Called “the first great woman in history,” Hatshepsut reigned for two decades during Egypt’s early New Kingdom in the fifteenth century BCE. First acting as regent for her young nephew Thutmose III, in 1473 BCE she assumed the title Pharaoh and exercised the full powers of the throne as senior
Syrian President Bashar al-Asad has recently become the subject of intense international scrutiny. The United Nations probe into the assassination of Lebanese Premier Rafik al-Hariri has stepped up its investigation of the Syrian regime in recent weeks, after the former Syrian vice president, in an interview on al-‘Arabiyya television, claimed
This day marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin is perhaps the most remarkable figure in American history: the greatest statesman of his age, he played a pivotal role in the formation of the American republic. He was also a pioneering scientist, a bestselling author, the
Back when spies were spies, they spied by the rules—with the exception perhaps of those who did their spying for totalitarian regimes. The Constitution of the Soviet Union, for example, guaranteed the privacy of correspondence, but the government still read people’s private mail. By the end of the twentieth century,
“An enthralling new book,” says the Boston Globe in its recent review of Composers’ Voices From Ives to Ellington: An Oral History of American Music, by Vivian Perlis and Libby Van Cleve. The book and the two-CD set that accompanies it present a host of interviews with and about the
Just in time to coincide with the launch of the Bush Administration’s “Foreign Language Initiative,” Yale University Press has launched its new World Languages website. Unlike any other publisher, the Yale University Press language program publishes materials in both commonly taught and less commonly taught languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Kurdish,
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of artist Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), the celebrated impressionist and one of the founders of the modern movement. The centenary will be commemorated by art exhibitions in Washington, D.C. and in Cézanne’s native Provence. “A bucolic escape from busier ports of call,
In an Op-Ed piece for the Washington Post, Harold Meyerson writes about “the pervasive insecurity that is inextricably part of today’s capitalism.” Invoking Richard Sennett’s new book The Culture of the New Capitalism, Myerson writes: “In the absence of a more structured work life, what Sennett sees is a more
The Bush Administration just announced a substantial increase in funding for the study of foreign languages critical to national security, including Arabic and Chinese. “Much of the money reportedly will go to the Pentagon, to beef up language training at military schools,” said Elaine Korry on NPR’s Morning Edition, “but
Imagining America: Icons of 20th Century American Art, will air on PBS this Wednesday, December 28, 2005, from 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET. The film is a journey through the transformations that took place in 20th-century America, told through the words and work of some of the century’s most significant artists. “Anybody