From Bavaria to Milwaukee: A Christmas devil’s long march into local German-American traditions
Krampus, the horned companion to St. Nicholas, had been part of the Alpine winter landscape for centuries before German-speaking immigrants began arriving in Milwaukee in significant numbers during the 19th century. In Austria, Bavaria, and surrounding regions, the...
Trump’s unlawful declaration to close Venezuelan airspace draws scrutiny over implications of war
Donald Trump on November 29 said that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered as “closed in its entirety,” an assertion that raised more questions about the U.S. pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. His...
Fog and winter weather open gaps in Ukraine’s defensive lines as Russians push deeper into Donetsk
The fog rolls in across eastern Ukraine, and with it comes danger. For Ukrainian defenders, the murky weather that blankets the front lines has become as much an adversary as Russian forces themselves, grounding the drones that have become Ukraine’s primary...
Undocumented students face tuition barriers as many states dismantle access and previous protections
Carlie was hoping to spend her senior year savoring her final moments on the palm tree-lined campus of the University of Central Florida. Instead, she sits at home alone, logging on to online courses, afraid to leave her apartment and run the risk of being detained by...
ICE’s plan to monitor social media around the clock will turn everyday speech into political surveillance
By Nicole M. Bennett, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography and Assistant Director at the Center for Refugee Studies, Indiana University When most people think about immigration enforcement, they picture border crossings and airport checkpoints. But the new front line may be...
Why authoritarians like Trump flood the public with headlines to exhaust truth and control perception
By Angie Chuang, Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Colorado Boulder The headlines documenting President Donald Trump’s plan to send federal troops to San Francisco followed a familiar arc. “Trump claims ‘unquestioned power’ in vow to send troops to San...
Ukraine and NATO nations adopt jamming technology as Russian drones continue hostile incursions
In a warehouse more than 900 miles from Ukraine’s capital, workers in northern Denmark painstakingly piece together anti-drone devices. Some of the devices will be exported to Kyiv in the hopes of jamming Russian technology on the battlefield, while others will...
Russia’s shrinking empire: How Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine has made Moscow a vassal state of Beijing
When Russian troops crossed into Ukraine in February 2022, Vladimir Putin declared the moment would reshape the world order. The brutal dictator cast the invasion as an assertion of national strength — a stand against Western dominance and a bid to restore Moscow’s...
Trump demands President Zelenskyy surrender to Putin in concessions that ignore Ukraine’s sovereignty
With his new 28-point plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, Donald Trump is resurfacing his argument that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doesn’t “have the cards” to continue on the battlefield and must come to a settlement that heavily...
Growing cultural ties between Japan and Wisconsin highlighted at Milwaukee’s Holiday Folk Fair 2025
At Milwaukee’s long-running Holiday Folk Fair International, a three-day festival built on celebrating the cultural traditions of communities from around the world, Japan’s presence this year carried a deeper diplomatic message. The Holiday Folk Fair International remains one of Wisconsin’s major multicultural traditions, drawing dozens of ethnic groups and storytelling from around the world.
Japan’s sumo centennial reflects a sport balancing sacred tradition and pressures of modern appeal
By Jessamyn R. Abel, Professor of Asian Studies and History, Penn State A visitor to Japan who wanders into a sumo tournament might be forgiven for thinking they had intruded upon a religious ceremony. Tournaments begin with a line of burly men wearing little more...
Spiritual Worlds: Exploring questions of identity, ethics, and faith through Japanese anime
By Ronald S. Green, Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Coastal Carolina University As a scholar who studies Japanese religion and has a lifelong love of visual storytelling, I started using anime in my class to spark...
