Why the Veil?

by Erik Olsen on

Every good traveler knows that it is imperative when abroad to be sensitive to the local culture. But some cultural practices have a foreignness to them that is off-putting to people ,and when you factor in Islam, well, there’s a whole nasty stew of prejudices and issues associated with that as well. One of the cultural practices that has long puzzled me is the veil. It is said that Muslim women are compelled to wear a veil over their faces because several interpretations of the Koran say so. The veil, goes some interpretations, is meant to prevent women from exposing their beauty to other men, thereby lessening temptations that might lead to…well, adultery or other potentially damaging societal problems.

OK, that’s just one of several interpretations, but the reason I bring all this up is because the veil is a rather interesting cultural artifact that any traveler should be aware of if they are visiting a country where women wear one. And, along these lines, I just heard a very educational radio story about the origin of the veil. This story from NPR is one of several that will be examining Islam over the next week. The reporter talks to several scholars who study Islam as well as an Iraqi in California who discusses the matter from his perspective. It’s well worth the six or so minutes it takes to listen to it.

Dingle Changes Name: American Schoolchildren Disappointed

by Neil Woodburn on

When I read that the town of Dingle, Ireland was changing its name, I was pretty certain I knew the reason why. The town’s name was the first half of a slang term we used as kids to describe something particularly nasty.

When I learned many years ago there was an actual town named Dingle, I experienced that same adolescent snicker which burst out upon first hearing about Lake Titicaca and Sperm Whales.

Unfortunately, it appears that the youth of Ireland don’t share the same linguistic hilarity over the term. In fact, when I passed through the town a few years ago, they actually seemed quite proud of the name–which makes me think that schoolboy immaturity probably has nothing to do with the recent name change.

According to the BBC, the change was actually due to a grassroots movement to re-embrace Gaelic, the original Irish language. In a move to protect their linguistic roots, the city has reverted back to its original Gaelic name of An Daingean.

An Daingean?!?

I don’t know about you, but I think I actually prefer the more modern, albeit snicker-worthy name.

Now, about those famous berries…

Glow Shrooms

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s the first of several Halloweeny posts on this All Hallows’ Eve.

I know there are some of you out there for whom this will be an inspiration to scamper out into the woods in search of the next great hallucinogen. But hold on, we don’t know yet if these mushrooms can kill you. And foodies, yes, I’m sure many of you are also dreaming of glow in the dark pizza, the hottest new thin to hit Chuck E Cheese since, well, that little machine that grabs toys with a metal grappling hook. Well, I just found this little blurb from Nat Geo to fascinating not to post about. What we’ve got here are bona fide glow in the dark mushrooms from Brazil. These bioluminescent fungi were collected from Ribeira Valley Tourist State Park near São Paulo, and are – amazingly – capable of producing light through a chemical reaction.

Frans Lanting Exhibition

by Erik Olsen on

Not sure how many gadling readers out there are outdoor/wildlife photo fans, but I’m going to throw this one out there anyway. Frans Lanting is one of the world’s foremost wildlife photographers, so much so that it is extremely likely you’ve seen one of his photos at some time or another. He even his his own Wiki entry. You can go and visit his site here to see the wide array of shots he’s published over the years, but suffice it to say he’s shot on every continent from Antarctica to Africa. He’s also shot little micro-animals like diatoms as well as large big-eared animals like elephants. Oh yes, Lanting loves animals. He loves them so much, in fact ,that he’s got a new book and exhibit out showing off some of his best work. To get a feel for both the photos and what the exhibit offers (the actual exhibit appears to be in the Netherlands, so unless you’re Dutch….or visiting…well, you probably won’t catch it.. BUT you MUST check out this Web site, which does a wonderful job showing off his photos on the Web. And the book, well that might make a very fine gift.

U.S. National Parks from Coast to Coast

by Adrienne Wilson on

Perhaps this site has made the Gadling pages before, but at the same time I’m willing to bet we’ve somehow managed to look over this fine jewel packed with National Park info. A buddy of mine who happens to be good pals with one of the creators of the USA-C2C venture pointed it out to me a few days back and after accessing the very thorough and detailed information, I must recommend that anyone with an interest in National Parks bookmark this page – NOW. Having toured almost all of the 358 National Parks, National Historic Site, National Battlefield Park, National Battlefield and National Monument officially recognized by the National Park Foundation within the United States, Michael and Gabrielle have created a highly dynamic ranking system for each, all on one site. (Very easy to navigate through as well.) The park museums, ease of access, ranger to tourist ratio, and park facilities are all critiqued for each and every park including anything else imaginable. I look at the amount of work placed into this project and I am baffled. With around 29 more parks left, once this project is fully finished I’m sure it is going to spread like wildfire. Maybe we’ll get lucky enough to see it in a paper / book version perfect for the backpack on long summer or fall road trips.