In The News

French MPs Say Song Downloads Must Work on Any Player

Angelique Chrisafis March 27, 2006
France has rejected any monopoly in the music download market, requiring that downloads be accessible to any type of digital player. The legislation would be a blow to Apple’s online music, ITunes, which dominates the global online music market and can only be played on the Apple iPod. The decision reflects a growing sentiment among French politicians against foreign domination of any sector of...

After Rush to China, Manufacturers Look Back to Southeast Asia

Wayne Arnold March 16, 2006
China has been a formidable competitor to its neighbors in Southeast Asia as well as the West. Since China's entry into the WTO in 2001, jobs and manufacturing plants from Southeast Asia were moved to low-cost China. Unlike China, Southeast Asia has not created a single international brand, whereas China invests in research and development. But nations like Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,...

Negative Perception of Islam Increasing

Claudia Deane March 15, 2006
As the war in Iraq enters its fourth year, a majority of US citizens express unfavorable views of Muslims, surpassing levels just after the 9/11 attacks, according to a Washington Post – ABC News poll. Most respondents noted that Islam contributes to violence. US citizens with an understanding of Islam stated that the religion is essentially peaceful, but were as likely as other respondents to...

Exporting Censorship

Xeni Jardin March 15, 2006
Censorship of the internet extends well beyond China and search-engine firms that cooperate. Xeni Jardin, co-editor of BoingBoing.net, recognized massive censorship was underway after receiving dozens of emails from readers who complained they were blocked from the site. A Silicon Valley product called Smart Filter prevented access because BoingBoing.net contained “nudity” – pictures of...

That Good Education Might Not Be Enough

Peter G. Gosselin March 15, 2006
During a trip to India, US President Bush met with a group of talented Indian business students, and used the occasion to dispense advice to young Americans about pursuing an education to compete in the global marketplace. By now, everyone knows that because of lopsided wages, living costs and health care benefits across the globe, the students from India can work for less income than their US...

Novels Found in Translation

J. Peder Zane March 9, 2006
Editors and writers often quote from translated material, without identifying the translator. Writer J. Peder Zane suggests that the neglect reveals a subconscious embarrassment about readers’ dependence on translations, a nagging doubt that the reading does not provide an authentic experience. Yet only because of translations, the average person can enjoy “Madame Bovary” or “Crime and...

Blame It on Voltaire: Muslims Ask French to Cancel 1741 Play

Andrew Higgins March 9, 2006
In the small French town of Saint-Genis-Pouilly, a conflict arose in 2005 that prefigured the Danish cartoon crisis and tested willingness to defend the right to free speech. The target of Muslim outrage then was one of the Enlightenment’s leading men of letters – Voltaire, or Francois-Marie Arouet. A reading of his play, “Fanaticism, or Mahomet the Prophet,” excited a small riot – “the most...