How does a nation create a sense of community or national identity? It's no trivial query, and one that countries new and old have struggled with through the ages. The Demos organization's Liam Byrne recently tackled that question in regards to Britain via his thoughtful pamphlet, "A More United Kingdom". Released in September 2008, the 96-page work argues that, "shared standards are the secret to...

From Dung to Coffee Brew With No Aftertaste http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/world/asia/18civetcoffee.html?hpw The Horse Meat of the Coffee World http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/04/the-horse-meat-of-the-coffee-world/39126/ A cup is more than a cup sometimes http://www.selmatimesjournal.com/news/2010/apr/17/cup-more-cup-sometimes/ The Straight Dope: Does kopi luwak...

Many universities have reflected on how their institutions have changed during periods of war, and University of North Carolina archivist, Janis Holder, and her colleagues recently created this thoughtful digital collection that looks into that very subject. They began by asking how war affected the university as it carried out its primary educational mission and how students and faculty were...

Over the past few decades, a number of well-known writers such as Robert Coles, Alex Kotlowitz, and Allan Bloom have weighed in on the lives of young people, often generating meaningful dialogues (and controversy) along the way. This recent 45-page report from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press may spark such conversations as well, for it offers a portrait of the so-called...

The world of the visual arts is, at times, a chaotic one. There are a myriad of different institutions attempting to garner the attention of experts in the field, the general public, and various philanthropic organizations. It can be a complex landscape, but this latest report from the RAND organization goes a long way to document the many challenges that the visual arts community faces. While...

The famous Walking Tour series on WNET, New York's public television station went to Newark, New Jersey, for the first tour outside of New York. Visitors who missed the show, or prefer a more interactive experience, will definitely enjoy the walking tour via the website. The two hosts of the tour, historian Barry Lewis, and former morning show host David Hartman, give visitors a multimedia tour...

The situation for many refugees around the world is quite dire, and every year, World Refugee Day seeks to educate the public about some of the issues surrounding refugees around the globe. In June 2010, Amnesty International released this 20-page report which reveals a "litany of abuses suffered by refugees in Malaysia, the vast majority of whom are from Myanmar." Among other findings, the report...

Bringing a more diverse student body into the world of higher education is important, and a number of organizations have teamed up "to help more students reach their individual goals, which may include earning a community college certificate or degree." The organizations involved with the "Achieving the Dream" initiative include The American Association of Community Colleges and The Community...

February is African American History Month, and, as the Library of Congress site notes, it's an area of history that should be incorporated into all discussions about American history. The Library of Congress listened to its own advice and created this most useful site to help students, teachers, and others to do just that. Visitors can read about a number of notable African Americans, including...

In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. On the evening of April 3, King delivered his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech to strikers and their supporters. The very next day, he was assassinated. This site takes visitors through the experiences of those who were there and also through the words of Dr. King during his time in Memphis....