In The News

Mitchell Landsberg July 19, 2007
When Starbucks coffee shop opened in the Forbidden City seven years ago, China was striving to join the international economic community. Now, the country’s citizens are divided about adopting international trends versus preserving cultural and historical heritage. Rui Chenggang, a television anchor, wrote a blog entry protesting a Starbucks in the Forbidden City, claiming that it “trampled over...
Nicholas Zamiska July 17, 2007
Chinese government officials recently ordered a stop to publication of “The China Development Brief.” This newsletter, read by many NGO representatives around the country, covers a range of human-rights topics, from AIDS to environmental issues. Founding editor, Nicholas Young, reports that his organization was under scrutiny in recent ears and suspects the closure is part of a broader political...
Yochi J. Dreazen June 21, 2007
The word “poetry” comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “I create.” Poems draw on the power of language and connections to express emotions, ideas, experiences and aspirations. Such writing requires solitude and reflection, readily available for prisoners, including those of Guantanamo Bay. The prisoners originally had to hide their creations from guards, using pebbles or spoons to scratch...
Susan Moeller June 21, 2007
Since the 9/11 attacks, a US priority has been to eliminate global terror. The US has spent and accrued billions in debt, invading Afghanistan and Iraq and enhancing security procedures in travel and everyday routine. A study of newspaper coverage of Pakistan, following the 9/11 attacks, suggests that journalists, either willingly or unwittingly, contributed to overall public confusion regarding...
June 19, 2007
Diseases can emerge on any point on the globe, spreading quickly, and health providers cannot have vaccines ready for every disease in every location. Complicating the treatment of any infectious disease: Entities within any country may regard disease as a business opportunity, a security risk, a reason for shame or a matter to hide. Indonesia only recently provided the World Health Organization...
June 18, 2007
Government censorship is growing in sophistication, according to a survey of internet filtering practices in 41 nations. Such censorship is “becoming more pervasive and more subtle over time, often disguised as network errors,” warns Jonathan Zittrain, professor of internet governance and regulation at Oxford University, according to a release from the MacArthur Foundation. The foundation funded...
June 6, 2007
US authorities arrested a 27-year-old Seattle man, describing him as one of the world’s top 10 spammers, and charged him with 35 counts including mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Robert Soloway’s arrest marks the first time that officials have used identity-theft laws to prosecute a person for taking over another person’s internet domain name. “Prosecutors allege Mr....