In The News

Ultraman Copyright: Big Plans after Japan Court Win

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn March 5, 2003
After a seven-year Tokyo court battle, Sompote Saengduenchai, a Thai businessman, won rights to Ultraman in all international markets except Japan. Ultraman has long been considered one of Japan's quintessential superheroes, like America's Superman, but Sompote was involved in designing the character while a student in Japan in the early 1960s. Sompote is now planning Ultraman films,...

McDonald’s Strives to Regain Ground

Sherri Day March 3, 2003
McDonald’s is often considered the ultimate American business success, and, with restaurants in over 50 countries, a symbol of American cultural dominance. Changing tastes in America and many failed menu items have contributed to a long, slow decline for McDonald’s in the US, however, and the chain plans to stop operating in three countries. Owning a McDonald’s franchise is not the instant...

The Galling Rise of English

February 27, 2003
English is spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world, but until recently the European Union was a place where French sometimes dominated. The EU is headquartered in Brussels, and an elite group of French-speaking bureaucrats has influenced the organization for years. New EU member states have been increasingly English-oriented, however, and as more European students learn...

Bush Faces Increasingly Poor Image Overseas

Glenn Kessler February 24, 2003
Whether it's because of his "cowboy" reputation, conservatism, or religious references, President Bush is not liked by much of the world. He's now being compared to Saddam Hussein-and some think that Bush might be a worse threat. Global protests against the war in Iraq on February 15th centered largely on anti-Bush slogans. Clearly the American administration still has a...

How the Protesters Mobilized

Jennifer Lee February 23, 2003
Between the internet, cell phones, and text messaging, new ways are constantly being invented to disseminate information and organize large bodies of people across the globe. The February 15th worldwide protests against the impending war in Iraq stretched these means to their full potential. Protest organization can now be dispersed, non-hierarchal, and in tune with up-to-date information....

Draw Foreigners to Private Singapore Schools - and Be Paid for It

Sandra Davie February 20, 2003
Some Singapore private schools are offering monetary sums up to S$1000 for actualized referrals of foreign students. Recruiters believe that prospective students will be more receptive to offers by their friends and acquaintances than by simple brochures. Increasingly higher incentives for foreign students to attend Singapore private schools reflect the competition in the world market for fee-...

Dating of Australian Remains Backs Theory of Early Migration of Humans

Nicholas Wade February 19, 2003
The newest dating of an archaeological site in Australia supports the "out of Africa" theory of human migration. Human remains found at Lake Mungo, in southeastern Australia, were formerly dated as being 62,000 years old. However, a new team of archaeologists have revised that date to be closer to 40,000 years old. This new dating now supports the theory that human society...