In The News

Obama Backs Non-Censorship; Beijing, Apparently, Does Not

Keith B. Richburg November 17, 2009
President Obama's arrival in Shanghai featured a town hall forum with students watched by the foreign media. During the question and answer period, Obama stated his support for internet freedom of expression in response to a question on Beijing’s blocking of social media sites like Facebook. Meanwhile, Beijing did its best to make the event a non-story within China by carefully choosing the...

A New Mosque in Nicaragua Fires Up the Rumor Mill

Steve Stecklow November 16, 2009
A new mosque in Managua is sparking suspicions in the Nicaraguan capital, as citizens come to terms with the religion of the small Muslim community there. A variety of rumors are circulating about the mosque – that it was built by Iran, that all Muslims there are Taliban, and that all Muslims are actually Turks. None of these claims are true, assert leaders of the small Islamic community in...

South Koreans Struggle With Race

Choe Sang-Hun November 3, 2009
South Korea's development in the past half-century is a testament to the opportunities for prosperity globalization affords. Yet, despite South Korea’s export-led growth and its populace's near-obsession with learning English (particularly from foreign-born, white speakers), many South Korean’s are hostile to foreigners living and seeking work among them. Such reactions are likely...

The Cosmopolitan Tongue: The Universality of English

John McWhorter November 2, 2009
Today, languages are becoming extinct faster than species. One estimate predicts 90% of the 6,000 languages will cease to be spoken in the next century. Though lamenting such a loss, linguist and Columbia University Professor John McWhorter challenges the notion that language death equates to cultural loss. Languages show the diverse ways humans conceptualize the world. But, McWhorter notes, the...

Ancient Greeks Introduced Wine to France, Cambridge Study Reveals

Andrew Hough October 29, 2009
Recent discoveries by Cambridge Professor Paul Cartledge support the theory that it was the Ancient Greeks, and not the Romans or a local group, that first popularized wine in France. Backed by archaeological evidence, Cartledge explains that Greeks intermarried with locals to ensure the survival of their settlement at modern-day Marseilles, and in doing so established trade networks in France...

Seeking Soft-Power, But Not By the Book

Jonathan Fenby October 26, 2009
China’s participation as the guest of honor at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair was filled with plenty of histrionics: walk-outs, gag orders, and a firing. There were, however, over 2000 copyright deals inked with various Chinese publishers. But beyond the sensational, the event shows China’s uneasy practice of soft power, according to author Jonathan Fenby. Beijing is striving to present itself to...

Revolution in a Box

Charles Kenny October 23, 2009
Television ownership has increased rapidly around the world. But many people in developing countries are only getting access to TVs now. What is unique about today’s access for the heretofore underprivileged watcher is televisions now are receiving digital signals, which means less governmental control of content. On the other hand, that many of the most popular shows are produced in the United...