Blog Profile / BlogPost
| URL : | http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | News | |
| Posts on Regator: | 2424 | |
| Posts / Week: | 20.5 | |
| Archived Since: | February 17, 2011 | |
Blog Post Archive
How economics are driving fast food's takeover of France
More than half of all French restaurant sales now take place, sacrilegiously, at fast food chains, according to a new survey by food consultancy firm Gira Conseil. This is the first time fast food sales have surpassed sit-down restaurant sales in France — you know, the the country that gave us cafes, bistros and the Michelin star. Show More Summary
New U.S. representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan is critic of Biden on war
The White House has named James Dobbins, a veteran diplomat, as its new special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan. In late 2010, as debate raged within and without the Obama administration on what strategy the U.S. should pursue...Show More Summary
Why it's great news that China wants to mediate Israel-Palestine talks
The Chinese foreign ministry has offered to broker a meeting, according to the AP, between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both of whom are visiting Beijing next week. Read full article >>
A distressing map of religious freedom around the world
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has issued a report highlighting those it calls the worst violators of religious freedom in the world. Among them are many Asian and Middle Eastern governments, although some Western European countries are also included. Read full article >>
12 countries where the government regulates what you can name your child
New Zealand released an updated list of its legally forbidden baby names this week, sparking some controversy among people who apparently think "4real" and "Lucifer" should not be banned, or maybe just that the state shouldn't be in the business of saying what you can or can't name your own children. Read full article >>
See David Guttenfelder's award-winning photos from inside North Korea
David Guttenfelder, whose terrific images from North Korea have become a window into the Hermit Kingdom, was honored Wednesday at the 2013 Infinity Awards by the International Center for Photography. Guttenfelder, who spent years as a photographer in Africa and Afghanistan, is the chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press. Show More Summary
What the Muslim world believes, on everything from alcohol to honor killings, in 8 maps, 4 charts
A sweeping, 226-page report from the Pew Forum explores attitudes and opinions from Muslim communities around the world. In the process, it turns up some fascinating insights into not just the views held in the "Muslim world" but the wide diversity of those views between Muslim communities. Here, we explore some of those insights using maps and charts. Read full article >>
China's version of Google marks Worker's Day by banning discussion on Marx, 'labor,' 'strikes'
It's one of the great ironies of present-day China that the world's largest and arguably most successful socialist state, a "people's republic" ruled by a supremely powerful communist party, can at times be quite hostile to socialism and communism. Show More Summary
Saudi Arabia launches powerful ad campaign against domestic violence
Saudi Arabia, a country not exactly known for progressive attitudes toward women, has launched its first major anti-domestic violence campaign — its latest effort to embrace, at least superficially, some women's rights reforms. Read full article >>
64 percent of Muslims in Egypt and Pakistan support the death penalty for leaving Islam
Pew's vast new study on the views and attitudes of global Muslim populations was bound to create controversy. Like the U.S. public knowledge polls that find that one-third of Americans can't name the vice president, Pew's report includes some less-than-flattering pieces of data. Show More Summary
Obama may arm Syrian rebels: Why now?
About two years into the Syrian conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, President Obama "is preparing to send lethal weaponry to the Syrian opposition," the Washington Post's Karen DeYoung reported late on Tuesday. She cites administration officials as saying that Obama "has taken steps to assert more aggressive U.S. Show More Summary
Video: Fists fly inside the Venezuelan parliament
Things got violent in the Venezuelan parliament Tuesday as members threw punches and kicked each other, leaving several people injured in a brawl just weeks after a bitter election. According to the Associated Press, the fighting started...Show More Summary
Why hasn’t Obama closed Guantanamo Bay?
When CBS News correspondent Bill Plante asked President Obama about the hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, which began in February and now includes as many as 100 of the camp’s 166 detainees, he made his question about as pointed as possible. Show More Summary
Video: Obama reiterates Syria 'red line' but vague on response if crossed
President Obama addressed concerns at his press conference Tuesday that Syria may have crossed his administration's "red line" against the use of chemical weapons, but he remained assiduously vague on what happens if that line is crossed. Obama's comments, shown in a video above, did not appear to break from his past statements on the issue. Read full article >>
Obama's correspondents dinner speech is a big hit in China, with 25 million views
When President Obama delivered some self-deprecating stand-up comedy at the annual White House Correspondent's Dinner on Saturday, he was clearly speaking to fellow Americans. He joked about U.S. media personalities and U.S. pop culture. He made offhand references to minor political controversies and network television ratings. Read full article >>
Why Mexican opinion of the U.S. is at its most positive in years, in charts
Mexican popular attitudes toward the United States have resurged after dropping when Arizona and other states approved strict anti-immigration laws, according to new poll data from Pew. A relatively high proportion of Mexicans, 66 percent, say they hold favorable views of the United States, the second-highest score since Pew began the survey in 2002. Show More Summary
Map: Why women in some countries still say domestic violence is okay
A new study in the American Sociological Review, by Rachael S. Pierotti of the University of Michigan, looks at the attitudes of women in 26 different countries toward intimate partner violence. The findings, which could be potentially...Show More Summary
Global economic confidence map shows optimism finally returning
People around much of the world are finally starting to feel better about their economic futures, according to new survey data from Gallup. The polling firm's "Economic Confidence Index" tracks how people in 108 countries feel about their national economy and its progress. Show More Summary
Video: Amateur singer's heartbreaking song for Syria sweeps the Arab world
In mid-April, a Beirut-based TV program called "Arab Idol" (modeled on the British hit show "Pop Idol," which had also spawned "American Idol") featured a young Syrian man named Abdul Karim Hamdan. He is from Aleppo, Syria's largestShow More Summary
A family's journey: The story of the Tsarnaevs and their life-changing travels, in one chart
Tamerland and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the two brothers accused of conducting the Boston marathon bombings, followed a distinct but far from unique path across Europe, Asia and the United States. The Tsarnaevs' journey is in some ways peculiar to this family, which immigrated to the U.S. Show More Summary