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.
When you toast someone or something in Georgia with a beer, it’s more like a curse than a traditional toast for good health and prosperity.
I wonder, How many Georgians are drinking beers and clinking to Russia, Putin, and Medvedev right now?
Find out what happens when Vladimir Putin’s nickname sounds like the English word for a part of the female anatomy… Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Caucasus, Georgia, NAST by: Audrey Scott
No Comments | 15 August 2008
We met Leila (center) in Zugdidi, Georgia over a year ago. Like so many others, she and her friends at the market have probably been evacuated recently. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Caucasus, Georgia, Perspectives by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
8 Comments | 11 August 2008
Some cities seem to exist in two dimensions, best taken in with a camera from afar. Not Tbilisi. Its turbulent history is a veritable bullet list of invasions, destructions, occupations, and reconstructions. As a result, it tends to reveal itself in layers, both architecturally and culturally. Labyrinthine and tactile, Tbilisi invites visitors to dig into it like urban archaeologists intent on determining its composition and its narrative. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Caucasus, Georgia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
15 Comments | 17 August 2007
Thanks to the tourist bus from Iran, we made it back to Baku in time for a feast with Yahya and his family. That evening, we relayed the following story from our days in Tbilisi, Georgia:
As we shared an early evening beer on Tabori mountain in Tbilisi with our pal (who shall remain nameless for security reasons), he thrust his bottle in the direction of the skyline, and proudly toasted “to vulva!” Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Caucasus, Georgia, Humor, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 14 July 2007
We had high expectations of Georgia. So far, we have not been disappointed. The people are warm and the place is beautiful.
We spent our first day walking around Tbilisi, permanently lost in a sea of street signs in Georgian script (a beautiful script, but completely incomprehensible to us!). No shortage of friendly and genuine offers to help us find our way Continue Reading »
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Filed Under: Audio Clips, Caucasus, Georgia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 2 June 2007
