Category: Society

A Mystery Kidney Epidemic Is Slowly Killing Sri Lankan Farmers

Post author By lmacret
Post date May 13, 2015

Sri Lankan worker in a rice field Cesar Gonzalez Palomo

ANURADHAPURA — More than 20,000 farmers in Sri Lanka, mostly rice farmers in the north, have lost their lives in recent years because of an unexplained surge in kidney disease. It has now reached epidemic proportions, and patients are descending on overwhelmed clinics, lining up for the few dialysis machines available. Karnu Jemanta and his brother, who are working their rice field outside the village of Rambewa, are worried. “We’re not sick yet, but we may be soon,” Jemanta says. “People from the Health Ministry came and said it could be chemicals, or that we should drink more water when […]

Tags asia, chemicals, culture, government, sri lanka, terrorists

Society

As Americans Legalize Marijuana, Colombians Mourn Drug War Victims

Post author By
Post date May 13, 2015

Jeff Oberfelder and his estate near Lake Chelan Oberfelder Holdings Facebook page/Worldcrunch collage

-OpEd- BOGOTA — When I hear about people now selling marijuana legally in the United States, I think of all our fellow Colombians who have died over the years fighting America’s absurd war on drugs. I think of Luis Carlos Galán and Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, two politicians gunned down by drug traffickers, and I imagine […]

Tags black market, colombia, drug war, growing, Jeff Oberfelter, legal, marijuana

Society

Yves Leresche, Capturing The Dazzling Mystery Of The Roma

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Post date May 12, 2015

At Yves Leresche's exhibition in Lausanne Anka via Instagram

The Swiss photographer gets inside an often impenetrable community and emerges with a portrait that both shines and confounds.

Tags book, exhibition, roma, romania, switzerland, yves leresche

Society

Does This Colombian City Prove You Can Be Poor And Happy?

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Post date May 12, 2015

In Cali, the "happiest city in Colombia" mariacecita

Latin America is starting to measure happiness or “well-being” levels to gauge social trends and set public policy. Surprising results in Cali, Colombia.

Tags calibrando, colombia, economy, happy, latin america, measure, popualtion, research

Society

Abortion Rights In Morocco – What Does Islam Say?

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Post date May 12, 2015

Women in Rabat Anja Disseldorp

Morocco was among the first Arab and Muslim countries to approve the birth-control pill. Now women activists are fighting for the right to choose to have an abortion.

Tags abortion, arab countries, choice, islam, king mohammed vi, legalization, life, morocco

Future Society

Getting Rich And Famous As A Video Game Commentator

Post author By
Post date May 11, 2015

Anil B., a.k.a. "Wartek" WaRTeK GaminG Official

Millions of gaming enthusiasts tune in to YouTube videos of Wartek’s live commentating on the gaming hit Call of Duty. Meet a new kind of Internet celebrity.

Tags call of duty, computer, couple, EnjoyPhoenix, game, job, switzerland, video

Ideas Society

How China’s Migrant Policy Spawns Juvenile Crime

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Post date May 11, 2015

Shame on China's public school admission policies. Meng Chenguang/Xinhua/ZUMA

-OpEd- BEIJING — When Macau authorities recently uncovered a prostitution ring, the most shocking aspect of the case was that its alleged mastermind was a 16-year-old boy. Needless to say, the teenager in Macau, one of two special Chinese administrative regions, represents an extreme example of the more diffused problem of the millions of minors […]

Tags children, china, crime, education, hukou, left behind, migrants, prostitution

Society Syria Crisis

The Syrian Mental Health Crisis Nobody Talks About

Post author By lmacret
Post date May 11, 2015

Syrian soldier in the outskirts of Damascus Bassem Tellawi

War has compromised the mental health of millions of Syrians. The problem is also transcending borders, following people as they seek safety abroad.

Tags hospital, middle east, refugees, regime, syria, war, world health organisation

Ideas Migrant Lives Society

Forbidden, An Italian Reflection On The Immigrant Experience

Post author By
Post date May 10, 2015

On Lampedusa Wang Qingqin/Xinhua/ZUMA

As boatloads of desperate immigrants land in Italy, the debate is highly charged. One writer reminds his countrymen of their own emigrant past.

Tags germany, immigrants, italy, prejudice, refugees, work

Economy Society

Lesbians, The New Perfect Audience For Advertisers

Post author By
Post date May 10, 2015

"Open to all," reads this Volkswagen ad targeting lesbian couples. L-Beach Festival booklet

Well-known brands such as Audi, Jagermeister and Granini are increasingly spending their advertising dollars to capture the attention of gay women, who tend to be high-wage earners and very loyal.

Tags advertisement, brands, business, community, festival, germany, homosexuals, society

Society

No More Big Fat Afghan Weddings

Post author By lmacret
Post date May 9, 2015

Afghan couple during the Shawe Kheena (Henna Night) afghan_wedding

KABUL — Big weddings, music and dancing were banned in Afghanistan under the Taliban. So after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the regime in 2001, Afghans who could afford it began throwing large, loud and expensive weddings. But the government says the tradition has become a burden for grooms’ families, who are obliged to underwrite wedding costs, and the parliament has passed a law to makes lavish and expensive weddings illegal. The new law limits the number of wedding guests to 500 and caps the per-head cost at around $7. “This law will solve huge problems facing young people that make […]

Tags afghanistan, ceremony, family, ghani, hotel, marriage, money, party, pay, taliban

Society

My Prison Diary, A French Inmate’s Battle To Become A Transsexual

Post author By
Post date May 8, 2015

Sentenced to 18 years in prison, Franck fought to undergo a sex change operation with hunger strikes and endless mutilations. Chloe is now a free woman, and married to her former cellmate.

Tags Chloe Vilain, france, Franck Vilain, gender reassignment, operation, prison, sex change, transgender, transsexual

Future Society

Smart Cities International: Cyber City Security, Russian Hub, Africa’s NYC

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Post date May 8, 2015

Addis Ababa, on track to become the â€œNew York of Africa.â€ Jean Rebiffe

Here is a preview of our exclusive newsletter to keep up-to-date and stay inspired by Smart City innovations from around the world.

Tags energy, ethiopia, gardening, housing, innovation, population, volga

Society

Searching For Summer Camp In Russia Is Serious Business

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Post date May 8, 2015

Summer camp in Tver, Russia Jacob Zocherman/Kontinent/ZUMA

MOSCOW — In a small town outside the capital, 15-year-old boys live in barracks with soldiers. They march in formation, memorize army regulations and sing songs in unison. “After our camp, young men aren’t afraid of hazing,” says Vladimir Prixodko, the camp director, referring to a persistent problem in the Russian army that has scared […]

Tags barracks, CinemadaMare, dance, drama, russia, summer camp, theater, tourism

Geopolitics Society

Japan, Turkey And The Difficult Exercise Of Repentance

Post author By
Post date May 7, 2015

Japan's PM Shinzo Abe at Jerusalem's Yad Vahsem Holocaust memorial museum in January. Li Rui/Xinhua/ZUMA

When a country acknowledges atrocities it has committed, it implies a mix of democratic culture and confidence that is more the exception than the rule.

Tags japan, nazi, repentance, shinzo abe

Society

Welfare Babies: The Economics Of Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Power

Post author By
Post date May 7, 2015

In Jerusalem Saeb Awad/APA Images/ZUMA

Ultra-Orthodox parties in coalition with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have obtained bonus welfare benefits for their religious schools and families. How the government is undermining the country’s future generations.

Tags coalition, coalition agreements,elections, elections, israel, netanyahu, religious, ultra orthodox

Society

Germany Has A Big Old Demographic Problem

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Post date May 7, 2015

Old man in Wuppertal, Germany Georgie Pauwels

Germany is expected to lose more than 13 million inhabitants by 2060. Even when immigrants and higher birth rates are factored into the equation, Germany is growing too old too quickly. Only drastic political solutions, such as moving the retirement age u

Tags age, elderly, germany, migration, population, retirement, retirement age, work

Ideas Society

Euthanasia And Pesticide Bans Show A Changing Colombia

Post author By
Post date May 6, 2015

Inside a Colombian hospital El Tiempo/GDA/ZUMA

Colombia’s health minister has opened up to euthanasia and imposed new bans on herbicides — news in a conservative country, and one so close to the U.S. for so long.

Tags cancer, colombia, euthanasia, globalization, glyphosate, health, pesticides

Eyes on the U.S. Society

How To Lose Your Wallet In New York City

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Post date May 6, 2015

Hope that William is at the wheel ... jakarachuonyo

NEW YORK — Four different credit and bank cards, an International press card, a health insurance card and a gym membership card, a monthly MetroCard for the New York subway, a couple of prepaid international phone cards — probably expired — and $32 in cash. In the inside pocket, my Italian driver’s license and a […]

Tags immigration, narrative, Story, taxi, Umberto Eco, united states

Society

Putin’s Culture Minister, A Chilling Power Through Art

Post author By
Post date May 6, 2015

At 44, Medinsky has wide-reaching powers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Medinsky#/media/File:Medinskiy.jpg

Loathed and feared in the art world, Vladimir Medinsky has shown a clear willingness to quash what he believes casts Russia in a poor light.

Tags art, museums, russia, Russian Culture Ministry, Vladimir Medinsky, vladimir putin

Society

A New Secular Party Challenges State Islam In Egypt

Post author By
Post date May 5, 2015

Al-Azhar mosque and university Jorge Lascar

Despite the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, religion still dominates the public sphere. Against the odds, the founders of a new party are fighting for the separation of mosque and state.

Tags Al Azhar, egypt, Egyptian Secular Party, islam, mohamed morsi, secularism

Geopolitics Society

Cheap Filipino Language Schools Draw English-Obsessed Koreans

Post author By lmacret
Post date May 4, 2015

South Korean high school student Kang Tae-won learning English Jason Strother

BAGUIO — In South Korea, learning English is a national obsession. Families pay billions of dollars a year on extra curricular education so their children can enroll in top universities and later land high-paying jobs that require good English skills. But it’s not always affordable at home, which is why the Philippines, where English is one of the two official languages, has become one of Korea’s top destinations for overseas language education. Like almost every other South Korean high school student, 17-year-old Kang Tae-won spends every weekday evening at a private academy learning English. He believes his future depends on […]

Tags asia, education, globalization, langage, south korea, united states

Ideas Society

Teen Marijuana Use And The Risks Of Psychosis

Post author By
Post date May 3, 2015

In Amsterdam Ashton

Doctors in Germany have noted an alarming rise in psychotic episodes linked to excessive marijuana use among young people, which follows other studies around the world raising alarms.

Tags addiction, cannabis, drug, europe, germany, health, hospital, study

Geopolitics Society

Higher Education, From Public Service To Consumer Product

Post author By
Post date May 2, 2015

Learning time in Buenos Aires Herman Pinera

In countries that once invested in free public university systems, higher education is increasingly becoming an investment option turned over to the private sector. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

Tags argentina, finance, latin america, money, student, united states, university

Society

The Paraplegic Stuntman Who Got Back On The Horse

Post author By
Post date May 2, 2015

French Stuntman Bernard SachsÃ© at work adrien_colussi via Instagram

A filming accident left French equestrian stuntman Bernard Sachse paralyzed below his tenth vertebra. But his career is busier than ever.

Tags Ã©curie, bernard sachsÃ©, cascadeur, cavalier, france, paraplegic

Future Smarter Cities Society

Smart Cities International: Telecommuting Colombia, Enlightened Pilgrims, Greener Paris

Post author By
Post date May 1, 2015

Tam Ky, Vietnam Nguyen Dong Son

This is an excerpt of our Smart Cities newsletter. To receive the full version each week, go to VIP signup here.

Tags eiffel tower, environment, housing, innovation, population, traffic, vietnam

Geopolitics Society

Angela To Ursula? The Woman Who May Succeed Merkel

Post author By
Post date May 1, 2015

Ursula Von der Leyen in the German Parliament Zhang Fan

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen is a fighter. The authors of two new books about the daughter of the very conservative Ernst Albrecht envision the unconventional leader as the next chancellor.

Tags angela merkel, chancellor, germany, minister of defense, politics, ursula von der leyen

Society

Worse Than Cavemen, Dads Today Do Even Less Than In The Stone Age

Post author By
Post date April 30, 2015

Doing the dishes since 40,000 BCE dana robinson

Why do so many modern couples find it difficult to work out division of labor within their households? After all, even Paleolithic people had it figured out.

Tags chores, domestic work, germany, housework, marriage, paleolithic

Geopolitics Society

The Moroccan Model: Using Islam To Fight Extremism In Africa

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Post date April 30, 2015

Moroccan imam at the Shrine of Moulay Ismail Tampa Bay Times

For the past 50 years, religion has been a key element in Moroccan diplomacy with its African neighbors. Now it’s part of the fight against Islamic terrorism on the continent.

Tags africa, education, imams, Institute Mohammed VI, islam, jidahism, morocco, radicalism, religion, school, terrorism

Food / Travel Society

Across Siberia, Across Time

Post author By
Post date April 30, 2015

A train on the Trans-Siberian Railway Jack No1

An online series of photographs brings the writer back to his first great journey, via the Trans-Siberia rail, from his native Yugoslavia to post-Mao China.

Tags art, photography, portrait, railway, russia, train, transiberian, travel

Society

The Singular Life Of The Klarsfelds, Husband-And-Wife Nazi Hunters

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Post date April 29, 2015

Beate and Serge Klarsfeld in 1975 ×ž× ×—× ×•×›×¡×œ×¨

The French son of an Auschwitz victim and German daughter of a Hitler supporter spent their lives confronting Nazi crimes, from capturing Klaus Barbie to a symbolic slap of a German Chancellor.

Tags beate klarsfeld, france, Heinz RÃ¶thke, holocaust, Klaus Barbie, Kurt Georg Kiesinger, Kurt Kischka, Kurt Lischka, nazi, Serge Klarsfeld, ss, The Butcher of Lyon, world war ii

Society

Egypt’s Written Word, Increasingly In English

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Post date April 29, 2015

A library in eastern Cairo Pan Chaoyue/Xinhua/ZUMA

Families of certain social standing in Egypt often educate their children in English. Publishing houses too are getting in on the Anglo influence, publishing literary works and texts written directly in English.

Tags arabic, AUC Press, culture, education, egypt, english, fiction, international schools, literature, Rowayat

Ideas Society

Handbags, The Accessory That’s Carried On Through The Ages

Post author By
Post date April 28, 2015

Need a bag for this? Joel Goodman/London News Pictures/ZUMA

Bags, pouches and purses are among the world’s oldest fashion items, used through the ages for carrying seeds, weapons and eyeliner. A history of this most indispensable adornment.

Tags europe, evolution, fashion, france, freud, history, psychology, women

Geopolitics Ideas Society

For Argentina, Foreign Lessons On Justice And Democracy

Post author By
Post date April 28, 2015

In Brazil, the arrest this month of Joao Vaccari Neto Geraldo Bubniak/Xinhua/ZUMA

Tags agrentina, argentina, brazil, cards, chile, latin america, letter, politics, spain

Future Society

The Curious Case Of Sealand, The Hacker-Friendly Offshore Micronation

Post author By
Post date April 27, 2015

Michael Bates, Prince of Sealand Michael Bates

SEALAND — The marine wind gusts slide against Michael Bates’ slightly balding hair. His calloused hands buried in a fleece jacket, the fisherman crosses the 500 square meters of his kingdom. At 62 years old, Bates looks like the typical fishing captain from Leigh-on-Sea — a small English town from Essex where the River Thames […]

Tags cypherpunk, fort roughs, havenco, micronation, MIT, platform, Ryan Lackey, sealand, united kingdom, world war ii

Economy Future Society

That Mind-Boggling Post-Modern Waiting-In-Line Paradox

Post author By
Post date April 26, 2015

A new line of thinking Richard Summers

In our always plugged-in era of uber immediacy, some of us are willing and eager to wait ages to buy the latest smartphone or eat a certain hamburger from a truck.

Tags apple, brand, business, france, shop, waiting

Eyes on the U.S. Society

Today’s KKK, Unmasked And Unrepentant

Post author By
Post date April 26, 2015

Richard Nichols is a member of the KKK Ed Rode

Though a shadow of its former self, the Ku Klux Klan has registered a small uptick since Barack Obama’s election and the Ferguson riots. Here’s how it looks from one senior member who lives in a Tennessee trailer.

Tags columbia, imperial wizard, kkk, Richard Nichols, united states

Food / Travel Society

Argentines Crowd Into Organic Food Markets

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Post date April 25, 2015

An organic market in Buenos Aires Martin Zabala/Xinhua

Argentina may be at the forefront of high-tech farming, but a growing number of the country’s urban dwellers want food produced by organic, local farmers.