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.
The Golden Kite of Burma (Myanmar): the trail connecting Rangoon (Yangon), Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle Lake.. These four locations form a common itinerary for visits to the country. Their golden stupas, fields of ancient Buddhist pagodas, floating villages, and royal palaces tell a story of place caught between its modern-day struggles and an underlying narrative of a bygone era. Continue Reading »
Yesterday, our website was out for roughly 24 hours. Tragic? Certainly not. But maddening and disappointing it was.
If you attempted to visit yesterday, only to be rewarded with dead space and cryptic system messages, we apologize.
We thank Dreamhost, our website hosting provider, who in its infinite wisdom decided to schedule a move of our website in the middle of the day without informing us before throwing the kill switch. In a perfect storm of technical misfortune, our website move also coincided with a handful of other system-wide outages at Dreamhost. Continue Reading »
“How do you spend 24 hours a day together for two years and remain happily married…let alone sane?”
The answer to that oft-asked question is the stuff of a future blog series. In the meantime, I remind people, “It wasn’t always so.” There was a time when Dan and I were separated for 27 months. He was in San Francisco and I was in Estonia. And that was before Skype. Continue Reading »
Can somebody please come up with a better name for the ongoing financial crisis? Vote in the poll below with your choice.
On Thursday night I attended the launch of the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy’s National Initiative* at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The crowd was typically Washington, D.C. (if you’ve ever lived there, you’ll understand). PhDs, former diplomats, the NGO community, and graduate students were all represented.
So how did I end up there?
I was trying to answer the question: “Do travelers like us offer any value to America’s public diplomacy efforts?” Continue Reading »
I remember my first taste of what was supposed to be Burmese food at a restaurant in San Francisco. There was none of the coconut milk and fragrance of Thai curries and the spice palette didn’t inspire like it did in Indian cuisine.
Underwhelming, I thought.
However, during our visit to Burma (Myanmar), we quickly appreciated Burmese cuisine for the beauty of what it is: an Asian cuisine fused from Southeast Asian, Chinese and Indian influences.
Armed with that perspective, we found Burmese food a pleasure. Street food was varied, accessible and inexpensive. Restaurants were similarly enjoyable. And we were even invited for a few home-cooked meals. Continue Reading »
With the 2009 Presidential Inauguration behind us, it’s decision time as to where to go next.
Continue Reading »
Think a press pass to the 2009 Presidential Inauguration meant that crowds parted at security gates like the Red Sea did for Moses?
Think again. Continue Reading »
Start: 5:30 AM. Finish: 7:00 PM. Time actually spent marching in the inaugural parade: 30 minutes. Was it all worth it?
You bet.
The possibility of participating in the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Parade hadn’t even entered my mind two months ago. However, a series of well-timed and serendipitous events resulted in the inclusion of my name on a list of returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) who were to march in the parade. I was honored and humbled, both to represent the Peace Corps and to take part in this historic day.
And what a day it was.
Continue Reading »
At 5:30 AM on inauguration day – in a haze of sleep deprivation and anticipation – Audrey and I parted. She headed to the inaugural parade staging area to join the Peace Corps contingent and I, with a Pennsylvania Ave and 10th Street press pass in hand, headed toward the parade route.
Before we share our stories, we offer a taste of our 2009 Presidential Inauguration experiences in images. Continue Reading »
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