BALANCE of CULTURE

BoC Dérive: 24 February 2012

Thailand is the sunset capital of the world, in my opinion. This photo is from our most recent trip to Phuket and the surrounding southern region.

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INTERVENTION: "Friends of Syria" met in Tunis to put pressure on Pres. Bashar al-Assad's forces to stop the ongoing crackdown, which has continued for nearly a year.

HEAVYWEIGHT: UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-moon will ask his predecessor Kofi Annan to serve as UN envoy to Syria.

NEGOTIATIONS: North Korea and the US have finally resumed official nuclear talks since Kim Jong-un came to power.

DANBI: How South Korea's peacekeeping mission in Haiti signals a new era of global soft power leadership for Korean society.

AL-SHABAB: World leaders pledge help to Somalia's piracy and terrorism.

PRODUCTIVITY: Guess which country is the new "Asian Tiger."

STARSTRUCK: How Hollywood continues to dominate over the film cultures and industries of its global neighbors.

INFILTRATE: How Western companies are "becoming Korean" in order to enter -- and remain -- in the South Korean market.

1 BY 1: The Maryland Senate has passed a measure that would legalize same-sex unions, joining DC and seven other US states.

 

BoC Dérive: 17 February 2012

If you're into reading multiple books simultaneously, these two are wonderful complements on the subjects of globalization, poverty, and economics.

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DOUBLE STANDARDS: China blames foreign journalists for its negative image abroad.

HIPSTER: Indie music and bikinis take over the style of this year's SI Swimsuit issue.

CELEBRATION: How Libyans are commemorating the anniversary of Gaddafi's overthrow.

SCRAMBLE: Foreign law firms are rushing into South Korea in order to take advantage of recent FTAs.

SPORTS: Guess where Saudi Arabia's women athletes are not allowed to compete?

UNREST: The Maldives' tourism industry is set to lose +$100 million due to new travel cancellations thanks to the political unrest (though prices have yet to drop at all).

BREAKAWAY: PM David Cameron does not want Scotland to become independent outside of the UK.

RIP: Foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid has died in Syria of an asthma attack.

BoC Dérive: 10 February 2012

Some throwback pics from Zanzibar, Tanzania, & Kenya 2011...Like my friend born in Dar es Salaam says, "Everyone goes to West Africa or South Africa, but East Africa is where it's at!"  More here and here.

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VELVET GLOVE: How China's hard power should be translated into soft power for the international community.

MORE MALDIVES: Democratically elected former President Mohamed Nasheed's op-ed after getting ousted from office.

VALUE: A French Sarkozy ally stirs the pot this week by stating that some civilizations are worth more than others.

FILM DIP: The U.S. State Department and University of Southern California has selected 29 films for their international cultural outreach, "American Film Showcase."

JACKPOT: Korean-American artist Dave Choe has been the buzz all week for the stock he received from Facebook years ago; here's his Howard Stern appearance.

MALDIVES: As protests continue in the Muslim island nation, Britain's Foreign Office assures that vacationers remain "unaffected."

CUTE & SMART: BBC's series on the world's smartest animals, who do it all from skateboarding to math equations.

ALLY: Russia wants to halt the Arab Spring.

FRESH: Why Chinese NBA baller Jeremy Lin is a relief to some Asian American men.

BoC Dérive: 3 February 2012

A gorgeous sunset from one of my favorite spots in Hawaii

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BACKLASH: Muslims are in an uproar over a Belgian politician's campaign against Islam--it uses his daughter dressed in a bikini and burqa.

IQ: Psychological Science has published a study that links lower I.Q. to racism, prejudice, and right-wing conservatism.

SHOEDOWN: An intellectual property brief on the Louboutin v YSL legal battle over red soles.

HAWK: While soft power and smart power are de rigueur these days, hard power should not be dismissed or forgotten.

WEALTH: The 10 youngest billionaires around.

SUPERBOWL: Watch some of the anticipated ads.

BoC Dérive: 27 January 2012

Vegetarian fried rice in Ktown, made specially just for us!  Thank you ajummas, we know you don't get too many of these requests!  :-)

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NK 3G: To counter the hordes of citizens escaping North Korea since Kim Jong-il's death, the government has imposed a 100 day ban on the use of cell phones -- or else be dealt with as a war criminal.

TRAIN: Images of female Chinese bodyguards in swimsuits training on the beach has caused a stir on online forums.

OSCARS: The Academy doesn't seem to like comedies too much (but Borat was way funnier than Bridesmaids).

ACTA: Read about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement issue.

HANGOVER: USC deals with the commentary of James Franco's reality web show, Undergrads, a "Hangover-style" portrayal of the school.

JALLIKATTU: PETA supporters protest outside the Embassy of India in Washington to get the Indian government to enforce the national ban on using bulls as performance animals.

RED SOLES: Christian Louboutin continues his 20th anniversary celebration, this time with a design collaboration between alumni from Parsons and Bergorf Goodman.

NETWORK: This hopes to become the Facebook for the art world.

BoC Dérive: 20 January 2012

My view of these lovebirds this morning!

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INFILTRATE: North Korean defector groups have just launched balloons filled with snacks, CDs, and informational booklets towards North Korea today.

WAR: Apparently Charles Taylor worked for intelligence agencies like the CIA. Wonder if he got the same custom CIA drink coasters I received from them?

EDU: This is what our helpless educational system desperately needs -- a fresh reinvention of textbooks and classroom materials by people who actually understand where technology is going.

HYPOCRISY: Argentina is livid at UK PM David Cameron's accusations of colonialism over the Falkland Islands.

CLICK: Kodak has filed for bankruptcy. When was the last time you used film recently for photos?

AHEAD: Microsoft calls for gay marriage/equality in Washington, saying it can't hire the best employees when the public is being discriminated.

HIDING: The sketchy details on Food Network's Paula Deen and how she hid her diabetes for 3 years from her unhealthy food fans.

BoC Dérive: 13 January 2012

Friday the 13th...

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KN-02: The three short-range missiles that North Korea fired this week are said to be "routine."

LUXURY: Dolce & Gabbana is really ticking off people in Hong Kong.

BILL: PBS' documentary on Bill Clinton's career.

BEAUTY: Are smart people usually ugly?

FANTASY: This guy mimics his favorite women on fantasy covers.

Q&A: Jeremy Klein talks about crank-calling, cranky porn stars, and of course skateboarding.

BoC Dérive: 6 January 2012

New Year resolutions?? Whatever, it's much more important to be resolved every day of the year!

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LOST: A crew from a North Korean fishing boat floating off the Japanese coast has been rescued, though they claim to not be defectors.

DECENCY: The Supreme Court will hear opening statements for FCC v. Fox Television on Tuesday.

GIGGLES: Arab-American comedian Ahmed Ahmed's documentary "Just Like Us" hopes to bridge Western and Middle Eastern audiences through comedy.

VIEWERSHIP: China's two biggest video sites rival while luring viewers from bland government-run TV.

RAW: Tsukiji Market's annual sushi auction cheers up the Japanese collective psyche after a rough 2011.

RESOLUTIONS: Diet fads throughout the ages.

KNOW-IT-ALLS: The bias of music 'experts.'

MOBILE VISAS: A creative and clever business plan to sidestep governmental bureaucracy.

BoC Dérive: 30 December 2011

Goodbye, 2011!

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STATUS QUO: North Korean officials warn "foolish politicians around the world" (especially South Korean ones) not to expect any policy changes from NK.

BEAUTY: China using the beauty industry as a diplomatic/soft power tool.

UK: Is British culture "in flux"?

ESCALATION: Fresh protests against the Syrian government is under way today.

BANK: Jay-Z & 'Ye really fattened up their bank accounts at a sweet sixteen party in UAE.

TIME WARP: Entirely skipping December 30 this year, this tiny island nation will be the first to officially welcome the new year.

BoC Dérive: 23 December 2011

This straw hat has been all over the world, and here it is in lovely Hawaii in December…one of the best places to be during the cold months, especially so close to LA! Today we're finishing up the last of our holiday gift shopping. I know, so last minute…but honestly, we don't have much left to do thanks to online shopping this year, which totally saved us so much time this hectic week. Happy holidays, whatever this may mean to you and yours! xoxo

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DWINDLING: The late Kim Jong-il's economic legacy in one sad, sad chart.

THEFT: More and more public art sculpture pieces are stolen due to soaring metal prices/theft epidemic in Britain.

POP: Anime warms ties between Japan and Russia.

YOUNG DINOSAUR: Award-winning Spanish novelist Lucia Etxebarria is so angry that more readers have illegally downloaded (rather than purchased) her book, that she has announced she has quit writing.

LOOKS & $$$: Not what most Oprah fans want to hear -- this woman tells Oprah how her 10 plastic surgeries have directly helped her become successful in her career.

URBAN: The best reading on some of the most interesting cities around the world for 2011.

ART: …or Not? It's up to you!