In The News

Solving a Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside a Cookie

Jennifer 8. Lee January 18, 2008
Fortune cookies are popular in Chinese restaurants the world over, everywhere but China. Japanese researcher Yasuko Nakamachi theorizes the absence is because the cookies originated in Japan, as evidenced by references in Japanese literature and art decades before the early 1900s. California restaurants with Japanese owners introduced the dessert between 1907 and 1914, reports author Jennifer Lee...

US Courts Consider Legality of Laptop Inspections

Adam Liptak January 11, 2008
Travelers often lug laptops with them, and the US government claims that inspecting the computers is no different than checking suitcases. But privacy advocates and some academics and business people are increasingly concerned, supporting searches only when there is reasonable suspicion. A lone judge has weighed in on the case, adding that information stored on a computer is an extension of one’s...

Rocking Lolita in Tehran

Colin Meyn January 8, 2008
Iran’s strict adherence to theocratic principles has historically led it to muzzle such perpetrators of poison as rock bands, women singers, political dissenters, and other marginalized groups. In 2007, the scene changed when a film documenting Iran’s evolving underground music scene was screened internationally. Beyond the reach of the censors, this film – Sounds of Silence – might generate the...

What’s Your Consumption Factor?

Jared Diamond January 3, 2008
The average citizen of a wealthy nation consumes at a rate 32 times that of the average citizen of a poor nation, and a rising human population will present major problems if people consume at levels on display in the wealthiest nations. High consumption levels exacerbate environmental devastation, resource shortages, waste and other social problems. Citizens of the poorest countries are fully...

African Aid Projects That Work: Partnerships on the Ground, Not Donations From a Distance

January 1, 2008
Donors who want to help Africa, by sending funds or supplies, must do research about the real needs and support systems in any community: Funds can go unspent or into the pockets of corrupt officials; sending electrical devices to communities that lack power or office supplies to organizations lacking desks or office space can often end up frustrating both donors and Africans alike. Gifts that...

World's Schools Teach US A Lesson

Stacy Teicher Khadaroo December 24, 2007
US education experts suggest that the nation’s children fail to keep pace with the top international students. A globalizing economy means that today's kindergarten students will eventually compete for jobs or work on teams with peers from around the world. The challenge awaiting teachers is how to best prepare young students. While pupils in China and India achieve high scores on science...

Covering the World

Sherry Ricchiardi December 21, 2007
The Associated Press is making inroads around the globe, reporting international news, at the same time that foreign bureaus of major newspapers are closing. With 243 foreign bureaus, the AP is the world’s largest news organization. It is the first Western newsgroup to open an office in North Korea and has more than 200 staffers in Iraq. By maintaining reporters throughout the globe, the AP...