gdp's Comments

Brave New Traveler : Buddha Booze: The Practice Of Mindful Drinking

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:52:53 +0000

Heh heh. "Mindful drinking" - is that like knowing the point at which your pool game stops getting better from a drink or two to relax you, and starts getting worse from too much?

Matador Nights : Tattoo Show - Buenos Aires - March 6 - 8, 2009 - Bauen Hotel

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:35:38 +0000

Wow. Some great pics of some serious ink, Kate!

Matador Goods : Timeless Classics at Planet eBook

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:13:51 +0000

Great find, Lola!!

Matador Trips : 4 St. Patrick's Day Celebrations You May Not Have Heard Of

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:01:02 +0000

Great round-up, Hal! I just want to throw in a mention for Newfoundland -- St. Paddy's may not be a national holiday there (since those Republic of Newfoundland types haven't gotten their way...yet! ha), but it *is* a provincial one -- and a huge party. I know some Irish people hate the way St. Patrick's Day is celebrated around the world, but for me it's one of those really fascinating cultural fusion/diffusion phenomena.

Matador Pulse : Obama\'s Gift Gaffe

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:46:58 +0000

I don't even really see the gaucheness, myself. (Maybe I'm not well-schooled in presidential gift-giving, since... it's never been in the news before! Ha.) But I'd much rather have an amazing collection of classic films than an "ornamental pen holder". I don't really think any of it matters, but who knows? If it was an insult, maybe it was deliberate. After all, Brown was in the cabinet when Tony Blair served as Bush's chief ally/enabler in the Iraq debacle. (Saddam's 45 minute warning, anyone?) Maybe Obama was saying his respect needs to be earned. :P

Matador Nights : This is the most creative use of youtube I've ever seen.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:25:50 +0000

Sweet find, DM. Amazing how well it all hangs together. Seems like something a music video director might try to simulate, only it's all real.

Matador Pulse : Iraqi Shoe-Throw Journalist Gets 3 Years in Prison

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:17:24 +0000

Heheh you're right Carlo, I think he's doing hard time in a Yukon labour camp. (In all seriousness... as I recall he faced possible "assault" charges, but nothing really came of it? Of course, he actually hit Chretien with a pie. At worst, the shoe-thrower should get "attempted shoe assault".)

Brave New Traveler : Hey Baby! How To Manage Machismo On The Road

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:57:33 +0000

Great post, Sarah. And a perfect, powerful photo at the top, too!

Matador Change : New Report: World Still Unprepared For Climate Change

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:54:27 +0000

The recession really is a wrench thrown into this already bad situation. For instance, in Canada the Big 3 are leaning HARD on the government to introduce incentives for Canadians to buy more new cars (Chrysler has threatened to lay off 9000 workers in Canada if the govt doesn't agree) which is kind of the opposite of what we should be doing right now, right?

Matador Pulse : Iraqi Shoe-Throw Journalist Gets 3 Years in Prison

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:53:59 +0000

Gee, I'm sure glad Iraq's a free country now. ;)

Matador Change : 6 Ecological Disasters You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:11:35 +0000

Wow, Robyn. Disturbing round-up -- and I love the intro!

Travelers Notebook : Notes On Receiving Contributor's Copy of Fodor's Patagonia

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:45:55 +0000

Great post, David. Brought me right back to hearing about you guys being signed on for this project way back when! Some early Matador excitement. Congrats -- must be cool having the book in hand.

Matador Change : 4 Gates Foundation Projects You've Probably Never Heard Of

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 15:42:56 +0000

One of my African history profs -- a man whose judgment I have great faith in -- once told me that the Gates Foundation is the single most effective NGO working in Africa today. I'm no big fan of Microsoft, but Bill Gates has really done some remarkable work with his billions. Great post, Julie!

Matador Pulse : Morgan Tsvangirai Wounded, Wife Killed in Car Crash

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 20:38:13 +0000

Or not: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/03/07/zi... Tsvangirai being quoted as saying the "accident" was deliberate.

Matador Pulse : Morgan Tsvangirai Wounded, Wife Killed in Car Crash

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 15:28:08 +0000

Here's the latest: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7930126.stm Word has it the truck that hit them was USAID-affiliated, carrying AIDS supplies. So it could turn out to be a grotesque/tragic coincidence. Man, what are the odds, though?

Matador Nights : What People Are Listening to in...Chile

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 19:12:01 +0000

Super articulate and helpful comment, thanks.

Matador Pulse : The Fight Over Gandhi's Glasses

Thu, 5 Mar 2009 19:02:17 +0000

Huh. After reading the AP article I am even more suspicious/less sympathetic. He doesn't seem to be planning to bankroll an anti-poverty campaign? It only mentioned the planned pacifism education tour.

Matador Pulse : The Fight Over Gandhi's Glasses

Thu, 5 Mar 2009 18:56:34 +0000

I'm torn on this one. I kind of hate private collectors, and I'd really be curious to learn how these items wound up on the private market to begin with. Also, there's nothing binding him to his anti-poverty promises -- he's a private individual, not an NGO, and once the sale is made he has zero accountability. On the other hand, assuming he's legit then his heart is certainly in the right place...

Matador Trips : Make It a Black History Year: 7 Spots to Keep Learning Year-Round

Mon, 2 Mar 2009 23:46:26 +0000

Oooh! I'd actually been hoping to include a Nova Scotian location in this list (you might not expect it, but there's a fascinating African/Nova Scotian history) and Twitter pal @AuthenticCoast has just provided one: http://www.desbarresmanor.com/daytouring/history.... Check it out!

Matador Abroad : Escaping the Expat Trap: How To Live Like a Local When You're Abroad

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 20:11:06 +0000

Kyle -- The intention of the article was certainly not to "diss" expats. The fact that you wrote "it can be a completely enriching experience if you do it right" suggests that we're actually in agreement here -- the idea of the article was to encourage people to "do it right", by diversifying their experience and making an effort to get involved in the local scene as well as the foreign community. I don't think there was a suggestion here that you should, at all times, avoid all things American. As for the headline, the author didn't write it -- I did.