Many Asian countries are achieving remarkable success in closing what researchers call the digital divide between developing and developed nations, while others continue to struggle. This collection of essays sheds light on the various ways in which the Internet has been seen in Asia. As we continue to debate new paradigms of research and development in the digital era, where innovations and convergences are the norm, this book fills an urgent need, revealing how the technological revolution has spread, and is spreading, throughout diverse nations.

Chapters on the United States and Japan offer a sort of yardstick by which to measure and compare the diffusion and the impact of the Internet in other Asian countries, including China, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. Appealing to readers interested in the development of the Asian region, technological innovation, and international communication, "Cyberpath to Development in Asia" offers an acute study of how a global phenomenon continues to manifest itself in a crucial part of the globe.

Looks at the Arab world as continually changing, with linguistic influence across the world Explores crucial questions on transforming linguistic landscapes, roles and implications of migration, the impact of technology on language use Chapters authored by both established and emerging scholars in the field of applied and socio-lingistics Invetigates ways identity can be imagined and constructed

International Satellite Broadcasting in South Asia focuses on the increase in the popularity of television in India beginning with the entrance of Hong Kong Based STAR-TV in 1991. This television system, which initially carried mostly Western programs, radically changed the nature of entertainment communications in countries where communications were generally state-controlled. These essays address the political, economic, and cultural significance and impact of transnational satellite networks in India, questioning the cultural effects of Western media programs on the recipient non-Western countries. They contain a survey of STAR-TV and the state-controlled Doordarshan as well as explore issues such as media and identity, pro-social entertainment television and culture as a market force.

A picture book about the childhood of the best tabla player in the world, Grammy Award-winning Zakir Hussain Just a day and a half old, the very first words Zakir hears from his famous father, Allarakha, are bols -- rhythms played out on tablas! These rhythms sing and dance in his head, on Amma's cheeks, on pots and pans... The author follows these beats, stringing together little vignettes from his life. From a childhood around music to the highs of a performer who took the tabla to the world, this joyous story introduces children to a musical genius, whose busy fingers and flying curls make him the inimitable Zakir Hussain. The illustrations add their own magic with fine artistry and a subtle but striking use of colors.