Most of us live in social worlds that are profoundly unequal, where small elites have vastly more power and wealth than everyone else. Very few of the have-nots find this congenial. As experimental economists have shown, we tend to enter social situations prepared to take a chance and cooperate in collective activities. But if others…
Inspiration
The 72 steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art may well rank among the most famous stairways of the past century. Charged by a sweaty Sly Stallone in the 1976 hit Rocky, this majestic ascent has long inspired visitors to make the climb to the hilltop 1928 landmark, an assemblage of Greek-temple forms in golden-hued limestone. But…
Are you "in" with The In Crowd? Do you know every latest dance? When you're in with The In Crowd, it's easy to find a hidden restaurant.* New York is the place that never sleeps, is sometimes confusing and maybe a bit too artsy, and is certainly in with The In Crowd. We love it.…
We live in an age in which – for obvious reasons – it’s vital to understand how to build peace. Nuclear proliferation, inter-state and civil wars, terrorism and insurgencies, rising extremisms and hate crimes, social polarisation and increasingly vituperate online diction mean that learning how to reconcile enemies has never been more important.
This importance is…
Are your "sunset years" approaching? Do you find yourself longing for something completely different? Do you wake up at night pondering how you will continue to maintain that 8 bedroom house of yours? Or, do you simply want to "go off the rails" and take a 180 degree turn in your life? What better time…
Home: there is nothing better than coming home. A place for everything, everything in its place. A home, not a house. There's no place like home. To know the road ahead, ask those coming back. There are many platitudes that describe home, but the last one, above, is what we're talking about here. Why is…
In his documentary, filmmaker Paul Saltzman retraces his journey of 50 years ago when he spent - almost accidentally - a life-changing time with the Beatles at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram on the banks of the Ganges River.
In 1968, he discovered his own soul, learned meditation, which changed his life, and hung out with…
Emerging from the poor districts of Havana and Matanzas in the 19th century, today rumba is one of Cuba’s most popular art forms. Influenced by African and Spanish traditions of music and dance, its distinctive, syncopated sound requires masterful musicianship and fierce passion from its performers. But, despite being born of marginalisation and oppression, modern…
The time has come for no more excuses. We all know it has. Netflix and Amazon have served us well, but it's time to put down the remote and . . . . walk. Let's face it, "power walking" doesn't sound all that fun. But, fortunately, you don't need to wear ankle weights and pump…
Does imposing the death penalty lower rates of violent crime? What economic policies will lead to broad prosperity? Which medical treatments should we allow and encourage to treat novel diseases? These questions have a few things in common.
They bear important consequences for us all, and so policymakers and the public would like to know the…
Asia has so many wonders, and so much rich and deep history.
One that is well-known, but not always on at the top of everyone's list is Mount Phou Si in Laos. It is a 100 m high hill in the centre of the old town of Luang Prabang in Laos.
It lies in the heart of…
Levi Jed Murphy smolders into the camera. It’s a powerful look: piercing blue eyes, high cheekbones, full lips and a razor-sharp jawline – all of which, he says, cost him around £30,000. Murphy is an influencer from Manchester in the UK, with a large social media following.
Speaking on his approach to growing his fans, he…
When you land at an airport, there often only seems to be two states of being once you arrive: "run-run-run" or "languish-for -hours."
How many times can you walk up and down the concourse before losing your mind? Or how fast (and how far) and which gate do you need to run to in order to…
GEEK ALERT: if you visit this website often, you'll know how much we love technology, especially aircraft. We've recently written that one of the giants (literally) of the skies, the Airbus A380 might be heading off into the sunset, to fly no more. As the world gets smaller and aircraft get better (ie: better fuel…
Brazil has an undeniable allure for most people: it almost seems electric. But, it is also a vast and highly populated country, which can give some people cause when they think about traveling. But, it doesn't have to be, as this guide from our affiliate friends, Casai, will show you. We start with São Paulo. For…
A mysterious group of ancient monuments first discovered in Saudi Arabia in the 1970s, known as mustatials, predate the first Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge by over 2,000 years, making them the world’s oldest ritual landscape, archaeologists now say. Scattered across 77,000 square miles of desert in northwest Arabia, the mustatils (the name comes from the…
The Camino de Santiago in Spain, or The Way of St. James, is one of the world’s most famous long-distance pilgrimages. Beginning during the 9th century, this route now sees many thousands of modern-day believers traversing the country, with many taking a month or more to complete their journey. All that walking will make you…
Un poco loco = a little crazy Covid-19 Are you tired of sitting around the house, but am not sure when or if you can travel? One option, of course, is just to bite your tongue, suck it up, etc. Vancouver? Toronto? New York? Another idea - sensible and not expensive - is to treat…
A traveler's dream is to find an honest, unspoiled and inexpensive place to go. As the world gets smaller, this remit gets harder to fill. But, read below about Namibia. You might be delighted.
"Arguably Namibia’s main attraction is nature—it’s a country of spectacular scenery and plentiful wildlife, from camping amidst the stunning orange dunes of…
When people outside of Asia think of Buddhism, they tend to think about just philosophy and meditation. Buddhists are often said not to have gods, wars or empires. Their religion isn’t about ritual or belief, but a dedicated exploration into what causes suffering and how to end it through meditation and compassion. Although there’s some…