George Orwell
Preservationists worry economic growth may endanger Myanmar’s historic buildings
Because of Myanmar’s economic stagnation over the past decades, very little development has taken place — which has allowed the country’s historic colonial buildings to endure. But as the country loosens up, some preservationists are worried it may lead to destruction of relatively rundown, but still historic, buildings.
George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ resonated with Ukrainian refugees
After World War II, millions of Ukrainians became refugees when the Soviet Union began ethnic cleansing. George Orwell’s novel “Animal Farm” became popular among Ukrainian refugees, as it reminded them of the hardships they endured under Stalinist rule.
China’s creative set using humor in subtle challenge to authoritarian rule
In China, to question the government is to invite trouble. But in a digital media world, the ability to do that is easier than ever. That means those who are so inclined need to find a way to do it without getting in trouble and more often than not that means turning to humor.
Remembering an American contrarian: Christopher Hitchens dead of cancer
Christopher Hitchens, a man who wasn’t afraid to take on anyone, died on Thursday of esophageal cancer. He was famous for his biting criticism of, well, everyone, from Henry Kissinger, “a war criminal,” to Mother Theresa, “a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud,”
