In The News

China’s Image Sullied by Tainted Milk

Mary Kay Magistad October 1, 2008
The latest scandal involving tainted milk adds to the perception that the label “Made in China” covers layers of warnings: a potentially resentful work force, suffering low pay and abuse; managers who place profits over safety, striving for quantity over quality in production; minimal quality-inspection procedures and enforcement; and government authorities conditioned to hide rather than expose...

Fast Food Hits Mediterranean; A Diet Succumbs

Elisabeth Rosenthal September 30, 2008
When obesity and its problematic health effects grabbed headlines in developed countries like the US in the 1990s, researchers contrasted eating habits to those in Mediterranean countries like Greece, where life expectancies remained high and incidences of serious disease remained relatively low despite widespread drinking and smoking. Researchers credited the use of olive oil and daily...

The Power of Negative Thinking

Barbara Ehrenreich September 29, 2008
Author and advocate for the working class Barbara Ehrenreich sees in the current United States financial crisis not only the well-reported roots of corporate greed and "its crafty sibling, speculation," but also an overall shift in American society that has made "delusional optimism" part of mainstream thinking. Permeating throughout all facets of American culture, exuberant...

A Muslim Creationism Debate: Taking on Darwin in Turkey

Daniel Steinvorth September 26, 2008
Fundamentalist Muslims join forces with fundamentalist Christians in protesting the work of British naturalist Charles Darwin, who offered the theory on natural selection as a mechanism to evolution. Darwin theorized that offspring inherit traits from their parents, some traits allow for better survival rates and over time species adapt to changes in the environment – all well documented by...

Don't Go There

Elizabeth Becker September 3, 2008
In an increasingly crowded world, travelers find it more difficult to find remote and natural settings. “Thanks to globalization and cheap transportation, there aren't many places where you can travel today to avoid the masses of adventure or relaxation-seekers who seem to alight at every conceivable site,” writes Elizabeth Becker for the Washington Post. The industrial nature of modern...

China’s Olympic Run – Part II

Pallavi Aiyar August 29, 2008
For seven years, the Olympics have guided political, economic and cultural goals in China, and this two-part YaleGlobal series suggests that the country will struggle to manage a huge void left with the Games’ conclusion. Communist Party leaders used the Olympics to rally citizens and portray a confident, new image to the world. In the second article of the series, journalist and author Pallavi...

China’s Olympic Run – Part I

Mary Kay Magistad August 27, 2008
China hosted memorable Olympics Games, ignoring criticism about pollution, relocation of poor Chinese and repression of protesters. For the past seven years, the Olympics became symbol and reason for the Chinese people to endure sacrifice. This two-part series examines the implications of Chinese policy for the country and the world. In the first article of the series, veteran correspondent Mary...