Aug 10
Video of the Week: A Midwestern Summer Celebration
There’s no beating around the bush with this one. I’m bending the vehicle of my travel site to include things I create unrelated to my travel life. Of course, I’ve been doing that all summer, but if you’re not from Indianapolis, you may find this peak into my family’s backyard celebration to be revealing of some exotic traditions.
On the other hand, you could just enjoy watching a one year-old Slip-n-Slide haphazardly. Please don’t call social services on us; Olivia had a fantastic time sliding around her backyard. It’s a time-honored Clark tradition…or something like that.
Aug 08
Consume & Update: Opportunities for you!
$10,000 and a trip to Bhutan. I’m so generous this week.
Getting Paid to Talk to Bourdain
I don’t consider myself a foodie, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the question Tony Bourdain posed to his fellow food-lovers.
What does it mean to cook well?
Coming from a sustenance culinary tradition, I’m not used to always eating the most delectable dish or denying something less than favorable. Frankly, I’m surprised I haven’t shot my taste buds yet. I find this topic intriguing, and if you do too, you could very well win $10,000 just for documenting that opinion.
Not only do you get a big ol’ pay day but a spot in the paperback edition of Medium Raw. To be published and rolling in the dough…what a surreal concept. Go for it!
And speaking of Tony, his post this week on the death of his good friend Michael Batterberry and his big break in writing is insightful and compelling. Continue reading →
Aug 07
Photo(s) of the Day: Happy Birthday, Olivia!
Today’s photographs are in honor of my one year-old niece, Olivia. She loves to shake her moneymaker, show off her muscles, and make the meanest stink face you ever did see. And not only that, she’s already an avid traveler! Having already explored Boston and Florida, she’s bound for the East Coast and Mexico in the coming months. Call her Magellan; it ain’t no big deal.
Six Months
Aug 07
Reviewing Dean Cycon’s Javatrekker
As much as I like to believe I’m aware of the world’s atrocities and doing my part to make things better, I know I’m very much a negative factor in many world struggles that I’m both conscious of and oblivious to. I suppose my hourly efforts go out to world education, but being interested in travel and the world’s communities seems to impress the importance of caring about everything.
Where does my clothing come from? Am I supporting local farmers? Did my beer get to me via cargo ship? Man…this coffee tastes delicious.
In terms of these worries, coffee is certainly a big kahuna. It’s a safe assumption that young children today associate the Starbucks counter with the origin of coffee. And sadly, I think many adults and consumers think that far into the commerce chain when purchasing their daily jolt. I know I envision lush fields and no faces when I see names like Highland Grog and Java Sumatra, while trying to buy the cheapest concoction possible.
Where does the profit from our caffeine flow? Who benefits from my flavored latte? What is it like to grow coffee for a ravenous global market?
Dean is this dude. He is the founding dude of Deans Beans. He also calls himself a Javatrekker. He’s all about organic beans and fair traded coffee, not “fairly” traded, loophole-filled commerce that leaves the farmers out cold and hungry. His book reads like a compilation of travel essays from someone who’s had unique, and at times treacherous, experiences in the jungles, arid flatlands, and mountain ranges of the coffee lands.
Though I’m normally attracted to straight narratives, I found the mental globe trotting on the same theme a great overall adventure with an informative pulse, which will resonate with any consumer of any good. Let’s check out Javatrekker: Dispatches From the World of Fair Trade Coffee.
Aug 05
Journeys of a Lifetime in August
Welcome back to my new monthly series on Nomadderwhere, one which highlights the incredible trips one could take in that current month – thanks to a vibrant book called Journeys of a Lifetime by National Geographic.
Each month I pick a couple adventures from each section in the book in order to provide you inspiration for 365 days from now. Read the brief description to whet your appetite, and click on the trip name for further information (links provided by National Geographic…of course you could be a gritty backpacker and make it on your own).
