Around The World In 30 Years

This book was written as: (1) the perfect short read while waiting in airports; (2) the ideal bedside companion; and (3) a delightful gift book. Why? (1) The pithy tales are short, humorous, and insightful; (2) each chapter is all-inclusive - you can start and stop anywhere; and (3) there is nothing nasty, embarrassing, or sexy in it. Thus, Dr. Rawson, a psychology professor extraordinaire, introduces us to this charming collection of travel tales. Covering a time span of 35 years, the author takes us on a fascinating view of some of the worlds most exotic locations: the wilds of the Amazonian jungles, the clove plantations of Zanzibar, the pandemic of AIDS in western Africa, the old slave factories of Goree Island off the coast of Senegal, crossing the Andes by train, chewing qat in Yemen, and chatting with haratines in the worlds most secluded country, Mauritania. But more mundane travel experiences are not neglected. Taking your kids to California by car, traveling on Amtrak, living in the Deep South, and even an account of the authors first real trip, a hilarious venture with his parents to California in a 55 Plymouth, are all included. Arranged chronologically, the book takes us step-by-step to ever more venturesome trips. Starting with the first venture outside the United States, the author covers his initial trip to England where he ends up being unable to understand the language, subsisting on Cadbury chocolate bars, and touring Scotland with a busload of Englishmen. From this humble beginning, the reader is transported to the Holy Land, where his brother declares war on the Baptists in his travel group, to the delightful account of surviving taking his two teenager sons to California on a one-month car trip, and later, taking those same teenagers to Morocco to knock the provincialism out of them. Usually traveling with his sardonic but delightful wife, his beguiling, but intolerant, brother, his curious sons, or with groups of bumbling college professors, the author consistently manages to capture not only the unique character of the country visited, but the charm and wisdom of its people. Most importantly, the author consistently makes clear that traveling is a lot of fun and humor is a worldwide commodity easily exchanged. Whether its a green-eyed half-breed Greenlander complaining about the weather, an Inca descendent racing a tired old school bus in Peru, a Japanese bride planning her wedding in Prince Edward Island, or a black football player struggling through Mississippi State, Dr. Rawson finds humor, caring, and compassion among all. Youll love this witty, insightful, and certainly upbeat book!

What does a consul do when a couple arrives at the consulate dressed in their bathing suits asking for help? What to do with a rapidly decomposing corpse in the outback of tropical Papua New Guinea? How do the financial donations bound for Africa end up on the private accounts of the ruling elites and arms dealers? This book is a frankly-written collection of anecdotes from his thirty years in the Swiss foreign service.

"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.

An unclouded look at territorial autonomy back and forward, 100 years after the establishment of the first "modern" territorial autonomy in a democratic state: the Åland Islands in Finland in 1921/22. Where has autonomy been successful to ensure minority protection and self-government, where has it failed, where is it in crisis, where is it aspired to? In which cases would autonomy settle open conflicts between states and regional communities, and in which cases of national emancipation is autonomy no longer sufficient? In 2021, after 100 years of experience with territorial autonomy in all parts of the world, this concept for solving sub-state conflicts is still underestimated. Background information and assessments on the development to date and on the perspectives for the application of territorial autonomy in various regions worldwide by the author of "The World's Modern Autonomy Systems", conversations with ten outstanding personalities from politics and science in these regions and a foreword by the South Tyrolean politician and scientist Oskar Peterlini, former senator in Rome.

This is the inspiring story of an ordinary guy who achieved two great goals that others had told him were impossible. First, he set a record for the longest automobile journey ever made around the world, during the course of which he blasted his way out of minefields, survived a breakdown atop the Peak of Death, came within seconds of being lynched in Pakistan, and lost three of the five men who started with him, two to disease, one to the Vietcong. After that-although it took him forty-seven more years-Albert Podell set another record by going to every country on Earth. He achieved this by surviving riots, revolutions, civil wars, trigger-happy child soldiers, voodoo priests, robbers, pickpockets, corrupt cops, and Cape buffalo. He went around, under, or through every kind of earthquake, cyclone, tsunami, volcanic eruption, snowstorm, and sandstorm that nature threw at him. He ate everything from old camel meat and rats to dung beetles and the brain of a live monkey. And he overcame attacks by crocodiles, hippos, anacondas, giant leeches, flying crabs-and several beautiful girlfriends who insisted that he stop this nonsense and marry them. Albert Podell's Around the World in 50 Years is a remarkable and meaningful tale of quiet courage, dogged persistence, undying determination, and an uncanny ability to extricate himself from one perilous situation after another-and return with some of the most memorable, frightening, and hilarious adventure stories you have ever read.

The just released book, Round the World & Across Russia in 21 Days, 30 Years Later, provides and in-depth and historic look at a complex aviation adventure at a historical watershed moment in time. Only months after the Soviet Union had collapsed, this group of unlikely adventurer took off from Santa Monica Airport, July 4, 1992, and fly their single and twin engine privately owned general aviation aircraft 18,000 miles across some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world. This unique aviation adventure took place in the wake of the dramatic and sudden collapse of the Soviet Union, an event which unfolded during many months in midst of trying to organize this complex aviation adventure. The World Flight Across Russia was the idea of Marcel Large, President of Raid Intl. and organizer of many car, motorcycle and air rallies for decades prior to our event. Hatched after taking the first private group of general aviation aircraft into the Soviet Union in early 1991, he wanted it to go beyond just flying around the world across Soviet Union. Designed as a annual event, with a different group flying a different route across the Soviet Union each summer, it ended up being across Russia and only took place that one honeymoon summer right after the collapse in July 1992. A fascinating part of the story was Marcel, his wife Michelle, Eric Vercesi and Paul Hollenbeck dealing with Soviet and then Russian authorities with no one truly knowing who could answer the most pressing questions at hand. Moscow, January 1992: Four people were in Moscow, weeks after the Soviet Union voted itself out of business, trying to organize a World Flight Across Russia. Confusion reigned supreme six months after hard-liners tried to reverse all those gains made during Gorbachev’s reforms, when Boris Yeltsin and the people made their famous stand for freedom in August 1991. Odds were stacked against their success as the world was still reeling from one amazingly startling fact: The Cold War had just ended! The ‘1st Annual Around the World Air Rally’ was the first western or civilian group of general aviation aircraft to circumnavigate while crossing the entire landmass of Russia, but that is only part of the story. Our group was under protection of one of the highest officials, Vice President Rutskoi, in an effort to create updated cultural and business ties between old enemies and new friends. Five days in Moscow and across Siberia we carried the highest authority in our back pocket... but sometimes in some places that was not enough...