In The News

Denmark PM Rejects Apology Demand

January 31, 2006
Islam traditionally considers any depiction of Muhammad disrespectful. Muslims in the Arab world were aghast, then, when they learned that the Danish newspaper “Jyllands-Posten” had published cartoons portraying their prophet as a terrorist last fall. Tensions have now come to a head, after a Norwegian paper reprinted the cartoons and as the Danish government insists that it cannot punish “...

No Booze or Jokes for Googlers in China

Declan McCullagh January 27, 2006
By launching its search engine in China and following Chinese government censorship laws, Google has sparked controversy. But the controls seem more haphazard than just dictated by political consideration, according to a CNET News.com survey of the new search engine. Sites opposing the Communist government do not show up in Google searches, but can be reached through links and foreign-service...

Ramallah’s Virtual Reality

Henryk M. Broder January 27, 2006
If the Palestinians truly want to destroy Israel, they are probably alone in the Arab world. With Israel committed to the unilateral resolution of conflict with Palestine, the cries for justice from Palestinians inspire less desire to wipe Israel off the map. Still, the Palestinians have embraced a “virtual” reality – a version of their own condition that is primal and reductive, with a focus on...

Let There Be Wi-Fi

Robert McChesney January 26, 2006
To most people, broadband is simply a faster internet connection than dial-up. When it comes to powering economies, however, broadband could be as essential an innovation as electricity. Soon, television, radio and the web will find their way into a person’s home as a result of a single broadband connection. In the largest sense, broadband is poised to become a vital part of economic, personal...

Internet Privacy in China and the US

John Shinal January 24, 2006
Citizens in China and the US can no longer depend on their Internet searches remaining private. Last week the US Justice requested information from four major US search engines on users’ search results. The request, ostensibly to assess the frequency of searches for child pornography and to prevent children from viewing harmful material, raises questions about personal freedom and the right to...

Hookah Bar Becomes the ‘Anti-Loudoun’

Michael Alison Chandler January 20, 2006
At the Shisha Café and Lounge, like cafés throughout the Middle East, customers smoke flavored tobacco from brass hookahs and water pipes. Yet Sisha is in Virginia, not Baghdad or Beirut. Originally intended to serve the Middle Eastern communities in Loudoun and Fairfax counties, the hookah bar instead became a hit with the college crowd - most of whom are not of Middle Eastern origin. With the...

No Level Playing Field in Football’s Globalisation

Larry Elliott January 14, 2006
In an increasingly prevalent variation on the “brain drain” issue that troubles small, poorer nations, “leg drain” is taking its toll on the world of football. But this trend is a mixed bag. A recent study suggests that globalization has a two-prong effect on the sport: It contributes to increasingly higher salaries for the best football players in Europe, yet also serves as an equalizer for...