In The News

Chinese-Language Classes Full, But Teachers Scarce in US

Ben Arnoldy April 2, 2007
Growing numbers of US students want to learn Mandarin, but a dearth in resources makes this a trying feat. While federal funds pour into guest visa programs for foreign teachers, critics say this is not enough to strengthen disorganized language-education programs throughout the US. Other school districts look to immigrant populations as potential wellsprings of language educators. However, many...

Poor Nations to Bear Brunt as World Warms

Andrew C. Revkin April 2, 2007
Global warming is a form of aggression imposed by rich countries on the poor, according to the president of Uganda. Africa accounts for less than 3 percent of the carbon emissions that trap greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to a steady increase in global temperatures, a rise in sea levels and a shift in precipitation from the equator toward the poles. Developing nations contributed more...

Pain From Free Trade Spurs Second Thoughts

David Wessel March 30, 2007
Free trade and free movement of labor has long enriched the US, but analysts increasingly point out that neglect of the nation’s science, education and manufacturing base could limit future prosperity. The US public took little notice when unskilled jobs moved overseas – but some economists predict skilled jobs, any that can be accomplished via the internet, will soon follow. Fast-paced...

Sushi: A Fusion Cuisine That Illustrates Globalization

Andrew Cassel March 28, 2007
Japanese chefs, Norwegian engineers, Canadian fishermen and quirky American consumers combined over the past four decades to develop a new cuisine, one that shows how taste can be as powerful an agent of globalization as trade ministers and CEOs. Sasha Issenberg’s new book, “The Sushi Economy,” explores the history of sushi – the bite-sized combination of sticky rice and raw fish that became a...

Does the Prospect of Arranged Marriage and Abuse Warrant Asylum in the US?

Warren Richey March 26, 2007
The world has many policies on marriage: Some nations allow multiple spouses, some permit marriages among teenagers or same-sex partners, and others assign more power to one gender or the other. The Bush administration has asked the US Supreme Court to examine the case of a woman who left China and convinced a federal appeals court that deportation would mean she would face her husband’s wrath....

Why “Fair Trade” Could Backfire for the US

David Dapice March 26, 2007
As manufacturing jobs continue to slip away from the US, Democrats in control of US Congress could be tempted to apply protectionist measures. But any regulations that attempt to restrict trade could backfire and chase more skilled jobs abroad. Economist David Dapice describes US economic problems – unbalanced budgets, a negative savings rate – as “home grown,” and the solutions require sacrifice...

Global Warming Can't Buy Happiness

Bill McKibben March 23, 2007
In a draft report for the United Nations, the US admits that its carbon emissions will continue to rise over the next decade, not drop. In sum, the US and others find it difficult to sacrifice – and blithely contribute to crisis by expending energy in wasteful ways. “For the last century, our society's basic drive has been toward more — toward a bigger national economy, toward more stuff for...