A hyperlocal movement has spread across countries and continents to bring people out of their homes and connect with their neighbors over music. Alex Estrada, performing as That Fool Al, invites a young girl to perform with hiim at a Porch Fest in California. (Credit:...
On a wild swim tour of Greece you might not brush aginst ancient stones. But each stroke you take breaks through a history as deep as the Ionian Sea. “Wild” swimmers in the Ionian Sea near the island of Mathraki. (Photo courtesy Tira Shubart) This article...
With an influx of migrants over the past decade, Germany is reconciling to rapidly changing demographics. The idea of German identity is evolving. In a refuge for asylum seekers in Eichsfeld, Germany, a father hugs his son who has just returned from school, 24 April...
Before the noise of the new school year begins, take a deep breath, put on those earbuds and tune into something focused and enlightening. A young woman listens to a podcast as, in the background, people produce podcasts. (Illustration by News Decoder) Before the...
A giant crowd of people playing tin whistles — small flutes — in the Irish town of Wexford showed the world how music can connect people and communities and be, well, good craic. 2,516 tin whistle players gather to set a Guinness World Record at Chadwicks Wexford Park...
A photo might be worth a thousand words. But an artistic drawing can tell a story in a different, and powerful way. Replica of “The Thinker” by Auguste Rodin at the Varenne metro station in Paris. (Illustration by Maria Krasinski) In News Decoder’s...
We may not recognize them, but we all undertake quests. They can be grand and cinematic, or quiet and reflective. They all change our lives. Hanuman, the flying monkey god. The quest in search of Hanuman’s mountain took Paul Spencer Sochaczewski some 30 years to...
Historians dig up stories that document our past the way archeologists sift through relics. The more they learn the more we realize how much we don’t know. A stack of books in a bookstore that tell only one version of the world. (Illustration by News Decoder)...
Historians dig up stories that document our past the way archeologists sift through relics. The more they learn the more we realize how much we don’t know. News Decoder’s Editorial News Director Marcy Burstiner examines history and the versions of history that we’re told.
Exercise: Explore the idea of stories being told from different perspectives and of certain histories being silenced or underrepresented. Choose a current topic and have students look at it from different perspectives. What kinds of histories might be forged through telling the story in different ways?
“China chic” has millions celebrating China’s glorious past. The number of people traveling to historic sites and tourist attractions is skyrocketing. A woman, Zhu Zhu, wears hairpin flowers on a visit to Quanzhou, China 2 April 2024. Photo provided...
What’s a more powerful conservation incentive — a government jail or the wrath of a nature spirit? A shady path in a sacred forest in Myanmar. (Credit: Paul Spencer Sochaczewski) This article was produced exclusively for News Decoder’s global news service. It is...
What’s a more powerful conservation incentive — a government jail or the wrath of a nature spirit? There are many ways to preserve wildlife. Correspondent Paul Spencer Sochaczewski ventures into Myanmar’s sacred forests to unearth the secret of conservation.
Exercise: Start a discussion on ways governments and communities can protect local flora, fauna and areas of natural interest. Read the article and discuss the suggested questions. Students should then undertake research to identify other examples of local folklore and community spiritual and religious beliefs affecting environmental conservation positively. Hint: Look to countries with a strong history of folklore and explore stories with links to the natural environment.