How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
Author: Franklin Foer
Who knew you could learn so much about globalization, economics and politics from soccer? Great read.
Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Author: Julia Cameron
One possible path to re-discovering the creativity you never knew you had.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, New Edition
Author: Jared Diamond
An admirable crack at explaining why the world is the way it is by way of an anthropological macro-history. This book probably comes up the most in conversation as we travel.
The Cathedral Within: Transforming Your Life by Giving Something Back
Author: Bill Shore
Inspiring profiles of social entrepreneurs and projects we all can learn from and hopefully replicate to give back to community.
Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation
Author: John Carlin
Although the storyline is built around the South African rugby team and the 1995 World Cup, this book is more about Nelson Mandela and how he was able to unite a divided country. Inspiring.
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown
Author: Paul Theroux
The author re-visits Africa and re-assesses the place he once knew... and judges it once and for all. Well written, poignant observations of the thumbprints left by career politicians, aid workers, and everyday people.
Outliers: The Story of Success
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
A look at the internal and external factors of how extraordinary people got to be, well, extraordinary. One of those books that challenges assumptions and makes you think differently.
Shantaram: A Novel
Author: Gregory David Roberts
Administering first aid in a Bombay slum, selling fake passports and running guns to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Technically a novel, but closely linked to the Author's own experiences. Fantastic read.
Upon our second visit to Estonia since Audrey concluded her Peace Corps stint in 2000, we wondered what we would find. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Estonia, Europe, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
10 Comments | 24 October 2008
A checklist: four days, three ethnic village markets, stacks of smoked dogs, and one testicle stand. Guizhou Province exuded tradition; it was China at its most authentic and at times its most eye-popping. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Food, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 20 October 2008
I sat down today to sift through our video footage from China with the intent of making a Chinese market video; I barely made it past the town of Kashgar (Xinjiang). What an incredible place.
Buried in the footage, I laughed my way through a procession of wooly camels, stubborn donkeys, cowboys and sheep at the old world Sunday livestock market. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Food, Travel, Videos by: Daniel Noll
2 Comments | 16 October 2008
Can (wo)man live on dumplings alone? The answer in China: Yes!
Steamed, fried or boiled; round, crescent, or amorphous; meat or veg; thin-skinned or thick, dumplings in China form a universe all their own.
By no means are we experts in Chinese dumplings. That’s a life’s work. But we can offer a brief primer and the best of our dumpling experiences in China. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Food, Motley Mots by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
9 Comments | 13 October 2008
China and the Internet. It’s a long story (and yes, we realize it’s not as exciting as colorful ethnic markets). But it’s one that affects everyone living, studying and traveling in China. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Technology by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
1 Comment | 13 October 2008
Two days of roller-coaster travel on unpaved roads and in old buses cramped with members of the Chinese Olympic Spitting Team; it was a long road to Xishuangbanna.
Tucked in the deep south of China’s Yunnan Province, the Xishuangbanna region conjured images of thatched huts, tropical jungle, and a rainbow of ethnic minorities. But when we arrived in Jinghong, the regional capital, our hearts sank. We got the impression that we had arrived too late. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
4 Comments | 11 October 2008
Just another reason to love autumn in Vilnius, Lithuania. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Europe, Lithuania by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
4 Comments | 9 October 2008
Clinging to the theme of sweaty, shirtless men, we bring you our reflections on hot pot in China.
Women, don’t be repulsed. Men, don’t toss your shirts just yet. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Food, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
5 Comments | 7 October 2008
When a jovial, inebriated, shirtless man boarded our bus with a meter-long pipe (think Cheech and Chong go to China), we figured we were slipping even further off China’s organized tourist trail. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: China, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 4 October 2008
