World Hum

Looking East: 20 Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall

2009-11-11T22:08:06+00:00

On the delights of the former Eastern Bloc

Video You Must See: The Northern Lights in Time Lapse

2009-11-11T20:44:45+00:00

Photo You Must See: ‘Between the Crosses, Row on Row’

2009-11-11T19:32:14+00:00

A Union Jack is seen among the crosses and poppies of Westminster Abbey's Field of Remembrance

REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

A Union Jack is seen among the crosses and poppies of Westminster Abbey’s Field of Remembrance. Remembrance Day services were held at the Abbey this past Sunday.

Don George: ‘Anticipation is one of Travel’s Great Gifts’

2009-11-11T18:22:45+00:00

The Recce editor contemplates an upcoming trip to Japan

In the latest issue of Recce, Don George looks back at his first trip to Japan, and realizes—as he prepares to board another flight for Tokyo—that the pre-trip excitement still hasn’t waned, thirty-two years later.

Sometimes a Language Barrier Isn’t One

2009-11-11T16:51:33+00:00

On the benefits of language barriers in a Tunisian rug shop

Finding T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’

2009-11-10T22:22:53+00:00

The Guardian goes looking for the origins of the poem. The results are grim.

The Guardian’s Stephen Moss visits the promenade shelter where Eliot is supposed to have written part of his most famous poem. The result is pretty grim:

There is no commemorative plaque, several panes of glass are broken or missing, and the windows on one side are emblazoned with the words FALSE TEETH in large green letters. It seems a careless way to treat the place in which the greatest poem of the 20th century was written.

Careless, true—but also strangely appropriate, don’t you think? (Via The Book Bench)

Travel Song of the Day: ‘Helpless’ by Neil Young

2009-11-10T20:09:40+00:00

Airport Security: ‘Where Are All the White Guys?’

2009-11-10T17:56:30+00:00

A blogger ponders the randomness (or lack thereof) of secondary screening procedures

Over at Homeland Security Watch, a retired police officer ponders the randomness (or lack thereof?) of secondary screening procedures at airport security. As someone who gets flagged for the extra search nearly half the time, I’ve asked some of the same questions myself. (Via @frugaltraveler)

Is an Electronic Guidebook Packing Too Light in 2010?

2009-11-10T15:50:55+00:00

On Kindles, guidebooks, and whether the two are ready to be mixed

Photo You Must See: Models Strike a Pose in Karachi

2009-11-10T15:49:39+00:00

Two fashion models pose together before hitting the catwalk during Fashion Pakistan Week

REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Two fashion models pose together before hitting the catwalk during Karachi’s Fashion Pakistan Week.

Tim Cahill on Writing Literate Adventure Stories

2009-11-10T15:08:10+00:00

"You don't need Superman to do an adventure story"

Travel Movie Watch: ‘127 Hours’

2009-11-09T21:33:13+00:00

Director Danny Boyle is tackling the true story of a mountaineer who amputated his own arm

It looks like “Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle may not be headed back to Mumbai right away, after all. Variety is reporting that Boyle’s next project is ~~an adaptation of~~ “127 Hours,” the true story of a mountaineer who was pinned under a boulder in Utah for five days and eventually amputated his own arm to make his escape. The rumor mill has Ryan Gosling playing the lead, but nothing’s been confirmed yet. Stay tuned. (Via Gawker)

‘Is Japanese Getting Simpler, Easier or Just Worse?’

2009-11-09T19:09:02+00:00

Emily Parker ponders technology and a changing Japanese language

Writing in the New York Times, Emily Parker ponders the changes being wrought on the Japanese language by the internet and cell phones:

Americans may fret over the ways digital communications encourage sloppy grammar and spelling, but in Japan these changes are much more wrenching. A vertically written language seems to be becoming increasingly horizontal. Novels are being written and read on little screens. People have gotten so used to typing on computers that they can no longer write characters by hand. And English words continue to infiltrate the language.

Travel Song of the Day: ‘Looking for Freedom’ by David Hasselhoff

2009-11-09T16:40:06+00:00

The Day the Wall Came Down

2009-11-09T15:39:05+00:00

The wall fell 20 years ago today. Stefanie Michaels visited Berlin recently to hear a personal recollection.