Category: issues

The discovery could fuel debate on a major prehistoric puzzle — where the homeland of Homer’s legendary hero Odysseus was located.

“Plans for a Shanghai Disneyland emerged in 2005 but were suspended when the city’s Communist Party boss, Chen Liangyu, was implicated in a corruption investigation in 2006.”

“The University of California at Berkeley is set to receive $28 million and Stanford University $25 million under the five-year agreements with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a graduate research university on the Red Sea expected to open in fall 2009 with a multi-billion dollar endowment.”

Berlin is a city of culture. But what do visitors most want to see? “One thing French, British, Dutch and American visitors to Berlin agree on is that the once-hated Wall, which separated the former East and West Berlin, is the thing they most associate with the German capital.”

“This presidential primary season, people who work at the crossroads of politics and culture say the arts have attained a higher profile than usual — and the push for an arts agenda has established a foothold in the campaign landscape.”

The new owner of the Tribune Co, wants to sell the Cubs and Wrigley Field. But part of the deal might involve changing the historic stadium’s landmark status. This could be a blow to other city landmarks…

“In today’s climate, if you’re looking to appoint someone to lead an arts organisation, you will be looking for a candidate… whose address book was stuffed with friends and contacts who have inherited large fortunes or made a killing in the City, and are now ready to show some largesse towards the arts. It’s a circle that is pretty near impossible to square.”

“The city’s skyline might be defined by a Sputnik-era TV tower, bombed-out churches and the ghost of a certain wall that once split the German capital. But its streetscape is largely molded by graffiti.”

“Obsession with standardized testing has reduced primary and secondary education to little more than rote learning that continues to leave far too many children behind. Corporate titans have dumbed down the press and transformed TV news coverage into platforms for right-wing blowhards. Meanwhile, regardless of political viewpoint, most can agree that study after study reveals American students to be woefully ignorant of geography, history and science compared with their overseas counterparts.”

“By one international measure, Finnish teenagers are among the smartest in the world. They earned some of the top scores by 15-year-old students who were tested in 57 countries. American teens finished among the world’s C students even as U.S. educators piled on more homework, standards and rules. But by ninth grade Finns way ahead in math, science and reading — on track to keeping Finns among the world’s most productive workers.”