Public Radio International (PRI)

theatlantic: Go Midwest, Young Man: Indiana’s Plan to Steal...

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:14:08 -0400

Go Midwest, Young Man: Indiana’s Plan to Steal California Jobs

Some Californians may have recently noticed an advertisement with a coffee mug and the word “Indiana” written in the milky latte foam. A crumpled napkin sits next to the mug with this scribbled on it: “Admit it, you find me fiscally attractive.” On another napkin it reads, “Indiana: low taxes, pro-business, fiscally responsible.”

Read more.

Middle class revolutionary: Maram Kaff, 27, is a product...

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:31:46 -0400

Middle class revolutionary: Maram Kaff, 27, is a product developer at a Cairo bank in Egypt. She and her mother took part in the uprisings that eventually ousted Hosni Mubarak. (Photo by Matthew Bell, PRI’s The World)

Egypt is currently holding its first free presidential election, more than a year after the revolution that was successful in part because it had the support of Egypt’s middle class. The longer term impact of the revolution for Egyptians – including the diverse swath of people from the middle class – is far from clear. And that is something Maram says she’s well aware of.

Dr. Iman Ezzeldin, Maram’s mother, says plenty of middle class liberals like her now feel that the revolution was a mistake, because the Egyptian military and the Islamists are firmly in control. More.

guardiancomment: The top five supersized tourist flops As Japan...

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:49:18 -0400

The Ryugyong hotel, North Korea

The Mecca Clock Tower, Saudi Arabia,

The San Alfonso del Mar swimming pool,

Dubai's coastline -

Valle de la Prehistoria, Cuba

guardiancomment:

The top five supersized tourist flops

As Japan unveils the world’s second largest building - The Sky Tower, which is expected to receive 8,000 visitors a day, our intrepid travel writer Benji Lanyado says that bigger is not always better when it comes to manmade tourist attractions.

Here are his top five supersized tourist flops:

From top to bottom:

The Ruyong hotel, North Korea:

Started in 1989 this was supposed to be the largest hotel on earth, with seven restaurants at its peak. Unfortunately, the building is still incomplete.

The Mecca Clock Tower, Saudi Arabia

This horrendous clock tower next to Mecca has been described as an “architectural absurdity” and a “kitsch rendition of Big Ben”.

The San Alfonso del Mar swimming pool, Chile
This is the world’s largest swimming pool with 66m gallons of temperate water stretching over 3,300ft, set directly adjacent to the sea.

Dubai’s coastline

Where to start really? It’s amazing how many monstrousities you can pack into a small area of coastline!

Valle de la Prehistoria, Cuba

Built in the 1980s this dinosaur theme park features a bizarre 30ft neanderthal cracking a rock with a homemade axe.

Photo credit: Reuters, Getty EPA, Alamy

GujuratiMatrimony is just one of the many localized marriage...

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:41:56 -0400

GujuratiMatrimony is just one of the many localized marriage websites across India. (Image: screen grab of gujaratimatrimony.com)

The model is familiar to anyone who’s been online dating in the US: you make a series of selections to narrow down your search. The Indian matrimony sites offer countless drop-down menus covering things like eating habits, religion, income, and caste.

The caste system in India is now more about shared commonalities than social standing, says the company CEO, Murugavel Janakiraman. It’s about removing friction in a relationship, simply reducing the chances of two people having uncomfortable differences of opinion. Caste as an indicator of commonality in terms of things such as food, tradition or culture.

Indeed, the higher up India’s social ladder you go, the easier it is to pick and choose which aspects of caste matter to you. In fact, at the very top of the ladder you find a group that’s now able to leave caste behind altogether: the new super-rich, India’s millionaires. More.

theatlantic: Why a Chinese Company Wants to Own Your Local...

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:47:37 -0400

theatlantic:

Why a Chinese Company Wants to Own Your Local Movie Theater

There’s good chance that your local movie theater will soon be owned by a large, Chinese conglomerate. This weekend, Dalian Wanda Group announced that it would pay $2.6 billion to purchase AMC Entertainment, America’s second largest cinema chain. It would be the most expensive foreign takeover yet by a private Chinese company, a summer blockbuster for the mergers and acquisitions world.

For those prone to anti-China hysteria, this all might sound vaguely menacing (First they came for our factories, then they came for our Kevin James vehicles…). To others, it might simply sound a bit backwards. After all, China’s domestic box office earnings are on the upswing, growing faster than Hollywood’s catalog of comic book sequels. In the United States, theater revenues have essentially been stagnant for a decade as attendance has steadily dropped. From a strictly financial point of view, there isn’t much reason for a Chinese company to start snapping up American multiplexes.

But Dalian Wanda isn’t buying itself higher profits, at least in the short run. Rather, it’s buying an education. China plans to massively expand its own film industry in the coming years. But even more importantly, it would like to expand its cultural influence by becoming as good at producing and exporting entertainment as it is computers and phones. Much as the country’s manufacturers evolved by co-opting technology and techniques from abroad, its movie business is apparently looking to leap forward with some aid from America.

Read more. [Image: Reuters]

kqedscience: “A new bright yellow frog species has been found...

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:34:54 -0400

kqedscience:

“A new bright yellow frog species has been found in the mountains of western Panama. The frog belongs to a species-rich group of frogs, the so-called rainfrogs that lack a tadpole stage, but develop directly as little frogs inside the egg.”

Frogs are just endlessly fascinating …

What if an academic test that you took at the age of 11...

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:08:50 -0400

What if an academic test that you took at the age of 11 determined your life’s course?

When David Ward was 11 years old, he took a state exam introduced by the British government — it was called Eleven Plus. If he passed the exam, Ward would be among the chosen few, plucked from the working classes to be enrolled in an elite government-run school—and likely college after that. (Photo: David Ward by Patrick Cox, PRI’s The World)

Ward and three others in his class of sixty passed the exam. They had earned themselves places in what in Britain are called grammar schools. But Lesley Ebbetts did not pass the exam. She was sent to a school categorized as Secondary Moderns, which quickly became viewed as places where ungifted children ended up, where they were housed until they were old enough to go to work.

Where Ward and Ebbetts ended up later on in life is a bit of a surprise, but more surprising is how the British government is bringing back its 1960s social experiment. More.

thedailyfeed: Did you see the spectacular “ring of fire”...

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:26:58 -0400

thedailyfeed:

Did you see the spectacular “ring of fire” eclipse last night?

The days when the arc of our lives could be determined by the...

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:21:00 -0400

The days when the arc of our lives could be determined by the class we were born into are supposed to be over. Governments have levelled the playing field. Attitudes have evolved. Elites have ceded power to everyone else. But today, we still make life choices based on the social class we were born into.

Across the globe, political parties still claim to represent particular social classes. In the developed world, the big prize is the middle class—the class that virtually everyone says they belong to. In many parts of the developing world, populist movements appealing to working people have currency. That hasn’t stopped politicians, on both the left and right, claiming to have eradicated class differences. But in all societies – traditional or modern, capitalist or communist – class persists.

Next Monday, “PRI’s The World” starts its series of stories exploring these and other issues through the eyes and words of a disparate group of individuals: a bank employee in Egypt, a TV producer in Ukraine, an Indian scientist in New Jersey, a farmer in China, a former mineworker in Britain.

MONDAY, MAY 21: THE RETURN OF A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
In 1944, Britain introduced the Eleven Plus exam. School students age 11 who passed this mandatory test could enroll in elite secondary schools that prepared them for college. The thinking was that bright working class kids would have a path to a middle class education and career. Those who failed the exam would go to regular schools, with the expectation that they would leave school for good at 15. This two-tiered system was criticized for writing off all but the smartest kids, and it was scrapped in the 1970s. Now however, the Conservative-led government is starting to re-introduce it.

TUESDAY, MAY 22: MIDDLE CLASS REVOLUTIONARIES
Revolutions, it is said, need the support of the middle class to be successful; often they’re led by the middle class. We focus on two middle class women who put their lives and livelihoods on the line for political change. In Egypt, a year after Tahrir Square, a bank employee still holds out hope that the promise of the anti-Mubarak revolution will usher in a more democratic, tolerant society. In Ukraine, seven years after the Orange Revolution, a TV producer wonders whether it was worth it, as her nation slips back into its corrupt, pre-revolutionary past.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23: INDIA’S CHANGING CASTE SYSTEM, AT HOME AND ABROAD
In India, society has traditionally been stratified according to the caste system. Caste has its roots in scripture, but over the years it has expanded into many spheres of Indian life: work, education and, most recently, politics. Today, many urban Indians ignore caste, except when it comes to choosing a marriage partner. But abroad, some upper-caste Indians have a nostalgic affection for a system that favored their forefathers.

THURSDAY, MAY 24: THE CLASS THAT MAO SET OUT TO RESCUE?
No-one in China is lower on the totem pole than farmers and villagers. When they migrate to cities to work in factories, they are treated like dirt. So what happened to Mao Zedong’s communist revolution? The revolution was supposed to improve the lot of the rural poor. We visit a part of rural China where Mao once lived. Mao went there to educate himself about the conditions of the farming class. But decades later, the descendants of the people Mao interviewed aren’t much better off, at a time when other Chinese are enriching themselves.

FRIDAY, MAY 25: ARE WE CLASSLESS NOW?
For our final story, we return to Britain, the country where the modern class system was born. Since the 1980s, one prime minister after another has declared Britain to be a “classless” society. At the same time, working class institutions have been vanishing: manufacturing factories have closed, union power legislated away, benefits slashed. Everyone is expected to be middle class. If you’re not, you may be described as “feckless,” “lazy” or the “underclass.” Britain, it turns out, hasn’t become classless. It has just re-invented its own class consciousness.

Use our Program Locator and look for “PRI’s The World” to get for broadcast times in your area. Audio of each day’s broadcast will be available on Theworld.org.

OraQuick is the first FDA-approved in-home HIV test. (Photo:...

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:26:00 -0400

OraQuick is the first FDA-approved in-home HIV test. (Photo: orasure.com)

This week an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously to recommend the approval of the first-ever rapid, over-the-counter, completely in-home HIV test. Though the FDA has approved other HIV test kits designed for at-home use in the past, those tests require a blood sample that must be sent in to a laboratory for development. The newly considered test kit — called the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test — simply requires a mouth swab and a 20-minute wait for results.

It’s estimated that approximately one-fifth of the 1.2 million HIV carriers in the United States are unaware of their infection, and advocates of OraQuick say the test would provide a new and powerful attack against the American HIV epidemic. But what are the ethical issues connected with in-home testing and do they outweigh the benefits? More.

pri-arts: Robert Lepage’s ‘Ring des Nibelungen’ at the Met:...

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:50:15 -0400

pri-arts:

Robert Lepage’s ‘Ring des Nibelungen’ at the Met: Alberich transforms himself into a dragon (Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)

Robert Lepage is big on illusion. He’s a director, actor, playwright and filmmaker from Quebec. He’s directed operas, puppet theater and even two Cirque du Soleil productions.

A few years ago, New York’s Metropolitan Opera asked Lepage to design and direct a new production of Richard Wagner’s four-part opera, “The Ring of the Nibelung.” It turned out to be the most ambitious, expensive and perhaps riskiest production the Met has ever put on. In fact, they had to use stunt doubles for the first time. More.

PRI’s edition on Flipboard now with audio!

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:42:00 -0400

PRI’s edition on Flipboard now with audio!

Trains in Copenhagen have dedicated bicycle...

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:14:29 -0400

Trains in Copenhagen have dedicated bicycle cars.

thegreenurbanist:

“Designing the bicycle cars was a challenge. For the first few years cyclists and passengers had to struggle for the same tight space in front of the doors. Now there are dedicated cycle cars with flexible parking areas.”

-copenhagencyclechic.com

The blind astrophysicist: Even as a kid, Wanda Diaz dreamed of...

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:55:08 -0400

The blind astrophysicist: Even as a kid, Wanda Diaz dreamed of being a scientist. But just as that dream was starting to come true, it unraveled. While studying physics at the University of Puerto Rico, Wanda discovered she had diabetes and was going blind. (Photo: Wanda Diaz)

So how does a blind scientist measure and represent what’s going on in outer space? Wanda learned how to listen to the planets and stars, and developed a technique that may also help those of us who can see. More.

america-abroad-media: Field report: lessons from Libya Libyan...

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:30:49 -0400

america-abroad-media:

Field report: lessons from Libya

Libyan activist-turned-business consultant Khaled el Mayet knows not everyone shares his view of what happened in Libya. But for him, the most important measure is how little fear is felt on the streets of Tripoli now compared with a year ago, or with the forty-two years of Ghaddafi rule before that.

“It was a great success,” says el Mayet. “It was very much needed and the Libyan people were very appreciative for the action NATO took.”

The 28-year-old el Mayet grew up in London, a life that was outwardly comfortable, but emotionally on edge as his family, friends, and his own sense of self were split between Britain and Libya.

As the early sprouts in Libya’s “Spring” were being crushed by the Ghaddafi regime, he and other members of the Libyan diaspora sent humanitarian assistance, desperately hoping for international protection for those resisting the regime.

“Everyone was so scared,” he says. “We all saw that radio speech from Ghaddafi where he said. ‘We’re coming for you. We’re going to hunt you down one by one like rats in your cupboards, zanqa zanqa.’”

The phrase “Zanqa zanqa,”–Arabic for alleyway by alleyway–would become a catchphrase, even a jingle for the opposition. But at the moment the Libyan leader issued the threat in February 2011, it was a death notice.

El Mayet actually thinks that language helped convince permanent UN.Security Council members Russia and China to abstain in a March 17th vote, rather than veto resolution 1973, which authorized “all necessary means” to protect Libyan civilians.

(For the rest of this story, visit us here)

planetmoney: Of each dollar the federal government spends, how...

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:56:31 -0400

planetmoney:

Of each dollar the federal government spends, how much goes to defense? How much goes to Social Security? How much goes to interest on the debt? And how has this sort of thing changed over time?

This graphic answers these questions. It shows the major components of federal spending 50 years ago, 25 years ago, and last year.

Read more here.

An oversized casket from Goliath Coffins, a company that makes...

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:20:49 -0400

An oversized casket from Goliath Coffins, a company that makes caskets for the morbidly obese. This model, the “Homestead,” is available at 52” width. (Photo: oversizecasket.com)

Keith Davis, the owner and operator of Goliath Coffins, says his business is growing every year, “both in size of caskets and in volume.”

A new study predicts that 42 percent of American adults will be obese — a category beyond overweight — by the year 2030. More.

good: According to a new Pew study, increasing your earning...

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:03:15 -0400

good:

According to a new Pew study, increasing your earning potential may require literally moving on up: If you aim to climb the income ladder in the United States, your best bet might be to move north and east—and definitely stay out of the south.

discoverynews: Killer ‘Hot Jupiters’ Could Abort Formation of...

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:53:10 -0400

discoverynews:

Killer ‘Hot Jupiters’ Could Abort Formation of Alien Earths

This December, Jupiter will rival the brilliance of Venus in the night sky as Earth makes its closest approach to the giant planet for this year (no doubt 2012 soothsayers will mistake it for the final approach of the mythological doomsday planet Nibiru).

December’s “Christmas Star” appearance of Jupiter will belie the fact that this 318 Earth-mass monster had the potential to snuff-out Earth’s formation 4.5 billion years ago.

keep reading

The Mine Kafon — invented by Massoud Hassani — is a...

Fri, 11 May 2012 16:40:27 -0400

The Mine Kafon — invented by Massoud Hassani — is a cheap, wind-blown landmine clearance device made primarily from bamboo, plastic and iron. (Photo: Massoud Hassani)

As a child, Hassani’s playground was a field full of landmines. “When we were kids,” he explained, “we used to make these wind-powered toys and play with them on this desert full of explosives, and they’d get stuck out there.”

Those toys were the inspiration for his Mine Kafons. More.