Word: council
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...many nations are growing wary of the rising influence of Asia's other superpower: China. Unlike Japan, China has done little to mask its global natural-resources grab. As a result, Japan outranked China in a June survey of soft-power effectiveness in six countries by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Far from China eclipsing Japan, as many once thought, the Middle Kingdom's emergence has actually reawakened international admiration of its neighbor. "There's a strong perception that China's not doing enough for people's rights," says Yasushi Watanabe, co-editor of a new book called Soft...
...government statistics. "Foreigners used to learn Japanese for career reasons," says Tsutomu Sugiura, an adviser for the Marubeni Research Institute in Tokyo. "But today they learn because they are interested in Japanese culture." To help spread Japanese, the Japan Foundation, the nation's rough equivalent to the British Council or Germany's Goethe Institute, invites 500 foreign teachers from more than 50 nations to Japan each year for all-expenses-paid training programs. (Alimansyar is currently participating in the course.) The Foundation also plans to establish 100 Japanese-language hubs overseas by 2010, more than double those that existed just...
...Pfizer will contribute to local efforts in stem cell research, including work at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. According to City Councilman Sam Seidel, Pfizer’s expansion is part of a continuing effort to bring large research facilities into the city. “We on City Council are very aware of the economic downturn overall,” Seidel said. “It is reassuring that companies on the cutting edge of technology are looking to us now.” Cambridge’s initiative to attract research began in the 1980s with the redevelopment...
...first step is to internationalize Somalia’s waters until a functional government can patrol them. The United Nations Security Council moved in this direction last June by passing a resolution that allows foreign vessels to enter Somalia’s territorial waters and use “all necessary means” to combat piracy, a ruling that does not apply to other pirate hotspots such as Vietnam or Indonesia. While this resolution was a good start, a more concerted effort to stamp out piracy should be created through an international naval peacekeeping mission that controls waterways much...
...advisory student government. It would be funded by a universal $10 termbill charge. During its first year, the UC began disbursing funds to student groups, while trying to define its larger mission: whether to advocate for political issues, or to push for better student life. Some council members concentrated on initiatives like the Endowment for Divestiture, a fund for students who wanted their senior gift contribution held in escrow until Harvard divested from Apartheid South Africa. Closer to home, the UC honored teachers with the new Levenson Awards and convinced Harvard to maintain summer storage. One of the UC?...