On August 10, 1878, along the shore of a hazy blue lake in southwestern New York state, a Methodist Bishop and his flock of summer retreat parishioners kicked off a book club with big ambitions. Their four year course of independent reading aimed to raise education levels all across small town and rural America. More than 8,400 people enrolled that first year, returning to their homes to start over 10,000 local “circles” by 1900.

Isabella is one of the first chefs to be tapped by the State Department to serve as a culinary ambassador abroad, part of an ambitious new undertaking to use food as a diplomatic tool. Initiated by the U.S. Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall, the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership aims to “elevate the role of culinary engagement in America’s formal and public diplomacy efforts."

The Chinese Summer Bridge camp was launched in the summer of 2007 just a few months before the Confucius Institute at the University of Memphis (CIUM) officially opened. Since the program's inception thousands of American high school students have been invited to participate in the summer camp in China.

The initiative is supported by UQ, the UQ Confucius Institute and the Australia Chinese General Chamber of Business – headed by Mr Chiu-Hing Chan, who was a Young Queenslander of the Year in 2009 for his contribution to the ethnic Chinese community.

Russia's humanities presence in the world does not reflect its capabilities, Moscow should use the experience of such major players as French-speaking countries, the Goethe-Institute and the Confucius Institute, Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.

The Chinese and Foreign Culture Week features three themed art exhibitions, namely "Height" – 2012 Xinjiang 1st Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan Fine Arts Exhibition, Datang City Colourful Painted Silk Road Art Exhibition, and includes three themed professional performances.

Entertainment marketing firm Cimarron hired three summer interns with Chinese backgrounds to comb social media sites and offer cultural insights as it expands overseas...Cimarron, which creates movie trailers as well as ad campaigns for such films as "The Dark Knight Rises," hopes the students will eventually help the company with its expansion into China.

The 29th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering will host butteri, cowboys from Italy, who have their own unique poetry, music, gear and traditional techniques, but still have much in common with their counterparts in the American West and cattle cultures across the globe.