Philippines

The Hobbit House

Lord of the Rings fans rejoice, for if you happen to journey to Manila in the Philippines, you can get a little taste of what it might be like to dine in The Shire. There’s a long-standing and popular restaurant by the name of The Hobbit House there that is dedicated to celebrating its owner's love of Tolkien’s world.

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Japan’s Rising Power in the East

The talk of the last decade has been about China and their increasing power on the political stage of Asia. Most of the countries in the region have little ability to directly challenge China when it comes to pure productive power and national wealth. Most, in fact, don’t even come close to China in any of the major political tools that matter. One country, however, is on the fast track to intercept China in its ambitions. Japan’s Prime Minister, Abe Shinzo, sees the looming threat of a China-controlled Asia and is taking steps to become the huge country’s largest competitor for power.

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The art of boondocking

Some memories hold fast. It’s no effort to conjure the vision of our van parked near a stream in the French countryside with sunlight pouring into the small living space. Our location each evening was dependent on proximity to a village. Each morning we'd venture out to collect fresh croissants at the nearest bakery and take them back to enjoy with coffee freshly brewed on our van stove. It was a magical month and I had no idea that on those evenings, we were officially “boondockers,” living self-sufficiently without water hook-ups or electricity.

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Unique Easter traditions throughout the world

Here in the states, we associate the Easter holiday with a number of things.

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