funny ha ha                                                                 

_marcos_thumb_80.jpgLunching With Imelda (or, Life in the Food Chain)
(Asia Times) One of the great things about living in the late twentieth century is that you get to share it with Imelda Marcos. I realize that not everyone agrees with me on this .... more >>

 

marathon_1_thumb.jpgMarathon Man

(Manager) Thousands of people spill over onto the sidewalk, and I press myself into the fence. Some of the runners see me and shout, "Hello!  Where are you going?" ... more >>

 

 

crime & punishment                                                    


80_precolumbian.jpgBattling the Tomb Raiders of Latin America 
(Asia Times)  Looters, antiquities dealers and corrupt officials are fast draining Latin America of its antiquities -- and soon "there may be nothing left to dig," say archaeologists ... more >>

 

80_fakes.jpgArtful Deception
(Insight)  Art forgers have been around for centuries.  But with the entry of naive new buyers into the art market, forgers are having a field day  ...
more >>

 
80_franklin.jpgThe Dirty Business of Money Laundering
(Insight) In the war on illegal drugs, the best strategy may be to follow the money trail ... wherever it may lead ... more>> 

 

80_triad.jpgChinese Mafia Takes Vice Abroad
(Insight) Well-organized Chinese gangs, known as triads, are spreading into lucrative new markets in the West ... more>>

 

80_money.jpgLong Days on the Fake Money Trail
(Insight)  Counterfeiting US currency is a global, multi-billion dollar business, and it may be about to get even bigger ... more>>

 

 

global culture                                                             


80_shereikis.jpgThe New Face of Afrobeat
(The Washington Post)  The music of African political revolution pioneered by Fela Kuti is having a surprising revival -- in white,  suburban America ... more>>


80_pwe_80.jpgIn Burma's Spirit World, The Pwe's The Thing
(Asia Times)  Preening daintily, the chubby transvestite minces across the floor. "You're going to find something you've lost," she lisps to a well-dressed woman ... more >>

  

80_steeldrum.jpgIn Trinidad, Beating the Steel Drums of War
(Insight)  Popular "pannists" enjoy the status of rock stars, the tabloid headlines scream rumors about their romances, and at Carnival time the excitement turns into fever ... more >>
 

80_kalaga.jpgIn Mandalay, An Artist Keeps Vanishing Worlds Alive
(Asia Times)  As his chalk moves quickly over the canvas, dragons and winged elephants appear, dancing girls cavort in gardens, and celestial beings beam down from the clouds .... more >>

 

 

wildlife & conservation                                             

 

80_tiger.jpgSaving the Tigers of Southeast Asia
(Asia Times)  In the remote and nearly inaccessible jungles of the Hukaung Valley, Alan Rabinowitz is setting up the largest tiger preserve in Asia -- virtually single-handed ... more >>

 
80_elephant.jpgFrom Kenya to Hong Kong, a Secret Trail of Illegal Ivory
(Insight)  Africa's elephants are being decimated by thriving international traffic in illegal ivory -- and there may be little that conservationists can do about it ... more >>