Category Archives: Asia

Russian cities that arose from the Gulag era

Posted on August 22, 2017 by

Below is a list of some of the larger cities that were founded, built, or significantly enhanced through Gulag-era forced labor. If the city was founded during the Soviet Union’s Gulag era, the date is provided in parenthesis. Otherwise, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, cities, culture, Europe, geography, human rights, humanity, land use, Mining, pictures, place names, politics, Statistics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Indian cities with the most high-rise buildings

Posted on July 26, 2017 by

Listed below are the 20 cities in India with the most high-rise buildings as defined by emporis.com. If the city is a suburb, the core city is listed next to it in parenthesis. Also shown in parenthesis at the end … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Cities, downtown, geography, India, land use, planning, skylines, skyscrapers, urban planning | Leave a comment

Regional place names that sound like names of nations

Posted on June 27, 2017 by

  Below is my list of regions whose name sounds more like a nation’s name. Some of these are geographic regions while others are political. In some cases they correspond with the boundaries of a state, multiple states, and/or province(s). … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Europe, geography, North America, Oceania, place names, South America | 2 Comments

India graces us with the loveliest skyscraper of all

Posted on January 23, 2017 by

The Namaste Tower under construction in Mumbai, India may not be the tallest skyscraper in the city or in the world at (301 meters or 988 feet in height), but when completed it sure will be the loveliest. Designed to … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art, Asia, cities, civics, culture, downtown, economic development, geography, infrastructure, land use, pictures, placemaking, planning, skylines, skyscrapers, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Urban atrocities – Aleppo is the latest sad example

Posted on December 16, 2016 by

All of us bear responsibility for the unfolding humanitarian disaster in the city of Aleppo, Syria. It doesn’t matter whether our nation is involved in the on-going conflict or not. As  human beings we should not let such a series … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, China, cities, civility, Europe, geography | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Kerouac’s eloquence in “The Dharma Bums”

Posted on June 2, 2016 by

I love reading books penned by Jack Kerouac. Somehow, his freewheeling eloquence with the written word just lifts imagery and wisdom right off the page and into your soul’s deepest crevasses. Earlier today I finished reading The Dharma Bums and … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, Asia, book reviews, books, civics, Communications, culture, entertainment, environment, geography, hiking, homelessness, humanity, literature, nature, peace, politics, tourism, trails, Travel, walking | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yoga-fied city names

Posted on December 11, 2015 by

A little fun today with adding yoga terms to city names. Here are 22 I came up with. Additions are welcome. Enjoy! Birming-hamsa (Birmingham), Alabama, Michigan, or UK Bridge-pose-port (Bridgeport), Connecticut Budda-pest (Budapest), Hungary Chakra-nooga (Chattanooga), Tennessee Corpse-Pose Christi (Corpus … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, branding, cities, culture, fun, geography, history, Language, place names, States, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment