Mayan Predictions for 2012, German Analysis and a Little Village in France

Not long ago I was in a little village in southwest France where new age doomsayers were gathering on a mountaintop they believe will be saved when the world ends in 2012 [...]

Estonia joins the Euro zone

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On New Year’s day, Estonia becomes the 17th country to join the Euro currency zone. Its entry comes at an inauspicious time. Lisa Mullins finds out more from Raimo Poom, political editor at Eesti Päevaleht newspaper in Talinn, Estonia’s capital. Download MP3

Global Political Cartoons: December 31, 2010

We close out 2010 with “friends” (as opposed to friends), the Euro continues to dance in distress, and the skunk at the garden party that just won’t go away: Wikileaks.

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“Lucky Bags” in Japan

New Year’s Day is the most revered holiday in Japan. The Japanese actually celebrate it over a 4 day period. Many start the year by waking up to the first sunrise, they go to a shrine to make a new year wish. It’s a quiet holiday – unless you’re out shopping. Every year, people line up to buy something called a “fukubukuro” or “luck” bag. Akiko Fujita introduces us to a different kind of New Year’s tradition. Download MP3

• Wikipedia: Fukubukuro
• New Year 2010 celebrations take place around the world