In The News

Central Asian University Aims to Train Region's Next Leaders

Barbara Crossette August 26, 2002
The new Central Asian University will soon educate students of this multilingual region in a language that goes beyond borders—English. The liberal arts and strong science curriculum contrasts with the specialized Soviet curriculum offered in the past and will be preceded by English lessons and computer-training courses. Some have questioned the choice of language, arguing that Russian is already...

Chinese Meals Are Tops When Britons Eat Out

Alfred Lee August 12, 2002
Britons now dine out more often at Chinese rather than Indian restaurants. And while a British politician acknowledged the popularity of Indian cuisine last year, Parliament has gone as far as to include Chinese and Indian meals in its catering service. Though foreign meals have won over the British palate, original recipes have been altered to suit Western tastes. Are common flavors the...

Net Users Try to Elude the Google Grasp

Jennifer Lee July 25, 2002
The stories about two people ‘meeting’ over the internet (and later falling in love) are countless and even old. Scandals and tragedies over personal information being disclosed without one’s approval, however, are beginning to alarm people. Search engines like Google and Altavista, portals through which over 3 billion pages can be accessed, yield thousands of results upon typing in a person’s...

25 Million Around the World Learning to Say Ni Hao

July 24, 2002
In the last century, only English, French and Spanish could claim the title of an international language. But thanks to Beijing’s new policy of increased communication and cooperation with the international community, the study of Mandarin is growing rapidly at colleges and universities worldwide. Though regional dialects persist throughout China, Beijing's insistence that Mandarin become...

In the U.S. Nowadays, Little Love for France

Emily Eakin July 6, 2002
The US and France have a long history of harboring snide cultural stereotypes, one that scholars trace back as far as 1797. And neither country is averse to verbally bashing the other whenever the two disagree politically. Thus, the spate of anti-Semitic incidents and a rise of anti-Americanism in France as a result of the war in Afghanistan have conspired to re-ignite francophobia in the...

RI's 'Madrasah' Producing Techno-illiterates

Mochtar Buchori July 3, 2002
Mochtar Buchori contrasts the difference between political and cultural madrasas. The political madrasas, which are found mainly in Pakistan and Afghanistan, teach Islamic fundamentalism. However, the cultural madrasas, found in Indonesia with some supported by the government, teach respect for Islam along with a liberal education. Buchori argues that the challenge for Indonesia is to increase...

Study Warns of Stagnation in Arab Societies

Barbara Crossette July 2, 2002
Arab intellectuals specializing in sociology, economics, and cultural life have compiled the Arab Human Development Report 2002 which uncovers the obstacles to development in the Middle East. The report, which is the result of a year of planning, was initiated by Rima Khalaf Hunaidi, director of the United Nations Development Program's Arab regional bureau. Ms. Khalaf Hunaidi put the...