Word: backgrounding
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...Harvard, and not as much socioeconomic diversity in the football program as well,” Murphy says. “The main thing that we have done in recruiting is try and break down the myths and perceptions that many people have of Harvard: white, wealthy, private school background. I believe that our team is at least as racially and socioeconomically diverse as the student body...
...It’s something we talked about,” he says. “They had looked at my background and my past success at Iona. I met with admissions and talked about international recruiting...It’s a high priority for me. Part of my mission is to expand our borders to attract students here who might not necessarily be attracted...
...father is the celebrated Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar), and thus fits snugly into the Wong Kar Wai iconography. We see her, chin on hand, staring sadly into the middle distance; and Wong shows this not-very-much-happening in his patented dreamy slo-mo. Jones also has a similar background to many performers from Wong's Hong Kong films: Leung, Leslie Cheung, Faye Wong, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and dozens of others were Canto-pop stars before they were accomplished actors...
...these differences of background, however, Sarkozy and Brown have some unexpected similarities on the big issues: economics, national identity and foreign policy. Both extol the importance of a strong work ethic and advocate free markets--but with caveats. Both have a controversial nationalist bent: while Brown talks about the importance of "Britishness" and has openly resisted the idea of giving up the pound to join Europe's common currency, Sarkozy is seeking to establish tighter citizenship criteria for immigrants. Both feel warm about the U.S. but are cool toward President Bush. Neither gets emotional over the idea of European unity...
That still leaves the concerns of more secular voters. Weisberg observes that modern political discourse seems to permit the exploration of candidates' every secret except their most basic philosophical beliefs: "The crucial distinction is between someone's background and heritage, which they don't choose, and their views, which they do choose and which are central to the question of whether someone has the capacity to serve in the highest office in the country." He would raise the same concerns, he notes, about a Jew or a Methodist who believed the earth is less than 6,000 years old. Weisberg...