10 Reasons Not to Race Through Cabarrus County
Race fans and car nuts know all about Cabarrus County, a corner of North Carolina that’s home to the Charlotte Motor Speedway and its famous auto events. The Speedway hosts NASCAR races this year in May and October, and occasional car shows and special events at the...
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Getting Your Speed Fix #WhereRacingLives
We are in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, home to the Charlotte Motor Speedway, because my husband is an absolute car nut. However, Paul’s a Formula One follower from Wales. He’s passionate and articulate enough about racing that the nephews had taken to calling him #NascarDad but I knew he needed an education in the American...
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Falling for Flowers at Italy’s Infiorata Festivals
If you are traveling to Italy in May or June, you should schedule a visit to one of the famous infiorata or flower festivals. The infiorata are religious festivals held in various towns in Italy, using flower petals to create large and fantastic floral decorations on the street. We recently had the good fortune to attend the infiorata in the charming medieval town of Spello,...
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Another Shangri-La: Pony Trekking in Ladakh, India
Leh, Ladakh is your destination if you're looking for an active adventure with kids in a place none of your neighbors have been. Ponies are used to enable family trekking in northern India, even with young childen, making for quite an expedition. Trekking to visit Asia's remote villages is one of the greatest of family adventures. You may be thinking, if you have children under the age of 12, you...
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Yangtze River Cruise: Slow Boat In China
Find out if a slow but fascinatingly timeless cruise on China's Yangtze River will be fun for families with children -- and why. The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world. Starting in the icy mountains of Tibet, it runs for almost 4,000 miles until it empties into the sea at Shanghai. Serving as the highway of China, it acts as the dividing line between north and south. It is also...
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Magical Rajasthan
When thinking about family trips, at least for families with children over the age of 10, India doesn’t immediately spring to mind. Think again. India has camel and elephant safaris, wildlife refuges, fantastic festivals, renovated forts and palaces, delicious food, and great shopping -- especially in the northern state of Rajasthan. My husband and I recently returned...
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EATALY Transports New Yorkers to Italia
If you like Italian food, you will find plenty to like in the 50,000-square-foot food mall and eatery EATALY. Opened recently by uber chefs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, the food emporium is crowded, busy and full of delicious food. There are currently five restaurants, ranging from pizza to fish to standing food counters for paninis on the go, to sit-down dining....
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Istanbul: Me & The Marines
For those who've followed my Baghdad saga, and understand the stress I was feeling after the bombings there, you know how much I needed a break. So, after a week of RnR in Iceland, I headed for Istanbul and then back to Baghdad. In Istanbul I had a long layover of 10 hours, so I had pre-arranged to meet up with some friends at the Marine Ball. The Marine...
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Iceland for RnR
Looking for a much-needed break, I recently went to Iceland with my friend Joanna, a delightful English lawyer who works in Baghdad advising investors on how to negotiate Iraqi business laws. Iceland was absolutely FANTASTIC. Spectacular scenery, stark, dramatic. We both were longing for cold, wide-open spaces, and the outdoors, which we got in spades. We also managed to fit in...
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Baghdad Interrupted
Hello…as some of you know, the bombings of October 25th in Baghdad were a close call for us. The 2nd, larger bomb went off across the street from the hotel where I live and our office is located. The first bomb was close enough to be extremely loud and cause me to get up from my desk and move towards the hallway, which is when the 2nd bomb...
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Changing Party Scene: Baghdad Year 1
So what does one actually DO in Baghdad? It’s somewhat different for those who live in the International Zone (IZ), and those who live outside. For those in IZ, it is possible to take spin classes, yoga, go to salsa lessons. It is also possible to attend bi-monthly meetings of the Baghdad Cigar Aficionado Club (I have to confess, I went to one). How could I not go?...
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Transitions in Iraq
Since the last time I checked in I’m happy to report that my security situation has settled down. IREX and I are in the final stages of selecting the new security company, I’m hopeful that soon everything will be more or less back the way it was, although without my lovely International Zone (IZ) villa for weekends. So these weekends I’m back to staying at the guesthouse I was...
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Girlfriends on the Nile: Egypt for R&R
After a few months of work in Baghdad, I was ready for a break and decided to visit Egypt with my friend Tina, who is the Baghdad Bureau Chief for the LA Times, and New York friend Linda. Linda then came into town before Tina, and...
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Americans have rules, Iraqis have friends
My report, 8 weeks after the elections, still here working with journalists to promote freedom of the press in this rapidly changing country. In the few weeks immediately after the elections, there was an uptick in violence,...
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Baghdad 2009 Election: Authorization Letters
I fear that will be written on my gravestone: She forgot to get a Letter of Authorization. I've been stationed in Baghdad, Iraq for several months, working with an NGO that promotes a free press by assisting journalists in developing countries. The Iraqi Election was my biggest assignment, and here's my report. As more and more journalists started pouring into Baghdad and doing...
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Two able-bodied: Letter from Baghdad 4
After a few months in Baghdad, I have just returned from a trip north to Kurdistan, to meet Benton, a fellow journalism training colleague running a different non-governmental program up there (and here, which is why he came down with me), as well as my two employees up there, and grantees we are supporting. I flew up with Iraqi air, which my staff told me I should think of more as a bus...
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Frog In Boiling Water: Baghdad Week 4
You know that old saw about putting a frog in water, and slowly bringing it to boil, and the frog never notices until it’s too late. Welcome to the new normal. I barely notice the sirens, choppers, distant bombs, and guns everywhere. Kind of like getting used to the noise of the subway. Bush was here today, and there was a lot of chopper traffic, sirens, but otherwise, work went on as usual,...
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High Profile: Baghdad Week 2
High Profile: Baghdad Week 2 First: the backstory. I am currently in Baghdad, working as Country Director for IREX, running a very similar program here to the one I ran for them in Serbia. Only WAY more complicated, bigger, and of course… in Baghdad. I will be here anywhere from 6 mos to a year to…??? Up to me really. This morning had a very loud wakeup: a LARGE rocket was...
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Golden Handcuffs: Baghdad Week 1
I’m in Baghdad with a non-governmental organization to support local Iraqi journalists tell their side of the story. This journal is just the start of my journey... The trip out was uneventful. The most unusual part of the trip was the descent into Baghdad: they corkscrew around in circles rather than coming in straight. You can figure out the reason for that. After all the visa delay,...
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