Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

A right a possible picture of German and British soldiers not shooting at each other during World War 1.

Segment 1 - Retelling the Christmas Truce
A retelling of that remarkable story of spontaneous peacemaking – the Christmas Soccer Match that took place between British and German troops in the trenches of World War 1 France....or was it Belgium?
There are so many retellings of this story that, rather than link to anything specific, I'm simply place a link to Google with the keywords "Christmas Truce"

Segment 2 - Turkey the Peacemaker
From Istanbul Dorian Jones examines whether Turkey can succeed being a bridge between the Christian and Islamic worlds, or will it too fall victim to those divisions.

Segment 3 - Imams and Rabbis Meet in Seville Peace Conference
The Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace is about helping leaders from the Muslim and Jewish faiths to challenge the fanatics who are misusing religion.
Danny Wood went along to Seville to see how these Rabbis and Imams got along together…
The European Jewish Congress reported on it. Here's the article....

Segment 4 - Alsace Border Region Makes Peace with Itself
One region where French-German relations have always been strong is in Alsace. What do people there think about the war today? Anke Hagedorn talked to both French and Germans; her report is presented by Michael Lorne.
Click here for the Alsace region's official cross-border policy

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Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Something Stylish on This Week's EuroQuest

Dutch Minister of Justice Piet Hein Donner as "The Don" rapping his anti-marijuana message. Amazingly, the mayor of Maastricht did the same thing, only he pleaded for an even more open drugs policy.


Segment 1 - Chic in a Day- in Milan
It seems that many 21st century signorine are losing their flair for elegance, replacing sleek and chic with brash and trash. That’s why four Milanese women have decided to give courses in chic. Dany Mitzman has more...
They don't have a site so here's a link to what you get when you type in Milan Fashion. Go on. You know you want to.

Segment 2 - Atomium Reopened
The atomium, a giant metal molecule, was built for the World’s Fair back in 1958, but it very quickly became the symbol of Belgium. It has just been refurbished and reopened. Remco de Jong went for a visit.
The groovy Atomium site.

Segment 3 - Kurdish Singer Conquers Turkey
Kurdish culture in Turkey has more or less always been suppressed. Kurdish singer Aynur Dogan is among the first of those starting to break down barriers. Dorian Jones has more from Istanbul.
She has her own sound rich site.

Segment 4 - Dutch Politico Hip Hop Showdown
Straight laced and conservative Dutch minister of Justice Piet Hein Donner duels Dutch drug policy with Maastricht mayor Gert Leers in the form of competing hip hop songs. Hans Andringa explains…
Want to hear "De Don"? Click here...
Maastricht Mayor Leers' tune was harder to track down. Here's an article about the whole thing.

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As always, you can leave comments below!

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Have a Gay Easter!!!



Chocolate is good for you (see Segment 4) ! So enjoy this EuroQuest Easter Special with an interesting look at tolerance and the church including Turkey's seeming inability to be Christian-friendly and the church's (two churches in fact) seeming inability to be gay-friendly.




Segment 1 - Turkey Fails to Open Christian Seminary
The European Union is expressing growing concerns over the treatment of Turkey’s Christian minority. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

Segment 2 - Norwegian Church Split on Homosexuality
Norway has long been at the forefront of equal rights for same couples. Now the Norwegian Lutheran state church is struggling to catch up after having been split on the issue of homosexuality for decades. Lars Bevanger reports from Oslo.
The Norwegian Church is currently featuring a debate about homosexuality on its home page in English.

Segment 3 - Anglican Spokesman Discusses Possible Schism over Gays
Jonathan interviews Canon James Rosenthal, communications director of the Anglican Communion, on the possibility of the homosexuality issue splitting the church into factions.
The Anglican Communion's statement on, among other things, homosexuality.
Segment 4 - Chocolate…Is Good for You
Scientific research shows that, not only does chocolate make us feel better, it can make you healthier. Sabina Casagrande speaks with German choco scientists.
No seriously, it really is...

And a big shout out if you're doing Passover. May your brisket be tender and your gefilte fish have much yuch.

Click here to download this week's program as a high quality mp3.

As always, feel free to leave comments below. By the way, there's an important update on podcasting coming this week. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

EuroQuest on Washington Post Radio


Washington Post Radio is a new commercial venture by the quality American broadsheet. WPR is also a new Radio Netherlands partner station taking a number of Radio Netherlands programs including EuroQuest. Working with a commercial broadcaster is bit of departure for us here at Radio Netherlands. Our charter does not allow us to earn money in any way, which is why we give our programming to partner stations free of charge; all we ask is appropriate accreditation. They're also doing live streaming so check it out and tell us what you think. I know I'm curious.

The schedule is Saturday's from 6-7 AM EST and 10:30 PM to Midnight. All times are EST which is -4 GMT.

All of this begs the question: should public radio mix with private? Share your thoughts below...
-Leave your comments on this new development below-

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

April's Fools!




Irakli Shonia looking at his father Tahles on the TV

At the behest of Moscow in the early 70’s, a scientific team in Georgia was established to investigate UFO’s and other paranormal phenomena. Led by the late physicist, Tahles Shonia, the team gathered material and studied data at Tbilisi’s Research Institute for Cybernetics. Unfortunately most of their research was destroyed during the country’s civil war, but one man is continuing the work – Tahles Shonia’s son Irakli. Our correspondent in Georgia, Guy Degen, speaks with Irakli Shonia who is determined to pick up where his father left off - unofficially and unsupported.

Here's the rest of your April's Fools lineup.

Segment 1 - Nigerian Fraudsters Rolled Up in Amsterdam
You might think that not many people would fall for email scams, but Frank Engelsman, of Internet investigators Ultrascan, estimates they rake in 1.5 billions euros a year. Michel Walraven asked him how they operate.
Here is a site devoted to routing the "Nigerian Scam" with education.

Segment 2- Bulgaria’s Organized Crime
The European Union is demanding the Bulgarian government arrest some of the country’s top organized crime bosses. If they don’t, they may not get in the EU any time soon. Deutsche Welle’s Malcolm Brabant has more.

Segment 3 - Georgian UFO Expert
Guy Degen meets Georgia’s unofficial investigator into UFO’s, extra-terrestrials and the para-normal.
A question: is Georgia part of Europe? Should Georgian stories be covered by EuroQuest? Let us know. Leave your comment below or email us at: euroquest@rnw.nl

Segment 4 - Vivian Westwood’s 65th Birthday
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London has put together the largest Westwood exhibition ever, which is on a world tour. It’s currently showing at the NRW-Forum in Düsseldorf, Germany and Sabina Casagrande had a look around.
The exhibition has its own microsite. Click here...

Click here to download the program as a high quality mp3