AMMAN, Jordan ― Jordanians are clamoring for reform these days, like everyone else in the Arab world, but what they mean depends partly on which side of the Jordan River their ancestors hail from. Yet both sides look to the Hashemite monarchy for protection, which is one reason it’s still standing amid the hurricane that’s blowing through the neighborhood. When Jordanians of Palestinian descent ...

Labor shortage, previously felt in some of China’s economically developed regions, is becoming a reality in the rest of the country now. This became evident again when some inland provinces entered into a fierce battle with eastern and coastal areas for laborers shortly after lunar New Year. The supply of abundant and cheap labor, called “demographic dividend” by many, is considered one of the m...

Exhibition “Delpire & Cie”: Though the name might not immediately ring any bells, unlike with other Magnum members, Robert Delpire is a powerful figure without whom photographic history cannot be properly discussed. The 82-year-old photographer, publisher and director of exhibitions, films and campaigns has a lot of clout over not only his fellow photographers but also in other cultural realms. ...

Will James Franco pull a poem out of his tux, or read an excerpt from one of his short stories? Will Anne Hathaway break into song? Will the two of them, virgin co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards, dazzle the Kodak Theatre crowd Sunday night ― and more important, dazzle the millions of viewers around the globe? Or will the untested duo drown in a pool of commingled flop sweat? Franco, 32, and...

Shotgun Love (Korea) Opening March 10 Comedy. Directed by Jeong Woo-cheol. Home shopping model Sang-yeol (Im Chang-jeong) has a huge crush on his colleague So-yeon (Kim Gyu-ri). Unlike Sang-yeol, who mostly just tastes food items being advertised, beautiful and refined So-yeon is highly successful in the field. She hosts the TV shopping show and is well-known to the public. In spite of Sang-yeo...

NEW YORK ― What’s romantic? Taking your sweetheart to New York City. The most exciting metropolis in the world packs a lot of living into every hour. Here, even hicks from the sticks feel like they’re Somebody from Somewhere. It all starts with your hotel. My advice is to cut your stay by a night ― and pay a little more for the room each night. Two of the most romantic hotels in New York are ...

Seven authors and rain Rain in Seven Colors By Kim Mi-wol et al. (Yolimwon Publishing Group, 12,000 won) Seven female writers, all in their 30s, together have published an anthology of short stories under one theme: rain. The book, “Rain in Seven Colors,” contains seven short stories written by the seven writers: Jang Eun-jin, Kim Soom, Kim Mi-wol, Yoon Yi-hyeong, Kim Yi-seol, Hwang Jeong-eu...

Living in the post war period A Toy City By Lee Dong-ha (Jimoondang, 5,000 won) Written from the perspective of a young boy in elementary school, “A Toy City” shows what it was like to live in the post war period of the 1950s. An obvious version of author Lee Dong-ha’s younger self, the protagonist, a young boy from Daegu, is overwhelmed when his family moves to Seoul only a few years after ...

On a typical winter day, the Bard of Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill steps out onto the sidewalk to go to work. He wears only a light jacket; walks by eucalyptus trees, not delis; past charming suburban yards, not gritty subway stops. It’s Jonathan Lethem, one of New York’s most high-profile novelists, and he’s far from Brooklyn’s snow-filled sidewalks: he’s transplanted himself to Southern California. “...