Contest for minority languages Nov 5, 2009
Malde is addressing a theater audience in Friesland in the northern Netherlands where he and his bandmates are about to perform in their native Low German dialect at Liet International, a song contest for European minority languages ... "You would think it would be a bit worthy with people singing in Latgalian or Scottish Gaelic," says Davyth Hicks, a Cornish-speaking musician and lobbyist for the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages (EBLUL) in Brussels ... A European charter promoting and... (CNN -- World)
German fury over GM Opel U-turn Nov 5, 2009
General Motors' (GM) decision to hang on to its European car unit Opel, including Vauxhall, was welcomed in the UK but met with anger in Germany ... GM never really wanted to get rid of its European operations, fearing it would hamper its global competitiveness, in particular in Russia - which is expected to emerge as Europe's largest market over the next few decades ... Opel still needs large cash injections, though whether Germany will still be willing to deliver them now that election has... (BBC News -- Americas)
Freed British coup-plotter says he regrets role Nov 4, 2009
Mann testified in court that U.S. and European governments knew of the plan in advance and welcomed it as did international oil companies operating in the Central African nation ... In a spectacular trial last year, Simon Mann testified that U.S. and European governments knew of the plan in advance and welcomed it as did international oil companies operating in the Central African nation, which is the continent's No. 3 oil producer. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
romantic exoticism Nov 4, 2009
Much of the drama of the European 19th century is influenced by him, painters illustrated scenes from his plays, and composers based orchestral tone poems and operas on his narratives ... Whereas classical art looked back constantly to the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Romantics celebrated for the first time since the Renaissance the wilder aspects of the creativity of Western Europeans from the 12th through the 14th centuries: stained glass in soaring cathedrals, tales of Robin Hood and his... (Harper's Magazine)
Vatican protests ruling on crucifixes in Italy Nov 4, 2009
ROME - The Vatican on Tuesday denounced a ruling by the European court of human rights that said the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms ... He said a European court had no right intervening in such a profoundly Italian matter and said "it seems as if the court wanted to ignore the role of Christianity in forming Europe's identity, which was and remains essential." ... Though he eventually lost, the case was an early shot in what has become a... (MSNBC -- International)
* Johan Cruyff agrees to coach Catalonia team free of charge Nov 4, 2009
Catalonia is not recognized as a national team by soccers world governing body FIFA or its European equivalent UEFA but the regional team typically play a friendly against an international side in December each year ... Cruyff, who moved to the Catalan capital from Ajax Amsterdam to play for Barca in 1973 and led them to a European Cup triumph as coach in 1992, has not taken charge of a team since he quit Barca in 1996 ... The former European Player of the Year last year agreed to help Ajax... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Newsweek: Why Venice is losing residents Nov 4, 2009
Yes, it was a more expensive city to visit, but isn't that part of a European vacation. Lots of money was being spent while we were there, and most of the restaurants were full every night and many needed reservations they were so busy. (MSNBC -- International)
Vatican denounces ruling on crucifixes Nov 4, 2009
ROME - The Vatican yesterday denounced a ruling by the European court of human rights that said the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms ... He said a European court had no right intervening in such a profoundly Italian matter ... The ruling can still be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber, whose decisions are binding. (Boston Globe)
Indelible Jewish heritage in Harbin Nov 4, 2009
BEIJING, Nov. 4 -- Walking along the streets in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, you see a large amount of well-preserved European-style architecture, among which is a site with a distinctive Star of David on a giant dome ... In 1917 the middle school was built in European style with a round domed roof and hexagonal latticed windows. (Xinhuanet, China)
Call f o r Participation: EUROPE DANCE AWARD 2010 International D@nce Competitions in Spain, France and Italy Nov 4, 2009
Everyone can participate in this event, our office in Spain has organised your stay with an attractive program so that, you can dance in the Capital of the "Millenium" European Culture and beyond performing in various theatres, you have the opportunity to visit the splendour of Bar;elona, Costa Brava. Naturally, a theatrical adventure of this size will require some small challenges: it will be necessary to abandon our habits for several days, speak other languages, compete with the best schools... (AbsoluteArts.com)
Pastors Open Online Churches Nov 3, 2009
The Volkswagen Jetta is the best deal in town if you like the idea of a solid sedan or wagon with European flair. The MINI Cooper provides a combination of fun-to-drive performance, engineering and unconventional attitude. (Click2Houston, TX)
Public-service careers: A tough search for talent Nov 3, 2009
There is also stiff competition for positions in the European Union bureaucracy, whose culture is heavily French. The hurdles are worth negotiating for anyone who likes the stimulation of a multilingual, multicultural environment, says Aur;lien Juliard, a successful applicant for a recent batch of 200 posts. (The Economist)
Tuesday, November 3 Nov 3, 2009
But an innovative bunch of young European dancers, an offshoot of a touring party that had already visited the US to great acclaim, managed to foment change in the direction of Australian dance and, indeed, helped transform our entire arts scene. The direct legacy is felt to this day in one of the nation's cultural crown jewels, the Australian Ballet, but in its time Ballets Russes also inspired musicians and emerging artists such as Jeffrey Smart and Sidney Nolan. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Suicide-prevention efforts focus on tracks Nov 3, 2009
This is a sick community in some ways" EL, Have you considered that there may be a genetic basis to your assessment? This areas has a disproportionately high level of intellectual types, and many of them are not very social. This does not mean that they are purposely anti-social, but they tend to be diffident, with an underlying anger, and reside in their own little worlds. It would not be surprising that they pass these traits onto their own children. Have studies been done to determine whether... (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Miliband hails links with Russia Nov 3, 2009
Russia is the one great European nation of the nineteenth century Concert of Europe, still outside the new Europe. Europe cannot be complete without Russia and the enormous contribution Russians have made to our common European culture in music, ballet, literature, religion and art. (BBC News -- Europe)
* World News Quick Take Nov 3, 2009
RUSSIA Putin warns of gas problems President Vladimir Putin on Sunday warned of hindrances in delivery of natural gas to European consumers, citing once again payment problems with Ukraine. According to the Interfax news agency, Putin informed Sweden in its role as EU president of the difficulties with Ukraine, which is the most important land route for Russian gas into the West. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Banks Should Be Handed Over to People's Ownership Nov 3, 2009
Bidders are already lining up for Northern Rock now that it has permission from the European Union to split the good bank from the bad. And the government has said it plans to create three new banks out of the assets it already controls. (Bloomberg -- Columnists)
Zambia: Leave My Children Alone - Rupiah Banda Nov 3, 2009
He said the European Union had agreed to set up a canal from Lwenge to the proposed sugar plantations site while Zambia Sugar would do the rest of the needed specialised works for the farmers. Chief Mwanachingwala said farmers in his area were also working out modalities to secure water rights to assist them with sugar plantation. (allAfrica.com)
Hollywood should stop exploiting the Holocaust Nov 2, 2009
The idea of illiteracy in the film stands for something more sinister - the German's people supposed incapacity to 'read' the glaring evidence that the annihilation of European Jewry was committed by their government and with their full participation. Author Cynthia Ozick makes the point that The Reader takes the exception to the rule and makes it the norm. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Liquor licensing: the tale of two cities Nov 2, 2009
Rob Moodie, Chair of the Federal Governments Preventative Health Taskforce, says: The irony is we wanted the European approach to drinking but it has had this really negative impact on the citys reputation. . (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Camille Paglia Nov 1, 2009
The U.S. is gigantic; many of our states are bigger than whole European nations ... Two of the themes you constantly return to are your admiration for the creative instinct in gay male artists, and the profound influence European art cinema has had upon you throughout your life ... There was also a lot of griping at the time about Darvi's heavy Eastern European accent and how hard she had to work for her lines to be even minimally comprehensible. (Salon)
Dear Mr. Gacy Starring William Fors... Nov 1, 2009
Meanwhile, Ristovski's next film is a European co-production that will be shot on location in Macedonia. The project is provisionally entitled, My Brother Lazarus, shooting set for mid-2010. (Suite101.com)
Travel to Moroccan North African Ci... Nov 1, 2009
The country comprises of a rich melting pot of cultures made up of African, Islamic, Arabic, Berber and European backgrounds. Rabat effectively reflects this diversity of culture. (Suite101.com)
How I got well in India for $50 Nov 1, 2009
Private insurance costs help explain why the U.S. spends a greater percentage of its GDP on healthcare than the European democracies ... For all we know, after we factor in the cost of contagious diseases, the most generous European systems might still be too stingy. (Salon)
Recalling Schoenberg’s time in Boston Nov 1, 2009
A scholarship competition was established to help worthy American students study with the great European master ... Judging from Lautner s published recollections and those of one other student, his Boston class seemed to have felt awed and entirely unprepared for their audience with a musical genius who held them to the highest European standards. (Boston Globe)
NASA probe hits moon's south pole looking for water Nov 1, 2009
As long as U.S. and European power plants continue spewing coal smoke, their governments will have absolutely no credibility in trying to influence the policies of rising economies such as China and India ... Still, though, while it's tempting to award first prize to our European cousins, it's our own United States that retains the crown for loopiest behavior. (Salon)
Green-building advocates coming to Phoenix Nov 1, 2009
The northeastern United States, West Coast states and many European countries have distinguished themselves as leaders in the green-building movement, often by making use of green-building incentive programs and awareness campaigns. Mark Wilhelm, a green-building consultant in Phoenix and this year's Greenbuild host committee chairman, said the conference should raise Arizona's profile among industry leaders while bolstering efforts to promote energy efficiency and conservation inside the state. (AZCentral -- Business)
Report: Karzai's brother gets CIA pay Nov 1, 2009
Why do Europeans react so positively to him ... Europeans like to see the big guy cut down to size, it's a natural reaction ... Of course Europeans like to see the hegemon diminished, and Obama is the perfect man to do that. (Salon)
Ask the pilot Nov 1, 2009
Is the training different for European pilots ... There are no significant differences in the way European pilots are trained. (Salon)
If we leave Iraq, do we lose for good? Nov 1, 2009
Europeans grow up hearing many languages because of geography: It's a survival skill on a continent where nations are sometimes the size of one of our smaller states ... Bach is one of the Dead White European Males who were demoted by campus theorists, whose approach to art is little more than sneering vandalism ... The U.S. is gigantic; many of our states are bigger than whole European nations. (Salon)
'I spend most of Christmas cooking. How sad is that?' Nov 1, 2009
- Leaders of the 27 European Union member states have been meeting to discuss who and how to choose the new EU president ... - What do you think of the European Union anyway - rising new quasi-country and the way to go for other regions in the world, or an undemocratic fix ... I've appeared in the European court, I've done some leading cases there, I think the whole idea in the 21st century of Europe coming together with our common heritage and acting as a force in the world in a world where... (India Times, India)
Book documents Crescent City before Katrina, flood Nov 1, 2009
All the while, he was researching the collision of African, European and Native American cultures that laid the foundation for New Orleans' rich musical tapestry. Born in Lubbock, Texas, Sublette lived until aged 9 in the old city of Natchitoches in Northern Louisiana, and recounts how white and black people were segregated in the first section of "The Year Before the Flood." The rest of the book is the story of how he comes to feel strangely at home in the doomed city of New Orleans. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Boozing Aussies Oct 31, 2009
In the mid-1980s we decided we wanted to liberalise our Victorian attitudes to alcohol and to move towards a more European approach to using alcohol. Great idea and much of this has been successful as seen in the expansion of cafes, small bars, restaurants the laneway culture of Melbourne something that Sydney is trying to emulate. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Objective: Moscow! Oct 31, 2009
In contrast to some Eastern European capitals like Budapest, the buildings along the major thoroughfares in Moscow are almost completely graffiti-free. The street that leads visiting foreign dignitaries to the Kremlin is particularly squeaky clean. (Human Events Online)
No comments posted. Oct 31, 2009
The German Jews viewed themselves on a higher socio-economic level than their Eastern European counterparts, a subject, notes Sternfeld, that was explored in Jewish playwright Alfred Uhry s autobiographical play The Last Night at Ballyhoo. Sternfeld cites the controversy over building an Orthodox Jewish campus in Beachwood as a similar Jew vs. Jew issue. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
APNewsBreak: ND Air Force base commander fired Oct 31, 2009
European Aeronautic Defence Co. NV on Tuesday named General Electric Co.'s Sean O'Keefe as chief executive officer of its North American division, effective Nov. 1. O'Keefe is set to replace the current CEO of EADS North America, Ralph Crosby, who will remain as non-executive chairman. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Caldwell addresses postwar Europe’s new challenges Oct 31, 2009
For perhaps there is, to contradict Caldwell, a consensus about what European values are. When he observes that postwar European societies were set up to allow residents - and, increasingly, citizens - to lead their entire lives in a foreign culture he touches on the most pronounced European value of all, and one shared by Americans: a preference to leave people alone, which partly explains the clumsiness of Europeans when forced into laws restricting families, or people s public dress, that... (Boston Globe)
Hip-hop pioneer and more Oct 30, 2009
The sixth-generation VW Golf, heralded by European automotive media as World Car of the Year. Santa Rosa resident Nancy Roberts lived in England for five years in. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Disney sets out to make 'The Passion for kids' Oct 30, 2009
The Daily Telegraph/YouGov poll comes amid signs that the former premier's bid for the new European job is doomed ... Jan Fischer, the Czech prime minister, said on Thursday his country would ratify the European Union's Lisbon Treaty by the year's end if the text gets a go-ahead from top judges next week. (Yahoo News -- 'The Passion of the Christ')
China expands language institutes at US colleges Oct 30, 2009
Sentence structure, too, differs considerably from English and other European languages. The first Confucius Institute outside China was established in Seoul, South Korea, in 2004. (Anchorage Daily News)
Petrucci: English sporting culture not for Italians Oct 30, 2009
I dont forget that the English were banned from European competition for five years and this did not happen here. . (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
Horrific treatment makes Tamils desperate to leave Oct 30, 2009
The European Union is set to recommend withdrawing trade benefits from Sri Lanka over alleged human rights abuses in the 00004000 last stages of the civil war. The EU has investigated whether Sri Lanka violated the UN Convention against Torture, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Europe stoops to conquer the Uzbeks Oct 30, 2009
On Tuesday, the European Union announced it was lifting a four-year old arms embargo against Uzbekistan ... The fact that EU was making an exception that it isn't ready to contemplate yet for China should drive home the fact that the Afghan war is hitting the European capitals where it hurts ... " Pin-drop silence. Meanwhile, according to reports, the US is deploying its special forces in Central Asia. Smoke and mirrors The Central Asians comprehend what is going on. They know that while the US... (Asia Times Online)
November at the Center for Creative Photography Oct 30, 2009
It profiles his art and life, both of which helped forge a link between the European modernism of the early 20th century and the burgeoning artistic culture of the San Francisco Bay Area in the second half of the century. Jennifer Jenkins, Associate Professor of Media Arts, who teaches film history at the University of Arizona, will introduce the film. (AbsoluteArts.com)
Halloween 2009: Top Costumes, History, Myths, More Oct 29, 2009
European immigrants brought Halloween to the United States, and the celebration really gathered steam in the 1800s, when Irish-American immigration exploded. Anoka, Minnesota, may be home to the United States' oldest official Halloween celebration. (National Geographic)
A postcard-perfect Austrian ski trip Oct 29, 2009
(Visit or for well-priced packages to Austria and other European ski areas ... But a European ski trip is about more than grabbing a good deal or getting to the mountains as fast as you can ... I love that Europeans don't gobble a burger like we do and rush back out on the slopes. (CNN -- International)
The Warfare Culture of the Iroquois Oct 29, 2009
Before and after the American Revolution, the ability to defend and to adapt to crises of disease, invasion, and political encroachment by means of retaliatory warfare and political diplomacy, as well as develop a unique identity and spiritual culture, allowed the Iroquois to survive the onslaught of European expansionism that fated many other North American Indians ... The brutality they inflicted on their enemies was calculated and symbolic, and their mode of attack was logistically superior... (Suite101.com)
Kristol Reflections Oct 29, 2009
He saw combat in the European theater of World War II. My wartime experience in Germany, he recalled, had the effect of dispelling any remnants of antiauthority sentiments ; that were cluttering up my mind ... Encounter and the Congress proved to be fronts for the CIA, intended to influence the European Left in a pro-American direction. (The American Conservative)
Italian women protest Berlusconi's sexist quips Oct 29, 2009
Berlusconi is an expression of the fact that when it comes to equal treatment for men and women, Italy lags far behind the rest of its European peers ... And he boasted that he would have to "dust off my playboy charms" to convince Finland's female prime minister to locate the European Union Food Safety Authority in Parma, Italy, rather than in Finland ... His wife also criticized a plan by his party to put forward a bevy of actresses and models as Italy's candidates for European Union elections... (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Land of bridges, bandits and bullfights Oct 29, 2009
( writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. E-mail him at , or write to him c/o P.O. Box 2009, Edmonds, Wash. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Stanford Women's Basketball Opens Exhibition Slate Sunday Against Vanguard Oct 29, 2009
"Boot"-ing Up The New Season Stanford got a head start on preparing for the 2009-10 season as it took its international trip from Sept. 4-13 to that certain European nation shaped like a boot, Italy. There, the Cardinal enjoyed the sights, fine food and culture of Rome, Florence and Milan as well as playing some bruising basketball. (Gostanford.com)
Muhammad cartoonist defiant Oct 29, 2009
" In the Chicago case, prosecutors said one of the suspects told FBI agents after his Oct. 3 arrest at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that the initial plan called for attacks on Jyllands-Posten's offices, but that he later proposed just killing the paper's former cultural editor and Westergaard.The cartoonist didn't return calls seeking comment. The cartoon crisis polarized a discussion about the integration of Muslim immigrants in Denmark. Many Danish Muslims said the cartoons followed... (Pocatello Idaho State Journal, ID)
Angolagate players jailed Oct 28, 2009
The arms originated in the former Soviet bloc and were sent to Africa in breach of French law through a French-based firm and its eastern European subsidiary. Sales began when Mitterrand, a socialist, was in power in 1993 and continued until 1998, three years after conservative Jacques Chirac's election. (iAfrica.com)
Hikers' Families Hope Videos Sway Iran Oct 28, 2009
" None of us were there & most don't know the area, the circumstances or the hikers. At best, it's unfair to pass judgment on whether or not they "truly deserve" help. They've been detained for more than 88 days?They've been denied communication with anyone they know & love for making a simple mistake?for hiking too far in the wrong direction while on vacation.Hiking & camping anywhere can be risky. I learned that last summer when a friend got pulled under by the curr 00004000 ent at Kern River... (CBS News)
What would Borat say? Kazakh orchestra to visit MIT Oct 28, 2009
The tour, arranged by IMG Artists, showcases two facets of Kazakhstan s musical culture the ancient instrumental and vocal folk traditions of its historically nomadic people, and the European tradition of classical music introduced to the country through Russian influence ... In 2007, the orchestra appeared in the Ninth International Festival of European Youth Orchestras at the Academy San Felice in Italy, and also gave concerts in Florence, Arezzo and Montecatinni. (Cambridge Chronicle, MA)
The Whereabouts of the Imprisoned Polish Memory, Wojciech Przybylski, Eurozine Oct 28, 2009
"Histories" means many things, but above all that the history written in western Europe does not necessarily coincide with the one the eastern Europeans are trying to write, observes Biancamaria Bruno in her essay about her first visit to the Lithuanian capital ... Berlin was chosen as the venue for this manifestation because the Berlin Wall dominated European symbolic imagery of the 1989 revolution in Polish opinion ... The authorities never missed a chance to stress the allegedly everlasting... (Harper's Magazine)
'Culture of we' buffers genetic tendency to depression Oct 28, 2009
The study compared genetic frequency information and cultural value data across 29 countries (major European countries as well as South Africa, Eastern Europe, South Asia, East Asia and South America). The serotonin transporter gene (STG) that the researchers studied has two variants a short allele and a long allele. (EurekAlert!)
Athens cops under fire Oct 28, 2009
They are the extreme-left group Revolutionary Struggle, which has been active since 2003 and is listed by the European Union and United States as a terrorist organisation, and the Revolutionary Sect, which appeared early this year. Leftist extremists have launched a number of attacks on police targets since riots last December triggered by the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old youth. (iAfrica.com)
Why Design Thinking Matters Oct 27, 2009
Had Martin reassured the chief executive that while there were no direct comparisons, some well-performing European banks had employed a similar approach with some success, the CEO might have been persuaded to take the leap. The purpose of this useful book is to equip the reader with the tools needed to make sure that happens. (BusinessWeek)
China's culture offensive hits a wall Oct 27, 2009
When German magazine Der Spiegel ran a feature on the fair, headlined "China, the Unwelcome Guest", Chinese delegates protested that European media and political circles were biased. China's clout, though, was felt behind the scenes. (Asia Times Online)
All that glitters Oct 27, 2009
Page last updated at 01:07 GMT, Tuesday, 27 October 2009. Indian royal splendour on display. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Disneys cultured cruises for kids, in Europe Oct 27, 2009
Disney sees its return and expansion into the European market as an evolutionary step firmly based on a core Disney activity storytelling ... The idea of heading on a family cruise often conjures up thoughts of sitting back on deck, soaking up the sunshine and splashing in the pool, but a European cruise offers something different. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Native title deal for historic WA island Oct 27, 2009
Dirk Hartog Island, the site of the first recorded European landing on Australian soil, will become a national park after a native title agreement was struck between local Aborigines and the West Australian government. The island was named after Dutch explorer Captain Dirk Hartog who left an inscribed plate with his name at Cape Inscription after arriving there on the Eendracht on October 25, 1616. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
What's in a name? Coles biscuit slammed as racist Oct 27, 2009
Sam Watson, the deputy director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland, said the word "Creole", often used to describe a person of mixed European and Africa ancestry, was a racially loaded term. "The word Creole comes from a period when people's humanity was measured by the amount of white blood they had in their bloodstream. This is the same kind of thought that underpinned horrific regimes like the Nazis," Mr Watson said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Tunisia's Ben Ali wins fifth mandate Oct 26, 2009
Many voters see continuity as a good thing in this Mediterranean vacation haven, a strong U.S. and European ally and a relatively secular, moderate and stable outpost in the Arab world. Even Ben Ali's opponents largely acknowledge the results he has achieved in this small country that lacks any significant natural resource. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
