Underground Humanity
Interview with Kassem Aina, the man behind the Beit Aftal Assomoud project in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. He talks about life in the camps and the work he does providing welfare and humanitarian assistance.
An Education in Looking
The London Royal Academy hosts David Hockney’s “A Bigger Picture” exhibition of new landscape works before it moves on to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. Alessandra Quattrocchi was smitten by the show.
Will a European Tobin tax be efficient?
Italy’s prime minister, Mario Monti, is the latest in a growing line of senior public figures to support the idea of a financial transaction tax – also known as a Tobin tax or Robin Hood tax.
The Philosopher in Christian Art
An excerpt from the recently published book by Art Historian Raffaela Fazio Smith “Face of Faith” that looks at the iconography of the figure of the philosopher and teacher in classical, Jewish and Christian art.
China’s Foreign Policy Deciphered
A conversation with Dr John Lee about the intricacies of China’s foreign policy: how it is changing in the light of the country’s new economic strength, the underlying political philosophy and the current state of relations with Africa, Myanmar, North Korea and India.
Women Talking to Women
The cartoonist Alison Bechdel invented the Bechdel Test in the 80s to put movies to a simple test. Does the movie have at least two female characters, who talk to one another, but not about a man? How do this year’s Oscar nominations fare and indeed some literary classics?
Afghanistan Exit: Think India
Amitai Etzioni, Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University discusses a possible solution to the Afghan debacle. First, solve the India-Pakistan conflict – but that would mean the US could no longer use India as a counterweight to China. Difficult but not impossible.
Brazil’s Winning Streak
Brazil has recently shot to “superpower” status in the eyes of the world. Gabriel Paquette looks at the country’s apparent immunity from the global recession, its new self confidence but also at some of the more long standing problems: the corruption and the deforestation of the Amazon.
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb
The 24-panel altarpiece in the Cathedral of Saint Bavo in Ghent is a masterpiece of Flemish art by the brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck. Art historian Raffaela Fazio Smith examines the theme of the Christ-Eucharist in the panel of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.
Contagion and Greek debt
Why does news about Greek public finances not affect Eurozone bank stock prices, but news about a Greek bailout does? This suggests that markets consider news about a Greek bailout to be a signal of Eurozone countries’ willingness to use public funds to combat the financial crisis.