BALANCE of CULTURE

BoC Dérive: 15 March 2013

One of the most well-kept murals in Echo Park.

*I have recently started a new project which has altered my blogging schedule, as some readers have emailed about the past couple of weeks. More details to come soon here, but I just wanted to acknowledge this and let everyone know! Thank you :-)

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A very smart look at California and Texas by USC's Sherry Bebitch Jeffe (and Douglas Jeffe).  

Intimate photos of pastoral North Korean life. 

Repo(we)r Greece's findings from their academic US tour.

This sums up why Mexico's tourism industry is going to shambles.

Wan Joon Kim was truly ahead of his time. 

India is preventing Italian ambassador Daniele Mancini from leaving the country. 

Oahu's public Easter activities honor those who died in WWII and welcome both religious and secular visitors. 

Cory Booker hopes to raise big Hollywood funding next month for his Senate bid.

BoC Dérive: 15 February 2013

Straight out of a movie!

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FINALLY: International pressure is mounting for the UN to launch a formal human rights inquiry in North Korea. 

REALITY: For the first time since taking office, South Africa's president addresses the country's rape problem (which is the highest in the world).

RESOURCES: The EU finds itself powerless to get companies in Congo to practice transparency regarding sales of conflict minerals.

MDG: Is it possible to end extreme poverty in our time?

C'EST PAS SORCIER: Some French influence is being aired on South Korean television lately. 

10 TONS: VIdeos of the meteor (above) that crashed in Central Russia this morning. 

TALK: This should be an interesting event--Media as Global Diplomat: Media that Moves Millions.

BoC Dérive: 8 February 2013

Tea time, Shanghai-style.

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ASSASSINATION: Tunisia road to democracy is thwarted by new turmoil.

TECH: Joe Nye's latest piece on the "information revolution" and politics.

TRADE: Is Asia slowly leaving its dependence on the West behind?

FAITH: Dalai Lama calls for a new global system of secular ethics that incorporates the diverse beliefs of all backgrounds.   

ICY: The British Museum has an exhibition with pieces from the ice-age, created some 10,000-40,000 years ago. 

MESSAGE: South Korea confirms expanding UN sanctions on North Korea, but some question the efficacy of this decision. 

SIZE: Great visuals that put the size of the US into real perspective. 

CONVENTION: India has a Comic Con.

FUZZY: Adorable video of a Fennec fox romping around in Algeria.

BoC Dérive: 1 February 2013

Lovely January view!

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SOMALILAND: Stolen Seas looks amazing--a documentary on Somali piracy.

FRACK: America's gas extraction options are making Russia and Arab states nervous. 

GENDER: More details emerge from Malian women recounting the abuse they endured under al-Qaeda militants. 

FRIENDS: As India-Pakistan relations continue to prove difficult, India-Bangladesh relations are looking like a different story. 

112: From A-Z, a slideshow of all the nations that Hillary Clinton visited as Secretary of State. 

AWKWARD: When "conservatives" talk about rap.

CD: Photos of historic art in embassies around the world.

HIGH FRUCTOSE: Arab-American groups are angry over this Coca-Cola Superbowl ad.

BoC Dérive: 25 January 2013

If you're seeking Afghan fries (or an Afghan burger) in the Los Angeles area, this is the spot.

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25: Live updates from Cairo on the anniversary of Egypt's revolution.

MICKEY: Actor Christian Bale and dissident Chen Guangcheng were spotted at Disneyland together.

CHIUNE: Remembering the "Japanese Schindler."

MILE-HIGH: EgyptAir to review its current onboard movies after a MB member's complaint.

FORGERY: Apple discovered evidence of underage workers at a Chinese manufacturing plant.

MALI: One traveler's intimate journey to remote Timbuktu. 

ASVAB: Take this quiz--are you smarter than a US Marine?

FRIENDS: Beijing's "Central Perk" coffeehouse. 

BRAINS: Mindblowing video of a bottlenose dolphin requesting human help to escape from a fishing wire.

BoC Dérive: 18 January 2013

Almost looks like a wedding invitation, doesn't it? Hoping for a safe and civilized inauguration weekend for everyone.  :-)

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SWEAR-IN: President Obama will use the bibles of Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln for his inauguration on Monday.

PINOCCHIO: The French are having a field day with Lance Armstrong's confession because they knew he was cheating all along. 

TERROR: Hostages give new chilling details about the Algerian gas field raid. 

DATA: China's Baidu and France Telecom are entering the growing African smartphone market.

IMAGE: Despite being under China's shadow, can Japan increase its regional influence with ASEAN?

SUSTAIN: What Mali means for Europe's soft power.

LEMONADE: My neighborhood recently had a bulldozer party.

BoC Dérive: 11 January 2013

A busy night at Chapman Plaza, Los Angeles' first drive-in mall built in 1929. 

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PERSPECTIVE: The Iranian government is working on a film to clarify the many inaccuracies they see in Ben Affleck's "Argo."

NEIGHBORS: Japan PM Shinzo Abe continues his hawkish approach on China while reaching out to South Korea. 

GIRLS: A binder of female appointees for Obama to consider for top national security jobs is handy for changing the Hill's boys club. 

I DON'T: Matching their unusually low birthrates, South Koreans are apparently opting out of marriages more than ever. 

QUICK BUCK: Kidnapping for ransom is becoming a popular way to make money.

VOICE: Gaon Connection is a new media publication devoted to representing India's 70% rural majority. 

GAMES: Videogame makers set out to take more control over their screenplays and movies.

Thanks to Paperblog for choosing me as Blogger of the Day!  :-)

BoC Dérive: 14 December 2012

Lovely Greek feast in Manhattan Beach!

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SOS: Syria now faces a huge humanitarian crisis as internal refugees face bread shortages. 

$$$: Greece gets the green light on crucial Eurogroup loans. 

SAHARA: A wonderful read on how Al Qaeda claimed Timbuktu. 

FLY: Google has a new way to help you find cheap airplane tickets. 

HEALTH: Most Americans are no longer living as long as their counterparts in other countries. 

FITNESS: Designers rethink the gym experience. 

LOVELY: A Yorkshireman's guide to Yorkshire.

BoC Dérive: 7 December 2012

End-of-the-week reads!

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BALANCE: American cultural diplomacy has a long way to go.

VISA: China is apparently still miffed at Norway regarding 2010's Nobel peace prize going to Liu Xiaobo.

FLY: The Maldives airport investment battle with India's GMR continues with a Singaporean court ruling. 

YUM: The Korean-Mexican culinary trend is a big hit south of the border.

INNOVATE: Tim Cook calls out the tenuous label of "innovation executive." 

INFLUENCE: ICYMI--Monocle's soft power survey is a great read this year.

MILESTONE: International world tourism is at an all-time high now.

BoC Dérive: 30 November 2012

English and Korean scribbles collected over the years inside this dark gathering place.

Online Dérive:

STATE: A useful primer on Palestine's upgraded United Nations status.  

GLOBAL: A new tide in the "China makes, the world takes" concept may be brewing before our eyes. 

POWER: Joseph Nye's wary take on Japan's new nationalism. 

THESIS: Los Angeles does have an urban center, according to a recent USC grad student's research. 

CASH: Pyongyang has decided to call it quits on this North Korean embassy.

IMAGES: War photographer Steven McCurry (recall the green-eyed Afghan refugee for National Geographic?) takes over this year's Pirelli calendar.