not sure if this Forbes Traveler piece makes a good argument, though; yes, travel only slipped less than 1% from 2007 to 2008, but the 2009 numbers up until May showed a 7.7% decrease compared to the same time last year.

Not only is the accepted statistic wrong, but economics really are at play.

Or, as Katy Steinmetz stated in a piece she wrote last year, Behind the myth that few Americans have passports, not only is the accepted statistic wrong (the number is really more around 30%), but that economics and poverty really are at play. On top of the high cost of passports, taking care of your family, buying food, and paying for that healthcare plan, people are left with few dollars to go anywhere, even with a good deal on Orbitz.

Do you think Americans don’t travel abroad because of ignorance and politics, or does it have more to do with money? Share your thoughts below.

A Moment Of Reflection For Women The World Over

Christine Garvin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:37:18 +0000

The pain of women all over the world is palpable. When is something really going to change?

Photo: King Chimp

The original plan for today was to find and write about something funny making it’s way around the internet, it being Friday and all.

Or maybe something about Halloween, its origins as All Hallows Eve, the day before the beautiful celebration of the Day of the Dead.

But instead, I feel a bit overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with being a woman, living today, in the world in which we live.

That might come as a surprise, what with me being a white gal living in America, and though far from rich, just as far from destitute.

Yet, I can’t turn off what happens to my sisters throughout the world, both abroad and right down the street. From death threats to a doctor who performs reconstructive surgery on women ripped to shreds through female genital mutilation, to the gang rape of a 15-year-old high school student by up to ten 16-25 year-olds in the town next to where I used to live, we are not safe.

We are mothers, we are sisters, we are friends. We give the gift of life to those who wish to keep us down or take our lives.

I can’t help but recount the number of women I’ve known that have been sexually abused, assaulted, or raped repeatedly. There are many more that have than not. I also can’t help but struggle with my own “maybe” and all the implications it has had for my life. Who would I be now if it, whatever “it” was, hadn’t happened?

The Power of a Single Moment

Think, for just a moment, what effect we have on each other in our passing interactions every single day. Bridges are built or destroyed by single words or sentences, intentions are paramount to success or failure, and whether we choose to scream out in anger or somehow engage in dialogue can impact us for hours, days, weeks and months to come.

Photo: Ingorrr

Now think about the long term impact of an unwanted, and as is often the case for young girls, a misunderstood advance. The repercussions are a life of mistrust of themselves just as much as others, and acting out in ways in can take a long time to process or come to terms with.

Further down the line, you have women that will never, ever, EVER experience sexual pleasure in their lives – and in a way, what it means to be a woman – because all that is left “down there” is scar tissue.

What about the ever present “rape as war tactic” that is valued by military (and apparently, peacekeepers) the world over, despite the recent UN resolution classifying it as a weapon of war? What exactly does that resolution do to change anything?

And maybe, worst of all (is this even an area for comparisons?), are those girls and women, living in “free” Western countries, who are sexual slaves. Look no further than the Houston Maria Bonita Cantina or the Asian massage parlors in San Francisco to contemplate the complete ravage of life this $8 billion international industry promotes. I’d honestly rather be dead than in their place.

The End of Oppression?

As I write, I wonder if this world will ever exist without the oppression of women. Even that word, oppression, hardly scratches the surface of what these tactics do to women; they rob part of our soul. There has got to be a word that when said, strikes at the heart of men who commit acts against women – something that implores them to feel what tremendous pain and anguish their actions cause.

There is a small part of me that understands that even if they rob a bit of your soul, it’s regenerative.

At the very least, I’m amazed again and again at the resilience I see in the many beautiful women that surround me near and far. There is a small part of me that understands that even if they rob a bit of your soul, it’s regenerative, like a starfish. We have the power to heal ourselves.

But what can also help it to regenerate are the men who understand it’s not about protecting the women you love – it’s about changing the mindset of the men who don’t love women.

Please share your thoughts on this subject below.

Culture Of Fear: How The Media Killed The H1N1 Flu Shot

Ian MacKenzie — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:10:46 +0000

As the swine flu vaccine hits the clinics, many people are, surprisingly, opting out. Here’s how the media created this unintended consequence.

Cover of Nov’s Wired magazine.

Chances are, you may know someone that has contracted swine flu. There’s also a good chance that they got sick, were laid out for a few days, and then got better (just like the regular flu season).

So why the global hysteria around getting the flu vaccine?

Everytime I turn on the news, the reporters are citing a new study that says H1N1 is even more potent than ever; in fact, it affects YOUNG HEALTHY ADULTS the worst! Public areas are plastered with signs shouting foreboding messages like “Take your life into your own hands. WASH THEM.”

Now, with the “second wave” of the flu season upon us, Obama declares H1N1 a national emergency.

It’s enough to scare everyone into being first in line for the flu vaccine. And that’s exactly what some people have done.

On Saturday, Oct 24, the Omaha News reported that:

Hundreds of people [stood] out in the cold, trying to avoid getting a cold. So many people showed up to get their shots, the clinic was forced to turn dozens away.

And yet…not everyone is buying into the flu shot. In fact, some polls say 48% of Canadians will not get the shot. In the USA, that number has climbed to 60%.

The Culture Of Fear

I’m one of the those Canadians who is suspicious of the flu shot. While I have nothing against vaccination, I find myself at odds with the H1N1 vaccine, likely stemming from a number of factors:

the vaccine felt rushed out the door, and in fact, had been approved with no testing by Health Canada.
the severity of the flu seems vastly over-hyped;
and perhaps most importantly: why has the media been so eager to whip up a culture of fear?

Sure, scary headlines sell newspapers and help their ailing bottom line. But even so, I’m suspicious of a hidden agenda when I see not one, but TWO cover stories on prominent magazines telling me I HAVE to get the flu shot or HUMANITY WILL PERISH.

Take the Wired issue this month. The cover features an innocent child with the word FEAR emblazoned above its head. The lead story is titled: An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All.

Likewise, Maclean’s (Canada’s Time magazine), ran a blood red cover story this week: SWINE FLU FIASCO: Everyone needs the H1N1 vaccine. Says the article:

People are being bombarded by “on the one hand” and “on the other hand” studies and recommendations. “There is confusion,” says Dr. Sarah Kredentser, president of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. “And I think it’s warranted confusion, because the messages keep changing.”

Killing The Shot

I don’t consider myself a conspiracy theorist – which is why I’m not bothering to attribute the vaccine to some nefarious Illuminati plan to initiate a mass die-off before ushering in of the new world order.

Yet everytime I consider changing my mind and getting the shot, I’m hit with another demand to get the vaccine or face CERTAIN DEATH. And so, ironically, my resistance to rolling up my sleeve stems mainly from the frenzy created by public health officials and the media.

This is a huge blunder on their part, explains a Washington Post article from 2005, when the news was all about Avian Flu (remember that one?):

To promote vaccine use, many in the public health community have overstated the risk of flu-related death and the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing it. While the flu vaccine may have some important benefit (less flu-related illness), we really do not know whether it reduces the risk of death.

The dangers of hyping fear are serious:

Public health officials should not exaggerate risks or benefits to promote vaccination. Exaggeration carries a price: Not only do some people get scared and engage in behaviors that increase their risk (like waiting in a crowded clinic for a flu shot). They may also grow cynical and end up ignoring health messages that really matter.

What do you think? Do you plan on getting the flu shot? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Localwashing: Shop Locally at Your Neighborhood Corporate Store

Christine Garvin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:53:23 +0000

The culture of shopping locally is engulfed by corporations all over the world.

Photo: mfajardo

I know that there are quite a few of us out there that try to stay local when traveling. And by “stay local,” I don’t mean literally staying smack in the middle of town (though that may be part of the agenda).

Rather, I’m saying that many of us like to experience the place we are visiting by eating the local foods, shopping at the local stores, and frequenting local coffee shops and bars.

Enter “Localwashing” – coming soon to a town near you.

Yep, corporations have taken notice of the “shop local” movements happening in countries throughout the world. In a recent post at Utne.com, author Stacy Mitchell notes that HSBC, one of the world’s largest banks, has a new tagline: “the world’s local bank.” Ah.

It gets better, though. Probably a few of you have heard about Starbucks closing shops in Seattle in order to reopen them under the local-sounding name, “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea” (sorry, Starbucks, cat’s out of the bag). And the good ole’ southern US grocery chain, Winn-Dixie, just launched a new ad campaign that states: “Local flavor since 1956.”

Here’s my absolute favorite:

The International Council of Shopping Centers, a consortium of mall owners and developers, has poured millions of dollars into television ads urging people to “Shop Local”—at their nearest mall.

Alright, with the growth of ad campaigns that implore us to “shop local” including both the independent local grocery store and the Wal-Mart that carries some local, organic produce, some may wonder what the true difference is for the town in which they are located.

Well, shop at a chain store, and only $13 out of every $100 stays locally, even when they have some local produce, crafts, or clothes. Shop at a local store (which may still have corporate products on their shelves) and $45 out of $100 goes back into the community.

The Traveler’s Conundrum

Photo: Jason Langlois

In the past, we’ve looked at secrets for eating like a local when traveling to a new destination, and the importance of local self-reliance in the “creation of a local economy for food and other essential goods…relying upon traditional knowledge of medicinal plants, herbs, barks, roots, and ferments in health care.”

But what does Localwashing mean to travelers? Sure, this ‘revolution’ is starting out in American cities and suburbs, but as we all know, corporations reach their grubby little hands all over the world. So watch out for those Maharaja Macs at a local Mumbai eatery – you might just have walked into the golden arches cleverly disguised trap.

What do you think about the “Localwashing” movement? Share your thoughts below.

The Lonely World Of A Traveling Reader

Shannon Dunlap — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:39:45 +0000

Blowing bubbles / Photo: taiger808

Shannon Dunlap, expat in Cambodia, finds solace in her books, yet remains at risk of losing connection with the culture around her.

One of my earliest memories is of listening to my sister read aloud the entire series of Little House on the Prairie books, a set of texts that has, weirdly, begun to come back to me in vivid detail ever since I came to Cambodia.

(The maple candies they made in the snow, the leeches clinging to Laura’s legs in the creek bed, the way her aunt and uncle looked at each other at the Christmas dance, and even the bookmark of red and green braided yarn that Dawn placed between the pages.)

Back then, I lived for the local library, the explosion of possibility that was the children’s room—endless shelves of Encyclopedia Brown and Boxcar Children, and I would read them all, I was certain, because even at six, seven, eight, I valued intellect above all else.

For most of life, my affair with books has seemed a gift. But I regret to report that here, in Cambodia, reading is more problematic. It highlights all my eccentricities, draws out my hermit-like qualities.

Is it possible that books, my old friends, are responsible for turning me into a social misfit?

Enter The Book Snob

Before I left New York, one of my coworkers asked me which three books I would take to a desert island. This is an impossibly difficult question for any true reader, but he had developed some rules to guide me.

Book exchange / Photo: jeb ro

Rahul had spent a lot of time in Afghanistan, and he insisted that when I packed for Cambodia, at least one volume needed to be one of impressively beautiful and intricate language. “Because let’s face it,” he said. “You’re going to eventually get tired of being around people who can’t speak English very well.”

Cambodia and its pidgin English has not turned me into a book snob; I have always been one. But it is true that the list of people here who can carry on a conversation about a book is very short, resulting in the double wallop of both superiority and guilt that I feel when I am, say, reading an E.L Doctorow book on the porch while a crowd of people follow a garbage truck up the street to pick through my neighbors’ trash.

No matter how many strides Cambodia makes in the next fifty years, those people will never be reading Doctorow, and who knows how many generations will pass until they get his equal who writes novels in Khmer. That was the first ominous sign—the inevitable gap that reading puts between me and the culture I currently live in.

The Promise Of The Unknown

But there is more. The sight of our rickety rattan book shelves has begun to fill me with despair, not because of what’s there, but because of what’s not.

Let me be clear—I am nowhere close to running out of things to read. My boyfriend and I agonized over which volumes to bring, and, taking up an inordinate amount of luggage space with our choices, humped many pounds worth of books through the Bangkok airport, down the coast to Sihanoukville, north again to Phnom Penh, and then onward to their current home in Siem Reap.

It is not books that I miss. What I miss is the freedom of not knowing which book I am going to read next.

I have not made it through even half of them yet. Plus, our roommate has a taste for the classics, and I’m sure I could spend much of the remainder of my stay finally reading Don Quixote.

There are also many secondhand bookstores (though these are subject to the dubious tastes of Western backpackers—I typically avoid these shops, afraid that I will not be able to resist the urge to chuck the extensive Jodi Picoult and Robert Patterson collection into the street).

So it is not books that I miss. What I miss is the freedom of not knowing which book I am going to read next. I miss Barnes and Noble, I miss the Strand, I miss having an address that Amazon can actually find. I miss the children’s reading room of the Lexington Local Library.

The Authors Speak

So far I have been talking about things which are merely a shame or an inconvenience, but we are now about to veer into the territory of questionable mental stability, because more than ever before, it seems as though the authors of the books that I read here are speaking directly to me.

Monks / Photo: beggs

I almost wept while reading the preface (the preface, for Heaven’s sake) of Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion.

“Yes!” I wanted to tell her. “I am shy, too! I am bad at talking on the telephone, too! I, too, like drinking gin!” For the past five days, Joan has been soothing me, talking to me about my family, my failures, my neuroses, my departure from New York.

That happens to be a book of nonfiction, but fiction is even more capable of cutting to the quick. There is something about Cambodia, be it the quantity of time I spend in my own head writing or the primal fragility of the life around me, that seems to strip away artifice and make my psychological simplicity painfully obvious.

I am as transparent as a character in a novel with an omnipotent narrator. It is me that Naeem Murr is describing when Lew needs someone to hurt more than he hurts; it is me that Donna Tartt is describing when Harriet can no longer see life through the windshield, but only through the rearview mirror.

Who but John Steinbeck could understand that I have the repressed anger of Tom Joad, the wounded optimism of Rose of Sharon?

Hiding In The Pages

And all of this, you might say, is not a bad thing, simply a deeper connection to the written artifacts that have always mattered to me. The problem is that it has resulted in a revulsion at the flesh and blood, particularly that of Western origin, that surrounds me.

These authors seem so much more real to me than the hordes of volunteers and tourists I brush elbows with every day. Unlike most Khmer, they could read Wallace Stegner if they wanted to, but most opt for sudoku instead.

Any time you excel, any time you separate yourself from the rest of the pack, you are also learning to isolate yourself.

Have I always been such a snotty misanthrope? Was it just easier to hide in America? I can’t remember.

All I know is that I want and need to have more in common with Joan Didion (even if it is a version of Joan Didion that only existed thousands of miles and forty years away from the here and now) than I have in common with that German girl at the next table who is dangling a pedicured foot over the back of a chair while she eats breakfast and thumbs through a guide book.

What has my brainy bookishness earned me? E.L Doctorow doesn’t live in Siem Reap, Denis Johnson doesn’t take me out for drinks on Friday nights, not even J.K. Rowling is interested in Khmer karaoke.

No one told me in elementary school that a spot in the highest reading group would come at a price. Because any time you excel, any time you separate yourself from the rest of the pack, you are also learning to isolate yourself.

And yet all of those pages, Little House in the Big Woods to The Grapes of Wrath and everything that came between, are so much a part of me that it is hard to imagine, let alone wish for, any alternative.

Nothing I have said here changes the fact that I need books now more than ever; it is no small feat for printed letters to provide the kind of purpose and beauty that they have for me.

It’s just that it’s lonely out here on the prairie sometimes, and I wish that Laura Ingalls Wilder was around to keep me company.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Good Triumphs Over Evil: The World Celebrates Diwali

Christine Garvin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:52:24 +0000

Small firecrackers play a role in Diwali / Photo: sowri

This week Indians, and many others throughout the world, celebrated the ‘Festival of Lights.’

On Saturday, India celebrates Diwali, their traditional New Year’s, after several days of festivities. It is also known as the ‘Festival of Lights’, because homes are lit with candles, string lights, and clay pots with oil and wicks, which signify the good over evil within an individual.

I was lucky enough to be a part of a big ole’ Diwali celebration three years ago, when Non-Stop Bhangra celebrated their anniversary and this Indian holiday the same night. We danced onto the stage carrying tea lights as an example of the tradition, but I’m sure people were upset we didn’t have any sweets to throw into the audience.

Here’s a clip of that night (minus the bhangra music, unfortunately):

Here are a couple of things worth mentioning that happened to celebrate Diwali this week:

Seems Dhanteras, which comes right before Diwali, is considered an auspicious time. So Jaspal Singh, along with about 25,000 other people in India, waited until this day in order to buy new cars, since it is the day “considered best to buy metal goods.” I’m guessing those auto dealers are happy.
Even President Obama got his Hindi-celebration-on, being the first sitting President to observe the holiday by having a pah-ty in the East Wing of the White House. Wonder if he waved his hands in the air, waved ‘em around like he just didn’t care?
Ok, this wasn’t this week, but who could forget Michael explaining Diwali to us via song on Season 3 of The Office? If you need a little reminder, check out the video.

Light a candle or two on Saturday, the official end of the holiday, to join in the fun.

Happy Diwali!

Community Connection

Check out Shreya Sanghani’s guide to 10 Indian Customs To Know Before Visiting India, and Eva Holland’s review of the popular niche travel book, Wanderlust and Lipstick for Women Traveling to India.

Close Encounters of the Third Sex: The Hijras of India

Jean-Francois Gervais — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:00:11 +0000

Hijras in Southern New Dehli / Photo: rahuldlucca

For the uninitiated, the first encounter with a hijra can be quite intimidating.

The first time I heard the hand claps, I didn’t know what was coming.

Already, the train journey from Chennai to Kolkata was proving to be a challenging one. As we were getting nearer to one of the poorest areas in India, there was a constant procession of beggars. We were four westerners and too many Indian men sitting together in a regular sleeper-class train compartment.

At every stop, children, men, and women dressed in rags and despair would offer food, goods, or entertainment in the hopes of making a few rupees. Their eyes robbed me of any ease I might be feeling about being there and owning what I own.

Still, the most disturbing encounters were yet to come.

The hijras – eunuchs, transsexuals, or transgender men – announced themselves by clapping their hands and making a racket. When they arrived to our compartment, they stood in all their weight and flamboyance, requiring money before allowing us to continue quietly with our travels.

Fear and Intimidation

The first group that came around did not insist much and were relatively easy to ignore, but the next one proved to be a more experienced and robust couple of go-getters. They quickly selected a sweet-looking Indian man in his late twenties as their victim, and baptized him ‘Uncle’ for the occasion.

Photo: Pladys

The bigger of the two hijras got close to him and began to spurt, in an unpleasant tone of voice, what sounded like obscenities in Hindi. Sweet ‘Uncle’ blushed profusely and said nothing.

No one said anything, but everyone was staring. None of the other Indians looked like they wanted to fight this man’s battle. The New-Zealand woman sitting in front of me could not hide the disdain, disbelief and pure horror from her face as the situation escalated.

For myself, I thought it was not a time to appear impressed. Luckily, I had read William Dalrymple’s City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi, in which he tells the stories of a few hijras in Delhi. I knew of their existence, but I did not know they carried out their business in trains, and it was unclear just how far they were willing to go for the money.

As the sweet Indian man was not surrendering any rupees, the big hijra stepped in front of him, lifted his own sari a few times and proceeded to dangle and swing what was left of his “manhood” nearly into the face of the victim. More vulgar sounds ensued and the hijra then bent over to whisper into the man’s ear before slapping him repeatedly on the cheeks.

The intimidation culminated with the two hijras assaulting him, grabbing his wallet and self-serving themselves with the money.

They cursed and left, saying something that might have meant “What is the world coming to, seriously!” It would have made a good scene in a Pedro Almodovar or David Lynch movie – depending on your perspective.

The woman from New Zealand looked like she wanted to call the police or did not understand why security wasn’t there already. Perhaps it was her first day in India. My friend sitting between me and the victim looked on with a stare that had lost some innocence. I figured we were coming out of it all the more learned about the world.

Outside the Norm

Hijras are often referred to as members of the ‘3rd gender’ in India. They themselves will describe their sexual identity as being neither male nor female. Many have undergone castration, or are otherwise of ambiguous sexual status.

Hijras are often referred to as members of the ‘3rd gender’ in India. They are marginalized and largely left to their own devices to sustain themselves.

They are usually rejected for what they are and the way they live. Still, they are tolerated when they show up uninvited at special ceremonies such as births and weddings where they cash in for performing dances and blessings.

Avoiding confrontation and the curse of the hijras seems to be the priority for Indians in such circumstances.

In any case, they are marginalized and largely left to their own devices to sustain themselves – which include prostitution, dancing, singing and sexual embarrassments of various kinds.

It was not always as such for the hijras. Their presence is recorded far back into India’s history. During the time of the Muslim rule before the British, the hijras had a place at court and were generally valued by society. They did not have to resort as much to the sometimes vulgar means of survival they lend themselves to today.

Yet, as a result of their marginalization, a closely-knit subculture has evolved, and in recent years hijras are slowly emerging on the national stage, standing up for their rights.

No Surrender

A few more groups of hijras came along the train before we reached our final destination, but none were as ferocious as the first group.

Photo: Whitney Lauren

One hijra touched my face at some point so as to provoke me. But without looking at him I simply raised my fist slowly and slightly.

He left without insisting.

I was later told that it was a very bad idea to take on a hijra as they are notoriously aggressive and can come back with reinforcement. Was this simply prejudice or wise advice from a kind Indian man? I was perhaps lucky to not have found out.

What do you think about the hijras approach? Share your thoughts below.

Community Connection

See the beauty that India has to offer in photographer Allison Grossman’s photo essay Window on India. There’s also good reasons to visit India in the summer, as Mariellen Ward outlines in Indian Summer: 11 Reasons to Visit India in the Summertime.

Interview: Jamie Catto Travels The World To Ask ‘What About Me?’

Carlo Alcos — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:28:12 +0000

Jamie in India

A new film that blends world music and consciousness raising conversations. The message: There’s so much more that unites us than divides us.

The first time I saw What About Me? at a Melbourne film festival, I was transfixed. This film that weaves world music together with heady topics on humanity is layered so thick, you can’t help but get lost in it.

It was put together by 1 Giant Leap — Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman — over four years from material gathered from seven months on the road.

A few musicians and thinkers you’ll recognize straight away: Michael Stipe, KD Lang, Carlos Santana, Noam Chomsky, Stephen Fry. Yet there are many more you won’t, but will be touched by just as deeply or more.

It will leave you pondering and hungry to continue the conversation.

The Manifest Of One Giant Leap

“We need to collectively admit that we’re not fine, we’re not confident and balanced and good. We turn up to work every day pretending we’re not neurotic and obsessed and insatiable and full of doubt, and we waste so much energy keeping up this mutual pretense for each other because we think if people saw the truth, if people really knew what was going on in our heads, all the crazy truth of our dark appetites and self loathing, then we’d get rejected.

But in fact, the opposite is true. It’s when we dare to reveal the truth that we unwittingly give everyone else permission to do the same. To stop holding their breath for a moment and actually come into the room. Be here, present, vulnerable and authentic.

We’re on a mission to make self-reflection hip for just a moment, just long enough to save us. If we can all collectively acknowledge our insanity, shrug and roll our eyes at each other at how nuts it is being a human, let alone having to pretend every day that we’re ‘normal’, the amount of energy we’ll inherit that has been wasted on the mask will be enough to creatively solve any global crisis.”

The interview with Jamie Catto

It took some time, but I eventually connected with Jamie Catto over Skype.

While I was already in my PJs in Melbourne, he was busy cooking up a lunch of fish sticks and mashed potatoes for the kids in Spain. So over the din of crashing pots and chopping of food, we conversed about What About Me?

BNT: Jamie, this was quite the ambitious project. What possessed you to do it and how much support did you have?

It didn’t feel like such a huge thing when we decided to do it. The support that we had was everyone in the world, all the individuals in the countries who pointed us in the right directions, who said, “Oh, down there…there’s an amazing pagan ceremony on Sunday,” or, “over here, there’s a guy who plays cello like you wouldn’t believe…my sister knows his number.”

Photo: shyald

The biggest challenge — apart from the 7-month journey around the world to do it — is that you have to be on every single day.

You know, you’ve got three hours with Alanis Morisette, you’ve got 2 hours with Eckhart Tolle the next day, and every single time you’re with someone, especially a musician, you have to arrive, get on well with them, inspire them on one of the bits of music, compose something brilliant, AND get the perfect take before you have to leave.

To do that every single day, for 200 days, is a bit of a headfuck.

Was the end result what you and Duncan had envisioned at the start?

Certainly the idea of weaving together music and the images. When we first set out we had decided to make a thing called 2 Sides to Everything, which was going to be about duality.

But what ended up happening was, it became quite a boring subject after a while. There are only so many different ways you can say, “you can’t have happiness without sadness”. It became a bit of a one-trick pony.

Duncan and I, through the pressure of what was going on, really started having some problems between us. All our shadows started showing through, and so suddenly, the film began to be about that. All the hurdles to happiness, all the collective insanities, all the things that we deny each other.

It suddenly occurred — in post-production — what the film was really about, which was that we are all turning up to work everyday, having to pretend to each other that we’re fine, and everything is good; that we’re a winner and all these things — having to hide the fact that we’re all…total psychos.

So yeah, in that sense, it became very different than what we predicted. It started off as one thing and became…a mutual global acknowledgment of our unhappiness that we hide from each other.

Where did the idea to record artists in various parts of the world and mix them together come from?

When Duncan and I first met, we were talking a lot about world music, or music that wasn’t straight western, and we suddenly realized that we don’t really like many world music albums, but we love the artists on them, and that’s the key to the music of 1 Giant Leap.

It suddenly occurred — in post-production — what the film was really about; that we’re … having to hide the fact that we’re all…total psychos.

We love Baba Maal’s singing, but we don’t often listen to a whole Baba Maal album.

We love this flute player, that drummer, this singer. We love all of them as players and singers, but we don’t really like what they do on their albums and we don’t really like what other world music fusion artists have done, by sampling one and just putting it with their beat.

We wanted to do fresh sections with these people and create something that got the best out of those artists without it being that world music formula.

So we wrote our kinds of backing tracks which are much more like melodic, Pink Floyd meets film music meets whatever…which is slightly more western, and then started having these guys as sessions rather than trying to do a world music fusion collabo.

50 locations in five continents over seven months. How did you decide where you were going to go?

Usually, for the most part, we made our decisions based on the music that we liked. So, like the big — what they call the royal drums — we knew those are in Ghana, so we went there…and Baba Maal is in Senegal…it was pretty much just chosen by who we wanted musically. Either the specific person, or the music type.

In Uganda we knew that they had a thing called…earth drums…we didn’t know what it was but we knew it was some sort of drum that was buried in the earth, and we thought, “well, let’s go and find that”.

It wasn’t until we got to Uganda that we discovered it was actually a marimba. It was an immense xylophone.

You’ve seen places and experienced things that I’m sure most people will never experience in their lives, including travelers. Can you talk a bit about any lessons you learned through dealing with locals and tribes?

There’s a great line in the first 1 Giant Leap film we did — an Indian philosopher said, “I like to talk to people as if I already know them.”

I think that is the key to all traveling. You know, don’t imagine that they’re not just like you. That is almost the point of the whole “one giant leap”, is that there’s so much more that unites us than divides us.

Everyone wants to sit down and give you their food, and everybody wants to introduce you to their kids, and their mum, and everybody wants to have a smile and sing a song.

It’s very easy to not get people’s backs up. If you’re present…just be present…be there…people are pretty much like you.

I’m curious, with a lot of the ideas that you’re mentioning, did they come out of your interviews?

No, I think it just comes from experience, and a lot of early Ram Dass reading. A lot of his work is about the masks that we wear and how dishonest we are with ourselves and others, and how we’re busy putting on the masks to be a somebody, or busy being a boss or policeman or a teacher.

Photo: exfordy

You know, like when you were in school, your favourite teachers were just really cool human beings who happened to be playing the role of teacher. And there were other ones that we didn’t get along with who were busy being a teacher. It really sums it up in all areas of life, from policeman to parents.

There are people who are naturally cool human beings, impeccably doing the role of parenting. There are others who are so busy being parents, and are so attached to that role, that the person gets evaporated and that’s where problems start arising and dishonesty happens.

And that’s when children start rebelling. They don’t rebel against their parents’ authentic qualities, they rebel against their parents’ fakeness. They see it’s not real, and they say, “that’s not for me.”

Thanks so much for your time and candidness, Jamie. One last question: What is 1 Giant Leap up to these days?

Duncan and I are doing a lot of projects separately at the moment, which is really exciting.

I have a new artist that’s coming out in Australia in February called Aluta and the Mystics. The girl that sings with Michael Stipe on the song “I’ve Seen Trouble”, in the Pain chapter, she is called Aluta, from South Africa.

I always thought I’d go back and do something with her…we decided to go with the same label that put 1 Giant Leap out in Australia — One World Music — and it’s coming out in February, called Aluta and the Mystics.

Learn more about the film What About Me? on their site, and view the 6-minute trailer here.

Community Connection

Check out another world music project Playing For Change.

‘Against All Prejudices’ Photo: Just Your Average Stereotypes?

Christine Garvin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:02:27 +0000

Photo: Source

The picture above is a popular photo that made its way around the internet this week. It was titled, Against All Prejudices.

Cute and happy photo, for sure. But what does the title imply, exactly? That those with mohawks are usually racist? That small children are usually homophobic?

Enjoying the photo for their winning smiles, excitement, and human connection is one thing. But giving it a title that seems to say, “Look, we can all get along if the punk and the black kid can!” is another.

The stereotypical generalizations based on appearance here are endless, and most of the people on the “fringe” and kids I’ve known in my life tend to fall on the low-end of bigotry. Give me a photo of Joe Wilson excitedly handing the Nobel Peace Prize over to Obama with that title instead.

But, as usual, there is a sparked debate about the picture over at Reddit. One person notes:

I believe he was making the point that this flies in the face of OTHER people’s prejudices, not necessarily the characters in the picture.

Maybe that is the point. Or maybe both views can be true.

What do you think about the photo’s title? Share your thoughts below.

Cutting Through The Clutter: More Seriously Shocking PSAs

Ian MacKenzie — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:04:27 +0000

In the past, we asked the question Should Social Advertising Campaigns Offend To Enlighten? Clearly, it doesn’t matter what we think, since the following ads seriously raise the bar on shock value.

While some are actually kind of clever, some of them (especially the horrific workplace safety one) are seriously disturbing.

What do you think of these ads? Effective or over the top? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Everything Is Okay: London Protestors Encourage Free Speech (And Hugs)

Paul Sullivan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:09:10 +0000

Spreading their grassroots activism via megaphone, The Love Police hope to wake everyone up from the real-life matrix.

In the spirit of Bill Hicks’ notorious “Go Back To Bed America” sketch, Londoners Charlie and Danny – aka The Love Police – take their cheerful, Orwellian-inspired brand of anti-establishment satire to the streets of London, spreading their philosophies via megaphone to consumers, passers-by, tourists and – more often that not – mortified and bewildered policemen who don’t quite know how to handle them.

Holding up signs like “Question Everything “ and the sardonic “Everything Is OK”, the merry pranksters offer sarcastic messages about the benefits of capitalism (“don’t worry about the millions of Chinese who are starving because of the system – after all, there’s loads of them!”), question concepts of private property and taunt the ever-present police by describing them as “actors in uniforms” who are increasingly part of a “corporate gang.”

Though their approach is light-hearted, their grassroots activism is serious.

Britain in 2009 is a densely media-saturated country and, increasingly, a nanny-state where CCTV and intense policing have become the norm for reasons that are at best ambiguous.

Danny and Charlie mock the constant invocation of the “terrorism” phrase to justify these increasingly ham-fisted attempts at control, while promoting freedom of speech and general goodwill. As you can see from the videos, the boys give a pretty mean hug too – yep, even to the po-faced boys in blue.

And here – including a level-headed but inspiring monologue (set to horribly sentimental music) from Charlie on the duo’s key messages.

What do you think of this type of activism? Is it effective? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The Political Power Of Words

Jason Leahey — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:43:40 +0000

Photo: lavalen

As words lose their potency in the West, places like war-traumatized Cambodia are still swayed by the power of the pen.

Cambodians love the lightest of Lite Rock pop music.

Celine Dion is huge here, and one morning my neighbor across the alley was blasting her from rattling speakers while washing his car in the white-blue of dawn. I happened to be up early and reading on my front porch a book of Joan Didion’s essays from the Sixties.

She referenced Hieronymus Bosch, the Dutch master of ghastly medieval humanity, twice in sixty pages, and this gave me a new lens through which to understand Khmer musical tastes.

My neighbor, like any Khmer over the age of thirty, almost certainly lived through the Boschian horrors of the Khmer Rouge, the terror that has made Cambodia what it is today.

As Celine gave way to the Carpenters singing every sha-la-la-la; every whoa-oh-oh-oh, I thought of how words, which many in the West fear are losing ground to the pulsing image, remain powerful enough in Cambodia to build a bridge to ruin.

And they’re frequently as banal as those Western nonsense syllables.

Lies and Defamation

Photo: Jason Leahey

If you travel around Cambodia, you’ll pass many, many signs over schools, homes, the red-dirt roads, advertising for the Cambodian People’s Party. Every once in a while you’ll come across a similar ad for the opposing Sam Rainsy Party. These signs are inevitably battered by age, their lettering faded to outlines and the color of soured milk.

The SRP is the only party other than the CPP to have any significant representation in parliament, though its 26 seats are dwarfed by the CPP’s 90. Prime Minister Hun Sen and his CPP are waging a war on the SRP. They’ve marginalized it, now they’re going to eradicate it, la-di-da, the same old song and dance.

A few months ago the editor of a pro-SRP paper printed a speech by Rainsy in which he accused the CPP Foreign Minister of being a former Khmer Rouge cadre.

The editor, Dam Sith, was slapped with a two year prison sentence for the spreading of “disinformation” and “defamation.” A lawyer for two SRP Members of Parliament was given a prison sentence as well because he “made a mistake” in defending the MPs, who were also accused of insulting the CPP.

What makes these cases particularly interesting is their vocabulary.

On Sen’s demand, and as the only possibility of avoiding jail time, Editor Dam wrote a groveling apology. “I am asking for the highest permission of [the party] to forgive me,” he wrote. “I promise to discontinue the publication of my paper. I promise to support the ingenious CPP policy in the building of the country’s progress.”

Dam even joined the CPP because disowning one’s dissent, apparently, is not enough.

Meaning Of Words

This stuff isn’t limited to political enemies. The head of the Khmer Civilization Foundation, an organization charged with protecting and promoting Cambodian culture, worried that the heat from a light show staged nightly in Angkor Wat might damage the temple.

He was slapped with a two-year jail sentence for “disinformation.” The sentence was rescinded when he wrote a formal apology.

When the World Wildlife Federation issued a report citing pollution in the Mekong as a major threat to endangered Irrawaddy river dolphins, the government decried the findings as “all lies” and threatened to kick the organization out of the country.

What interests me is the potency it grants to words in an era where many of us fear the loss of that potency.

Sitting on my porch while the neighbor boomed his music, songs that I find childish and goofy, I reflected: letters of apology hardly seems worthy of any tyrant worth his salt. An editor or lawyer notes offenses committed, is sentenced to jail, and then is freed, so long as he says sorry? It’s like keeping someone in a headlock and nuggy-ing his scalp until he calls himself gay.

And yet Hun is a seasoned despot; he would not insist on apologies and then let it go unless the security of his position obviated the need for the physical purges of his enemies and unless he had something real to gain by the public shaming of them.

The groveling of that editor, the way he was forced to use his own words to embarrass and attack himself, that was language turned to power. Hun could have let the prison sentences stand and doom his critics to a slow purgatory.

Instead, he chose to impose self-incrimination, to force his adversaries to denounce themselves and then claim the denouncing as honorable. The technique is a classic, but what interests me is the potency it grants to words in an era where many of us fear the loss of that potency.

Control Without Violence

Words like apologize and sorry so often feel benign.

How many times have you used or experienced I’m sorry as a verbal place holder in a fight, a meaningless errrrgh that allows you to catch breath before battling on?

Photo: Jason Leahey

The average American takes it for granted that the words publicly uttered by our leaders are just wisps of cloud; we have steadily divested our vocabulary of meaning. But in Cambodia, words like “corruption” and Khmer Rouge cadre are still potent enough to require official distortion and abuse, and rely on the degradation of words like “honor” and “generosity.”

And that brings me back to Hieronymus Bosch and my Celine Dion-loving neighbor. He surely knows that the Foreign Minister and Hun Sen were both Khmer Rouge. This is something everyone knows.

But there is no ripping out of toenails, no systematic rape, no skewering of babies on bayonets these days. Making a newspaper editor beg for forgiveness is not the same as taking him into the jungle and beating his head in, right?

So in the world of relative experience, living under a tyrant is not so bad, eating one’s own words not so abusive. This is the post-Boschian Cambodia, the post-Khmer Rouge world. Things are more civilized than that now.

And that, I suppose, is worth celebrating with the comfort of a soft rock cheese-puff.

What do you think of the political power of words? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Live Long And Prosper: Deconstructing The Happy Planet Index

Shelley Seale — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:00:07 +0000

Photo: smoothmasterflex

The Happy Planet Index ranks the happiest countries in the world – Shelly Seale explores what can we learn from studying their cultures.

The quest for happiness, like that for love, is one of the most common shared human experiences. When we travel, we often consider potential destinations based on historical sites, culture, sightseeing, activities and location.

But what about happiness? Can we learn something from people who live longer and more satisfying lives? Or can our own happiness be increased simply by being around them?

An organization called The Happy Planet Index recently released the first ever index to combine environmental impact with well-being to measure the length and contentment of life in world countries.

Nine of the top ten countries are in Latin America – a finding that might be surprising, until you consider the mindset of Latin American culture and what values are given importance.

The index doesn’t claim that all citizens of its top-rated countries are happier than everyone else, but it does show how nations can produce high well-being without excessive consumption of the Earth’s resources.

The Happy Planet Index combines life expectancy, satisfaction, and ecological footprint to process its ratings – when all three components are good, the country’s overall well-being and happiness is rated high.

Nine of the top ten countries are in Latin America – a finding that might be surprising, until you consider the mindset of Latin American culture and what values are given importance. “Latin Americans report being much less concerned with material issues than, for example, they are with their friends and family,” states the HPI data. “Civil society is very active, from religious groups to workers’ groups to environmental groups.”

The takeaway? Having a close network of family and friends, forming intimate bonds, being social and involved in your community may lead to longer and happier lives that almost any other factor.

Countless research has told us for years that being married and having close friendships – even pets – increases longevity and lowers stress. The Happy Planet findings seem to be one more corroboration of this.

According to the HPI, here’s more insight we can learn by examining the Top 5 countries:

Photo: wagnert.cassimiro

#1 – Costa Rica (Score: 76.1 out of 100)

Costa Ricans report the highest life satisfaction in the world, and enjoy the second-highest average life expectancy of the West (only behind Canada). Costa Ricans live slightly longer than Americans while reporting much higher levels of contentment – all with an environmental footprint less than a quarter the size.

A haven of democracy and peace in turbulent Central America, Costa Rica has taken deliberate steps to reduce its environmental impact; with a footprint of 2.3 global hectares, it just narrowly fails to achieve the goal of “one-planet living”: consuming a fair share of natural resources.

It also has the fifth-lowest human poverty index in the developing world, with clean water and adult literacy almost universal. But Costa Rica’s biggest secret may be found in the country’s motto, pura vida. Literally meaning “pure life,” citizens base their fulfillment on spending time with loved ones, doing what they most enjoy in life, and protecting their beautiful natural resources.

Photo: Ulises Jorge

#2 – Dominican Republic (Score: 71.5)

The Dominican Republic’s condition is similar to many other countries in the region – a medium Human Development Index score, high levels of inequality and dependence on the USA for trade – yet it manages to achieve a life expectancy of over 70 years with a very small footprint.

The country has led the way in environmental conservation in Latin America since the 1970s; 32% of its land is covered by national parks and reserves, the highest proportion in the Americas.

As politics in the Dominican Republic have become more democratic, local NGOs have begun to flourish. Whereas most environmental NGOs in many developing countries tend to be imports from the rich world, here local groups dominate – again demonstrating the idea that when citizens engage in their communities together, they tend to live happier and longer lives.

Photo: Bruno Henrique

#3 – Jamaica (Score: 70.1)

Jamaica’s appearance in the top three of the HPI table comes somewhat as a surprise. It is fair to say that the country has been in some economic trouble for over 30 years, resulting in high levels of inequality and unemployment, and some of the highest homicide rates in the world.

Yet despite these problems, the island is able to maintain some of the best levels of health in the developing world, as indicated by its high average life expectancy. 97% of babies are born with the assistance of skilled health professionals, with only 4% underweight – a figure comparable to richer nations such as Argentina.

Most Jamaicans have access to clean water, unusual in a county with a GDP per capita one-tenth that of the USA. Together with its extremely family-oriented populace and small ecological footprint – approximately 5% of its energy is renewable – is what puts Jamaica towards the top of the HPI table.

Photo: themikeless

#4 – Guatemala (Score: 68.4)

Life expectancy is where Guatemala ranks lowest, with an estimate between 60–75 years. This falls in the middling range, and is what brings the country’s score below Costa Rica.

When it comes to life satisfaction, however, Guatemalans are right there at the top, reporting 7.4 on a scale of 1-10 for being “satisfied with their life.” The nation also comes in under the minimums for one-planet living, consuming resources at a rate of less than one planet’s worth.

Photo: etrendard

#5 – Vietnam (Score: 66.5)

The only Eastern nation to crack the top ten, Vietnam racked up 8.5 in the satisfaction index and has an average life-span of 73.7 years. The country’s ecological footprint only narrowly misses the one-planet goal. Sociologist Andrea Fonseca says that Vietnam’s high happiness rating “has a lot to do with social imagination.”

The bottom ten HPI scores were all suffered by sub-Saharan African countries, with Zimbabwe bottom of the table with an HPI score of 16.6. And how does the United States fare? Below the middle, with a score of 30.7 at 114th place and consuming resources as if we had four planets to live from.

The highest-placed Western nation is the Netherlands at 43rd, and the UK ranks midway down the table at 74th, behind Germany, Italy and France.

Perhaps the European and North American focus on consumerism is actually making us less happy. In fact, while most countries’ scores increased between 1990 and 2005, the three largest countries in the world (China, India and the USA) have all seen their scores drop during that time, suggesting they are indeed less happy now than twenty years ago.

The Happy Planet Index begs us to ask how many resources are we wasting – both as individuals and as a culture – on things that don’t even improve our lives?

If we made a rule of targeting resources only at things that delivered quality of life, we would end up automatically saving the planet – and at least according to the Happy Planet Index, living happier lives as well.

What do you think – any other lessons we can learn from these happy countries? Share in the comments!

Community Connection

Check out Carlo’s 5 Key Ingredients in the Search For Happiness. And for a laugh, read The Hunt For Happiness comic.

5 Things Cities Can Learn From Burning Man

Ian MacKenzie — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:04:59 +0000

Not just a drug-fueled party in the desert, Burning Man has a lot to teach real cities, according to founder Larry Harvey.

Watch a recent Time report on the wisdom of Burning Man:

Here are the 5 things stated in the film:

get rid of cars
encourage self-reliance
rethink commerce
foster virtue (with shame)
encourage art

And perhaps the most important message spoken by Larry Harvey: “What good is this unless it’s about how to live the rest of your life?”

What do you think of the lessons cities can learn from Burning Man? Share in the comments!

Community Connection:

Check out my ode to future friends in Burn Baby Burn: Heading Into The Black Rock Desert. And my post-burn roundup of Burning Man links.

10 Traveler’s Tips For Rocking A Nudist Beach

Ekaterina Petrovna — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:53:03 +0000

Travelers tend to enjoy ultimate freedom on the road, though jumping the psychological hurdle of experiencing nude beaches can remain a challenge.

Painting: iamcootis

Everyone has one opinion or another about nudity in public places.

There are nudist beaches, there are nudist saunas, and there are life-drawing classes, where models pose naked.

My own opinion about public nudity was rather controversial until recently. I come from a family where modesty was a virtue, and was shocked when I moved to the Netherlands and found an open approach to public nudity. (I once saw a naked man in Amsterdam, riding his bike to work).

I felt outraged and insulted.

“Never, never in my life will I be naked in public,” I told myself. However, since then, some things have changed.

I became a nudist. My current boyfriend happens to be a nudist and on our first holiday he introduced me to the joy of being naked on the beach.

And I rather liked it.

Being naked on the beach gives you the feeling of being free and in union with nature. And it is rather natural, considering that humans only started to wear clothes 72,000 years ago. For more than half of our existence we have been nudists.

What I noticed at the nudist beaches is that people come in all shapes and forms, and rarely do they resemble Kate Moss

However, being natural with nature is not that easy nowadays. It is still a controversial issue. Some regard public nudity as exhibitionism. Others say that nudity sets a bad example for the children. In most states of the US, for a woman to be topless can result in a fine.

Woman are paradoxically bombarded by glossy magazines with pictures which depict thin, beautiful and mostly naked women. Even if you would like to be a nudist, you might avoid going to a nudist beach for the reason that your body doesn’t correspond to the beauty standard.

But curiously enough, what I noticed at the nudist beaches is that people there in all shapes and forms, and rarely do they resemble Kate Moss. It can be indeed a liberating experience, especially if you have some confidence issues.

I started my nudist experience when I considered myself slightly overweight, and it helped me to realize that human body is beautiful as it is. And I certainly recommend everyone try it at least once.

Here are some tips, which could come quite handy if you are ready to try it yourself.

Photo courtesy the author

Tip #1 – Lather Up

Don’t forget to put sun cream on those parts of your body about which you might otherwise forget. It’s really not pleasant to get sun burn on some vital parts of your body!

Tip #2 – Watch the bend

Don’t bend over when adjusting your towel or picking something up from the sand (unless you’re Brad Pitt, of course).

Tip #3 – Eyes to yourself

Don’t stare at other naked people!

Tip #4 – Incognito

In case you do want to stare, two best ways to do it is: (a) wearing sunglasses, (b) pretending to read a book (but then, don’t forget to turn the pages!)

Tip #5 – Ditch the camera

Be respectful to other people when you take our your camera to make some pictures of the beach. It really does make all naked people suddenly very nervous.

Tip #6 – Cold water syndrome

If you are a man, be aware that even if you are lucky to possess a giant male organ, it will shrink to tiny proportions when you emerge from the sea. Don’t feel bad about it…

Tip #7 – To shave or not to shave?

This is a difficult question, since enjoying a nudist beach is all about being very natural. However, think twice, as it’s nice to be well groomed.

Tip #8 – Avoid philosophy

Try to avoid deep philosophical conversations with you naked neighbours. It does sound (and look) rather weird, when a naked person talks about Foucault.

Tip #9 – Keep your suit handy

Take your swimming suit with you just in case. For instance, when all other nudists decide to leave the beach and you are the only naked person remaining.

Tip #10 – Top of the morning

What to do in case of erection? Quickly lie face down on the sand, but don’t forget to fill in the imprint when you stand up!

Hopefully, these tips will help you enjoy your next nudist beach with wild abandon, setting your body and your mind free.

Do you have any tips for nudist beaches or settings? Share your tips/stories in the comments!

Indifference Abroad: An Expat’s Battle To Keep Her Compassion

Shannon Dunlap — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:38:36 +0000

Cambodian child / Photo: subliminati

A Cambodian expat faces the daily reality of poverty and suffering – and wonders how it has affected her ability to cultivate sympathy.

This morning, I was making tea, and I read the name on the tea canister—the Thai company Phuc Long—and I didn’t even smirk, didn’t even think about making a joke about it.

And that’s one indication that perhaps I have been living here too long.

Here’s another:

Yesterday, I was walking down the street, and the guy with no arms who sells books out of a box hanging around his neck asked me for some money. I wasn’t carrying my moto helmet under my arm (as I usually do, marking me as an expat rather than a tourist), and he didn’t recognize me at first.

And then he remembered me from around town, and gave a sort of shrug and a not unfriendly smile, as if to say, “Sorry! You’re a regular here. Of course you’re not going to give me anything.”

And then we both sort of chuckled and walked past each other, and it wasn’t until I was about half a block away that I got a sickening chill at my own indifference.

Tea and Indifference

Has living in Cambodia made me less capable of sympathy? Even after close to a year here, it’s hard to know the “right” way to behave in the face of other people’s poverty and trauma. Feel it too much and you’ll be incapacitated; feel it too little and you’ll be some sort of Marie Antoinette (”Let them drink Angkor Beer if they have no potable drinking water!”)

Photo: Jason Leahey

To feel as if you belong here at all, you have to become a little inured to the realities of landmine victims and grubby children, and to act otherwise is to be viewed as a sap by both Khmer and expats.

Once, I went into the local Mexican restaurant and two expat women were sitting with a little Khmer boy for whom they had purchased dinner.

They seemed a little sheepish though, because after they had ordered, they noticed that, unlike most of the kids hanging around Pub Street at night, this guy had new tennis shoes, went to a government school reserved for the solidly middle class, and had a mother who was keeping an eye on him while chatting with her friends across the street.

Of course, there are far worse things than buying a child, any child, a Coke and a quesadilla, but they felt as if they’d been duped, giving help to someone who might not need it the most. It was such a tourist thing to do.

And we roll our eyes at tourists, the people who swoop in for a week or two and throw money at the first problem they see, regardless of whether it will do any lasting good. Then again, at least they’re doing something.

Judging The Other

What am I doing? Has anyone in Cambodia benefited from my writing so far?

And if I’m sometimes less sympathetic than I should be toward Khmer, you should hear my internal monologue about Westerners and their problems. Woe to the person whom I overhear complaining about heat, insects, potential bacteria in the water or uncomfortable bus seats; they will be silently excoriated by me.

Sometimes it is an asset to be able to witness the misfortunes of others and, instead of feeling crushing depression at the state of the world, feel sort of…well, lucky.

Firstly, haven’t they ever opened a guidebook about any Southeast Asian country?

And there’s another level to my reaction, the part of me that has always considered myself sort of a wimp. “If I can handle this,” this part of myself says disdainfully, “then you must be the lowliest of pansies.”

What’s worse, I actually like this tougher side of myself sometimes. It makes me feel hearty and resilient and less likely to feel sorry for myself. It’s not as if I’ve forgotten about the fact that, should I fall into penury tomorrow and die a slow death of starvation, that I still will have lived a more comfortable life than 99% of Cambodian citizens.

But sometimes it is an asset to be able to witness the misfortunes of others and, instead of feeling crushing depression at the state of the world, feel sort of…well, lucky. And yet…

Cultivating Non-attachment

I was talking to my monk friend Savuth about how, in the Buddhist view of things, human love is a kind of suffering, just like hate is. It is hard, having been raised amidst Western ideas, to wrap my head around this.

Photo: Ian MacKenzie

To a Westerner, the Buddhist ideal of “detachment” sounds suspiciously like indifference. But I think what Savuth was speaking about was achieving a philosophical equanimity—you should feel sympathy and pity for wealthy crooks and beggar children alike, because they are both suffering as part of the human condition.

My friend Elizabeth long ago told me something similar in a different way—”Just because root canals exist, doesn’t mean that getting a papercut isn’t painful.”

But isn’t that just like me, to look at a problem cerebrally instead of dealing with the sticky business of how to feel?

The last time I was in New York, I found myself telling a friend about the Big-Headed Baby, the monstrously deformed infant whose mother takes him to all large festivals, where she begs for money, a container for change placed on the corner of his dirty blanket.

Who wouldn’t feel sympathy for the child? But I have a hard time feeling pity for the mother, when she must be aware of the glut of nonprofit organizations in Cambodia who could possibly help her child—it is simply more immediately profitable to parade him around like a circus act.

Even so, my friend looked a little taken aback by my callousness. And maybe he should have been. I cannot conflate my own attitude with Savuth’s universal sympathy—nothing proves this more than my very disparate feelings toward the Big-Headed Baby and his mother.

So where does this leave me? Vainly hoping that I can force myself to feel for both the root canal patient and the papercut victim? Cambodia never provides any easy answers; it only makes it harder to ignore the questions.

Perhaps that means that I have not lived here long enough.

What are your thoughts on compassion versus detachment? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Nectar Of The Gods: The Cultural History Of Chocolate

J. Raimund Pfarrkirchner — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:38:56 +0000

The Aztec Calendar / Photo: Jungle Boy

Once reserved only for Aztec royalty, the origin of chocolate weaves a mysterious (and delicious) web throughout history.

“Black gold,” as chocolate has been called, has a control over a majority of Westerners.

It’s always in the back of one’s mind, or in the front of one’s mind when obtaining some becomes more acute. Everyone has a specific craving, whether it be pure, refined, mixed, primed, or blended, but we all have experiences of one kind or another with the stuff.

I, for one, enjoy my chocolate mixed with nuts or berries, and I’m more partial to dark than milk, but I can’t recall ever refusing chocolate.

Given my enjoyment, I was surprised to learn that chocolate’s current form is far removed from its origins as a drink of the gods, a nectar in the literal sense, of the Aztecs called xoxocatl.

Award-winning professor Michael D. Coe of Yale University writes in his book, The True History of Chocolate that the first tangible evidence of chocolate consumption originates in mid-fifth century CE.

Yet emerging linguistic evidence suggests that the Olmec, a Central American civilization that predates the Aztec and the Maya before them, were not unaccustomed to the plant and its possibility for creating a beverage.

Food of the Gods

The origin of chocolate, according to Aztec legend, states that Quetzalcoatl brought the plant to Earth from heaven, not unlike Promentheus bringing fire to man, after man and woman, in a sacred garden not unlike Eden, attempted to steal the knowledge and power of the gods.

Photo: jubilohaku

Because Quetzalcoatl considered their banishment from the garden too harsh a punishment, he gifted them chocolate.

Carl Linnaeus, founder of the modern classification system of all living things (taxonomy), clearly had this legend in mind when he named the plant Theobroma cacao, meaning ‘food of the gods’.

As is so often the case with something reported to have come from the gods, royalty was interested in its consumption.

Aztec king Montezuma was reported to have drank the beverage from golden goblets that were only holy enough for chocolate to be used once. The fact is opulent enough, but it was reported that for him to drink more than twenty-five glasses per diem was not uncommon.

Aztecs often used cocoa beans as a currency. During a 1514 voyage to the New World Hernando de Oviedo y Valdez, a member of Pedro Arias Dávila massive 1500-men expedition, wrote in his journal claiming that four beans could buy a rabbit dinner, ten was standard price for a night with a prostitute, and he himself bought a slave for the price of one hundred cocoa beans.

Arrival In The West

From the Age of Exploration, chocolate entered into Western culture. While exact etymology is moot, it is clear that Europeans first came into contact with chocolate, or rather the cacao bean, via the Spanish, via the Mexico, via the Aztec, at the dawn of the sixteenth century.

Chocolate was again the drink the of elite, the delight of the plebeians, the bitterest of potables, the most saccharine of sweets, the iconic symbol of Mesoamerica.

In A Tale of Two Cities Dicken’s shows the transitional period of chocolate, between Mesoamerican luxury to the European commoners’ pleasure, when he explains with great detail Monseigneur’s elaborate consumption of chocolate in his Paris hotel room.

In Europe—during the time of the novel, and even before—the price of chocolate was a luxury because it had to be brought across the Atlantic ocean before it could be consumed.

The ceremonial aspect of the drink was, in some convoluted way, preserved when it entered into the Catholic Church. Whilst electing a new Pope, the College of Cardinals meeting in Concalve used to sip the beverage. And European royalty enjoyed the beverage as Aztec royalty had before them.

A New Renaissance

It was not until 1828 when chocolate changed from a sacred drink to a solid bar we know today, through the addition of cocoa butter.

Photo: mynameisharsha

Not only did chemist Coenraad Johannes van Houten of the Netherlands create the process of manufacturing cocoa butter, but he also discovered how to treat chocolate with alkalis to remove the bitter taste that had until that point been characteristic of chocolate.

While the addition of chilli had long since been dropped from the recipes by Europeans, vanilla was often retained, along with milk and sugar, the latter being unavailable to the Aztecs.

Thus, chocolate as we know and love came into existence after several thousand years of being consumed in liquid form with a pungent, bitter taste.

It’s interesting to note that producers of chocolate are experimenting even further, by adding not just sugar and milk but chilli, lavender, mint, and other flavours.

Some producers are even selling it with bitterness intact, giving all who love chocolate something to look forward to: new forms, new uses, new tastes, all continually inspired by its divine origins.

Victims Abroad: How To Regain Your Trust Of Travel

Brittany Vargas — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:00:49 +0000

Holy man / Photo: lylevincent

Negative cultural experiences can sour our joy of people. But it’s these critical moments of uncertainty that determine whether or not we cling rigidly to our perceptions or plunge forward into new territory.

During my recent solo trip to India, I found myself thinking about the darker side of traveling – the sense of distrust, alienation, and confusion that can result from negative or disturbing experiences with another culture or traveler.

These thoughts came to me as I walked along the ghats in Varanasi. I’d been in India for less than 48 hours. Already I was joyfully immersed, but I’d also never felt so unsure of who to trust.

It wasn’t long before a male Sadhu (holy man) accosted me and made grotesque sexual advances. Without realizing it, I’d decided Sadhus were not to be trusted.

Later, a female Sadhu with an unflinching stare and a wide smile walked with me along the ghats. I grew uneasy in her presence and turned down an invitation (made with hand gestures) to go to her temple. At the last minute, I changed my mind. I ended up participating in a puja (worship), which now stands out amongst my most interesting experiences in Varanasi.

I realized that my fears had been unfounded – she’d had good intentions. But how was I to know how to distinguish between the false and the friendly?

The Threat Of Uncertainty

When frequent and intense interactions with strangers are combined with a lack of stable social support, our sense of safety can be challenged. The exhilaration of endless possibility can morph into threatening uncertainty.

Our species is a social one, and thus we are forced to learn and re-learn about social trust and safety in our everyday lives.

Of course these challenges aren’t always related to travel. Our species is a social one, and thus we are forced to learn and re-learn about social trust and safety in our everyday lives. For these critical moments of uncertainty can determine whether or not we withdraw and cling rigidly to our perceptions or plunge forward into new territory despite our fears.

In the development of these skills, travel presents particularly difficult challenges – but the rewards can be vast.

What exactly tries our sense of trust and openness while we’re traveling? First, being in a new culture forces us to work harder to establish an initial sense of trust with local people.

Unable to understand cultural nuances, we must rely on facial expressions and body language, and recall abstract information we’ve absorbed from a book or a person. Local con-artists are quick to exploit this with false smiles which can fool even the most experienced travelers.

The Shock Of Deceit

Whatever the case, negative experiences can drain a person of their energy and enthusiasm for a place or culture. We may become bitter, withdraw, and experience feelings of anger and disappointment.

Begging woman / Photo: gregor_y

No matter how many people tell you beforehand to watch out for the tuk-tuk drivers in Bangkok or warn you of the false friendliness of the store owners in Varanasi, many of us have found ourselves in precisely the situations we were warned of.

We are duped, and if we imagine it happening again and again, this tends to fuel our feelings.

In the midst of navigating through strange physical and cultural territory, we often turn to other travelers or expats for relief.

One of the great joys of traveling is the opportunity to meet and share experiences with people from all over the world. Conversations flourish as we meet other excited travelers, opening ourselves up in ways that we might never do at home.

I’ve had unforgettable conversations and intense adventures with people I hardly knew, simply because of the open heart and spirit of adventure that so many travelers have.

But what happens when things go wrong? When you open up to someone who turns out to have ulterior motives, is dishonest or disrespectful? The sense of community, bonding, and intimacy is jeopardized. Feeling naive, we begin to question our ability to sense other people’s motivations.

A Woman’s Challenge

Women are bound to encounter more difficulty in establishing straightforward relationships with both locals and expats.

In India, I found that it just was not possible to be “friends” with an Indian man – even saying hello and making eye contact was seen as an invitation for sexual attention. In other places, such as South America, it can be outright dangerous to make eye contact, let alone speak with a man.

As female guests in certain cultures, we are aware that any interaction with a local man may lead to a negative experience.

In some ways, this makes interactions simpler, but it also belies a sadness. As female guests in certain cultures, we are aware that any interaction with a local man may lead to a negative experience. Our only option, then, is to ignore them.

I’ve seen and heard of women who do meet the exceptions. I wonder what barriers these women came up against in establishing that rapport.

For much of my time spent in Varanasi, I felt quite raw – I’d had some negative experiences with locals, and had found that a new male expat friend was not someone to be trusted or respected.

I often had to withdraw and rest – I found that my continuous suspicion of people, my feelings of powerlessness and insecurity, were draining. Yet I kept on going – I continued to meet new people, reminded myself to keep an open heart, and reconciled myself with the culture and other travelers.

The Payoff

I won’t lie and say that this was easy. But it was worth it.

Looking back on my time spent in Varanasi, I realize how much I learned about myself and about our species. As humans, we take risks every day when we open ourselves up to other people. Unfortunately, many people who are willing to take advantage of that, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Our greatest task is to learn how we relate to others, why we relate to them in a certain way, and how our ways of relating affect not only ourselves and our intimates, but the entire world.

What do you think of the challenges of trust abroad? Share your thoughts in the comments!

‘Moral Blindness’: Do Liberals Look Down On Religious Tradition?

Christine Garvin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:57:41 +0000

Liberals or leftists, we might just end up being secular bigots.

Photo: nyki_m

In the West, are we living in a state of “moral blindness”?

Reading Gilad Atzmon’s recent article on Counter Punch makes me think it’s possible.

Atzmon tackles the idea of two distinct ideologies competing for our beliefs: “liberal” vs. “leftist.”

The first praises individual liberty, while the latter believes in a social science that delineates ‘progressives’ from ‘reactionaries.’

What’s the problem with either of these distinctions? Well, according to Atzmon:

For some reason ‘we’ (the Westerners) tend to believe that ‘our’ technological superiority together with our beloved ‘enlightenment’ equips us with a ‘rational secularist anthropocentric, absolutist ethical system’ of the very highest moral stand.

He continues that westerners tend to think of “secularism is the answer for the world’s ailments,” but in reality, “this very division led also to the rise of some blunt forms of fundamental-secularism that matured into crude anti-religious worldviews that are no different from bigotry.”

In more common language, I take Atzmon’s commentary to imply that our “progressive” western worldview leads us to believe that ‘modern/evolved-is-right,’ and many religious traditions are just ‘backward.’

I take Atzmon’s commentary to imply that our “progressive” western worldview leads us to believe that ‘modern/evolved-is-right.’

Many of us travelers tend to think ourselves open-minded and progressive, yet still look down on people and areas that in our eyes, are not just.

Examples that come to mind include the continued debate around banning burqas in parts of Europe, being appalled over yoga being questioned by Muslim clerics, and however strongly we debate either side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

These situations seem to be inequality-in-action to our eyes. But for the religious cultures they are a part of, our reactions and discussions may just be showing our beliefs of “supremacy” over their way of life.

Do you think that leftists and liberals are after justice-for-all, or simply think they are better than deeply religious people? Share your thoughts below.

White Man, Asian Girl: Who Decides The Nature Of Love?

Gizmo Joensen — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:48:28 +0000

A common sight on the streets of cities like Bangkok and Pataya is portrayed from the eyes of the girl.

Shy / Photo: a hundred visions

When cruising the streets of any hectic Asian city you will see them. You will judge them. You will either respect them and it or you will not.

You might see them walk hand in hand. Maybe he will have an arm around her. Maybe she will cling to him as if there’s no day tomorrow. You will see her dedication to him. And maybe you will see how much he enjoys the attention of a young feisty girl.

It’s all about the love between two people. A young Asian girl and an old grey man that has seen better days.

Can you call this love?

It all depends on the definition of the word “love”. There are many different levels of love and many ways of feeling this “love.”

More or less any poor Asian girl knows that if she lands a Westerner it means security. She needs it and she wants it. Her family is dependent on it and they know if there’s no cash on the table there’s no food in the belly.

Another Perspective

Through her eyes: picture a family of eight and where the youngest sister recently returned home with a new born baby, all living in a one room shed. A hole in the floor functions as a toilet and a bucket provides a cold shower. The kitchen is the fire they start outside their wooden entrance and only door.

You get desperate. You need money. You need security and you do not care how. Desperation for survival eats its way inside you.

Seeing the elderly Westerners who you know are looking for a good time, you start getting ready. Throw on your nicest piece of clothing and whatever make-up you are lucky enough to have and out you go. The bars, the streets, the restaurants even the corner of any highway.

When people look at you, they know. They think their thoughts about you and you feel humiliated, cheap and scared. But what you are most scared of is not being able to feed your sister’s baby and your family.

A man comes up to you and starts a conversation. You feel insecure about what to say. You want to say the right thing. You want him to like you, to take you in, to fall in love with you. To save you.

The Dream

It happens, the greatest thing you ever dreamt of happens. You pinch yourself making sure it’s real, that in this moment, in this time, in this place. It’s real!

Looking back / Photo: i see you

He feeds you, takes you to nice up beat restaurants, you hold his hand. You sleep with him and he treats you well. He’s a good man. An old man but a sincere man. You get to know more about him and him about you. He tells you he’s lonely and lives in a cold country on the other side of the world.

You cling to him; you feel “love” for him. You tell him you “love” him and after a while he says “okay.”

Your family starts to eat better; the baby is safe and healthy. He gives you money twice a month to help you and your family lead a better life.

Then he’s gone, back to his home country and your whole world falls apart. What now? The desperation you felt before meeting this wonder of a man starts burning inside of you again.

Then he calls: “Let’s go open a bank account and I will transfer the money to you while being home”. You feel relieved. You feel calm and most grateful to this God of a man.

A Reason To Live

Is this love? The answer would be yes and no.

She loves him of the fact that he helps her. We, the ones born and raised in a country where hunger is not an issue; far away from the world of poverty. We don’t see things the same way.

What we care about is having the right car, the cool shoes, the modern brands, the fashionable clothes, and the only desperation you feel is being cool enough join the community of the ridiculous materialistic world you live in.

He loves her too. She gives him a reason to live, even at home. He calls her, tells her what he’s been doing and how his side of the world treats him. They share stories, thoughts, smiles, and maybe even secrets.

They do have a relationship; they are together as a couple. Their exist in a world of their own.

What would you think if your father began dating this girl?

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!

6 Wacky Creation Myths Around The World

Christine Garvin — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:09:12 +0000

Think the guy in the sky going on a six day creation-binge or evolving from monkeys are a bit far-fetched? You ain’t seen nothing yet.

Most of us know of two creation myths, or ideas if you will.

In fact, the Big Bang theory and Intelligent Design have been hotly debated in the comments just this week in the BNT article Bizarre Christian Billboard Compares Atheism To Murder?

I thought it best to take it to the next level and break out some of the other, even more “unique” creation myths (yes, there are many more than two) so that the fighting, ahem, gentle discussion of the issue could continue.

So gather around children. Here, in no particular order, are six other ideas of how we all made onto this vast expanse we call Earth (well, some of us call it that anyway).

Hindu Creation Myth: It’s Like Buttah.

The other Hindu Creator, Brahma

Rig Veda, the earliest Vedic text, says it all begin with a big, ole’ monster. Or just a “gigantic being.” Purusha was his name, and he possessed a thousand heads, eyes and feet and enveloped the Earth.

The Gods decided it was time to etgay idray ofway Urushapay, so they sacrificed him. What was left? Clarified butter, but of course.

But this buttah did more than simply be finger licking good; it created the birds and animals. All those crazy body parts became the world’s elements, along with the Hindu Gods Agni, Vayu, and Indra.

Priests, warriors, the “regular” peeps, and servants, i.e. the caste system, also came from his body (so he was classist, I take it?)

Then they decided to go and change the story and make it about Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer. Vishnu sleeps; Brahma appears in a lotus sprouting from his navel. Once done sprouting, Brahma creates the universe, but only for one of his days…which is 4.32 billion of our years.

Then Shiva’s gotta come in and do her thing, destroying the universe, all so that the universe can begin again. (I think we’re only a bit into a new cycle, so we’re all good.)

Native-American Creation Myth: Dream A Little Dream.

Indian creation mural / Source

Not sure if you can get trippier than the Makiritare myth. It begins with: “The woman and the man dreamed that God was dreaming them.”

The rest involves God singing and shaking his maracas, smoking some tobacco, being happy, but trembling with doubt. The woman and the man, on the other hand, dream that a huge, shining egg appears in God’s dream (still following?), one in which they are singing and dancing and basically causing a ruckus (hey, they were ready to be born, already).

They sang:

I break this egg and the woman is born and the man is born. And together they will live and die. But they will be born again. The will be born and will die again and once more will be born. And they shall never cease to be born, because death is a lie.

I’m guessing they’re a reincarnation bunch.

Chinese Creation Myth: Yet Another Egg?

Pan Gu! Pan Gu!

Heaven and Earth were together at the beginning of time, according to this myth. They were hanging out in a cloud that was, you guessed it, egg shaped.

But chaos was the name of the game for the universe at that time, and a giant named Pan Gu grew in the middle of it. Only took him 18,000 years of sleeping and developing in the egg until one day, he awoke and stretched. Boom, there went the egg.

The lighter egg goo, or elements if you want a nicer word, became the sky and heaven, and the heavier, yolkey- stuff became Earth. Pan Gu was a bit tense that the two might combine again, so he decided to do his part and hold the heavens on his head and the Earth underneath his feet.

Then he continued to grow for a whole other 18,000 years, until finally he felt satisfied when the two were a good 30,000 miles apart. Soon after, he died.

From his death, the Earth was bequeathed some new stuff – his arms and legs became the directions NSEW and the mountains; his blood the rivers; his sweat, the rain and dew. His voice was now thunder, and his minty-free breath, the wind. All elements of land and water came from his body, with his left eye becoming the sun, and his right eye, the moon.

Pretty cool guy, huh?

Scientology Creation Myth: Set Your Thetan Free!

Good times in the streets / Source

Oh, those crazy Scientologists. They sure do get a bad rap, don’t they, what with the Wiki refusing to let their members update their own information and Germany’s attempt to ban the religion.

But have you ever wondered what they believe about the creation of the universe?

According to an undercover article in The Independent, Hubbard stated around 1940 that “writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.”

Their equivalent to a soul is called a “thetan,” but beyond that is actually a “disembodied soul of alien beings that existed 75 million years ago.” Stay with me here. Especially if you are into Sci-Fi.

Xenu, an intergalactic ruler, was about to be removed from power, and he wasn’t having any of it. Instead, he got rid of the population that was planning to take him out by paralyzing and taking them to Earth (good old Teegeeack at the time). There, he loaded them into volcanoes, destroying them with hydrogen bombs.

Bodies gone, he gathered the thetans – remember, those are the souls – and implanted misleading data, such as all religions, into their memories.

The thetans began to cluster together and inhabit bodies of aliens that survived the blast (how they survived a hydrogen bomb, one can only guess). Voila! You have the predecessors to modern humans, and these thetans continue to move from body to body and life to life accumulating more misleading data along the way.

Only with “auditing” can you remove this data, and set your thetan free!

Japanese Creation Myth: I Shit You Not.

Watch out! It’s Izanagi and his spear

I really can’t say it any better, so I’m just going to let Cezary Jan Strusiewicz over at Cracked.com tell this Japanese creation myth. Hold on to your seats (and lunch):

What country has the honor to say that part of their homeland is basically godly spunk? Well, Japan does. The story of Japan’s creation is the god Izanagi pushed his “jewel encrusted spear” into “the primal ooze of our planet” and, when pulling out, “spilled a salty substance” that created the Japanese island of Onogoro. If you can’t spot the innuendo there, don’t worry, it only gets less subtle from here.

The story goes that when Izanagi finally decided to stop metaphorically “raping” the underage Earth below, he took his soon-to-be wife Izanami and descended on the huge island of dried ejaculate where they married and settled. After having sex on Spunk Island the woman gave birth to eight more Japanese islands.

Izanami continued to get pregnant and squeezed out more babies into the world. One of them was Homusubi (Kagututi), the incarnation of fire. A literal fireball. Learning first hand that fire is hot, Izanami suffered the worst burning sensation down there… and basically everywhere.

Being horribly burned from the inside she suffered agony for a couple of days, losing complete control of her bodily functions (what kind of gods are they?), vomiting, urinating and shitting uncontrollably. Her dying spasms of bodily functions gave birth to new gods, a pair for each substance that flew out of her body:

The Vomit Gods: Kanayamahiko, Kanayamahime
The Urine Gods: Mitsuha no me, Wakumusubi
The Feces Gods: Haniyasuhiko, Haniyasuhime

And there you go.

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster Creation Myth: Largest Balls Ever.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster

Without a doubt, this is my favorite creation myth (apologies to the Japanese). This religion “came to light” in 2005 while the Kansas School Board was debating whether or not to teach Intelligent Design in the schools.

In a letter to the Board, Bobby Henderson makes the point that there is not necessarily only one theory of Intelligent Design, that in fact many people throughout the world believe the universe was created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Henderson states, “It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.”

Their manifesto:

With millions, if not thousands, of devout worshippers, the Church of the FSM is widely considered a legitimate religion, even by its opponents – mostly fundamentalist Christians, who have accepted that our God has larger balls than theirs.

Now that’s a creation myth I can get behind.

What are some other crazy creation myths? Share your myths below!

Love Hurts: 8 Of The World’s Greatest Sex Scandals

Christine Garvin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:03:28 +0000

Sex scandals have rocked society since the pyramids. Christine Garvin outlines 8 of the most scandalous over the last few millenia.

He’s thinking about sex in the 1800’s / Photo

I had to chuckle when I came across a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle that named the top 10 sex scandals in the history of the city.

San Fran, itself birthed from all of the scandal-prone bandits who found their way West, has had some doozies.

As the Chronicle reported:

San Francisco was one wild town in the mid-1800s when it lurched into prominence as a Gold Rush creation of loose pistols, loose wallets and loose women. Brothels proliferated and illegal homosexuality was winked at. Sex wasn’t so much a hush-hush Victorian taboo as it was an open way of life.

But, alas, things have changed a bit, and now the city houses a class of people that have a few reasons to blush.

Relatively recent ones include the “the cable car nymphomaniac” who knocked her head while riding one of the street cars, which unleashed a sexual deviant. She sued the transit system 5 years later, proclaiming the accident had caused her to take over 100 lovers because of her now insatiable need for lovin’.

And of course, the city’s current Mayor had an affair with his appointments secretary. Probably wouldn’t have been that big a deal, but she was the wife of his best friend and campaign manager. Oops. And yeah, he was still re-elected, though with a different campaign manager, I assume.

I decided there are probably even more scandalous scandals out in the rest of the world over the past few 1000 or so years, and it was up to me to research this hard-to-handle subject area.

And boy, were there. Here’s a list of eight ones that stuck out above the others for one reason or another.

1. Queen Hottie

Cleopatra

Cleopatra. She rocked it, first with Julius Caeser and then Mark Antony, causing both of their downfalls. Hot mama? Go figure.

2. Lost Heads

Henry VIII. Has anyone had more movies made and books written about him (well, at least the Tudors)? He became bored with a wife, or needed a new one for political purposes, and well, you know what happened (to be fair, only two were beheaded). Not sure I personally would have stepped up to the plate, say after number two…

3. Horsing Around

Catherine the Great. Yeah, you’ve heard the death rumors, maybe even in your 7th grade World History class. A woman with a penchant for horses between her legs (I’m just talking about her love for riding horses astride), along with a healthy sexual appetite. Did it lead to her death?

This one is a rumor that according to Robert Wilde came about because “her voracious sexual appetite – while modest by modern standards – meant that the rumours [of her death] had to be even wilder.”

4. Brotherly Love

JFK – gets migraines without sex.

JFK. Not sure where to begin with him, so I’ll just focus on the whole pass-Marilyn-off-to-my-brother-when-I’m-done situation.

Well, that about does it.

Ok, here’s a bit more: in a short written history of the President, the author noted Kennedy once told a friend “you know, I get a migraine headache if I don’t get a strange piece of ass every day” (though one book claims it was Jack who had the problems in bed).

For a longer list of political scandals, check out Forbes’ A World Of Sex Scandals or Time’s Top 10 Political Sex Scandals.

5. Slick Willy

Bill Clinton. Sorry, had to do it. Although the ridiculousness of the focus on this one (”I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman”) made the US the laughing stock of the world, who didn’t (other than Hillary) wish we could go back to the days of Monica and the impeachment during Bush’s tour de force?

It’s been said many times before and I’ll say it again: When Clinton lied, nobody died. Well, at least no one who was a part of the sex scandal.

6. Slicker Willie

Willlie Knuckles. Haven’t heard of him? Well, he was the Chief of Staff in Liberia until February 2007…until photographs of him fully nude with two women other than his wife surfaced in the papers. He served under President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a longtime campaigner for women’s rights.

Although his behavior was not deemed “illegal,” the whole wife-and-kids package made it just a bit, well, immoral.

7. Teeny Bopper

Edison Chen, playboy no more?

This list has to include some scandalous movie stars, considering the industry and scandal are one-in-the-same.

Edison Chen. Hong Kong’s movie star (he was in the award winning The Grudge 2, apparently) Chen liked to use his status to have some sexy time with the (younger) ladies. This included Gillian Chung, a teeny-bop pop star who’s been in ads for Disneyland; Cecilia Cheung and Bobo Chan, two other actresses; and several other lesser stars, with some regular girls thrown in for good measure.

Though it might have been a light affair in say, the UK, when pictures of Chen and his lady friends hit the newspapers in Hong Kong in 2008, the country was in an uproar. Check out some “edited” pictures of the obviously virile Chen at Gawker.com.

8. Amateur Filmmaker

Hayden Kho. A cosmetic surgeon in the Philippines recently rocked the devoutly Catholic country to its core.

Seems he enjoyed going beyond the friendly doctor-patient relationship into the steamy arena of sexual home-movie land. With young actresses. Four of them.

While in the US, these types of videos would guarantee unfounded fame and money been thrown at you for the next ten years for party appearances (ok, sorry, I had to reference Paris. I just HAD to), in the Philippines, it pretty much means these actresses’ lives are over.

Now they’re straight to DVD, as hawkers sell the videos on street corners of Manila.

When it comes to sex, it seems we never learn.

What other sex scandals should make the list? Share your thoughts below.

And They Stoned Me: The Joy Of Cycling Ethiopia

Debra Corbeil — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:16:34 +0000

A group of kids, Ethiopia / Photo Dave Bouskill

Meeting children on the road is one of the joys of travel… unless they have an unusually painful way of showing their affection.

“You, You, You, give me money, give me money.”

After cycling through the East African Nation of Ethiopia, these phrases will forever be ingrained in my brain.

Brought to the Worlds attention through Live Aid in the 1980’s, Ethiopia is largely remembered in the West for its drought and famine.

There is no way to prepare for the thousands of children that will use you for target practice as you make your way down the country.

Today it is a lush and vibrant country filled with lakes, jungles and mountainous vistas cutting through the Rift Valley. The Nile runs south to its source at Lake Tana and it houses the incredibly beautiful Blue Nile Gorge.

It is exactly these features that make it one of the most difficult countries in Africa to cycle through.

The roads are rocky and sometimes non-existent, the mountain climbs are treacherous and the extreme heat and altitude can take its toll on anyone. It is a serious challenge, but with enough training and preparation, one can handle the elements.

There is no way however, to prepare for the thousands of children that will use you for target practice as you make your way down the country.

Terms of Endearment

Biking hard, avoiding rocks / Photo Dave Bouskill

Throughout my 23 days in Ethiopia, I was whipped with a bullwhip, slashed at with a machete, had gravel thrown in my face, and rocks of various sizes hurled at me from all directions.

Maybe it was a term of endearment. Maybe it was their way of saying I like you… the way a little boy pulls a girl’s hair to show he has a crush on her.

Whatever it was, there was no escaping their wrath, no reasoning with the little boys who were up to no good – and no way of knowing when the next pack was going to strike.

But how can you blame them – they must have thought we were nuts. In Ethiopia, bikes are ridden for necessity and work. It gets them from point A to point B.

“Why are these crazy foreigners torturing themselves riding through unbearable heat and climbing insane mountains dressed in their silly spandex and bike helmets?”

I had to admire the kids’ talent and perfect aim. They could make a rock zip through the air with great distance and precision. Forget going to the Dominican Republic or Japan. Major League Baseball scouts need to go to Ethiopia for their next draft season.

There is a star pitcher in every village we passed through.

Craving Relief

Ethiopia’s mountains can reach over 4000 meters in altitude. For hours on end, I struggled at a mere 6km per hour up steep inclines.

The dreaded staff / Photo Dave Bouskill

Children would run beside me, never seeming to tire. I was frustrated, but even more embarrassed. Here I was on a high tech machine and these kids could run backwards faster than I could turn my pedals.

I craved silence to wallow alone in my misery, but instead the group of children yelled their infamous chant. “You, you, you, give me money, give me money.” They grabbed at my pack, pulled on my wheel and tried to hop on for a ride.

They slapped my butt numerous times before I realized it was their way of figuring out the material of my cycling shorts.

Even finishing a climb couldn’t bring relief.

In Ethiopia, the descents are more punishing than the climb itself. The rough roads would shake my body like a jackhammer… and always, I had to be on guard for more children.

It seemed that every child carried a staff to control their herds of cattle. They didn’t hesitate to try to stick their weapon of choice through the spokes of my tires.

Little girls would jump out in front of me as I careened in at top speed, forcing me to swerve wildly to avoid a collision. They didn’t understand the danger that they were putting themselves in. They would just laugh and run away.

Friendship In Many Forms

With great relief I made it to the Kenyan border in one piece. I can’t say that I will miss cycling in Ethiopia, but I would like to go back and travel it by local transport and stay in the villages.

I would stop and take the time to get to know the people better. Racing through on a bicycle didn’t give me a chance to really connect with anyone. I was too busy trying to make it to camp before the sun went down.

I never did figure out why the children would throw rocks at us.

Maybe they wanted us to stop and say hello…or maybe they were just bored. Maybe they wanted to be a part of what we were doing.

I just wish their friendship wasn’t so painful.

Have you had painful, or unsusual, experiences with local children? Share your stories in the comments!

Romanian Teen To Pay Half Of Her Virginity-Auctioned Earnings To Gov

Christine Garvin — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:00:59 +0000

Teen now faces more than just the moral issue of auctioning off her virginity to pay for school.

Photo: The Tech Herald

From the, “Wow, this whole thing is really sad” file:

For those who don’t know, Alina Percea, a Romanian teenage girl living in Germany, recently auctioned off her virginity to an Italian businessman for 8,800 pounds.

Her reasoning was to pay for school.

What smacks of a horrible Hollywood movie plot has gone beyond a moral issue to one of economics: the German government is demanding she pay taxes on her earned income. And that could mean over half of her earnings will be taken by the government.

According to a German official:

It is not a moral standpoint but a fiscal one. Prostitution is not an illegal act in Germany, but not paying tax on earned money is.

Apparently, after the tryst, the 18-year-old discussed how she got along well with the 45-year-old businessman, having “unprotected sex at a luxury Venetian hotel.” Not exactly the poster child for safe-sex; shocking, I know.

Previously, we’ve covered when to draw the line when defending cultural norms, but this feels like it’s gone too far.

It gets worse: Alina had also gone through two medical examinations to prove her virginity. What year are we living in exactly?

Wonder if she still is so keen on him now that she has to part with that much of the money. Kinda makes you wonder if it’s worth it.

What do you think – was the government right to tax her virgin-earnings? Or should they have stopped the transaction in the first place? Share your thoughts below.

Holy Undercurrent: How Religion Shapes Cultures Worldwide

J. Raimund Pfarrkirchner — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:20:43 +0000

A boy in Nepal / Photo: nromagna

It’s tempting to see exotic cultures as overtly religious. But as the author reveals, Western culture is also rife with religious influence.

Nepal has always seemed exotic for many travelers — not only for its litany of climates, which range from sea level jungles to the ice-caped apexes of the world called the Himalaya.

Despite the bevy of diversity amongst flora and fauna, its culture too has held sway over the imaginations of travelers from around the world.

I was fortunate enough to have had a teaching post in its capital Kathmandu. The duties were minimal and I was able to feed a few sportive passions like trekking and climbing, as well as a few more cerebral ones, including the odd bit of volunteer work and some personally relevant cultural research.

As an atheist with avid interest in religion I was keen to explore the culture that (for me) was tantamount to zealous and devout observance of Hinduism and Buddhism.

My first shock when I realized Sundays are normal work and school days in Nepal; a fact that started me thinking not so much about the role religion played in conditioning the Nepalese and Nepali societies, but rather, the role of religion on a global level.

God Bless You

NYC crowd / Photo: cwbuecheler

In the West, whence secularism arose, we are tempted to conclude that we live in a place devoid of religious dominance.

Of course, most people cognisant of history will acknowledge that bank holidays such as Christmas, Good Friday, or Easter Monday come directly from Christianity. Aside from these obvious examples, the prevalence of religion, and not only Christian, is woven throughout the experience of Westerners.

“God bless you,” one might say after sneezing, a statement with overtly religious origins. The phrase is thought to have originated during the reign of Pope Gregory I (aka Gregory the Great or Gregory the Dialogist) when sneezing was considered a sign of having plague. Blessing one another, as per the recommendation of Gregory I, was meant to provide alleviation.

In Law and Loss

In modern law, the phrase Acts of God can be readily found. What was once intended likely for reverence – now the mentioned ‘God’ is no longer inherent, yet the phrase remains intact, exemplifying the role of religion in even secular societies.

Perhaps the most prevalent of places to find religious connotation is in exclamations people employ whilst expressing themselves in a heightened emotion state.

Perhaps the most prevalent of places to find religious connotation in daily life is in the bevy of exclamations people employ whilst expressing themselves on matters of relief, stupefaction, indignation, anger, and any other heightened emotion state.

“For heaven’s sake”, “Devil take the hindmost”, and “Thank God” might be heard on any given day, and all have religious suggestions even if the users are non-believers.

Tthe phrase “by Jove” conjures the head of the Roman pantheon by name directly, Jove, sometimes known as Jupiter, or in Greek, Zeus.

Eat, Pray, Eat

Hot (Jesus) Cross Buns / Photo: tico24

Many people also indirectly observe religion by way of eating. Or maybe it is more apt to say that what many people put—and do not put—into their mouths is dictated or at least influenced by religious observance.

Taboo foodstuffs are the easiest to consider, such as pork in Islam, which is forbidden a la Mohammed (owing to how quickly the meat spoils in the warm climate in which Islam was first founded). The sacred status of cattle in Hinduism that lead to the prohibition of beef amongst Hindus is another well-known example of the interplay between food and belief.

Vegetarianism on religious grounds is certainly not limited to Hinduism. During the Christian time of Lent, red meat is forbidden. This excludes beaver, which was declared a fish in the 17th century by the Catholic Church and is therefore not taboo throughout Lent.

In many English-speaking cultures, one of the ways in which the end of Lent is celebrated is with the pastry hot-crossed buns.

These sweet breads are decorated with a cross, commensurate to the Christian religion and evocative of resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is also evidence suggesting these specific breads having been part of an early Anglo-Saxon tradition celebrating spring.

Regardless of one’s own beliefs, country of origin, and country of residence — whether Nepal and India, or Europe and North America — the fortitude of religion has been secured through celebration, custom, food, and even colloquialism.

What examples of of religion influencing culture have you noticed in your travels? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Interview: Stephanie Elizondo Griest On Traveling To Your Motherland

Valerie Ng — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:14:20 +0000

A Navajo Girl in the Mexican desert / Photo: Wolfgang Staudt

Author and traveler Stephanie Elizondo Griest struggled with her cultural identity. Upon turning thirty, she ventured to her mother’s native Mexico to search for her roots.

Stephanie Elizondo Griest aptly describes herself as a “globe-trotting nomad,” having traveled through more than 30 countries and 47 of the United States.

Her extensive travels have included stints hanging with the Russian Mafiya in Moscow and editing the English language propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.

Until recently, Griest was unfamiliar with the language, country, and culture of her ancesters, Mexico.

She documented her experience moving to Mexico to study Spanish and explore the country she had long overlooked in her book Mexican Enough: My Life between the Borderlines and speaks with Valerie Ng about the importance of motherland travel.

BNT: You concluded your first book, “Around the Bloc,” by mentioning that you had neglected to learn Spanish and acquaint yourself with Mexico, the country of your ancestors, despite having made your way through so many other countries around the world. Was “Mexican Enough” a continuation of that book?

Stephanie Elizondo Griest

SEG: Absolutely, it was very much a continuation. It was like a prequel, and it would be good to read “Around the Bloc” before “Mexican Enough,” as I took the long road (to the motherland).

By going to those other places I realized how much I wanted to go to Mexico.

I had met so many incredible individuals in Russia and China who had made sacrifices for their culture, like risking imprisonment for printing newspapers in their native languages, and even met some people whose parents had been sent to the gulag.

I also realized that some of the things that had happened in the Soviet Union had happened here (in the United States). South Texas used to be a part of Mexico not so long ago, and my mom, aunts, and uncles suffered discrimination for speaking Spanish.

By being there it was easy to look at another nation’s policies and think that what they did could only happen in a faraway place, and then you look at the policies of your own nation, and realize that some of those things happened in the U.S., and that was a big eye-opening experience for me.

It took a few years for me to work up the courage to get to Mexico, which began in 2005.

You were born and raised a biracial, third-generation Mexican American in South Texas. Were you exposed to much Mexican or Spanish-speaking culture while you were growing up?

I grew up close to the border (in Corpus Christi), and I remember eating tortillas at the huge gatherings that my family had. But I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish.

I think this is changing today, but when my generation was growing up in the 80s in Texas, which is a really big, really proud state, Mexico was considered the enemy in my Texas history class.

We were taught that the Mexicans had to get out of the land so that the explorers could take over, to carry out their Manifest Destiny as true blue patriots. But the Mexicans wanted to take over the colony that was their country to begin with, and our history class portrayed the opposite of that.

Destinations

Community Connection to Mexico

If I hadn’t gone to college, taken Chicano politics classes, and read Howard Zinn, I would never have known the real story of the Alamo and Davy Crockett.

That inspired me to join an organization called The Odyssey from 2000 to 2001, a diverse group of people that spent a year traveling around the United States covering U.S. history that’s generally left untold.

We followed Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States,” and had an audience of 500,000 students all over the world that read along.

We wrote about history from the perspectives that are generally not taught in the classroom, which I did not grow up learning, and we were able to reach students who might not see those perspectives of history.

What were your experiences traveling in Mexico with your family? Did you appreciate those early visits and did they make you want to see more of the country?

When I was little we would travel to border towns. I had never seen poverty until I saw it in Mexico, and I would hand out money to everyone I could. But bordertowns are not really Mexico.

If you ask Mexicans, they will say they are too American, and Americans will think they are too Mexican. Plus, violence is a problem there, but it is U.S. and Mexican policies that make the border so dangerous.

The border is very fascinating from an anthropological perspective, with coyotes, drug tracking, and prostitution, but it’s also scary.

But Mexico is a very rich country. 10% of Mexico’s population is indigenous, and within that 60 distinct ethnic groups, with some being the modern day counterparts of the Mayans, some are Aztecs, some are Zapotecs, and all have their own dialects, languages, customs, and religious practices, that are incredibly distinct from each other.

I have now traveled to over 30 countries, and Mexico is hands-down my favorite.

What was the final impetus that led you to quit your job and move to Mexico, or was it a long-term goal you had had? How did you know it was the right time to go?

It was a long-term goal I had thought about doing since 2000, but first I had to publish Around the Bloc, which took a few years, and then I did a massive book tour.

I am also a big believer in signs, and that you have to be receptive to them.

A huge number of places I was invited to speak were for Latino cultural groups, where people came up to me and started speaking Spanish, and I couldn’t respond.

Also, I was approaching my 30th birthday and I was talking about things I did when I was 21, and I didn’t want to be known only for things I did when I was 21.

I am also a big believer in signs, and that you have to be receptive to them.

My birthday was coming up, and I needed new goals. When I was wondering about what to do, I encountered a group of Mexican border crossers. Then in New York, I got off at the wrong subway stop, and saw an ad for trips to Mexico.

But I didn’t have the money to go. I was living in New York with roommates and working as an activist. I quit my job, and even though I only had a few thousand dollars I knew I had to do it.

On Christmas Day I was with my family opening presents, and when I opened mine I got a check for $5000. Tia (my mom’s aunt who raised her) had died earlier that year and had given her money to all of the kids, and that was my portion.

That was another sign. I thought what better way to spend that gift than to go to Mexico and learn the language.

How did you prepare for this experience?

Not a lot. I was working and had a bad transitioning period. I had a friend from junior high who had been living there for a year and was about to leave, and he had me take over his place. The only thing I did to prepare was buy a plane ticket. I didn’t have a chance to brush up on my Spanish or do any reading.

When you first arrived in Mexico, did it feel different from your arrival in Moscow or Beijing? How was the overall experience different from your previous travels?

I prepared 4 years for Moscow, studying the language, the history, and the literature. I prepared for a summer for China, studying Mandarin and reading about the history. For Mexico, I didn’t prepare at all, or had prepared for my entire life.

In Mexico, I can pass for Mexican, but some people thought I was Chilean or Spanish, rather than American, and I had an accent that wasn’t necessarily American. There, a lot of things looked familiar because I was racially Mexican myself. I was more culturally sensitive in Moscow and China, really on edge and observant.

My Mexican housemates were cleaning fanatics, and they expected me to be the same way, but I didn’t want to. They wanted me to get down on my hands and knees and clean as well, but I was thinking, you’re just like me.

If that had been the case in China I would have, because it was a different culture. I realized that even though the Mexican culture seemed similar it was really just as foreign.

You were leery of traveling to Mexico for many years, associating it with kidnappings, narco-traffickers, and murders. How did your perceptions of Mexico start to change?

Before I was fearful that these things would happen to me personally, but then after a while I was no longer afraid for my personal safety. The people I met that had bad things happen to them was because they were indigenous or activists.

Mexico in 2005 to 2006 was an extraordinary time, when schoolteachers were shot at with rubber bullets, and indigenous activists activists were kidnapped and tortured.

You had your hangups about being a “bad Mexican,” not having spent much time learning the language or culture. Do you feel that you became “Mexican enough” through this experience? How did you come to terms with your Mexican-American identity?

The main thing I’ve learned is that part of what means to be Latino is to be culturally schizophrenic, culturally reflecting, unsure of who they are, what they are, and when you get down to it, am I enough. This affects every American Latino that has reached a level of economic stability.

On a good day, Mexican enough is the best I can possibly be. On the worst days, you think you’re not enough of this, not enough of that. I get letters every day from people worried about the same thing.

You are certainly not the only person who has had reservations about visiting the Motherland. Did you feel that the Mexicans you met accepted you as being at least part Mexican?

No. Whenever I referred to myself as Mexican in Mexico, they laughed. To them, I was just as gringo as everyone else.

But when I explained that I had Mexican blood, that I cared about them, that I was interested in the culture, and wanted to learn the language, they appreciated it. I was there to find a connection, not to drink tequila and never saw a body of water.

In the United States, I refer to myself as Mexican-American, Chicana, or Latina. Chicana is my favorite because a friend of mine refers to it as a “pissed-off Mexican who is a politically engaged, active Mexican.” It has a bite to it, referring to someone who is politically conscious of their identity.

In your second book “100 Places Every Woman Should Go,” you included a section on Motherlands, describing it as the most meaningful of all travel destinations. What advice do you have for anyone who would like to embark on a journey to their motherland?

Lose your fear an just go, just go, just go. It can be intimidating, you may have your hangups but just go for it. It can seem very challenging, but it’s very rewarding.

Even though I am a huge advocate of traveling alone, but it can be more powerful to travel with your mother, father, sister, brother, child, grandparent, or great-grandparent.

Try to learn as much of the language as possible, interview your family, and look through photo albums. Travel as close to your ancestors’ home as possible, although in some cases it can be a whole continent.

This is truly a trip to prepare for, it can’t be spur of the moment.

Learn more about Stephanie Elizondo Griest on her website. And read her interview with Rolf Potts on travel writing.

Teen Training: Vietnamese Sex Education Goes On Holiday

Christine Garvin — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:05:27 +0000

In a culture where parents struggle to educate their kids on a taboo subject, one travel company has stepped in to fill the void.

Photo: hqhuyanh

While London has become hostile toward tourists, a British couple decided it was time to show the queen their randy side…on the front lawn of Windsor Castle.

Perhaps they need a refresher course in proper sex etiquette, and therefore should join the Vietnamese youth who are getting sex education while on holiday.

Yes, rather than teach their kids about the fine art of reproduction themselves, some Vietnamese parents are sending them on tour with the Viet Da Travel Company, who has teamed up with the Da Nang City Youth Union to provide culturally specific sex education.

According to the news source:

Sex education remains an awkward subject for both parents and teachers in Vietnam because of the conservative attitude towards things considered “sensitive.”

The tour hits spots like the Cham Museum in Da Nang, central Vietnam. This particular museum holds many artifacts from the Champa Kingdom era, including quite a few lingams, which represent a phallus, and yonis, the symbol of the vulva.

Both are Hindu symbols associated with Lord Shiva, emblemizing the union of male and female and generative power.

After the Cham, the tour continues to the Son Tra Peninsula and makes it way onto the My Khe Beach. There, the teenagers play outdoor games focused on sex education.

“The tour manages to provide youngsters basic knowledge of sex and puberty without promoting sexual experimentation.”

It’s hard to gather from the article what types of games are played, or what exactly a college student means when he commented, “We gain soft skills and knowledge of sex more easily through these outdoor activities.”

But toward the end of the piece, the author notes: “The tour manages to provide youngsters basic knowledge of sex and puberty without promoting sexual experimentation.”

Definitely sounds more exciting than girls and boys being separated in the fifth grade to watch their own gender’s video on puberty. And I have to say I was pretty impressed a travel company and youth group has put this educational tour together in a mostly traditional culture, where it is customary to not touch a member of the opposite sex in public.

And according to the article, “many schools in the city are eyeing it as an interesting extracurricular activity.”

Hmmm. In a culture where four students, who received suspended jail sentences for posting a clip online of a famous soap opera star having sex with her boyfriend, it’s hard to believe all Vietnamese would jump on the bandwagon.

Do you think these sex education tours would be effective? Should they be offered elsewhere in the world? Share your thoughts below!

Feature photo: Nick Nguyen

White By Birth, Another Heritage By Choice

Christine Garvin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:04:33 +0000

Can romanticizing other cultures be unintentionally harmful and divisive?

Photo: Tina Keller

I’m pretty much as white as you can get if you take a look at me from afar.

My mom is 100% German, and my dad’s side of the family is half Irish, half German (yeah, that’s a lot of German…and whiteness).

Yet I tend to appreciate the wisdom of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine over western medicine, I’ve been trying to figure out how to find my way to an authentic Native American sweat lodge for years, and I’ll take some coconut curry over steak and potatoes any day of the week, thank you very much.

And when I dress up to perform Bhangra, a traditional Indian folk dance, I’ve been mistaken for being Indian on more than one occassion.

I’ve felt embarrassed at times for being the white girl walking down the street with a bindi on her forehead (and I’ve certainly overheard a few comments). I sometimes want to turn around and explain I’m dressed this way for a performance, that I’m part of a multi-cultural dance troupe, etc., but then I realize I’m just fishing for justifications.

So when I happened upon Macon D.’s Stuff White People Do blog about romanticizing Indigenous people, I began to contemplate the idea that more and more white people (especially of my generation) need to identify with and take part, some say culturally appropriate, other cultures’ traditions:

So often, white people who want to reach out beyond the boundaries of “normal” life end up reaching too much into the lives of others. Actually, and oddly enough, when they think they’re reaching out to something authentically non-white, what they’re actually doing is conjuring up a fantasized, stereotypical, and romanticized version of something that’s only supposedly non-white.

Macon D. was commenting on an explosive situation that occurred between a Burning Man (BM) group and several Oakland, CA Native American tribes. The BM group had planned a party with a “Go Native!” theme, prompting the Native American activists to demand a cancellation of the event.

A Hopi woman had this to say:

I’m trying to articulate my feelings as best I can without completely losing it. What we do is not an artistic expression. And you don’t have artistic license to take little pieces here and there and do what you want with it. That’s something you people don’t understand, probably never will understand.

Following this thought process, how do we contextualize those white people who choose religions that are traditionally tied to another culture? Star.com recently ran an article, White by Birth, Sikh by Choice about a white man raised in the United Church who became a practicing Sikh in 1972.

According to the article, he still gets many looks when he walks down the street, dressed in a turban, flowing pants and shirt with a long beard. But the looks don’t bother him at this point, and he knew at a very young age that he didn’t fit in with those that surrounded him.

I’m all for people being able to choose, whether it be the way they dress, the groups they affiliate with, or their religion, considering I have personally gone down different cultural paths in all of these areas.

But, I wonder, are some white people (including myself) going too far in trying to be something different than they really are? Share your thoughts below.

Brave New Traveler » Culture

Neill Blomkamp (District 9) On Alien Life And The Coming Singularity

Old Glory: Why American Travelers Need To Reclaim Their Flag

Photo Essay: Holi, The Wacky Hindu Festival of Colors

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The Truth About Happiness and Travel

In Defense Of The Introverted Traveler

Avatar, And The Fable of the White Messiah

Photo Essay: Inviting The Gods With The Japanese Mochi Ceremony

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How To Defy The Definition Of Dangerous

Caste Vs. Class: How Status Plays Into India’s Social Media, and Ours

Do New TSA Screening Techniques Amount to Sexual Harassment of Muslim Women?

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New PBS Travel Show Goes Behind World Music

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For What It’s Worth: Should Our Values Define Us?

Deal Breaker: Questioning the Ethics of Bargaining

5 Amazing Travel Truths for 2010 (That You Already Suspected)

Sexting

Gay Spiritual Travel

Astral Travel

Religion Vs. Science, With a New Twist

Being Removed From Flights

Change is Not a Four Letter Word

Local Culture Club: The Universal Desire to Fit In

Video: Artifacts Depicting Sex Sparks Cultural and Religious Debate [NSFW]

The Rights and Wrongs of Traditional Cultures

Photo Essay: Ground Zero for 2012 in Copan, Honduras

Pagan Traveler: The Mysterious Origins Of The Green Man

Are Americans Afraid of Overseas Travel?

A Moment Of Reflection For Women The World Over

Culture Of Fear: How The Media Killed The H1N1 Flu Shot

Localwashing: Shop Locally at Your Neighborhood Corporate Store

The Lonely World Of A Traveling Reader

Good Triumphs Over Evil: The World Celebrates Diwali

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Close Encounters of the Third Sex: The Hijras of India

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Interview: Jamie Catto Travels The World To Ask ‘What About Me?’

The Manifest Of One Giant Leap

The interview with Jamie Catto

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‘Against All Prejudices’ Photo: Just Your Average Stereotypes?

Cutting Through The Clutter: More Seriously Shocking PSAs

Everything Is Okay: London Protestors Encourage Free Speech (And Hugs)

The Political Power Of Words

Live Long And Prosper: Deconstructing The Happy Planet Index

#1 – Costa Rica (Score: 76.1 out of 100)

#2 – Dominican Republic (Score: 71.5)

#3 – Jamaica (Score: 70.1)

#4 – Guatemala (Score: 68.4)

#5 – Vietnam (Score: 66.5)

Community Connection

5 Things Cities Can Learn From Burning Man

Community Connection:

10 Traveler’s Tips For Rocking A Nudist Beach

Tip #1 – Lather Up

Tip #2 – Watch the bend

Tip #3 – Eyes to yourself

Tip #4 – Incognito

Tip #5 – Ditch the camera

Tip #6 – Cold water syndrome

Tip #7 – To shave or not to shave?

Tip #8 – Avoid philosophy

Tip #9 – Keep your suit handy

Tip #10 – Top of the morning

Indifference Abroad: An Expat’s Battle To Keep Her Compassion

Nectar Of The Gods: The Cultural History Of Chocolate

Further Reading:

Victims Abroad: How To Regain Your Trust Of Travel

‘Moral Blindness’: Do Liberals Look Down On Religious Tradition?

White Man, Asian Girl: Who Decides The Nature Of Love?

6 Wacky Creation Myths Around The World

Hindu Creation Myth: It’s Like Buttah.

Native-American Creation Myth: Dream A Little Dream.

Chinese Creation Myth: Yet Another Egg?

Scientology Creation Myth: Set Your Thetan Free!

Japanese Creation Myth: I Shit You Not.

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster Creation Myth: Largest Balls Ever.