Alex Gallafent
Georgian Jazz Piano Prodigy Beka Gochiashvili
Beka Gochiashvili is a 17-year-old jazz pianist from Tblisi, Georgia, living in New York. He already plays with some of the biggest names in American jazz.
How an American Linguist Helped Unlock the Secrets of Linear B
In 1952, a mysterious Bronze Age script was deciphered by an Englishman, Michael Ventris. But his work rested in part on a Herculean analysis undertaken by an American linguist, Alice Kober. The World’s Alex Gallafent reports.
US Navy Trombonist Composes Score for Viral Animated Movie ‘Maker vs Marker’
Brian Sadler plays trombone for the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet Band, based out of Yokosuka, Japan. Sadler’s also a prolific composer, and now he’s written music for an animated fim that’s going viral online, “Maker vs Marker.”
Is it Legal to Film Police in London?
Cameras are everywhere: in our pockets and on our streets. But what happens when we turn those cameras on members of law enforcement? Anchor Marco Werman speaks with a filmmaking team from London whose experience has led to a short animated film.
Frederic Franklin (1914-2013): Dancing Through the 20th Century
The World’s Alex Gallafent remembers ballet dancer Frederic Franklin, who’s died in New York aged 98. Franklin got his big break in Paris, back in the 1930s. He later went on to star in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo before making his home in the United States.
Spanish Doctor Convicted in Sports Doping Investigation
A doctor in Spain has been convicted of endangering the lives of elite cyclists by administering blood transfusions to increase performance. A 2006 raid on the doctor’s office yielded a cache of performance-enhancing drugs and a number of bags containing blood and plasma. Now those bags are the subject of a dispute between a Spanish judge and worldwide anti-doping authorities.
How a World Famous Ballerina Plotted to Overthrow the Government of Panama
The British dancer Margot Fonteyn was one of the world’s most renowned ballerinas. She was married to the son of a former president of Panama and, in 1959, the two took part in a failed coup to overthrow the pro-American government there.
Humanity Now Consuming 100 Billion Servings of Instant Noodles Annually
A trade association based in Japan has claimed that we, the peoples of the world, are eating more instant noodles than ever before.
Saudi Arabia Mulls Weekend Change
In Saudi Arabia, the weekend falls on Thursday and Friday; Friday is a holy day in Islam. But now Saudi authorities are considering a shift to the Friday-Saturday weekend observed by most other countries in the Arabian Gulf – a model that appeals to international business and local workers alike.
Horse Doping Scandal Rocks Dubai’s Racing Empire
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the ruler of Dubai and the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. He is also one of the most powerful figures in global horse racing. But a doping scandal involving eleven horses at his stable in the UK has rocked the sport.
Oliver ‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi is Left Alone on New Album, ‘Sarawoga’
Sarawoga is the first new album Oliver ‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi has recorded since the death of his son in 2010, who was killed in a car crash in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
Boston Bombings Suspects #1 and #2: Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
Large parts of the city of Boston were in a virtual lockdown amid a major manhunt for one of two brothers suspected of bombing the city’s marathon on Monday. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, remains at large after he escaped a shoot-out in which another suspect, his brother, died. The World’s Alex Gallafent tells us more about the information emerging about the lives of the brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
Rehabilitating the Pressure Cooker after the Boston Bombing
The bombs that exploded in Boston on Monday were housed in simple pressure cookers, a choice of vessel that very likely amplified the devastating explosions. But the humble pressure cooker is central to the lives of millions of people across the world, and even played a part in the United States war effort at home in the 1940s.
Boston Marathon Bombing Emergency Responders and the Importance of the Tourniquet
Emergency responders applied field tourniquets to many of those injured by the explosions at Monday’s Boston Marathon. The device, often improvised, had fallen out of favor with many in the medical establishment, but the American military experience in Iraq and Afghanistan changed that.
Emergency Preparedness in American Cities Since 9/11
Cities around the world, including in the United States, know something of what Boston’s going through. Indeed, in the decade since September 11th, 2001, city preparedness has come a long way. From New York, The World’s Alex Gallafent reports.
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