Best of the Quest: Living Apart Together Part 1

We're "Living Apart Together" in this week's EuroQuest....or alongside or in parallel or whatever. The point is...we are not actually communicating or commisserating or whatever. Take Cyprus. That island has been divided since 1974. It seems that, for some, this division has become a state of being and end in itself, rather than a temporary blip in the island's long history. While it seems most on both sides want to see this state of affairs ended, Cyprus is proof that a status quo is hard to shake loose. But, sometimes, an odd but outstanding event comes along that makes people think and adds to the drumbeat for change. One of those events is in this week's EuroQuest. Listen and enjoy.

Segment 1 - The Last Yugoslavs
Jonathan Groubert tells the story of his first visit to Belgrade and an ethnically surprising tour of the biggest Orthodox church in the Balkans.

At right, Sveti Sava, the bitggest Orthodox Church in the
Balkans.

Segment 2 - Turkey’s Armenian Orphans Dorian Jones goes with a Turkish filmmaker as she researches the history or of one of those orphans -- her grandmother.

Segment 3 - Cypriot Musical Colloboration Unites Divided City The Mediterranean Island of Cyprus has been divided ever since the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974. It is precisely this divide that was the subject of a recent musical collaboration between Greek and Turkish Cypriot musicians. Tabitha Morgan was there.

Segment 4 - French Boarding School for Kids from the Projects Ever since the riots, much thought has been given to what can be done about the ennui amongst the immigrant youth in the French housing projects. One solution is boarding schools for the poor. John Laurenson reports from Lyons.

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As always, you can leave comments below.

Man's Best Buddy

Buddies of all shapes, sizes and species! At right that means the Norwegians at Longyearbyen on the near Arctic island of Svalbard (at right) and their Russian neighbors at Barentsburg (lower left). Two very different places, yet somehow they manage to meet, in a cultural kind of way.

Segment 1 - Burger Buddies
The Dutch Burger Buddy project pairs those in power with those on the street, in the hope that small personal contacts will help further understanding. Harry te Riele told Louise Dunne why he volunteered to buddy with, in his case, a civil servant.
The program's site is in Dutch, but if you're interested, here it is...

Segment 2 - Warm Neighbors in a Cold, Cold Place
Lars Bevanger reports on how the peoples of the modern and extraordinarily affluent Norwegian town of Longyearbyen and the poor Russian mining town of Barentsburg overcome economic and political barriers through an exchange of culture.
The Svalbard Pages!

Segment 3 - Dolphin Therapy for Autism Sufferers
Dolphins can help children with Down’s syndrome and autism to concentrate and develop cognitive and social skills. A Dutch project has begun to prove the effectiveness of this ‘dolphin-aided’ therapy. Thijs Westerbeek has more.

Segment 4 - Luxury Dog Kennels
For many people, when it come to one’s pet, nothing is too expensive, nothing is too rare, too good for one’s pet. So when it’s time to take that well-earned break, why not send your canine surrogate child on a holiday of its own. Penny Young went along to see for herself.
Want to book? Here's the site of the Third Bridge Holiday Home for Dogs...

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I'm Back!

Ostrog, an Orthodox monestary built into the side of a mountain, just north of the Montenegran capital Podgorica. Not only is it ancient and eerie, but to get there you have to drive up the single most dangerous road I've ever been on. Worth the trip, but not for the fainthearted.

I'm back from Montenegro and Bosnia where I holidayed and visited my inlaws respectivley. Fascinating places nearly devoid of easy Internet access (get to work on that guys). This explains last week's rather meager posting. But it's business as usual this week.

End of holiday special!

I,m in Montenegro struggling with this Slavic keyboard, so no extra info this week. I,m going back to the beach. Hope your holiday is heavenly. I know mine,s been interesting.

Segment 1 - Dutch Caravan CrazeWherever you drive through Europe, there they are, the family car straining to pull a massive camper up the Alps, through the Provence, and down to the Spanish Coasts. All Europeans do it, but none more so than the Dutch. Jonathan Groubert reports.-

Segment 2 - Camping and Nudity Go Well Together in Germany
In Germany, nudism is a normal part of camping. Mike Mühlberger explains and visits a few campgrounds himself. Aren’t you glad this is radio?

Segment 3 - Bulgaria: Up and Coming Holiday DestinationBulgaria’s subtropical Black Sea Coast has created a building boom. But environmentalists there claim vast areas of natural beauty are being ruined. Malcolm Brabant put on his skivvies and filed this story.

Segment 4 - La Rentree: the French Get Back to WorkIf you are in France just don’t try to get anything done in August. The French have checked out while the tourists checked in. But they’re back. Well, kind of. Marjorie van Halteren explains…

End of Holiday Special

I,m in Montenegro struggling with this Slavic keyboard, so no extra info this week. I,m going back to the beach. Hope your holiday is heavenly. I know mine,s been interesting.

Segment 1 - Dutch Caravan CrazeWherever you drive through Europe, there they are, the family car straining to pull a massive camper up the Alps, through the Provence, and down to the Spanish Coasts. All Europeans do it, but none more so than the Dutch. Jonathan Groubert reports.-

Segment 2 - Camping and Nudity Go Well Together in Germany
In Germany, nudism is a normal part of camping. Mike Mühlberger explains and visits a few campgrounds himself. Aren’t you glad this is radio?

Segment 3 - Bulgaria: Up and Coming Holiday DestinationBulgaria’s subtropical Black Sea Coast has created a building boom. But environmentalists there claim vast areas of natural beauty are being ruined. Malcolm Brabant put on his skivvies and filed this story.

Segment 4 - La Rentree: the French Get Back to WorkIf you are in France just don’t try to get anything done in August. The French have checked out while the tourists checked in. But they’re back. Well, kind of. Marjorie van Halteren explains…

Download this program as a high quality mp3

The Best of the Quest Part 1: Sound Advice

A bunch of blowhards...

I'm away for the month of August and part of September so enjoy this 6 part series of repeats known as the "Best of the Quest"! This week a second chance to hear the program themed "Sound Advice". Don't forget to comment and...enjoy!

The Evolution of Music
How did we go from the songs of Gibbons to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony? And for what evolutionary reason? Madeline Amberger attempts to answer while attending “From Perception to Performance”, the second international conference on the neurosciences and music.

Recorders Made Exciting
Can the recorder be exotic and sexy? The Quartet New Generation, or QNG, a recorder collective, is trying to break down stereotypes about contemporary classical music. Sarah Elzas has this profile.
The QNG has a wonderful site as does Sarah Elzas.

The Haunting Song of the Sami
Jana Mange is a member of Sweden’s indigenous Sami and also one of Sweden’s few professional singers of Joik or traditional Sami songs. She tells Radio Sweden all about the Joik tradition.
Folksy Links has a compendium of Nordic Music for the enthusiast.

Romanian Noise Pollution
Radio Romania’s Iulian Muresan explains how Bucharest’s development has turned into a noisy din. Its the kind of noise that can even damage your health.
Iulian Muresan's day job is at Radio Romania International.

Click here to download the program as a high quality mp3 file!

Pedophilia

Are these gentlemen, the leaders of the Dutch political group the Party for Love, Freedom and Brotherly Love, brave beacons of democracy or just plain old pedophiles? Listen to this week's program and decide for yourself.

Segment 1 - Release of Pedophile Causes Irish Controversy
Protests in front of the Irish Parliament follow a High Court decision to allow early release from jail of a pedophile. For EuroQuest, Louise Williams was at the day of protest in Dublin.


Segment 2 - Fighting Child Porn on the Internet
Reporting of child porn on the Internet has increased. But at the same time child porn on the web is becoming more extreme and the culprits are finding ways to hide porn sites from the police. Cormac Callanan of the organization Inhope, says there’s no telling how much child porn is on the Internet.
Click here for a link to Inhope

Segment 3 - Polygraphy in the Fight Against Child Pornography
Since the beginning of this year the lie detector has become a regular tool used in sex offender therapy in the Netherlands. Critics say the lie detector can’t be trusted and so the method should not be used. Michel Walraven reports.

Segment 4 - Holland’s Pedophilia Party
Martijn Uitenbogaard and his new Party for Brotherly love, freedom and diversity, want to work to reduce the age of consent in the Netherlands from 16 to 12. I asked Martijn Uitenbogaard exactly why he decided to openly take this issue on…
The party has a website. It is all in Dutch...

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