Culture

A Thug By Any Other Name

Judy Muller | Posted 01.06.2009 | Media


Judy Muller

If you are one of those people who are often the last to hear about the latest addition to the list of politically-incorrect words, this is for you. I clearly count myself among your number.

The Dreams of the Myth-Makers

Anne Hill | Posted 01.05.2009 | Living


Anne Hill

you can go to an astrologer or have someone read the tarot cards, but if you really want to know what the future holds for you, have a look at your dreams.

A Veiled Opportunity: Walking in Saudi Arabia

Heather Frank | Posted 12.30.2008 | World


Heather Frank

It's been funny and humbling to stick out like a sore thumb for change, speaking only a few words of the local language and being so easy to spot in a crowd.

Digging Out of the '00ze

Eric Lurio | Posted 12.29.2008 | Living


Eric Lurio

Names are important. Generally the naming of decades is a no brainer. The question is what to call the decade whose final year is about to begin.

Harvard Psychologist Dan Gilbert: Exploring the Frontiers of Happiness

TEDTalks | Posted 12.17.2008 | Living


TEDTalks

2008-12-18-tedtalk.jpgGilbert says our beliefs about what will make us happy are often wrong -- a premise he supports with intriguing research.

Chinese City To Chop Off Tops of Buildings For Heritage Status

Alex Pasternack | Posted 12.13.2008 | World


Alex Pasternack

Unesco World Heritage status, that coveted prize of global cultural tourism, has become a popular pursuit for Chinese officials.

Not Better or Worse, Just Different

Earl Pomerantz | Posted 12.07.2008 | Style


Earl Pomerantz

Sure, sometimes it's tough not to judge the behavior of people from other cultures - they eat monkeys or something - but cut them some slack. Some of us eat snails.

Pole Dancing Robots Visit London Gallery (VIDEO)

BBC | Posted 12.04.2008 | Style


From the BBC Pole dancing robots, a giant 3D animated face and a customised MIG jet are among artworks on display at the MuTate London exhibition. ...

Keep Traveling. Just Smarter and Safer.

Lea Lane | Posted 11.30.2008 | Style


Lea Lane

Over several decades I've traveled to more than a hundred countries, often alone. Many of them were challenging and so-called third world, but I've gotten through incipient coups and typhoons without major incident.

"Everyday People" Turns Forty -- and the "Good Sixties" Triumph

Robert S. McElvaine | Posted 11.30.2008 | Politics


Robert S. McElvaine

This month, "We shall overcome" overcame "I shall overindulge" as the meaning of the Sixties.

"Uncle Grumpy -- On Race"

Earl Pomerantz | Posted 11.21.2008 | Politics


Earl Pomerantz

At some point, maybe science had something to do with it, maybe folks just came to their senses, there was a liberating change. The "handedness" issue became irrelevant.

Culture Builds Character and Connections

Danny Groner | Posted 11.19.2008 | Living


Danny Groner

Gladwell discusses the factors that helped some of the most successful people achieve what they have. He posits that nurture matters exceedingly more than nature.

Tear Down the Walls: How to See Everyday Conflicts as Cross-Cultural

Grande Lum | Posted 11.10.2008 | Living


Grande Lum

If you are already scratching your head about the other person before you've even engaged with them, then you are missing something.

Reading The Pictures: Let's Unroll

Michael Shaw | Posted 11.10.2008 | Politics


Michael Shaw

2008-11-10-shaw_armoredcobb.jpgTake a look at the Cobb County, Georgia police department's latest toy. Donated by the military, the Armored Personnel Carrier -- used by the U.S. Army in Panama -- holds up to nine SWAT commandos.

Obama the Figurehead

Andrew Sargus Klein | Posted 11.07.2008 | Politics


Andrew Sargus Klein

Prop. 8 passed, after Obama's speech. It was a bitter pill for progressives to swallow and a reminder that no matter who is president the public faces many significant issues on its own.

Elective Friendships

Dr. Irene S. Levine | Posted 11.07.2008 | Living


Dr. Irene S. Levine

My world is so small that I even have a hard time relating to people who don't like some of my favorite movies or TV shows. How can we be friends if we don't even laugh at the same jokes?

Election Day Musings

Earl Pomerantz | Posted 11.04.2008 | Entertainment


Earl Pomerantz

If the Democrats have a monopoly on the presidency and Congress, they'll be evaluated in 2010. That would be valid if, when the Republicans left office, they took their mistakes with them.

Michele Bachmann: "Not All Cultures Are Equal" (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

The Uptake | Posted 10.24.2008 | Home


The Uptake

Rep. Michele Bachmann caught the national spotlight recently when she told MSNBC's Chris Mathews that Barack Obama "may have anti-American views....

Culture Vultures

Robert Brustein | Posted 10.22.2008 | Politics


Robert Brustein

The Candidate appears on Fox before three weird blonde anchors, Greta Van Sustren, Rita Cosby, Anne Coulter. They chant, "All Hail McCain, Thane of Arizona, that shall be President hereafter."

The Sound of Silence

Earl Pomerantz | Posted 10.09.2008 | Living


Earl Pomerantz

The mood in the sanctuary began to sour. By the tenth "Pffffffffff," our congregation, so recently a bastion of uplift and redemption, deteriorated into a hostile, hungry mob.

What We Don't Know Can Hurt Us

Margee Ensign | Posted 10.08.2008 | Living


Margee Ensign

Unfortunately, Sarah Palin is not alone in her global ignorance. Our colleges and high schools are not doing what's necessary... the current generation isn't gaining understanding of other cultures.

Why Clay Aiken's Coming Out Matters

Andrew Belonsky | Posted 09.25.2008 | Entertainment


Andrew Belonsky

Aiken's outing is different in two notable, intrinsically entwined ways.

Where Have All The Gentleman Gone?

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach | Posted 09.24.2008 | Style


Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Nowhere in the Western world are we raising a generation of men who pride themselves on their restraint and respect toward women. It's a man's world. Women just live in it.

"Right Skin Color, Wrong Religion?"

Frankie Martin | Posted 09.10.2008 | Media


Frankie Martin

We got off to a great start in our Islam in America trip in St. Louis, meeting the former governor, Democrat Bob Holden, the Democratic mayor Francis ...

Democrats And Republicans Lost in Translation

Kelly Nuxoll | Posted 09.08.2008 | Home


Kelly Nuxoll

The Democratic and Republican national conventions offer a crash course in how each party uses language. When Republicans say "ordinary," it's not an insult.