Congratulations to Cultural Detective: Fiji co-author Suliana Siwatibau, who has been nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her lifelong activities in a variety of non-government organisations including the Pacific Center for Public Integrity.

Her consulting work currently includes projects with the Asian Development Bank, ECSIEP (the office of a network of European NGOs interested in the Pacific), and research for UNIFEM on women's participation in politics in Fiji.

Suliana and Barbara Pirie's Cultural Detective: Fiji is scheduled for release in May 2006. CD: Oceania, by Barbara Pirie and the Oceanic Wantoks, is forthcoming this December.

Globalization as a reality seems to be with us, for better or worse.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research's "Scorecard on Globalization" compares income per person, life expectancy, and literacy from 1980-2000 (the period of globalization) with figures for 1960-1980, for all countries for which data is available.

Click on the link below to see our "pros and cons of globalization," to link to the CEPR's scorecard, and to strategize how you might help improve globalization's record.

This month we have put together a Detective challenge for you, on the delectable topic of chocolate. With thousands of years of history and influence worldwide on people and the planet, we chose chocolate for our first online game, designed to be a fun way to develop sleuthing skills and cultural knowledge. Enjoy!

Be sure to register for The Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research's Europa Congress 2005, to take place in La Colle sur Loup, France. The venue is inexpensive, gorgeous, and the programme exciting.

Chanson, open space, food and wine, and an auction and tombola supplement the traditional keynotes, workshops and exhibits.