Study abroad … in North Korea!

by Jerry Guo on

I’ve recently been in contact with Malcolm Gillis, former president of Rice University and one of the organizers of the first international university in of all places, North Korea. Known as Pyongyang University for Science and Technology, the institution is slated to open in April 2008.

What’s surprising, and welcoming, about this project is that it’s the brainchild of both the North and South Koreans, along with supports from China and the US. It looks like the first batch of students will come from all four countries, as well as others. School will be taught in English and Korea.

This could be a dramatic breakthrough for international exchange in the hermit kingdom. If you look at recent history, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, the impetus for change often comes from within the country. This new attitude towards a more open society could spell good things for both the North Koreans and the rest of the world. Of course, we should keep our expectations grounded. Case in point: their website hasn’t been up for a while (or perhaps it never was).

More ‘Big Brother’ from your neighborhood TSA

by Jerry Guo on

News is just out that there’s plans from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to record and track more passenger information, including full names, birthdates, and gender for background checks. Almost everyone is against this, including the major airlines, travel agencies, and of course, the general public.

A 2004 law was passed that required transferring the control of passenger info from the airlines to TSA, so passage of this plan (or some variation) seems inevitable.

Now, why should you care? It does seem like every week we hear of another zany plan by the TSA to do more snooping. Well, first keep in mind the more records the TSA has its hands on, the more mistakes they’ll make. There’s already hundreds of horror stories of innocent civilians who are blocked from traveling, because they were mistakenly added to the national terrorism watchlist for instance. Then, there’s the security risk – of our private information being stolen. Again, many cases to cite on this.

What can we do? Go voice our opinions at the polls next November!

Tunnels under Chinatown: racist or reality?

by Neil Woodburn on

There’s nothing more enthralling than discovering hidden tunnels and secret passageways, especially if you’re an archeologist. Likewise for tourists, sometimes the most exciting part of a city is what lies beneath it.

And that’s why everyone is so excited in the California town of Fresno where a team of archeologists are currently hot on the trail of an urban legend: underground Chinatown. It has been rumored for years that an extensive network of tunnels used to exist under this part of Fresno, extensive enough that residents could travel the entire length of Chinatown without ever surfacing.

After a recent discovery of a crawlspace in one of the basements, the city is finally taking the rumors seriously and has hired engineers and archeologists to probe the area with ground-penetrating radar. If this legendary network of tunnels is ever found, you can expect a very cool tourist attraction to be added to a town that is normally just a stopping point for gas on the way to the Sierras.

What I found truly fascinating from the LA Times article which covered this story, is that rumors of tunnels under any city’s Chinatown are actually quite common and, in fact, very racist. Activists claim that tunnel rumors stretch back to the late 19th century when xenophobic westerners viewed the Chinese railway workers as mysterious, secretive, and undoubtedly engaged in bizarre, vice-filled activities that were hidden from public view underneath the street of the city.

Fascinating!

AIDS Memorial Quilt: 20 years later

by Jamie Rhein on

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. A friend of mine lost a dear friend to AIDS this year. So did my cousin. I don’t know if someone has made a quilt panel for either of them, but panels continue to be made each year and added to this body of work. Perhaps, in your travels you will come across a section of the quilt. Although the quilt is too large to be displayed in any one place, sections of it are sent to various locations so they can be viewed by the public. Some displays may include only a few panels, while others are enormous.

With World AIDS Day tomorrow, here is a tribute thanks to a YouTube video by David Viney Birmingham that presents a brief history of the Names Project and a montage of various panels.

Telecommuting from the road: the art of combining work and travel

by Neil Woodburn on

I can’t imagine a better work situation than telecommuting from abroad.

This used to be simply impossible but today with the advent of technology and the internet, this is wholly doable and is actually far easier to pull off than ever imagined.

Thankfully, the fine folks over at Business 2.0 have put together a little how-to guide–and just in time. I’m disappointed to report that Business 2.0, one of my favorite magazines, has called it quits and just published their last issue.

The good news is that these out-of-work journalists can now follow the advice of Chris Morrison, one of their colleagues, to “see the world and collect a healthy paycheck.”

The Rise of the White Collar Nomad is Morrison’s outstanding article that provides tips on how to drop out of the rat race and run your business from remote locations while your clients are stuffed into their cubicle farms.

Morrison points the aspiring nomad towards the right gear, such as a Mac laptop (less likelihood of getting a virus), PayPal account, key chain flash drive, Skype, and WiFi signal sniffer. He also throws out a couple of “Cheap and Wired” locations to set up your temporary office-away-from-the-office. Try Egypt, for example, where Morrision estimates that daily food and lodging costs just $37. Imagine getting your regular paycheck but having just a fraction of the bills to pay.

There are downsides, however; no face-face interaction with your colleagues and no water cooler conversation.

For more details on living this dream life, be sure to visit Workingnomad.com for inspiration.