Anna Brones (l) and Emily Nuchols (r); Photo courtesy of Anna Brones

As senior editor at WEND Magazine, Anna forged a special relationship between WEND and Matador, recognizing that the core audiences of both publications were people who were living adventures by passionately pursuing their dreams.

Now, Anna’s jumped the WEND ship to set out on her own adventure: launching Under Solen, a social media start-up company, with her business partner, Emily Nuchols. Emily, by the way, is also a Matador member.

Over e-mail, the three of us talked about Under Solen, travel, Scandinavia, and whether they’re crazy to start a business in this economy:

What was the impetus for you and Emily to start Under Solen Media?

Emily and I have both been working in the outdoor industry for the past few years, she in the non-profit world and I in publishing. Because social media had been a large part of both of our jobs, we saw that there was definitely a niche in the outdoor industry that wasn’t being filled. The Internet and new media have changed the way companies, organizations and individuals brand themselves, and so much of marketing is about connecting with a message or a cause.

We want to provide the tools to bring these people together to push these messages out in the most interactive, dynamic way possible. In a day and age where a brand can offer a technical, do-it-all waterproof jacket, which company are you going to buy from: the one that listens to you as a consumer, supports worthy causes, and is committed to a certain set of ideals, or the one that simply markets their latest sales offers?

What does the name mean?

Under Solen means “under the sun” in Swedish. Emily and I first bonded over our Scandinavian heritage, so we figured it was only appropriate to choose something that related to that. And since we’re working with folks who love the outdoors…

Will this job allow you to be location independent?

Definitely! We believe in doing business a bit different than usual and that means traveling, exploring, and getting out the message of our clients on the ground. Plus, when you’re constantly working with a bunch of crazy cool adventurers and causes, how can you not be inspired to get out and explore? That being said, Portland is an excellent place to be based, both for the brands that are headquartered here, the general ethos and the number of amazing people.

Who are your ideal clients?

We started this business because we want to work with people who are driven to make positive change in this world and really get their message out. Since Anna and I are steeped in the outdoor industry, we haven’t had to look far. We are stoked to be connecting with people who are passionate about their causes — be they businesses, advocates, or adventurers.

What do you expect a typical work day to look like?

Every day begins with coffee. Swedes LOVE their coffee But seriously, we spend the majority of our time connecting with people — online, on social networks, on the phone, or in our own backyard. We obviously spend a lot of time in front of our MacBooks writing blog posts, streaming content from our clients through social media channels, and promoting our clients.

But Anna and I do things differently and that means a lot of travel and adventure — that could mean jetting off to Brazil to meet up with one of our expedition teams or hitting the trail for a run to mull over a new project.

Your future office?; Photo: mike baird

No one starts a business in a recession. Are you nuts?

Honestly, we didn’t think twice about taking the leap. Some people say that the people we work with are nuts — paddling first-descents on the most remote and dangerous rivers of the world, traveling for months in search of the perfect photo, or going head-to-head with the U.S. government to remove dams…. Well, we’re just proud to call these folks our partners.

We have an amazing group of folks who encouraged us from the very beginning. And we have the connections, energy and passion to succeed and we think that is exactly what is needed to jumpstart a flagging economy. How could we not dive in?

Community Connection:

Planning a trip to the Caribbean? Anna is also Matador’s Guadeloupe expert, and she’d be happy to answer your pre-trip questions.

Photo: Amir Farshad Ebrahimi

The future of incumbent candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is at stake in tomorrow’s election. Ahmadinejad, often described as a hard-line traditionalist, is being challenged for the country’s top political seat by former prime minister, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

The two candidates couldn’t be more different, but that’s not the main issue galvanizing many Iranian voters and outside observers.

Instead, it’s Mousavi’s wife, Zahra Rahnavard, a former university chancellor, who has captivated the country’s attention as the final hours of campaigning approach.

In an article in Der Spiegel, journalist Ulrike Putz explained Rahnavard’s appeal and influence:

“Since the revolution in 1979 no other political spouse has been so much in the public eye. Rahnavard is even featured in her husband’s election posters: she stands next to him, holding his hand. In Iran’s strict Muslim society this alone is nothing short of spectacular. She wears her black chador loosely and instead of a plain scarf, hers is printed with a colorful floral pattern….

For weeks Rahnavard has been travelling around Iran — with and without her husband — trying to drum up support for the conservative reformer. She talks about providing women with more rights before family courts, better education opportunities and more jobs. That is not only appealing to the female half of the estimated 46 million eligible voters — many of their fathers, brothers and husbands also think this the right way forward.

While Rahnavard is certainly the most visible example of women increasingly defining and claiming a space for themselves in Iranian politics and social life, she’s not the only one. Throughout Iran and neighboring countries, women are openly addressing larger audiences, talking about traditionally taboo topics and asserting their right to define their own roles in society.

For another example of the ways women are articulating and exercising their rights, check out this excerpt from the PBS Wide Angle documentary, “Dishing Democracy,” which features popular TV hosts Fawzia Salama, Rania Barghout, Muna AbuSulayman, and Farah Besiso talking about their Cairo-based program, “Kalam Nawaem.”

If you’re interested in seeing the full documentary, you can access the video segments here.

Community Connection:

Interested in politics outside the West? Be sure to read Sarah Stuteville’s dispatch from Pakistan, “Pakistani Politics: Why Women’s Voices Matter.”

Photo: Stig Nygaard

As New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof wrote a few weeks ago:

“Mention Africa in polite company, and those around you may grimace, shake their heads sadly and profess sympathy. Oh, all those wars! Those diseases! Those dictators!”

But as Kristof went on to say, Africa is a lot more promising and hopeful than most Westerners acknowledge. And Africans themselves are working hard to use available technologies to get good news stories about their continent out to the rest of the world.

Take sisters Chioma and Oluchi Ogwuegbu, for instance. Chioma and Oluchi recently launched a website, Celebrate Africa, where they’re documenting their journey across the continent, a trip they’ve undertaken with the mission of “changing the negative image of Africa and encourag[ing] Africans and the world to begin to see the beauty in the continent, [as well as] promote a sense of identity and unity for Africa’s people.”

Chioma, who holds a law degree, designed and facilitated a leadership program for young women before deciding to undertake the trip around Africa. On the trip, she plans to volunteer at different non-profits, learning about local problems and solutions. Oluchi, who has a degree in economics, plans to videotape as much of their trip as possible, documenting the good news stories the sisters find along the way.

The sisters plan to visit 34 countries; so far, they have been to 14 countries, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. You can follow their trip by reading their blog.

Community Connection:

Planning your own trip around Africa? Be sure to touch base with Matador’s Africa destination experts.

But I’ll bet yours weren’t nearly as cool as this one….

The U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper is reporting that four Spanish teenagers were able to send a balloon to the edge of space, capturing atmospheric readings and photographs with some fairly simple technology.

Their equipment? A $62 USD latex balloon…

…and an $80 USD camera.

The balloon and its camera made it to 100,000 feet–nearly triple the altitude at which commercial airliners fly–before it returned to Earth with more than 100 images, which you can view here.

All photos by meteotek08

Enter the Culinary Corps.

Photo: Julie Schwietert

Founded by chef and social entrepreneur Christine Carroll, the Culinary Corps, dubbed the “Peace Corps for Cooks,” makes annual trips to the Gulf Coast to cook for volunteers, learn more about New Orleans’ culinary culture, and to participate in community building projects to restore New Orleans’ infrastructure and spirit.

Professional chefs are invited to submit an application for this year’s trip, which is scheduled for April 16-22, 2009. Applications are accepted through March 14. Chefs selected for this year’s Corps will cook for volunteers at Habitat for Humanity’s Camp Hope, Common Ground, Slow Food Mississippi, and the Edible School Yard NOLA, among other locations.

Other special highlights include:

-Visits to the Crescent City Farmers’ Market and the famous Cafe du Monde
-Behind the scenes tour at Cochon Butcher
-Tour of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum
-Dinners at The Bourbon House, The Shed, and Cochon (ranked by the New York Times as one of the nation’s 10 best restaurants)
-Evening of food, fun, and music and Rock-n-Bowl
-Private dinner at Dooky Chase, a New Orleans culinary institution
-New Orleans recovery tour with Share Our Strength

For more information, or to apply, please click here. To learn more about the organization, please read the Matador article, “The Peace Corps for Cooks: Volunteer Travel with the Culinary Corps.”

Blogger Scarlett Lion recently offered up some really thoughtful, motivational tips on becoming a correspondent in Africa.

She knows a thing or two about it, too: she’s been writing, snapping photos and blogging from Africa since 2006. Beyond her personal blog, Scarlett Lion (whose real name is Glenna Gordon) also blogs for critically acclaimed Canadian mag, The Walrus.

The whole Google document is worth a read — it covers local internships, wire service work, and freelancing, and then adds some more general thoughts.

I’ll quote a couple of those last thoughts here:

I truly believe journalism is a battle of attrition. I’ve been around for a few years, so I’ve got experience, and I’ve gotten better at what I do. I work hard and consistently. I work every day, regardless of whether or not I have an assignment. I read widely, google a lot, look at as many photos as my internet connection will allow, and think about my work and how to get better at it.

Google, and you shall find. Get in the habit of googling everyone and everything and you’ll learn about things you didn’t think you even needed to know.

Filing on time is more important than spending extra time to make something perfect. It can never be perfect, but it can be on time.

Well, what are you waiting for? These tips are applicable well beyond Africa. Read Glenna’s thoughts, and then get going!

Looking for more exciting ways to earn your living on the road? Check out Matador’s archive on some of the world’s best travel and adventure jobs, and how to land them.

Photo by DanieVDM (Creative Commons)

Our friends over at World Nomads just announced the opening of their 2009 contest for aspiring travel writers.

If you include yourself among the legions of globe-trotting, pen-wielding writers looking for a free trip and a big break, then keep reading.

According to Chris Noble, World Nomad’s General Manager:

The scholarship recipient will go on assignment to Kerala, India in early 2009 with travel writing mentor David Stott, spending 10 days on tour with The Blue Yonder exploring the River Nila civilization and 10 days writing and reviewing for the upcoming Footprint India Handbook.

And if the destination itself doesn’t sound fantastic enough, there’s more:

The Blue Yonder Tour, specifically tailored for the scholarship recipient, will be based on the age-old tradition of story telling that reveals the uniqueness of the region and the importance of rivers for a sustainable life. It will include interactions with musicians, folk artists, bell metal workers, potters, sand miners, fire worshippers and ritualistic healers, and planting saplings at the Traveller’s Forest, a community driven eco-restoration project.

Sounds like a trip tailor-made for a Matador member!

Here’s what you need to know:

1. The trip is scheduled to take place between February 16-March 7, 2009, so you’ll need to be available these dates to be eligible to win.

2. You’ll need to write a 500 word essay on one of the following topics: a journey that changed lives; responsible travel; or adventure in an unknown culture.

3. Applications must be received by January 9, 2009.

For full contest submission details, visit World Nomad’s site.

Photo: Robbie73 (Flickr creative commons)

Stephanie Nolen, the Globe and Mail’s one-woman African bureau, is one of my favourite journalists — heck, one of my favourite writers in any genre. For the past five years, I’ve been following her stories from the Congo, from Rwanda, from Mali, and from her base in Johannesburg, South Africa.

So I was saddened today to read that she’s leaving Africa, and instead moving to a new Globe India bureau in New Delhi. India will be lucky to have her, and I’ll look forward to her dispatches, but I can’t help but be sorry that South Africa is losing such a powerful voice.

The Globe and Mail has just posted Nolen’s final thoughts from Jo’burg, and a few of my favourite passages are below.

I’ve quoted at length because Nolen’s excellent farewell essay is likely to be behind a subscriber wall pretty soon. If you do get a chance to read the whole thing, though, please do so!

On the crush of foreign press outside the Taj Hotel during the Mumbai attacks:

In five years as this newspaper’s Africa correspondent, I found myself in such a crush of reporters just three times — at the 10th anniversary of Rwanda’s genocide, the controversial 2005 elections in Zimbabwe and the ousting of South African president Thabo Mbeki as head of the African National Congress a year ago. Ninety-nine per cent of the time, I was alone.

Even on really big stories — like the start of the latest war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which 350,000 people have fled their homes — there was exactly one other foreign correspondent with me at the front line.

On the recent outbreak of xenophobic violence in South Africa:

Five years slipped by. Then one day this past May, I found myself in the township of Ramaphosa, just a 20-minute drive from my house, looking at a charred, smouldering heap of ash where a mob of South Africans had beaten a man to the ground and then burned him alive hours before, because he was a foreigner…

This was the kind of story I covered in other countries — Congo, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe. Not here. Jo’burg was the place I came home to, the place that kept me hopeful. How could this be happening?

Photo by thomas_sly (Creative Commons)

And on the post-election violence in Kenya:

There was no shortage of reasons to despair. A few months earlier, I had been in Kenya — lovely, peaceful, stable Kenya, another country that usually offered respite. But this time Kenya was the story: Frustration at a rigged election ignited decades-old anger over land rights and political marginalization.

Soon, 1,300 people were dead, most of them killed with machetes or bows and arrows, and 350,000 were homeless, including a woman I interviewed who was in early labour and sheltering in a horse stall in an old fair ground. Again, I had that sense of being in a familiar, well-loved place I could no longer recognize.

On the lack of change in some countries:

When I began to plan the last trips I would take in Africa, the World Food Program was urging me to go to Ethiopia, where 12 million people are now critically short of food. There is a risk of a famine on the scale of the infamous starvation of 1984, the LiveAid famine, when a million people died. But I couldn’t bear it. I couldn’t go to Ethiopia for a fourth time and write about incipient famine — not again.

On positive change, and one of the first South African AIDS activists she ever interviewed:

The first time I interviewed Zackie, he was charming and helpful, but chalky and sweaty; he moved with a sort of trepidation, as if he had ground glass in his shoes. He had not long to live. But a few months after I moved to Jo’burg, he won: Drug companies slashed prices of AIDS medications for Africa. The government announced that it would provide treatment free in public hospitals. And Zackie took his first handful of antiretroviral pills.

I remember writing the last words in that first article, the electric, unexpected happy ending — and I remember the conversation I had the next day with my friend Sisonke Msimang, an AIDS activist, about the government’s backtrack announcement. She said, “This country always comes right in the end.”

Photo by Mara 1 (Creative Commons)

On good news and bad news:

I realized that in my bleaker moments, I was doing what I often chided others for — seeing Africa as an unchanging disaster and not realizing that between this coup or that rebel insurgency, change was happening — sometimes almost imperceptibly slowly, but definitely, defiantly happening.

I started this job well aware of the preponderance of negative coverage of Africa in the Western media. When I arrived in Jo’burg, I had to face the suspicion of African journalists who were sure I was there to serve up more bad news based on a limited understanding of the place. So I was determined to tell the good news, as often as I could, even if famines and mass rape did demand my frequent attention.

On what she’ll take with her after five years in Africa:

I take other things away from Africa, such as patience — there’s nothing like the Nigerian Ministry of Information to teach you patience.

I also found a greater capacity for rage, although my partner Meril gently points out that mine was already considerable. It drove me nearly mad to spend weeks in the depopulated villages of Swaziland or barren clinics of Malawi and then fly home to Canada on a rare visit and find that no one knew or cared that the people I had just spent time with were going to die, for no reason other than that they were African.

Many died. But others got well. Ibrahim Umoru, a Nigerian AIDS activist whose bean-pole legs were covered in scabs and scars when I met him four years ago, e-mailed me pictures of his brand-new baby this week.

I leave Africa knowing how little I know about what’s possible.

You can find several of Stephanie Nolen’s African dispatches on her website. Stay tuned for her reports from India, in the Globe and Mail beginning next month.

If you’re at all connected in the travel blogging community, it’s likely that you already know about Passports with Purpose.

Just in case you don’t, you can get the quick low-down by reading Matador writer Robyn Johnson’s interview with Pam Mandel.

The Matador editors are so stoked about Pam & Co.’s project that we’ve put together a prize pack stuffed with goodies any traveler or travel writer will love, including:

-10 CDs and DVDs (worth more than $120.00)
-Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing ($19.99 value)
-Moleskine journals ($12.00 value)
-Broke Ass Student’s Guide to Living in New York City ($14.99 value)
-Matador t-shirts (worth $20.00 each)
-a one year subscription to National Geographic Traveler ($17.95 value)
-The Reluctant Fundamentalist ($18.00 value)
-Nintendo DS Game: Brain Age 2 ($30.00 value)

So how do you get the goods?

Visit Passports with Purpose for full details (including a list of the 50+ OTHER prize packages!) about how you can buy a $10 raffle ticket for a chance to win. The Passports with Purpose project ends on December 29, so get on over there!

Photo: jaaron (Flickr creative commons)

Though it’s widely rumored that Barack Obama will be named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year regardless of election outcomes, the decision about who will grace this year’s PoY cover still hasn’t been made.

TIME’s managing editor, Rick Stengel, is currently soliciting your votes for the Person of the Year.

So have at it!

Who, in your opinion, has had the greatest impact (”for better OR for worse,” Stengel says) on the US and the world this year?

Check out Stengel’s YouTube appeal and then cast your vote!

Photo: angermann (Flickr creative commons)

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Matador members are incredible people.

They travel not just to see the world, but to take in what they see and then act as agents of positive change.

Maybe you’ve already met Misty Tosh.

She’s a regular contributor to the Matador Network… her most recent article, “The Ultimate Baja Escape,” left me ready to step away from the computer, get behind the wheel, and get on the road.

She’s a TV and film producer… currently, she’s on location in Kentucky, where she’s also found time to munch her way around Louisville (she’s a food critic in all her spare time. About Louisville’s eats, she says, “I’ve had some of the best food in my belly’s career here.”)

She also produces Pilates retreats in Isla de Mujeres each year–I’d give you the link for the next one, but it’s already sold out–, drives her solar powered travel trailer around the Americas, and sails her boat on the world’s seas.

And oh, she’s just launched phase 1 of her NGO– Fourth World Love. There’s a million things to say about 4WL, and you should definitely check out its website, which channels the Misty vibe just like any other project she pioneers. But the big announcement she’s asked me to make is this:

DONATE $100 and you can not only provide funding for the next phase of her project–which helps kids in Indonesia–you can also win an expenses-paid trip to Indonesia to see 4WL in action, snorkel in the ocean, trek a volcano, and, I’ve got no doubt, eat some seriously good local food.

That’s her up above in the photo, by the way–and I’m pretty sure that jaw-dropping, eye-popping scene in the background is where you’ll find yourself next spring if you win her contest.

Learn all about it here.

Paul Newman died yesterday at the age of 83.

He’ll be remembered most as an iconic actor of the 20th century (and a damn handsome one), but I hope he’ll be remembered, too, for his philanthropic work in the U.S. and abroad.

Through his foundation, which he established in 1982, the actor gave away more than $250 million to charities and social projects around the world. Here are just a few:

Organic Farming Research Foundation: Based in the U.S., the OFRF promotes research, education, and public policy initiatives, all intended to expand organic farming and improve economic opportunities for organic farmers. The $220,000 grant that Newman’s Own gave to OFRF in 2006 was the single largest contribution OFRF had ever received.

Hole in the Wall Camps: Newman, who died of cancer, was passionate about life and helping others with chronic or terminal illnesses live to the fullest. One of the charities closest to his heart was his Hole in the Wall Camps, summer camps designed especially for kids with serious medical illnesses. In 2007, Hole in the Wall Camps were offered in almost 40 countries to more than 11,000 kids.

Manukau City Symphony Orchestra: One of more than 700 charities in Australia and New Zealand that have received funding through Newman’s foundation, the Manukau City Symphony Orchestra is a community orchestra offering programming to professional and amateur musicians, including youth.

No one can summarize Newman’s mission better than the man himself:

“I wanted to acknowledge luck; the chance and benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, who might not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it.”

It’s a good message, and one worth remembering.

Photo: Jose Manuel-ViPeR (Flickr creative commons)

Feels pretty good, right?

That’s exactly what 25 Americans heard earlier this week when the MacArthur Foundation called to inform them they’d been selected as the 2008 Fellows for the so-called “Genius Grants” program.

This year’s Fellows are a diverse and compelling group of people engaged in wildly different but equally exciting community building projects.

There’s Chimamanda Adichie, a Nigerian-born fiction writer.

Will Allen, a farmer who cultivates vegetables in… inner-city Detroit.

Mary Jackson, an artist from my home state of South Carolina who’s preserving Gullah traditions by weaving sweetgrass baskets and advocating for the protection of threatened wetlands habitats in the lowcountry.

Walter Kitundu, an instrument maker and composer who blends Asian and African traditions with modern musical forms, including hip-hop.

Miguel Zenon, a Puerto Rican saxophonist who is resuscitating Afro-Latin jazz, and who obviously is passionate about music… check out this video:

And 20 others whose stories are important and interesting.

Think you’re a genius? Plenty of folks in the Matador community are fascinating people doing amazing work as they travel the world.

If you’re one of them, you’ll have to wait until one of the anonymous nominators discovers you… MacArthur geniuses are nominated and selected by a panel of people from diverse fields who serve the Foundation secretly. If you want to learn more, visit the Foundation’s website.

Get your hands on some genius!

Read Chimamanda Adichie’s book:

Half of a Yellow Sun

or listen to Miguel Zenon’s CD:

Jíbaro

“Our way of life,” write the Ginger Ninjas, “threatens our way of life.” For that reason, they started the Pleasant Revolution.

Who, exactly, are the Ginger Ninjas?

Well, they’re the rock-n-roll group that’s taking “roll” seriously… rolling all the way, in fact, from North San Juan, California to southern Mexico.

On bicycles.

With all their gear, including a 1000 watt PA system.

5,000 miles in all.

And what, exactly, is the Pleasant Revolution?

According to the group, it’s a philosophy of not just looking and talking about our way of life differently, but actually living differently.

And so, the Ginger Ninjas are traveling through Mexico, by bike, giving concerts along the way, playing with local musicians, and raising consciousness about sustainable living.

I think it’s pretty cool all the way around, but if it’s a little too granola for you, just check out this video for their song “Dick Cheney (Needs More Love) to confirm that these guys have a great sense of humor:

Photos: dustinj (Flickr creative commons)

But which celebrities are really serious about changing the world?

Whether their philanthropic endeavors are high-profile or they pitch in quietly, away from the cameras, here are 20 celebs that make a difference:

Photo by World Economic Forum

#1 – Bono

An obvious choice? Sure. U2 frontman Bono has been a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and a Time Magazine Man of the Year. His activism for causes such as Third World debt relief and AIDS prevention are now as equally famous as his music.

#2 – Bill Gates

An international development professor that I respected very much once told me that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was quite possibly the single most effective NGO working in Africa.

Why was I surprised? After all, it makes sense that one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history would do a good job in his philanthropic efforts as well.

The Foundation has its hands in everything from AIDS prevention to college scholarships. Bill Gates reportedly gave over $29 billion to charity from 2000 to 2004 alone.

Photo by World Economic Forum

#3 – Brangelina

The tabloid sensationalism of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie belies a long-standing dedication to diverse humanitarian work. Jolie has visited thousands of refugees wordlwide, while Pitt has contributed to architectural work in post-Katrina New Orleans.

#4 – Shonda Rhimes

While many high-profile celebrities advocate for causes abroad, Shonda Rhimes has been steadily working here in the US. Rhimes, the creator, producer and writer for the hit TV series Grey’s Anatomy, has racked up a shelf-load of GLAAD Media Awards and NAACP Image Awards (not to mention the Emmys and Golden Globes) for her progressive portrayals of race and sexuality in the fictional Seattle Grace hospital.

#5 – Jackie Chan

In between kicking butt and cracking jokes in movies like Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon, action star Jackie Chan keeps remarkably busy with a slew of charitable efforts.

Most notably, he has reportedly bequeathed half his assets to charity in his will – a gesture with an estimated worth of $64 million!

Along with basketball superstar Yao Ming, Chan has also been actively funding recovery efforts following the Sichuan earthquake earlier this year.

#6 – Bryan Adams

Everything he does, he does it for charity? Well, not quite.

But Canadian rocker Bryan Adams has been working the benefit concert circuit for more than 20 years, hitting up Live Aid, Live 8, and nearly everything in between.

#7 – Mos Def

Following in the footsteps of socially-conscious hip-hop predecessors like KRS-One, Mos Def goes beyond the shallow rhymes of Top 40 hip hop, consistently using his music as a platform for social criticism.

He’s probably best known for speaking out about the reaction to Hurricane Katrina:

#8 – Susan Sarandon

Along with her significant other, Tim Robbins, Sarandon is well-known for her outspoken support of a number of causes.

She has been one of the most vocal opponents of the War in Iraq, she’s been speaking out since the very beginning.

#9 – Garry Kasparov

Though he was forced out of the presidential race and subjected to harassment and a brief imprisonment, the retired chess grandmaster remains a powerful voice for democratic change in Russia.

#10 – Brendan Shanahan

Hockey superstar Brendan Shanahan spent seven seasons playing for the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. Off-ice, he quietly created a program to ensure that the city’s (many) low-income households were equipped with functioning smoke detectors.

Photo via Wikipedia

#11 – Shakira

She may be best known for shaking her hips, but Colombian songstress Shakira hasn’t forgotten where she came from. Her Pies Descalzos foundation, aimed at school-age children in her home country, is just the beginning of her contributions.

#12 – Thierry Henry

The French striker is one of the leading voices against racism in football.

Fellow footballers Didier Drogba and Michael Essien have also joined the fight, reportedly rapping together on an anti-racism track.

#13 – Bette Midler

For almost 15 years now, Midler has been working to restore and protect New York City’s parks and community gardens.

#14 – Wyclef Jean

In addition writing socially conscious music, Wyclef Jean also works to improve quality of life in his troubled homeland, Haiti.

#15 – Elton John

Musical legend Elton John has been working to raise money for AIDS research and treatment, as well as combating prejudice against HIV-positive people for more than two decades.

Photo by World Economic Forum

.

#16 – Richard Gere

Actor Richard Gere is one of the best-known advocates of Tibetan independence; in fact, his outspokenness on the issue has resulted in lifelong bans from China, and from presenting at the Oscars.

He also campaigns for AIDS awareness, and for the protection of land rights for Indigenous peoples worldwide.

#17 – Daryl Hannah

When she’s not playing one-eyed assassins on the big screen, Daryl Hannah quietly goes about her extremely green lifestyle. She lives on solar power, runs her car on biodiesel, and her blog promotes sustainability.

#18 – Jim Carrey

Comedian and actor Jim Carrey is a passionate supporter of the US Campaign for Burma:

#19 – Sean Penn

Unlike most anti-war celebrities, Sean Penn has spent time both in Iraq and Iran, and his opposition to the war has been some of the most vocal of anyone in the US.

Penn was one of a handful of celebrities who physically assisted in the rescue of victims of Hurricane Katrina.

#20 – Ed Begley Jr.

Who? You know, that guy from Arrested Development?

When he’s not popping up in all kinds of movies and TV shows, Begley tools around town in an electric vehicle, eats vegan, and powers his home with solar and wind energy, making him an important role model for greener living.

Agree? Disagree? Who are your favorite do-gooder celebs?

The Matador community always has travel on the mind, of course, but as we gear up for our big San Francisco bash on August 16, we’re thinking more than ever about how and why travel are important as all proceeds from the party will fund trips abroad for inner-city students.

It seems appropriate, then, that I just received an alumni newsletter highlighting the work of sociology professor, Dr. Mike McQuaide, with whom I traveled on two occasions as his student: once through the marginalized communities of Atlanta with his social problems course, and once through the marginalized geography of Texas as part of a desert geology course.

McQuaide, recently back from a trip to Vietnam with 13 students, specializes in taking students far from the confines of the comfortable campus of Oxford College of Emory University to immerse them in local cultures around the world.

Whether leading students to the Amazon to learn from traditional healers or staying closer to home to meet people in forgotten communities and hear their stories, McQuaide always views travel as a means to make knowledge real… and to bring that knowledge home to make a difference. It’s the full circle of travel.

As McQuaide concluded in his reflections about the Vietnam trip:

…”13 more Americans are aware of the ways in which our decisions here at home have consequences for others, particularly in developing societies. In my view, this is one of the most important consequences such travel programs make possible — a clear understanding of cause and effect relations ….”

What travel experiences have been most meaningful for you? When did you take a trip that changed your life? Share your experiences in the comments below. And if you haven’t already, make your plans to attend the Matador SF party on August 16 or make a donation!

Photo: Mimi K

In a daring military operation that may well become one of the world’s boldest rescues in history, and which Betancourt herself described as an “extraordinary symphony in which everything went perfectly,” Betancourt and other FARC hostages were secured and then freed on Wednesday.

You don’t have to know who Betancourt is to understand how extraordinary this news is, but learning a bit more about her reveals how important this amazing, strong woman has been for Colombia, Latin America, and the rest of the world. Betancourt, former Colombian senator and presidential candidate, was known for fighting corruption and supporting social justice movements.

For more about Betancourt, read this January 2002 Salon.com interview. Just one month later, Betancourt was kidnapped.

I also recommend Betancourt’s memoir, Until Death Do Us Part: My Struggle to Reclaim Colombia.

And check out this video, in which Betancourt reunites with her mother. You don’t have to speak French to understand the intense emotion that is shared between mother and daughter.

Betancourt says she still aspires to serve Colombia as president.
Ingrid Betancourt: LIBRE POR FIN! FREE AT LAST! Miracles do happen.

Photo by dmax3270 (Creative Commons)

Well, not quite.

South Africa’s first post-apartheid president – and, to my mind, one of the most inspiring figures of the 20th century – doesn’t actually turn 90 until July 18.

But that didn’t stop London from throwing a huge fundraising concert bash in his honour last night, to an audience 46,664 strong.

(46664 was Mandela’s prison number at Robben Island, the infamous prison where he spent much of his 27 years behind bars.)

20 years ago, London celebrated Mandela’s 70th birthday while he remained imprisoned, and that 1988 concert was important in raising awareness around the world. As he said last night: “Your voices carried across the water to inspire us in our prison cells far away.”

The 2008 concert included heavyweights like Queen, Amy Winehouse, Razorlight, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox, and the Sugababes, along with the Soweto Gospel Choir and a range of popular African acts.

Said one musician who played both concerts, twenty years apart: “I was angry the last time. It was very much a protest concert. This is a joyful occasion.”

After starring in the likes of Windtalkers, Flags of Our Fathers, and Law and Order: SVU, Beach is well-placed to serve as an inspirational model for youth in the troubled community where he grew up.

It’s a role he takes seriously. With a long-awaited formal government apology for the ‘residential schools’ program coming this week, Beach is speaking out about the damage inflicted on Canada’s First Nations by the schools.

“It all starts with respecting yourself – and our people lost that,” he tells writer Roy MacGregor. “This circle of violence must stop with ourselves. I must be able to say, ‘I forgive myself.’ ”

In the article, Beach talks about sexual abuse, losing his parents, and how he came through it all to become clean and sober, happily married, and a Hollywood star. It’s a tough read in parts, but well worth checking out – an all-too-rare bright spot in the dark narrative of recent Aboriginal history in Canada.

For some vintage pre-Hollywood Adam Beach, dig up Dance Me Outside at your local indie video store.

Here’s Adam Beach on CBC’s The Hour, discussing, among other things, the limited roles available to Aboriginal people in Hollywood:

Photo by Victor Geere (Creative Commons)

Digging through the (sadly pretty limited) online archives of the excellent Virginia Quarterly Review recently, I came across this interview with South African author (and Nobel Prize winner) Nadine Gordimer.

Here are a few highlights:

“We’ve got to examine truth. To me, writing, from the very beginning and right until this day, is a voyage of discovery. Of the mystery of life. I am one of those people who have no religious faith, I am an atheist. I believe there is only this life. But this life is so incredible.”

“There is more truth in my fiction than in nonfiction. I think, subconsciously, [if] I am writing an article or talking to you, there is a certain amount of self-censorship going on. But in my fiction I am writing as if I were dead. I want to say it all. I want to say everything I know.”

“Writers don’t only listen, they also look. Though, indeed, they do listen. I started being an eavesdropper when I was a child, picking up unexplained little bits of conversation and imagining what led to that, what drama in that couple’s life, or what happened between that child and the parent when I overheard: “Stop that! You’re being very naughty.” You know, what does it all mean?”

Read the whole interview here.

I am a bit of a South Africa-phile – if you are too (or think you could become one!), check out my South Africa Reading Guide for some great literature, Gordimer included.

Ahh… June. Time for the annual family vacation! The average experience of spending quality time with the family is generally equal parts fun and frustration.

But Matador member Nancy Sathre-Vogel is not planning an average family vacation. Nancy and her family will be hitting the road next week, traveling by the seat of their pants—literally. Nancy, her husband, and their twin sons are setting off on a bike trip that starts in Alaska and will end in Tierra del Fuego. We caught up with Nancy to ask her some questions about the trip.

Matador: Tell us a bit about your family– how old are your twins? How did the idea for the Alaska to Tierra del Fuego bike trip evolve?

Nancy: We are a family of four – Mom, Dad, and 10 year-old twin boys. This whole idea of biking to Tierra del Fuego sounds kinda…I dunno – out there? But for us, it’s really a natural progression.

My husband and I met on a year-long cycling trip around the Indian subcontinent back in 1990. We spent the year cycling through Pakistan, India, Western China, Nepal, and Bangladesh – wonderful, but intense cycling.

John and I continued touring every chance we got, and once we moved overseas to teach we took advantage of every school break to get out touring in various countries – Yemen, Mali, and Israel, among others.

Once our twins were born (while we were living in Ethiopia), we put our touring on hold for a while – but we always dreamed of taking off with them. That dream came to life in 2006 when John came home after a particularly hard day in the classroom and announced he wanted to get out of the rat race – he wanted to buy a bicycle built for three and take off. A few months later we did exactly that.

As we cycled Baja on that journey, we met a number of cyclists who were headed all the way to Argentina – and we wanted to badly to join them. But reality hit us in the face, and we realized we simply were not prepared for a journey through the Andes – our triple bike was great for a North American adventure, but it wasn’t the machine for a South American one. We put that dream on hold.

It didn’t remain in the holding tank for long though. A mere twelve months after arriving home from our last adventure, we’ll be taking off again – and we can’t wait!

Matador: What are some of the nitty-gritty details of your trip: how long do you anticipate the trip will take? Where will you stay along the way?

Nancy: We expect the journey will take approximately 2 ½ years, give or take a year or so, and we’ll most likely pedal somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 miles.

Along the way, we will stay wherever we can. On our last journey we stayed in a dead gold miner’s house, in a cabana by a swimming pool, on the side of the interstate with cars whizzing past twenty feet from our heads, on the concrete porch under a café’s awning, and in many, many kind and generous people’s houses.

We expect more of the same on our upcoming journey. We are totally set up for self-contained camping, so can camp pretty much wherever we need to.

As for food, we will mostly shop in grocery stores and cook on our little camp stove. Restaurants are reserved for a treat – they are too expensive to frequent on a regular basis.

Matador: What do you hope your kids get out of this trip? How are you handling schooling along the way?

Nancy: We hope our kids learn that they are not limited by anything and that they can do anything they set their minds to. Yes, they will also learn the “3 R’s of Education,” but those will take a back burner to learning about life.

We will take advantage of each and every educational opportunity we find – whether it be national/state parks, historical sites, or daily life in small villages. We’ll seek out experts who can help us learn all kinds of things – from sea turtles laying eggs on beaches to ancient Aztec ruins.

Our boys will write regular journal entries to record their thoughts, which will help them with their writing. They will read all kinds of stuff – novels and informational signs and more. We will also carry with us some small math workbooks for the kids to work through.

Matador: Tell us a bit about your gear: your bikes, accessories, what you plan to carry with you.

Nancy: Our basic setup will include a tandem bike and two singles. John will captain the tandem, while I’ll be on one single. The boys will switch between the rear seat of tandem and the other single bike.

We’ll have two trailers – one behind the tandem and I’ll pull one. Strapped, lashed, or otherwise attached to the three bikes will be all kinds of stuff – our tent, sleeping bags, stove, cooking pot, rain jackets, clothes, laptop computer, and beads. (Yes – I did say beads. I figure a certain amount of beads is an indispensable item!)

Matador: What do your boys think about the trip?

Nancy: For the boys, this journey just…is. It’s not anything spectacular or unusual. They don’t understand all the hype around it at all. For them, it’s basically no different that taking an afternoon trip to the zoo.

Along the way, we will be volunteering our time with and raising funds for Reach the World (www.reachtheworld.org) – a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the world to under-privileged kids in inner city schools. As we pedal southward, we will be posting what we’re seeing and learning on the internet, and the students will follow along with us. In essence, our journey will become their curriculum. We’re thrilled to be helping kids learn about the world!

To keep up with Nancy’s adventures on the road, check out the family’s website: www.familyonbikes.org.

What’s your craziest family vacation? Would you ever consider a long distance bike trip? Share your experiences in the comments section below!

Photo: worldwidewandering (creative commons)

Photo by lakshmi prabhala

Here’s an inspiring travel thought for this quiet Tuesday afternoon:

South Florida Sun-Sentinel travel editor Thomas Swick on the importance of people.

Can interaction with locals be purchased through financial transactions when we travel?

Swick thinks not: “As every backpacker knows, the best encounters happen by chance… when the only currency is curiosity.”

*Another reason why Wikipedia rocks: it finally told me the origins of an expression I’ve been using for years.

Plan to be in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, or Rio de Janeiro on May 10? (Yes, that’s tomorrow!)

If so, be sure to check out Pangea Day festivities in these cities that are asserting the power of community through massive public events. On May 10, live performances, inspiring speakers, and 24 short films will be shown in public venues–all with the purpose of “helping people see themselves in others.”

Conceived of by filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, the Pangea Day festivities are intended to be a catalyst for year-round community-building activities that link the citizens of the world in creative and inspiring ways.

Talk to us! What creative community building events are happening in your community? Leave a comment below.

How do you get information about what’s going on around the world? Here are three of the best websites offering dynamic content about countries that rarely make it into the news.

1. Frontline and Frontline World
Frontline has been producing fantastic documentaries for years, but their online archive has allowed a much larger audience to learn about places and events that are often off the general radar screen.

More than 70 documentaries are available for immediate viewing online—and best of all, you don’t have to sign up as a user. Type “Frontline World” into the “Search” box, and you’ll see more than 100 short documentaries from around the world. Be sure to check out the FlashPoint slideshows, too.

2. Magnum Photos
Beyond being a stunning archive of some of the best photos, period, Magnum’s website offers essays, podcasts, and blogs about people and places in every corner of the world.

What could be more timely than photos from the demonstration at the Olympic torch relay in Paris? Want a quick photo fix? Type any country into the “search” box and feast your eyes on the thumbnails that pop up.

3. Leonard Lopate Show, “Underreported”
Tired of the same old news? Check out the online version of “Underreported,” a segment from the Leonard Lopate Show, which airs on New York radio station, WNYC. Lopate chooses a new topic every week—recent subjects have included “Swaziland’s Royal Family,” “Eating Insects,” and “The News from East Timor”—and goes in depth to tell stories no one else is tackling.

Photo: Frabuleuse

Share your favorite sites in the Comments section below!

Photo by Chach Coati (Creative Commons)

Over at Vagablogging, Aaron Hotfelder has some inspiring words about the power of pre-trip research:

“There’s so much misinformation out there about the “rest of the world”– be it India, the Middle East, Africa, Central America, you name it,” he writes.

“I found Russia uninteresting because I didn’t know anything about it. After learning even a little of its history and culture, it was like new doors suddenly opened.”

So go ahead. Invest some time in making the world a bigger, more varied, more dynamic place. Look at that map on your wall, and find somewhere you’ve never been and never wanted to go– Uruguay, Tajikistan, El Salvador, wherever. Dig up some pictures of the country, read an article or two about it, see if they have any English-language newspapers. After thirty minutes, I admit, you still might not want to go there– but it probably won’t be because the place is uninteresting.

Amen, Aaron.