culture

Hangzhou, China Pedals to Number One in Bike Sharing

Washington, D.C.’s bike sharing program has 1,100 bikes. London’s system has 6,000. And Paris has more than 20,000.

But on the other side of the globe, Hangzhou, China has them beat with more than 60,000, according to a recent report by National Geographic.

To see how it all works, check out this short from Streetfilms:



Bike shares -- where a user can pick up a bicycle at one service point, ride it, and then drop it off at another and walk away -- are growing in popularity. China, along with many other developing nations, has a long-held cultural tie to bicycling. Demand for automobiles skyrocketed in recent decades, but in a city of 6.7 million like Hangzhou, it would be impossible to build enough roads to support this, not to mention environmental concerns.

Bike shares are cheap (nearly free for many in Hangzhou), highly accessible, and part of a sustainable urban growth model. Hangzhou hopes to expand its system to 120,000 bikes by 2020 and other cities are taking notice of its success. Companies in Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City are making a go of it and hope to remove the training wheels soon.

A Glimpse into Afghanistan's Past

In the 50s and 60s Afghanistan had modern, clean health facilities.  Today only 13% of children are born in hospitals. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vizpix/4701889">Daveeza (Flickr)</a>
In the 50s and 60s Afghanistan had modern, clean health facilities. Today only 13% of children are born in hospitals. Photo: Daveeza (Flickr)

Recall an Afghanistan you probably forgot existed (or maybe you never knew). It's modern, stylish, and humming with productive economic activity. Women work alongside men dressed in form-fitting pencil skirts and kitten heels.

Foreign Policy's photo essay on Afghanistan in the 50s and 60s provides a glimpse into this bygone era. The photos highlight how much has changed since a war with the Soviets, a decade of Taliban rule, and the U.S. invasion.

There are shots of cinemas, homes lit with electricity, and well-stocked hospitals — things that few Afghans enjoy today.

This visual reminder of a long-lost Afghanistan says more than words ever could about how much conflict and oppression has cost the Afghan people.

Global Fashion in Rural Namibia

Topics: Globalization, Culture
Countries: Namibia

According to the Christian Science Monitor's January 30 article, Namibia's rug-weaving industry can provide us with a lesson on globalization.

From the Archives

Hollywood Still Seduces the World

Previously filed under: North America, Culture and Society
Despite growing resentment of US foreign policy, Hollywood continues to experience record growth internationally, perpetuating both negative and favorable views of the US.

From the Archives

Cosmopolitan Masala - Enriching Diversity

Previously filed under: South America, Culture and Society
Technological innovation and economic advances today require work done by groups of people who share different viewpoints, working together to create new ideas.

From the Archives

Americanization or Cultural Diversity?

Previously filed under: Asia, Culture and Society
The effect of globalization on world cultures is much more complex than it seems.

From the Archives

High School Lesson Plans: Culture

Previously filed under: Grades 9-12
These resources are appropriate for grade levels 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th.

From the Archives

Primary School Lesson Plans: Culture

Previously filed under: Grades K-2
These resources are appropriate for grade levels Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd.

From the Archives

Elementary School Lesson Plans: Culture

Previously filed under: North America, Grades 3-5
These resources are appropriate for grade levels 3rd, 4th and 5th.

From the Archives

Middle School Lesson Plans: Culture

Previously filed under: North America, Grades 6-8
These resources are appropriate for grade levels 6th, 7th and 8th.

From the Archives

The Bollywood Invasion

Previously filed under: Asia, Culture and Society
Cultural globalization isn't just one-way. Lookout for India.

From the Archives

From Lingua Franca to Global English

Previously filed under: Culture and Society
English has unmistakably achieved global status as the world's lingua franca. How did it get that way?

From the Archives

It Takes a Global Village to Save a Rainforest

Countries: Ecuador
Previously filed under: South America, Success Stories
Helping indigenous people sell handmade products to a global clientele.

From the Archives

What is Globalization?

Coming together - globalization means reconnecting the human community.

Stories We're Watching

As Growth Slows, India Awakens to Need for Foreign Investment

International Herald Tribune - Wed, 02/08/2012 - 08:26
India’s central bank and economic analysts predict that growth will fall sharply to 7 percent this fiscal year and remain sluggish.

Social responsibility and a new world order

Washington Post - Innovations - Tue, 02/07/2012 - 07:56
Just before the New Year, the London-based Center for Economics and Business Research announced that Brazil had overtaken the United Kingdom as the world’s sixth largest economy. Furthermore, it predicted that by 2020, India and Russia will also have overtaken all the European economic powers.

Aid for trade policy rears its ugly head

The Guardian's Poverty Matters - Mon, 02/06/2012 - 01:41
The UK government's dismay at not being granted the contract for Typhoon fighter jets in India is an indication that its controversial aid for trade policy is still very much alive.

Liberia's battle to put the lights back on

The Guardian's Poverty Matters - Sun, 02/05/2012 - 23:00
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has set ambitious targets to restore the country's electricity supply. But will it meet them by 2015?

As Africa's consumers rise, so does inequality

Yale Global Online - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 10:17
Kenya struggles to spread the wealth from rapid growth.

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