March 14, 2012

Nicoli Nattrass on The Specter of Denialism

In a recent op-ed for The Scientist, Nicoli Nattrass, author of The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back , describes the harm that has been done by AIDS denialists in South Africa and elsewhere. Nattrass argues that a small group of...

March 14, 2012

Dean Starkman, Felix Salmon, and Others Discuss the Business and Financial Press

Last week the Columbia Journalism Review and Public Business, organized a panel Has the Business Press Failed the Public Trust?. Among the panelists were Dean Starkman and Felix Salmon, co-editors of our forthcoming Best Business Writing 2012. The discussion focused...

March 13, 2012

Nicoli Nattrass discusses AIDS Denialism and AIDS in South Africa

In the following interview, Nicoli Nattrass, author of The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back, discusses the issue of AIDS denialism as well as her work on AIDS in South Africa:

March 13, 2012

New Book Tuesday: New Film Titles and Poetry from Around the World

American Showman: Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel and the Birth of the Entertainment Industry, 1908-1935 Ross Melnick Hollywood’s Copyright Wars: From Edison to the Internet Peter Decherney Sex and World Peace Valerie M. Hudson, Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill, Mary Caprioli, and Chad F. Emmett...

March 12, 2012

Book Giveaway!: The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back, by Nicoli Nattrass

This week our featured book is The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back, by Nicoli Nattrass. (To browse the book.) Throughout the week we will highlight aspects of the book and we are also offering a FREE copy of the book...

March 9, 2012

Chage & Aska "Say Yes" — More from Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon

In “Bubblegum Music in a Postbubble Economy,” the concluding chapter to Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon: A Geopolitical History of J-Pop, Michael Bourdaghs discusses the very popular Chage & Aska (C&A), whose 1991 single “Say Yes,” became a breakout hit. Bourdaghs’s...

March 9, 2012

International Women’s Day

Yesterday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, held every year as a celebration of the advances in women’s rights that have already been made and a reminder of the advances in women’s rights that are still to come. In honor...

March 8, 2012

Happy End — More from Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon

In the early 1970s, more Japanese rock bands started to sing in Japanese rather than English. One of the first groups to do this was the folk-rock group Happy End. Some might be familiar with the band from their song...

March 8, 2012

Yuan-kang Wang Challenges The Myth of Chinese Exceptionalism

“Chinese history suggests that its foreign policy behavior is highly sensitive to its relative power. If its power continues to increase, China will try to expand its sphere of influence in East Asia…. Brace yourself. The game is on.”—Yuan-kang Wang...

March 7, 2012

"We’re The Spiders!” — More from "Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon"

“Made-in-Japan Beatles? I hate it when they call us that. We’re the Spiders!”—Tanabe Shochi on why The Spiders passed on opening for The Beatles Michael Bourdaghs has a very informative and fun companion blog to his new book Sayonara Amerika,...

March 7, 2012

New Book Tuesday (Wednesday Edition): Theos Bernard, the White Lama

A day late but here’s our weekly list of books now available: Theos Bernard, the White Lama: Tibet, Yoga, and American Religious Life Paul G. Hackett How to Read Chinese Poetry Workbook Zong-qi Cai and Jie Cui Screen Dynamics: Mapping...

March 6, 2012

Sakamoto Kyu's "Sukiyaki"

In Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon: A Geopolitical Prehistory of J-Pop, Michael Bourdaghs discusses the aesthetic, cultural, and geopolitical implications of a range of musical styles that were popular in post-war Japan. Rockabilly first gained a wide audience in Japan in...