Destination: Europe
World Travel Watch: Strikes in Greece, Ongoing Protests in Thailand and More
by Larry Habegger | 04.28.10 | 10:38 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
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Yahoo! BuzzPhoto You Must See: Vapor Trails and Moonlight
by World Hum | 04.27.10 | 1:52 PM ET
REUTERS/Phil Noble A plane passes in front of the moon over Manchester, England, earlier this week
‘The Future of the French Language is Now in Africa’
by Eva Holland | 04.26.10 | 2:53 PM ET
The New York Times has a fascinating piece on the globalization of French as a language—and, as the language diverges from its home nation, what that means for French culture. Michael Kimmelman outlines the battle between France’s cultural traditionalists and the immigrants and foreign French speakers who have adopted the language, but not necessarily the culture that has historically come with it. He writes:
French is now spoken mostly by people who aren’t French. More than 50 percent of them are African. French speakers are more likely to be Haitians and Canadians, Algerians and Senegalese, immigrants from Africa and Southeast Asia and the Caribbean who have settled in France, bringing their native cultures with them.
Which raises the question: So what does French culture signify these days when there are some 200 million French speakers in the world but only 65 million are actually French? Culture in general—and not just French culture—has become increasingly unfixed, unstable, fragmentary and elective.
Having grown up in a bilingual school system, a ten-minute drive from the Ontario-Quebec border, I’m plenty familiar with the dilemma. I can remember, at about eleven, being told firmly by my French teacher that Frenglish was “an insult” to both languages it drew on; even then, I thought that seemed limiting.
Seeing cultural and linguistic fusion as offensive is a non-starter in this globalized world of ours. There’s some amazing food, literature and music coming out of this sort of cultural cross-fertilization, around the world. Rather than viewing themselves as “under siege,” France’s cultural authorities might be better off getting out there and seeing some of it.
World Travel Watch: Drug Violence in Acapulco, iPad Ban in Israel and More
by Larry Habegger | 04.21.10 | 12:40 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
EU: Traveling is a Human Right
by Eva Holland | 04.20.10 | 10:26 AM ET
Oh, Europe. While Americans continue to suffer from Shrinking Vacation Syndrome, the European Union has declared that vacationing is a right that should be accessible to all—and its bureaucrats are working on a plan to subsidize holidays for those who can’t afford them. Said the EU commissioner for enterprise and industry: “Travelling for tourism today is a right. The way we spend our holidays is a formidable indicator of our quality of life.”
Five Days on, Volcanic Ash Cloud Still Wreaking Havoc
by Eva Holland | 04.19.10 | 1:33 PM ET
The air travel crisis touched off by a volcanic eruption in Iceland has continued to worsen since we first wrote about it last week.
The Globe and Mail reports that 750,000 passengers are stranded across Europe, while airline losses from the travel shutdown have surpassed $1 billion. The New York Times outlines rising industry anger against European governments’ handling of the crisis; one aviation executive described the response as: “no risk assessment, no consultation and no leadership.” Britain, meanwhile, is taking action: After a failed civilian effort to rescue stranded Britons from the French side of the Channel, three Royal Navy ships are being dispatched to serve as emergency passenger ferries instead.
Andrew Sullivan has posted a chart showing the emissions savings created by a few days of grounded flights. Our own columnist Eric Weiner offers seven travel lessons from the crisis. And finally, check out these wild NASA shots of the ash plume, courtesy of Twitter user @stefanthepilot.
Seven Lessons From the Great Volcano Shutdown of 2010
by Eric Weiner | 04.19.10 | 12:45 PM ET
What should we learn from the historic grounding of thousands of flights?
From the Ostalgia Files: Vita Cola
by Eva Holland | 04.15.10 | 12:42 PM ET
We’ve been covering the ostalgia phenomenon for awhile now, and it’s still going strong. Atlantic food blogger Lauren Shockey has the latest entry in the field, a thoughtful post about her search for GDR-era food brands and products in present-day Berlin. It’s a good read.
Photo You Must See: Ash and Steam Over Iceland
by World Hum | 04.15.10 | 11:53 AM ET
REUTERS/Ho New An ash cloud from this week's volcanic eruption in Iceland rises to 22,000 feet
Ash From Iceland Volcano Forces Cancellation of Thousands of Flights
by Jim Benning | 04.15.10 | 11:51 AM ET
REUTERS Oh Iceland. Now look at what you’ve done.
Amazingly, the closing of air space across parts of northwestern Europe due to widespread ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland is, according to the New York Times, “among the most sweeping ever ordered in peacetime.”
World Travel Watch: Chaos in Kyrgyzstan, Protests in Thailand and More
by Larry Habegger | 04.14.10 | 12:14 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
World Travel Watch: Airplane Safety in Peru, Metro Bombings in Moscow and More
by Larry Habegger | 03.31.10 | 10:50 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
Photo You Must See: Watering the Girls in Hungary
by World Hum | 03.26.10 | 11:40 AM ET
REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh Boys in Holloko, outside Budapest, throw water as part of the "Watering of the Girls," a local Easter tradition
World Travel Watch: No Alcohol in Brunei, Air Strikes in Europe and More
by Larry Habegger | 03.24.10 | 11:10 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
Not-So-Flattering Views of Famous European Landmarks
by Doug Mack | 03.23.10 | 10:08 AM ET
Doug Mack Doug Mack takes bad travel photos. And by bad we mean gritty and honest.
See the full audio slideshow: »