In The News

Differing Approaches to Immigration on Two Sides of the Atlantic

Michael Mandelbaum April 24, 2014
Politicians opposed to immigration are making electoral gains throughout Europe, and legislators in the United States are also polarized over immigration reform, especially the status of an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants. Michael Mandelbaum, author and international studies professor, argues that “immigration has become a major and contentious political issue in the world’s...

Resident Non-Immigrants in US: 1 in 4 Is From India

Chidanand Rajghatta April 21, 2014
Indians are the largest category of resident non-immigrants in the US, including temporary guest workers, students and families, 22.9 percent in all, suggests a report from the US Department of Homeland Security for the year ending in June 2012. According to the report, of 840,000 temporary workers and families, 38 percent hailed from India, with 25 percent Chinese and 16 percent South Koreans....

Exploring Spices, We Bring the World to Our Tables

Susan Kelleher April 15, 2014
Spice is an ancient trading item and descriptions of one Seattle dealer suggest that the business did not change much over the past century. But Americans now embrace spicy dishes, watching competing cooking shows on television, exploring recipes and ordering spices online, and experimenting at home. “The wide availability means that pure spices that once inspired epic ocean journeys, wars,...

Somalia in High Speed Internet “Culture Shock”

Moalimu Mohammed April 14, 2014
The extremist group al-Shabab had ordered a stop to internet services in Somalia, but that has not dented Mogadishu residents’ appreciation for newly installed high-speed internet, suggests one internet provider to BBC News. Following the threat by al-Shabab, “3G networks nationwide were turned off but the project to launch fibre optic cable services continued in the capital, reports Moalimu...

Paying for the Gray

April 9, 2014
China’s average age for retirement is 53, unchanged since the 1950s. But China’s economy has flourished and the nation’s average life expectancy is 75: “With the number of pensioners set to soar, and the number of young workers able to support them unable to keep up, China has been making long-overdue changes at both ends of the demographic spectrum,” reports the Economist. “Allowing people to...

Saudi Arabia: Atheists Are Terrorists

Adam Withnall April 4, 2014
A series of royal decrees and laws in Saudi Arabia are defining terrorists – and atheists, peaceful protesters, members of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as those who leave to fight wars in other country, particularly Syria, all qualify, suggests a Human Rights Watch report. The crimes can be published with prison sentences up to 20 years. “Article one of the new provisions defines terrorism as ‘...

World Population Trends Signal Dangers Ahead

Barry Mirkin April 3, 2014
Demographers are often called upon to predict the future by extrapolating from population statistics and trends. The United Nations has revised population projections upward, and demographer Barry Mirkin suggests the warning signs are clear: The globe can anticipate a billion more people in a decade and another 2 billion by the end of the century for a total of 10.9 billion. People live longer,...