In The News

America Should Open Its Doors Wide to Foreign Talent

Craig Barrett February 1, 2006
Discussion about challenges in America’s immigration policies tends to focus on the millions of illegal immigrants. But the more pressing immigration problem facing the US today, writes Intel chairman Craig Barrett, is the dearth of high-skilled immigrants required to keep the US economy competitive. Due to tighter visa policies and a growth in opportunities elsewhere in the world, foreign...

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...

Populist Delusions Block Latin America’s Progress

Marifeli Perez-Stable January 23, 2006
With the overwhelming victory of Evo Morales in Bolivia’s recent presidential election and the continued popularity of Venezuela’s outspoken Hugo Chávez, populism has become a powerful force in Latin America. Recent surveys show that the majority of Latin Americans lack faith in political parties and other democratic institutions, and are more concerned about jobs and wages. Yet most still...

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...

Peru May Join Latin America’s Populist Tilt to Left

David Luhnow January 18, 2006
A populist movement is gathering momentum in Latin America. Moderate socialist candidate Michelle Bachelet has just been elected as the first female president of Chile. More radical Peruvian presidential candidate Ollanta Humala’s support has also been rising rapidly in recent polls. Humala is a left-wing politician who, if elected in early April, would likely wrestle with free trade and free-...

As Brazil Fills Up on Ethanol, It Weans Off Energy Imports

David Luhnow January 16, 2006
Over the past three decades Brazil has worked to create a viable alternative to gasoline. With its sugarcane-based fuel, the nation may become energy independent this year. Brazil’s ethanol program, which originated in the 1970s in response to the uncertainties of the oil market, has enjoyed intermittent success. Still, many Brazilians are driving “flexible fuel” cars that run on either ethanol...