Our reporters travel the globe. This is where they share their observations and experiences that don’t make it to the broadcast.
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Blogs
School Year Blog: Real Men Get Circumcised, Then Wear Hilarious Hats
Many cultures have ceremonies that mark the transition from boyhood to manhood. But not all include sleep deprivation, circumcision, and a golf hat.
Car Bombing in Turkish Border Town Adds to Growing Tensions Between Syrian Refugees and Local Turks
Last week when I arrived in Reyhanli, a Turkish town on the border with Syria, I was met with an air of anxiety, anger and an unsettling chaotic calm. An hour earlier, two car bombs had exploded, resulting in the death of 51 people.
School Year Blog: Six Things that South African Teenagers Learn in China
Two COSAT students traveled to China for a chemistry competition. In the process, they learned a lot of lessons — about snow, about perceptions of Africans, and about chopsticks.
Breast Cancer: One Disease, Three Stories
Gertrude Nakigudde is an accountant in Kampala, Uganda. I’m a freelance reporter and journalism instructor in Seattle. Angelina Jolie is, well, Angelina Jolie. We’ve all had mastectomies, and we’ve all nursed parents through their final days with breast cancer [...]
School Year Blog: Are You Smarter Than a COSAT Tenth-Grader?
Could you hack it at the Centre of Science and Technology? Take this short math quiz to find out.
‘My $10 T-Shirt’ Discussion Shifts as Major Retailers Sign Safety Agreement for Bangladesh Garment Factories
Five major European clothing retailers have committed to a safety accord for garment factories in Bangladesh. News of the agreement broke during a day-long chat about the garment industry hosted on The World’s Facebook page. The agreement, and widespread concern about the global garment industry, prompted a lively discussion.
Guatemala After the Rios Montt Guilty Verdict
The Guatemalan general who led the country through the bloodiest period of its long civil war, Efrain Rios Montt, has been jailed for 80 years for genocide and crimes against humanity in the early 1980s. BoingBoing’s Xeni Jardin has been tweeting the trial and its aftermath.
What it Means for José L. Santos to be a Portuguese-American Artist
Every year, in the spring, Boston celebrates its vibrant Portuguese culture with the Boston Portuguese Festival. The World’s intern, Adizah Eghan, sat down with this year’s featured artist, José L. Santos, to discuss everything from his Portuguese-American identity to his artwork.
My $10 T-Shirt: A Conversation about Ethical Fashion
The death toll of the April 24 collapse of a garment factory outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, has passed 1,000 people, making it the worst industrial accident since the 1984 gas leak at a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal. Now, a question many shoppers are asking themselves, is whether the clothing they buy is made in a dangerous garment factory.
School Year Blog: You Never Know What Problems These Kids Are Dealing With
Earlier this week, reporter Anders Kelto asked a student at COSAT why she had missed class. In perfectly measured tones, she told a truly heart-breaking story, and one that revealed some of the challenges of teaching in Khayelitsha.
Are Your Students Sleep-Deprived?
A new international study concludes that western countries have the most sleep-deprived children. Parents and teachers: Have you found that your students’ lack of sleep correlates to their performance in the classroom?
School Year Blog: Does Prayer Belong in South Africa’s Public Schools?
At COSAT, as at many urban, township schools, the vast majority of students are Christian. Prayer at school events is the norm. But should it be?
Question of Burying Boston Marathon Suspect Elicits Passionate Responses
Cemeteries around Massachusetts have said Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev can’t be buried here. And many Americans say he should be sent home.
School Year Blog: Making Sandwiches to Help Disabled Children
Some girls at COSAT get sick of all the junk food at their school, and decide to start selling healthy sandwiches. The money starts rolling in, and they decide to spend it in an extremely noble way.
School Year Blog: The Cell Phone Revolution Continues, One Zombie Book at a Time
Every day, there seems to be a new story about how cell phone technologies can save the world. I’m skeptical. But a conversation with a COSAT student renews my faith.
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