American Beatboxers In Cambodia
Forty years after the U.S. became embroiled in military conflict in Southeast Asia, the U.S. State
Department has dispatched an American hip-hop group to bolster its image in a region still recovering from the effects of war.
The Dana Leong Band — a hip-hop funk group from New York — has toured Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos this month as part of “The Rhythm Road — American Music Abroad” program, funded by the State Department and administered by Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Since 9/11, the United States has revived its cultural diplomacy efforts in an attempt to rebuild its tarnished legacy abroad, with a particular focus on Muslim countries and developing nations. In 2007, the State Department dedicated $465.6 million to international artistic exchanges, more than doubling its 2000 budget for such programs.
In Cambodia, the State Department may have found an ideal audience for its image-building efforts: a young generation more inclined to consider America the bearer of the future, rather than the aggressor of the past.
— K.I. Media
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Indians Trade Health for Jobs
NEW DELHI — Outsourced workers in India have good salary and perks. They are, however, facing sleep disorders, heart disease, depression and family discord, according to doctors and industry surveys.
Experts say the brewing crisis could undermine the success of India’s hugely profitable outsourcing industry, which earns billions of dollars annually and has shaped much of the country’s transformation into an emerging economic power.
Heart disease, strokes and diabetes cost India an estimated $9 billion in lost productivity in 2005. But the losses could increase to $200 billion over the next 10 years if corrective action is not taken quickly, said a study by New Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations.
The outsourcing industry has come under fire because the sedentary lifestyle of its employees, combined with often stressful working conditions, makes them more vulnerable to heart disease, digestive problems and weight gain than others. Some complain of psychological distress.
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Why China is Going Kosher
The kosher business is booming in China. Kosher certifications by rabbis in China have doubled in the past two years. The country’s exporters are looking not only to get a piece of the U.S. kosher market, but also to get a rabbinical seal of approval that may ease the fears of non-kosher consumers worried by reports of tainted Chinese food exports.
“When we certify a product, consumers know there is another pair of eyes,” said Mordechai Grunberg, an American rabbi who leads a team that examines Chinese factories to ensure that the Jewish dietary laws are followed.
According to the New York-based Orthodox Union, more than 300 Chinese plants are now certified Orthodox, and the group expects thousands of more plants to get certified in the next few years.
— Wall Street Journal
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Japan Mulls Language Visa Tests
Japan is considering introducing language tests for foreigners who want to live and work there.
Officials are investigating how a scheme adding a language requirement for long-term residency visas and work permits could be implemented.
Japan recently began photographing and fingerprinting all foreign nationals when they enter the country. Most come from Korea, China or are Brazilians of Japanese descent.
Officials say Japan’s foreign minister, Masahiko Komura, has long held the view that it would be better if long-term visitors could speak Japanese. He says it would improve their quality of life and society as a whole would benefit too.
Officials are quoted as saying that adding a language requirement to the visa application process could help to combat illegal immigration or terrorism.
But some fear that requiring all foreign workers to learn Japanese before they arrive could harm Tokyo’s efforts to attract international business and to compete with other Asian cities like Singapore and Hong Kong.
— BBC