SAMANTHA GERBASI WRITES — When choosing production locations, American companies typically consider profitability, labor availability, and taxes. But now, there is a new factor at play: Public health. Consider the case of Vietnam. After a prolonged lockdown due to a surge in coronavirus cases, the country is finally beginning to…
Full Article VIETNAM: WILL THE ‘MADE IN VIETNAM’ LABEL IN OUR CLOTHING BECOME A THING OF THE PAST?
DEREK GARCIA WRITES — On August 8th this year, the Australian National Basketball team, nicknamed the Boomers, made history, winning its first medal at the Tokyo Olympics by beating Slovenia, 107-93, for a third-place bronze medal. Australia’s fantastic run in the Olympics may have felt like the opening of a…
Full Article AUSTRALIA: DOWN UNDER BASKETBALL RISES TO THE TOP OF INTERNATIONAL SPORTS
LAUREN CRAVEN WRITES — Kawaii, a term meaning “cute” in Japanese, has morphed into an entire culture that can be seen in the everyday experiences of Japanese natives, tourists, and even in the lives of those outside of Japan. In the 1970s and 80s, the Kawaii aesthetic started as a…
Full Article JAPAN: DOES KAWAII CULTURE INFANTILIZE WOMEN?
BENJAMIN BARRETT WRITES — While United States immigration stories are frequent, it is rare that we are able to read about them in a fictional, entertaining, and emotionally evocative way. However, in his book Afterparties (2021), Anthony Veasna So does just that. Before his book was even released, So’s life was…
Full Article BOOK REVIEW: AFTERPARTIES (2021) BY ANTHONY VEASNA SO
AHMAD ALSADHAN WRITES –Kuwait, a small oil producing country situated in the north of the Arabian Gulf, has been heavily impacted economically by the pandemic. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the worst economic crisis since the 2008 Financial Crisis. While the world almost stopped operating as…
Full Article KUWAIT: FROM SURPLUS TO DEFICIT
AIDAN SMITH-FAGAN WRITES – As I walked out of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, I couldn’t help but note a few of the similarities it has with 2018’s Black Panther: a Marvel hero breaking ground for a historically underrepresented minority, a fictional secret paradise, and a…
Full Article SHANG-CHI REVIEW: CRAZY QUICK ACTION
JONAH AGLUBAT WRITES– The Philippines has had its fair share of corruption and authoritarianism, from multiple colonizations to annexations. Under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos – who reigned for 21 years, from 1965 – 1986- the archipelagic nation has experienced states of extreme poverty, severe underemployment, and has been subject…
Full Article THE PHILIPPINES: WILL THE MUSLIM MAJORITY OF MINDANAO ACHIEVE INDEPENDENCE?
NATALIA FALCHI WRITES — China’s technological advancement and dedication to innovative Artificial Intelligence systems is growing rapidly and robustly. Not only does this affect China socially, economically, and politically, but it affects the entire globe. In 2017, China’s ambition to become more advanced in the realm of Artificial Intelligence intensified…
Full Article CHINA: THE BRAINS BEHIND ADVANCES IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ANGELINE KEK WRITES — Cemented as one of the more influential novels in literary culture, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby has been, if anything, overly explored by critics and readers worldwide. Nghi Vo boldly disagrees — in fact, this exclusive social circle, novelist Nghi Vo insists, is missing someone…
Full Article BOOK REVIEW: THE CHOSEN AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2021) BY NGHI VO
TOM PLATE WRITES — Frustrations come with any occupation, and writing columns about Asia and America, as I have without stop for 25 years, is no exception. Asia is powerful and dynamic, and one size does not fit all. But, for me, no one subject has proven more elusive and…
Full Article NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE: ONLY KOREANS THEMSELVES CAN FIND A WAY OUT OF THE IMPASSE
BRIANNA HIRAMI WRITES — You may have been able to guess by the eerie-looking bunny presented in inverted colors on the cover that this tale is anything but light and happy. Bora Chung’s fascinating and unique short story collection, Cursed Bunny, displays the most disturbing truths about the nature of…
Full Article BOOK REVIEW: CURSED BUNNY (2021) BY BORA CHUNG
ALEC FARMER WRITES — Home does not denote a solely physical space. It represents memories, both good and bad. Experiences with family, friends, and passing acquaintances are associated with the place these events occurred in. For this reason, locations are special to someone because of their shared history. This duality between…
Full Article BOOK REVIEW: DRAGONFLY EYES (2021) – THE CONNECTIONS OF FAMILY AND SPACE
ELLA KELLEHER WRITES – Consider, for a moment, that food is not simply fuel, but rather each component to a meal contains a piece of living-giving energy. “Each grain [of rice]”, as author and translator Winifred Bird describes, “was thought to have a soul, and for many centuries people believed…
Full Article BOOK REVIEW: EATING WILD JAPAN: TRACKING THE CULTURE OF FORAGED FOODS WITH A GUIDE TO PLANTS AND RECIPES (2021) BY WINIFRED BIRD
Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of the subjects of this article, the names of the interviewees have been changed. AIDAN SMITH-FAGAN WRITES — “It was a very atypical afternoon soccer game.” Will remembers the hushed tones in the voices of parents on the sidelines. It was unusually quiet and “parents…
Full Article AFGHANISTAN: THE STORY OF THE FOREVER WAR, TOLD BY MEN WHO SERVED THERE
TOM PLATE WRITES — According to newspaper reports, on arrival in Washington Mr Qin Gang’s public tone seemed sort of chipper; and further, in the wake of his initial greet-and-meet with US officials, there surfaced simmering new communications between the US and China. Given the alarm with which many westerners…
Full Article SINO-US RELATIONS: IS THE EUPHORIA OVER CHINA’S NEW WASHINGTON AMBASSADOR JUSTIFIED AMID THE DREARY DIPLOMATIC REALITIES?
ANDREA PLATE WRITES — Forget about Naomi Osaka, for a moment. For all the whining-and-dining out by the press on the tennis superstar’s mental health struggles, and her difficulty facing their not-so-friendly post-game fire, she is, after all, just one international superstar. One. Forget, too, about Britney Spears, if you…
Full Article JAPAN, KOREA, AMERICA: CAN YOUNG SUPERSTARS THE WORLD OVER EVER BE HAPPY?
