Gadling

I'm not saying this just to impress you, but I'm the 730 millionth-richest person in the world. How did I figure this out? Why, by going over to the Global Rich List, and entering my paltry salary. Do the same, and you'll discover where you stand on the global wealth hierarchy.

Lest this all sound a little too competitive, allow the people behind the Global Rich List to tell you their real reason for starting this website:

"[W]e gauge how rich we are by looking upwards at those who have more than us. This makes us feel poor. We wanted to do something which would help people understand, in real terms, where they stand globally. And make us realise that in fact most of us (who are able to view this web page) are in the privileged minority. We want people to feel rich. And give some of their extra money to a worthwhile charity."

There, don't you feel a lot less dirty now?

Over at Nomadic Matt's Travel Site, Matt takes Americans to task for their well-known reluctance to travel abroad, citing the oft-repeated statistic that only 15% of Americans own passports. He attributes the dearth of US travel abroad to a number of factors, including American fear and ignorance of the rest of the world, but I'm not sure these go very far in explaining the real reasons behind the phenomenon. So why don't Americans travel more?

For starters, Americans only receive (or demand) about two weeks off in vacation time per year, compared to a month or more in many European countries. Now, perhaps this is the fault of the American worker, who doesn't value his or her leisure time enough to demand more vacation time, or maybe it all goes back to the famous Puritan work ethic. Either way, I simply don't think it's true that Americans are afraid to travel to, say, Australia or China.

But Matt disagrees: "Americans are just scared of the world. I mean really scared. Maybe even petrified. In this post 9/11 world (even before it), Americans have been taught the world is a big scary place. There are terrorists outside every hotel waiting to kidnap you. People don't like you because you are American. The world is violent. It's poor. It's dirty. It's savage. Only Canada and Europe are O.K. but, if you go there, they will still be rude to you because you are American." This is course the stereotype, but do lots of Americans still feel this way?

So if Americans aren't scared, why don't they travel abroad more? Well, America is also one of the most varied, multi-cultured countries in the world, so perhaps Americans don't feel the need to travel beyond their borders. From natural wonders like the Grand Canyon, the Florida Everglades, and Denali National Park, to vibrant, multi-ethnic cities like New York, Miami, Chicago, and San Francisco, Americans can see a wide range of people and places without ever crossing a national border.

With this photo, Flickr user wetboxers (interesting name) really makes me miss Ecuador, the only place I've ever surfed-- if you can call getting thrown off a longboard all day "surfing." This shot was taken in the Philippines, but similar scenes can be found all over the world.

Want your gnarly photos considered for Gadling's Photo of the Day? Submit your best shots here.

It's been said that, during her recent interview with Katie Couric, Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin looked like "a high schooler trying to BS her way through a book report." Which, as one Time columnist points out, is "an insult to both high schoolers and BS."

Apparently recognizing her weakness, Palin has-- according to The Onion-- traveled to Epcot at Walt Disney World for a quick crash course on the world and international affairs.

The Onion reports: "According to Palin, the trip-her first past Frontierland-will include speaking engagements at Norway's famous Viking ride, sausages at Germany's Kaufhaus, and, time permitting, a fact-finding mission to Future World."

Notice she's skipping the trip to Russia, which makes sense, because she can already see it from her house.

Whole thing here.

Considering Iceland's location and climate, perhaps it's no surprise that the country's credit markets are in a deep freeze. During the "boom years" of the '90s, Iceland became one of the richest countries in the world per capita, thanks to economic reform, a booming stock market, and an increased demand for the fish off its coasts.

But as the Guardian points out, "Iceland built its extraordinary wealth on the crest of the worldwide credit boom and now the crunch is sweeping it away, bankrupting a people for whom the past eight years have been, for most of them and by their own admission, one long party."

Iceland's currency is plunging towards the center of the Earth-- almost as weak as the currencies of Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan-- and supermarkets are having trouble paying for more food to be imported.

All of this is obviously terrible news for Icelanders, but travelers might find some unbelievable deals if they want to visit any time soon. Not only that, you'd be helping out the locals by providing some much-needed foreign investment.

More here.

(Photo via ContemplationDC)

This shot, from flickr user Styggiti, was taken in Saint-Emilion, France, at the Collegiate Church. (See a larger version here.) The surrealistic effect of the photo, in case you were wondering, was created using an image processing technique called tone mapping, which I won't even pretend to understand. You can learn about it here though.

Got a photo you want considered for Gadling's Photo of the Day? Submit it here.

Smokers who visit India better be careful about where they choose to light up, or they might just find themselves faced with... wait for it... a $5 fine.

Yes, India has just become the latest in a long line of countries to ban smoking in public places, including hospitals, train stations, and even bars. Government officials who supported the legislation, which was passed on the birthday of India's most famous non-smoker, say that the ban is necessary to protect the health of India's roughly 120 million smokers, half of whom are under 30.

But the ban is not without its critics. Many question whether such a broad ban can truly be enforced, especially in India, while others see the new law as an unnecessary infringement on people's abilities to make their own choices.

What do you think, Gadling faithful? Is the smoking ban necessary to protect public health, or an unwarranted interference with personal freedom?

Several years ago, I had the good fortune to celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Morocco, and was surprised to see how devout Muslims made the sun-up to sun-down fasting more bearable.

At my university, students would stay up all hours of the night, eating, smoking, and playing soccer, and would sleep as much as possible while the sun was up-- when they couldn't eat.

At sunset, we all sat down for a meal called iftar, literally "break-fast," where generous portions of delicious traditional food was served. I was surprised to hear from my Moroccan friends that some people actually gain weight during this month of fasting, as a result of overindulging during iftar and at night.

[Over at National Geographic News, they've put together a short video about the dangers of overeating during Ramadan; go ahead, take a look.]

Lest this should all sound much too pleasant and not at all like a sacrifice, I urge you to give fasting a shot. As one who's tried it many times (and succeeded only occasionally), I can assure you it's quite a bit harder than it sounds. Sadly, yesterday marked the end of Ramadan, the Eid al-Fitr, so you may have to wait till next year, when Ramadan starts on August 22.

Any Ramadan-observers out there have experience with gaining weight during the holy month?

Congratulations to the remaining residents of Caracas, Venezuela! Foreign Policy has just honored your fair city as the murder capital of the world, with around 130 murders per 100,000 people.

Not only that, the actual murder rate may be much higher, because the numbers "omit prison-related murders as well as deaths that the state never gets around to properly 'categorizing.' The numbers also don't count those who died while 'resisting arrest,' suggesting that Caracas's cops-already known for their brutality against student protesters-might be cooking the books."

Also showing up on the list are Cape Town, New Orleans, Moscow, and, surprisingly, Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, which was recently named "Worst City" in an Economist Intelligence Unit survey.

Although Cape Town is rapidly emerging as one of Africa's most appealing cities, the city's homicide rate is still off the charts, at 62 per 100,000 people. But here's something to comfort you before your next visit: "The city's homicides usually take place in suburban townships rather than in the more upscale urban areas where tourists visit."

The article adds: "According to the South African Police Service, most of the Cape Town area's violent crimes happen between people who know one another, including a horrific case last year in which four males doused a female friend in gasoline and lit her on fire."

Sweet dreams!

Tim Patterson comes from the Rolf Potts School of travel writing-- thoughtful, funny, and talented. But above all else, he's a traveler.

It seems Tim is constantly on the move, whether it's to Cambodia, Bhutan, or Uruguay. He shares his love for travel on a number of sites, including Brave New Traveler, Matador, and his personal site, Rucksack Wanderer. Tim's a great guy and (lucky for you) a great interview.

He recently took the time to answer a couple travel-related questions via email...

1. Brave New Traveler takes a different approach to travel than a lot of other sites. What are you trying to accomplish with BNT, and were you surprised to find such a wide audience for your message?

Most travel sites are focused on destinations. This isn't a bad thing - travel is about going someplace new after all - but the destination focus does contribute to the idea of travel as just another marketable commodity.

The BNT team finds the thought of buying a travel experience ridiculous and sad. We see travel as a spiritual journey, an almost sacred way to find our place in the modern world.

We published a really popular collection of 50 Inspiring Travel Quotes recently. Here's one of my favorites, by Miriam Beard:

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."

That quote sums up our attitude at BNT pretty well.

Am I surprised to find such a wide audience for this content? Absolutely not. People are hungry for essays and articles that go deeper than commercial fluff.

2. I want to become a guidebook writer but don't know where to start. Any tips?