Suzanne Somers, the effervescent blonde actor known for playing Chrissy Snow on the television show “Three’s Company” as well as her business endeavors, has died. She was 76. Somers had breast cancer for over 23 years and died Sunday morning, her family said in a statement provided by her longtime publicist, R. Couri Hay. Her…
Taylor Swift Concert Film Nabs Over $95 million at Domestic Theaters
Taylor Swift’s movie of her Eras Tour concert dominated theaters over the weekend with $95 million to $97 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, according to estimates from distributor AMC Theatres AMC.N on Sunday. The movie, called “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour”, set the record for a concert film, easily surpassing the $29.5 million…
In Colombian Jungle, Digging Up the Americas’ Colonial Past
With brushes and trowels, Indigenous Colombians are unearthing traces in the jungle of a tragic period in history when their ancestors were violently supplanted by colonists from Spain. Working as amateur archeologists, they carefully brush away dirt to reveal pottery and other artifacts left behind by ancient inhabitants of what in 1510 became Santa Maria…
Billie Jean King Still Globetrotting in Support of Investment, Equity in Women’s Sports
Billie Jean King is still globetrotting in support of more investment and equity in women’s sports. She attended the Women’s World Cup in Australia, kicked off the player draft for the new women’s professional hockey league in Toronto, and is opening an office in London for a tennis business venture involving the international Billie Jean…
Prime Minister Modi says India Will Bid for 2036 Olympics
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed the world’s most populous nation will bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai on Saturday, Modi said hosting the event is “the age-old dream” for India. “Indians are not just sports lovers,…
Understanding the US Common App as an International Student
The Teen Mag takes a look at the application process at U.S. colleges and universities, specifically the Common App. The Common App lets students apply to many universities at once via a common application. Writer Charu Yadav examines the process from an international student’s point of view. Read the article here. …
Ohio’s Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks Mark UNESCO World Heritage Designation
For 400 years, Indigenous North Americans flocked to a group of ceremonial sites in what is present-day Ohio to celebrate their culture and honor their dead. On Saturday, the sheer magnitude of the ancient Hopewell culture’s reach was lifted up as enticement to a new set of visitors from around the world. “We stand upon…
Piper Laurie, 3-time Oscar Nominee With Film Credits From ‘The Hustler’ and ‘Carrie,’ Dies at 91
Piper Laurie, the strong-willed, Oscar-nominated actor who performed in acclaimed roles despite at one point abandoning acting altogether in search of a “more meaningful” life, died early Saturday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91. Laurie died of old age, her manager, Marion Rosenberg, told The Associated Press via email, adding that she…
Program Helps Foreign Students Feel at Home
With the highest number of international students since the start of the pandemic, one U.S. university is conducting a program to help foreign students feel more at home. Kent State University in Ohio hosts Conversation Partners, which pairs international students with students from the U.S. Yui Kaichi, writing for Kent Wired, explains how the program…
News Site Helps Decode China Through Memes and Social Media Trends
Even after long periods in Beijing, Manya Koetse still felt like an outsider. At parties and over hotpot, her Chinese friends discussed memes and other social media trends, but Koetse didn’t know what they were talking about. “I just felt really left out,” the Dutch national told VOA, adding that she was missing a key…
More US Colleges and Universities Could Face Closures, Mergers
Enrollment declines and other financial pressures could lead more U.S. colleges to close or merge with other institutions, according to Fitch Ratings. The company told Bloomberg News that half of its below-investment-grade ratings on higher education entities carry a negative outlook, Yahoo! Finance reports. (September 2023). …
US Students Make Memorable Journalism as News Industry Struggles
Within the past year, young journalists have produced investigations that led to the resignation of Stanford University’s president, the firing of Northwestern University’s football coach, and a school shooting graphic so striking that it led a veteran newsman to say, “I’ve never seen a better front page.” All while making sure to get their homework…
IOC Bans Russian Olympic Committee Effective Immediately
The International Olympic Committee, or IOC, on Thursday banned the Russian Olympic Committee after the ROC recognized regional organizations from four annexed Ukrainian territories. The ban takes effect immediately. On Oct. 5, the ROC recognized the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which are under the authority of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.…
US Student Groups Blaming Israel for Violence Face Backlash
Some students at a few U.S. universities blamed Israel this week for the Hamas militants’ attack on the Jewish state, drawing a sharp rebuke from academic leaders at the schools as well as from prominent alumni and potential employers. The debate touched off at Harvard University, the alma mater of eight former U.S. presidents and…
Delay for International Students Seeking Visas
For international students who have been accepted to a U.S. college or university, the journey has just started. One part of that is applying for an international student visa, and that can mean months of waiting. The World reports that lengthy wait times can cause problems for students, but also for a nation trying to…
‘The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store’ Wins Kirkus Prize for Fiction
Three books that explore and celebrate the diversity of American culture were awarded Kirkus Prizes on Wednesday night, with each winner receiving $50,000. James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, a novel set in an eclectic Pennsylvania town in the 1930s, won in the fiction category. Héctor Tobar’s Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on…
ACT Test Scores for US Students Drop to New 30-Year Low
High school students’ scores on the ACT college admissions test have dropped to their lowest in more than three decades, showing a lack of student preparedness for college-level coursework, according to the nonprofit organization that administers the test. Scores have been falling for six consecutive years, but the trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students…
25 Years After Murder ‘Laramie Project’ Stages Reading in Wyoming
It has been 25 years since the body of Matthew Shepard was discovered in Laramie, Wyoming. The gay college student had been tied to a fence post, tortured, and left to die. The murder drew national attention to violence against gay people, and attracted the interest of theater director Moises Kaufman, who turned the horror…
What International Students Need to Understand About US Views on Academic Integrity
Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings about issues like plagiarism and copying the work of others, but the penalties can be severe: A mistake can lead to a failed assignment, a failed class or expulsion. U.S. News & World Report explains what international students need to understand about academic integrity. (August 2023) …
These Scholarships are Available for International Students
Leadership skills can help international undergraduate students land a scholarship in the United States. According to U.S. News and World Report, a track record of teamwork and good writing skills will also help. …
Business Student from India Thriving in NY
A sophomore business student from India says he’s living his dream as a student at Fordham University in New York. At Fordham, Om Bhosale says, he’s been able to combine two interests: entrepreneurship as part of his business administration major and global business as a minor. Read an interview with him here. …
Personal Interviews Being Used to Evaluate Potential Students
With easily accessible artificial intelligence programs available to write essays, and learning loss from pandemic restrictions hard to measure, some U.S. colleges are trying a new method to get to know applicants. They are inviting potential students to campus. Times Higher Education explains how personal interviews are being used to evaluate candidates. …
Pioneering Women’s College Sued Over Gender Pay Gap
One of the first women’s colleges in the United States is the target of a federal lawsuit, with five current or former tenured faculty members saying the school pays female professors less than their male counterparts. The New York Times reports Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, New York, also faces allegations of delayed promotions for female professors…
US-China Relations Straining Academic Exchanges
U.S. policymakers are worried about losing potential American advances in science and technology to China, and this could lead to limits on academic exchanges. Fewer research papers are being jointly authored by scientists from the two countries, and there are signs that the United States is becoming a less desirable study destination for Chinese students. But…
Erdogan Opens Modern Turkish State’s First New Church
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday inaugurated the first church built with government backing in overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey’s 100-year history as a post-Ottoman state. The Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church’s opening marks an important cultural and political moment for both Turkey and its powerful leader. Erdogan drew widespread condemnation during his two-decade rule for converting…
App Shows How Ancient Greek Sites Looked Thousands of Years Ago
Tourists at the Acropolis this holiday season can witness the resolution of one of the world’s most heated debates on cultural heritage. All they need is a smartphone. Visitors can now pinch and zoom their way around the ancient Greek site, with a digital overlay showing how it once looked. That includes a collection of…
Balloon Fiesta Brings Colorful Displays to New Mexico Sky
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has brought colorful displays to the New Mexico sky in an international event that attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators every year. The event started Saturday with a drone light show before sunrise followed by a mass ascension of hot air balloons. Over nine days, local residents and visitors will…
Largest Hindu Temple Outside India in Modern Era in US
If stones could talk, sing and tell stories, Yogi Trivedi believes the marble and limestone that adorn the spires, pillars and archways of the stunning Hindu temple in central New Jersey would compose a paean to the divine. The tales these stones tell are those of seva (selfless service) and bhakti (devotion), which form the…