Here we are 2 years in to the Syrian Civil War that was sparked by the Arab Spring…70,000 dead, hundreds of thousands of refugees, and no end in site to the suffering. Instead of trying to make any grand predictions about the future of this mess, or to try and...
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Latest News from Around the Globe
In Other News
Yasukuni: Shinzo’s Shrine Shenanigans
Our Chinese and Korean friends are once again up in arms about some top Japanese officials paying their respects to their war dead at a place called the Yasukuni Shrine. Current Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe did not actually himself visit…but lots of others...
Watch plaidcastPunished Pianist a Sign of Turkish Shift?
A Turkish court just sentenced a concert pianist 10 months of jail time for ‘insulting religion.’ Say what? I thought Turkey was a total secular society and well established democracy where such things are unheard of? Indeed! Thus my interest in the story! Is this...
Watch plaidcastThe New Dynamic Double Dragon Duo: Xi & Li
It finally happened! The months-ago anointed new leaders of China have officially taken the helm of Asia’s super-power state! Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang are the new President and Premiere/Prime Minister, respectively, of China….and will likely maintain that status for...
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Zie German Economic Juggernaut
Was ist das? Germany is bailing out Greece, and will likely have to bail out other failing EU countries too? Why Germany, and not France or the UK? Oh, that’s because Germany has the most dynamic, vibrant, growing, powerhouse, awesome economy of Europe and the 4th...
Watch plaidcastSkype interview with Aung San Suu Kyi
On December 5, 2011 Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Aung San Suu Kyi had a Skype interview with Virginia Tech geography Professor John Boyer and his 3000 student World Regions class.
Watch plaidcastGeography of the Drone
Multiple high-profile al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders have recently been taken by the newest of new in death-dealing technologies: the drone! But what are these drone things? How long have they been around? Who is using them, and where? And why are they exploding in...
Watch plaidcastAsian Axis of Democracy?
So China is on the rise in the world, and China is specifically on the move on the water: assertively and aggressively pushing out its power and influence into the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean in general. Can their power now ever be checked? Is Chinese world...
Watch plaidcastInterviews
Fernando (Peru)
Fernando
Country: Peru
City: Chimbote
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Araceli (Mexico)
Araceli
Country: Mexico
City: Mexico City
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Pelin (Turkey)
Pelin
Country: Turkey
City: Istanbul
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Dr. Daniel (Israel)
Dr. Daniel
Country: Israel
City: Ashkelon
Shusterman Visiting Israeli Professor of Judaic Studies at Virginia Tech
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Adam (United Kingdom)
Milos
Country: United Kingdom
City: Barnstaple
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World Leaders
Uhuru Kenyatta
President of Kenya
With a name like Kenyatta, isn’t it inevitable that you would have to lead the country named Kenya at some point? Elected as the top-tiger of safari-central in March 2013, Uhuru Kenyatta is the son of the founding president of Kenya Jomo Kenyatta—who was the leader of...
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Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General of UN
If you’ve read any news story on any world topic in the last 5 years, you’ve most likely heard the words Ban Ki Moon tossed around somewhere. No this isn’t a new space exploration mission to the moon, it’s actually the 8th UN SECRETARY GENERAL perhaps one of...
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Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
Hezbollah leader of Lebanon
Among the more demonized and poorly understood Middle East movers-and-shakers is Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the equally demonized and poorly understood group Hizbullah or Hezbollah or Ḥizbu ‘llāh…or whatever the Hez you want to call it. Nasrallah’s political...
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