No, this is not about drugs. But it is about sensory experiences that you can enjoy no matter your mood. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is featuring a collection of four autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos that show off the acoustic ambience from the all parts of the city. Custom-made to arouse the…
Mindfulness
This post may be somewhat specific - it's about Saab automobiles, so look away if you have no interest in that. But there is a reason why we're writing this.
However, if you do have an affection for the brand, your love of Saab is probably a long, happy and sad story. Created and manufactured in…
Mother earth is heating up - dangerously - but so is the race to enable humans and animals to live in a world that will not burn to a crisp, like it seems now. We have the brains and the technology, but our will needs a kick in the pants. Fortunately, more and more evidence…
Europeans - and we include the UK here - generally tend to be ahead of the curve when it comes to things like healthcare, social security, immigration . . . and the environment. The UK has published its Transport Decarbonisation Plan. The intent to decarbonise all modes of domestic transport by 2050. Is that too…
Even if you're a climate denier, you can't deny that the earth is sending all sorts of messages to us. Read the news - we don't need to explain it here. The National Geographic has been following this for a long time. They say that weather and climate patterns around the world are already shifting…
Europeans love to camp. There are literally thousands of them dotted around the continent. Not only are they plentiful, they are usually in beautiful, if not stunning, locations and are a very cost effective way to holiday. You can enjoy all of the traditional ways of camping, including tents and resorts, but hiring a fuel-efficient…
We love camping, and we love campervans even more, especially when they're the smart new models - good on petrol, good on space, good on the environment. We're also really happy to welcome our new affiliate friends, CamperDays.com Their portfolio includes up to 20,000 rental vehicles that can be booked directly in 24 countries on…
Well, not exactly, but we wonder if this will become a thing as airlines start to react to the climate situation. "Lufthansa is scrapping its shortest route, replacing the service with a bus. The route between Munich and Nuremberg is just 86 miles (138 km) as the crow flies. Lufthansa operates many domestic services across…
Oh, we go Ouigo! As if European rail wasn't as appealing as it is now, they've made it even better. High-speed train travel between Spain's most beautiful cities has no more reason to cost the earth, with Rail Europe opening ticket sales for OUIGO, Spain's new affordable train network. Prices can be as low as…
War is always terrible - we can agree on that. But, some wars truly show the caliber of some countries and some individuals. As you may know, during the mid-1800's the United States of America was torn apart by a divisive civil war. There were a number of factors at play in that war, but…
It's always nice to see new (or old) airlines bring themselves back to life, especially if there is sufficient desire and cash to make it work. One example is Nigeria's Azman Air. They have been given approval to fly the airline's only plane, a Airbus A340-600 on international flights. After a string of recent affirmation…
You may not think of Italy as a particularly diverse country, but its history includes a Black Roman emperor, Septimus Severus, and, in the 19thcentury, colonies in the North African countries now known as Eritrea and Ethiopia (from where Italians’ beloved caffè originates). I arrived here from New York two years ago, and have found…
Those of us who learned arithmetic using pen and paper, working with the ten digits 0–9 and place value, may take for granted that this is the way it’s always been done, or at least the way it ought to be done. But if you think of the amount of time and energy spent in…
It's starting to happen. Companies are taking it seriously. We can't continue the way that we have. We must get green.
An All Nippon Airways (ANA) Dreamliner winged its way from Tokyo to Osaka late last week using a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that blended traditional jet fuel with fuel made from microalgae.
The flight came on…
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…
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…
As we've written before, the world is getting smaller as it's getting larger. For better or worse, people around the world are finding more ways to venture to new places, explore new cultures and bask in the visceral joy that travel brings.
But, there is another side to this explosion, and that is there are deep…
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…
When people say "get away from it all", that often means driving to the local Holiday Inn. That is fine, of course, but where can you really go with that phrase? We have a suggestion for you - a gasp-worthy one. The Mashpi Lodge in Equador. Deep in the forest, this sumptuous complex will bring…
Here's a puzzle for those who look to get to the root of complexity or confusion. In this case, the question is - have you ever seen the travel patterns of flights from Asia to the United States? They never go straight across the Pacific Ocean to get to, say, Los Angeles. They take an…