All Culture
Meanwhile... in Mosul, Iraq, Fahd Sabah recently launched Mosul’s new Book Forum cafeAnd in Thornbury, Australia, refugees in this suburb of Melbourne are offering cooking classes organized by Free to Feed, a nonprofit started in 2015, while in La Paz, Bolivia, shoeshine boys are being given a leg up.
An unquiet realization about librariesA recent visit changes my perception of library behavior and purpose.
First LookMinorities have growing influence in film and TV, new study showsPeople of color accounted for a major and growing proportion of movie ticket buyers in 2015 and 2016, according to a new study from UCLA. The findings indicate an increasing economic incentive for Hollywood to appeal to more diverse audiences.
American Indian artist T.C. Cannon’s work reflects still-current conflictsThe poignancy and tension that run through artist Cannon’s art speak to a larger discussion going on today as the United States grapples with thorny questions of ethnic identity, land rights, and cultural heritage.
'Annihilation' has cheesy visual effectsThere are times when the film skirts silliness, but director Alex Garland has a gift for locating the horror inside that silliness.
‘The Party’ has great cast, somewhat negligible storyIn its themes and tone, it resembles a minor-league distillation of Edward Albee and Woody Allen.
'The Young Karl Marx' chronicles the early life of the philosopherTrying to encompass a vast swath of historical upheaval in the story of Marx and Friedrich Engels may well be an impossible task. Still, shouldn’t the film’s style be a bit more in tune with the incendiariness of its subject?
Top Picks: The podcast 'American History Tellers,' Oscar nominees on DVD and Blu-ray, and moreNils Frahm's 'All Melody' is the product of recording complex Saal 3, photographer Florian Nick's travels through Alberta and British Columbia yielded a beautiful time-lapse movie, and more top picks.
As 'Black Panther' hits screens in Africa, 'the hero is all of us'In Marvel's depiction of Wakanda, many African fans see something rarer than vibranium: a big-screen image of Africa that defies Hollywood stereotypes.
Meanwhile... in Copperbelt, Zambia, tending to a baby chimp led to one of the largest chimpanzee reserves in the worldAnd in Somalia, a young social activist is offering former child soldiers and other war victims a chance to heal through surfing. Meanwhile, they're hiring in Antarctica.
Why I’m so grateful to SteveI’m a can-do guy. But this problem was beyond my ability – or desire – to solve.
Popular bands turn to covers for charityRecent releases, all of which benefit charities, use the occasion of a significant anniversary to revisit a specific album.
'Loveless' is an encompassing indictment of Russian societyThe film is an Oscar nominee for best foreign language film and is by the extraordinary Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Top Picks: 'American Folk,' Smithsonian Channel's 'Escape to the Great Dismal Swamp'The film 'The Philadelphia Story' and its legendary trio of stars – Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart – returns to theaters, the automobiles of Pixar return with 'Cars 3,' and more top picks.
Beyond ticket sales: 'Black Panther' wields cultural punchThe movie is headed for a box office blitz. But it is the potential it has to elevate the role models for young people of color that has rallied donations of more than $400,000 from across the globe to help send thousands of children in the US to see it.
'Black Panther' is easily the best of the Marvel superhero moviesDirector Ryan Coogler is also the co-writer of “Black Panther,” with Joe Robert Cole, and he understands better than any of the other Marvel maestros that for a superhero movie to be more than a popcorn jamboree it needs to have a purpose beyond mere cacophony and hijinks.
First LookMcDonald's tries to shake its junk food image by slimming down Happy MealThe Happy Meal menu will soon no longer list cheeseburgers and chocolate milk, although diners can specifically ask for them with the kid's meal.
Meanwhile... in Nouakchott, Mauritania, a determined group of teenagers is working to improve the country’s capitalIn Cyprus, British soldiers have a high-tech ally in their fight against bird trapping: drones. And in Kigali, Rwanda, the country hosted its first robotics boot camp last month.
Someone to lean on arrives just when you need themCrises may foster friendships as nurturing as they are brief.
Galentine's Day: Why the appeal of 'ladies celebrating ladies' enduresThe Feb. 13 holiday, invented by NBC sitcom 'Parks and Recreation,' is in its eighth year of bringing gal pals together to honor friendship. Observers and participants note the timeliness of an event that highlights women and interpersonal connections.
