i just got off the phone with Jack Graves of the Overseas Council who generously gave me a free consultation on the in's and out's of Latin American higher education. Very helpful.

I had an aha! moment when during our conversation Jack used the phrase media-based urbanization... the process by which people all over the world, primarily youth, are "urbanized" or indoctrinated into a common world culture thru TV, movies, videogames, music and the Internet. This reminded me of something Annette heard at a conference ten years ago:

A 15 year old from any major city in the world
has more in common with any other 15 year old
from any other major city of the world than
he/she does with his/her grandparents

If Jack is right - and my experience coincides with his thinking - the above statement no longer applies only to youth in large cities. Media's reach has extended this impact. Easy and inexpensive access to an emerging world encyclopedia of icons, ideas and experiences is incorporating a growing percent of earth's population into the one world superculture... a worldwide melting pot.