Language Feb 5, 2018

Looking at what the world likes about Japan

Google Trends has released its search data on Japan for 2017 and topping several lists was the name Mao Kobayashi (小林麻央).

Language | BILINGUAL Jan 2, 2017

Japanese is affecting the English lexicon in new ways

From "emoji" to "KonMari," the English langauge is getting a pleasant dose of Japanese culture.

Music Nov 27, 2016

Alabama Shakes take a risk that pays off in 'Sound & Color'

With their blended appearance and a sound steeped in soul yet born of the millennial rock scene, Alabama Shakes could symbolize a post-racial dream that, as the recent U.S. election shows, remains a work in progress. As with the civil rights movement, the band's approach, ...

Music Aug 21, 2016

Sahra Halgan sings recognition for Somaliland

We in the West are used to thinking of music mainly as entertainment. On occasion, it can fulfill a religious function, or be deployed to argue one political point or another. But for Sahra Halgan, the purpose of her music is to bring recognition ...

Language | BILINGUAL Nov 30, 2015

From 'samurai' to 'Hello Kitty,' search data show how the world's view of Japan has changed

Analytics data suggest Japan is better known abroad as the land of Hello Kitty than as a country full of swaggering samurai and mincing geisha.

Music Jul 31, 2002

New and improved Pops!

How can anyone market one of the world's great orchestras in an era when orchestral music is growing ever less essential to the cultural fabric and the recording industry itself is ailing? In a wide-ranging conversation with Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops, during ...