Mongolian Song

by Erik Olsen on

This is another wonderful little piece
from the NPR folks on Mongolian song…well, on a gathering of singing cowboys and Mongolian herdsmen.

It was a while ago that the Mongolian herdsmen came to Elko, NV, and now, as you will hear in this audio postcard, the
cowboys head to Ulan Bator in Mongolia for a little tete a tete, Mongolian
style. Narrated by Hal Cannon, you hear the cowboys talk about how their music will be received, and how the Mongolian
singers react. It is really one of those pieces you’ll remember later. Just the rendition of John Denver’s Contry Road
by throat singers is worth the price of admission.

One for the Road: Slipping Into Paradise

by Erik Olsen on

There are times when I figure I could live just about anywhere. I mean, anywhere different. I LOVE trying out new
places. I’ve lived all over this country and several places overseas, and I still can’t get enough. Even though New
York City has been ruthlessly addicting, I still think almost everyday about moving to Europe or Australia or China…or
New Zealand.

 

And so it was that I discovered this new book called

Slipping into Paradise by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. The book is said to be in the tradition of

Under the Tuscan Sun or

A Year in Provence. That is, writer heads to somewhat obscure, but culturally rich (in a parochial sense)
locale, lives with the locals, makes some fun of them, but comes to appreciate their simple ways (and their food), and
writes about it. Normally, I might pooh-pooh such a thing, believing that much of this Provence writing is trendy and
uninteresting. But New Zealand has long been on my list of places I’d like to live. And so this one may just make it to
my reading list.

Back Home to Afghanistan

by Erik Olsen on

NPR has got a great little piece with
Said Hyder Akbar, a young American-born Afghani who traveled back to Afghanistan when his father was offered a job with
the new government in Kabul. For three summers, Akbar went around the country with a tape recorder and kept an
audio diary of his experience. It was
broadcast on This American Life, and makes a great listen. He has also penned a book about the experience
called Come Back to Afghanistan. An excerpt to the book can be read
here.

Ethan Zuckerman on Sumo

by Adrienne Wilson on

Ethan Zuckerman’s blog is more than just a few musings on
Africa, international development and hacking the media. In one of his most recent entries he actually touches
on sumo wrestling and it’s decreasing popularity in Japan’s changing times. Apparently he’s a pretty big fan of
the sport and even though It’s been a long time goal of mine to watch huge men wrestle in tiny diapers I have yet
to experience the action. One reason for so few Japanese fans is the lack of great Japanese sumo wrestlers.
Zuckerman explores this with some very well-explained background info on some of the latest and greatest big men
in the arena. In the end his question is if foreign-born heroes of the sport are making it less enjoyable for Japanese
fans or if globalization will make the sport better? Interesting question.

If you’re thinking about attending an event in the future you can check out the
Japan Sumo Association online for a schedule of
upcoming matches in Tokyo. 

Dead Sea Dying?

by Erik Olsen on

Years ago when I was traveling in Israel we
stopped at the Dead Sea and did the Dead Sea float. That is, we put our bathing suits on and trundled into the muck and
down to the smelly shore, where we waded out a ways and then lay back and floated in the Dead Sea’s very salty water.
The water is so salty, in fact, that the density of the water is higher than regular water. Higher, in fact, than most
of your body. And so you seem to magically float high in the water at the Dead Sea. Well, these kinds of experiences
may be coming to an end. According to
this piece, the Dead Sea may be dying. This gross (face it, it is) little body of water this has been central to
civilization for 10,000 years is evaporating at such a pace that scientists say it is falling by a meter in depth every
year. So, either is better rain there, or you should get your ticket to Israel now and get your float in before there
ain’t no more Dead Sea to float in.