12/28/2012
PRI’s The World: 12/28/2012 (Germany, Colombia, France)
We remember General Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded US forces to victory in the 1991 Persian Gulf war. China tightens restrictions on internet use. And Germany’s fanatic fascination with crime fiction.
China to Increase Internet Restrictions
The Chinese government has said it will impose even tighter restrictions on internet usage. This won’t just impact individual Chinese web surfers. It could also impact American companies that do business in China.
Holly, Tea, and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Top Wikipedia in 2012
Swedish software engineer Johan Gunnarsson has published a list of the most popular Wikipedia pages in 2012, language by language. The top articles offer some surprises.
The Growing Problem of Anti-Semitism in France
France is home to Western Europe’s biggest Jewish and Muslim populations. Tensions have been rising since last March, when a man named Mohamed Merah killed seven people – including three children at a Jewish school in Toulouse. The Merah case is extreme, but among an alarming number of anti-Semitic attacks across France this year.
Schwarzkopf Legacy in Middle East is Mixed
General Norman Schwarzkopf, who died yesterday at age 78, is remembered in the US as the man who led allied forces to victory in the Gulf War of 1991. Americans largely see the war as liberating Kuwait from Saddam Hussein. But the view from the Middle East is a bit more complex.
Film Shows 1965 Coup from the Killers’ Perspective
“The Act of Killing” documentary talks about and reenacts the killings from the viewpoint of the killers.
Colombia Sets Sight on ‘Green Gold’
Colombia is a hotspot of mercury pollution from small-scale gold mining. But it’s also a testing ground for a new movement to reduce mercury pollution by paying small-scale miners more to use less of the toxic metal.
Why German Crime Fiction Fails to Thrill US Readers
Between 400 and 500 crime novels or “Krimis” are published each year in Germany, but the thrillers have never cracked the US market unlike their Scandinavian cousins.
Viral Video Gets Norwegian Kicker NFL Tryout
Our Geo Quiz today takes us to two locations. The first is the home of the NFL’s New York Jets. The second location is a city in southwest Norway.
Goth Service at St. Edward in Cambridge, UK, Featuring Leonard Cohen’s Music
Anchor Lisa Mullins visits Cambridge, England, where she stumbles upon a bizarre and fascinating church service. It features Goths in leather bustiers and the music of Leonard Cohen.
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