Shakespeare & Company’s Paris Literary Festival

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has stressed that Latino immigrants in the U.S. have “got to turn off the Spanish language television” if they want to understand English and local news. Many others agree. But “Schwarzenegger is wrong, and so is this new consensus,” argues former Los Angeles Times reporter Joe Mathews in an op-ed in the Washington Post.  He continues: “The error is particularly obvious in cities with the largest immigrant populations, especi... more

Another year, another epic trip for New York Times Frugal Traveler Matt Gross. He just kicked off a modern version of the Grand Tour of Europe—on a budget. He’ll be filing blog posts, videos and stories for the next 12 weeks, more time away from home for the man with an intriguing outlook on home . Related on World Hum: * Matt Gross: Reflections From a ‘Round-the-World Journey * Audio Slide Show: Reflections of Home ... more

I finally watched that seminal road movie Easy Rider for the first time. I’m always a sucker for a good road-trip flick, and, as expected, I loved the scenery, the music and the campfire-side musings about freedom. But as the credits rolled, I thought to myself: No wonder people in the South feel so hard done-by.  Southerners come in for a pretty ugly treatment in the movie: almost to a man, they’re shown as mean-spirited, gun-toting Neanderthals, ready to run the long-haired, ... more

It’s a victory for duck-liver lovers: the Chicago city council has overturned a ban on foie gras that was originally imposed two years ago at the urging of animal rights groups. Said one council member: “This is clearly a matter the council should stay out of and let the educated consumer and chefs make their own menu choices.” The repeal of the ban also means the end of another chapter in Chicago’s historic resistance to food-and-drink laws, as the illegal “du... more