Sweden boasts about 1,700 such runestones that feature the old Scandinavian runic alphabet. This one, outside of Gripsholm Castle near Stockholm, was erected in memory of fallen Vikings.
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To Fallen Vikings
Category: blog
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Book Planting — Video Quote Of The Day
ISIS DOCUMENTS LEAKED A disillusioned ISIS fighter gave a Sky News reporter a memory stick stolen from the terrorist organization containing tens of thousands of documents, as well as 22,000 names, addresses, telephone numbers and family contacts of jihadist fighters. The disclosure of these documents could prove to be a boon to Western intelligence. The […]
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Queen “Not Amused” By Brexit Report
A frowning Queen Elizabeth is making the Thursday front page of London-based Daily Express tabloid, and she is “not amused” by a report claiming she supports Britain’s exit from the EU. Queen Elizabeth filed a complaint with the British press watchdog yesterday after Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid The Sun reported that she supported Britain’s exit from […]
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Our Lady Of The Rocks
According to legend, the islets off the coast of Perast, in Montenegro“s beautiful Bay of Kotor, were built over the centuries by seamen who swore to leaving a rock at the bottom of the bay every time they returned from a voyage, until two man-made islands eventually emerged. And a church too.
TEHRAN — Emerging after years of sanctions, Iran appears almost single-mindedly eager to boost its economic growth. Thus a photo op this week of the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei planting and watering a tree, and cited as telling “all” Iranians to care for “green spaces,” was a minor newsstand surprise Wednesday around the […]
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On Horseback — Video Quote Of The Day
Sanders Surprises, Queen On Brexit, 5th Beatle Dies
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Greetings From The Desert
“As-salamu alaikum …” — “Wa-alaikum-us-salaam!”
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Run In The Snow — Video Quote Of The Day
Neighbors don’t always need good fences. The weekly Jeune Afrique reports some encouraging findings in a wide-ranging study on tolerance for diversity taken in 33 African countries. Overall, the results indicated growing levels of tolerance for ethnic and religious diversity, though this was contrasted with lingering prejudice against homosexuals. Research firm Afrobarometer conducted the poll […]
“BREAKTHROUGH” MIGRANT DEAL European leaders and Turkish officials have reached an agreement in principle that German Chancellor Angela Merkel described as a “breakthrough if it becomes reality.” The deal, whose final details still need to be settled, would see Turkey take back migrants who have traveled from Turkey to Greece but don’t meet criteria for […]
Die Tageszeitung, March 8, 2016 Home to the one of the founders of International Women’s Day, Germany devoted ample coverage Tuesday to the 105th edition of the celebration, which aims to raise awareness of the struggles of women worldwide. In 1910, German socialist Luise Zietz was one of the first to suggest establishing an annual […]
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Picasso No More
In the second half of the 20th century, countless painters would set up their easels on the Place du Tertre, on top of Paris’s Montmartre hill. Some no doubt were trying to channel Picasso, who used to live nearby. By this point, the great Spanish master had set up shop in the quieter climes of […]
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Bungee Jumping — Video Quote Of The Day
N. KOREA’S NUKE THREAT North Korea has threatened to launch “indiscriminate” nuclear strikes against South Korea and the U.S. as the latter kicks off its annual military drill in the Korean Peninsula today. “If we push the buttons to annihilate the enemies right now, all bases of provocations will be reduced to a sea of […]
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Willkommen!
These two slightly creepy characters made of hay bales welcomed us on the very picturesque Black Forest Hochstrasse scenic route.
PARIS — Employees everywhere, here’s one more good reason to grumble: Your boss will probably outlive you. A new study from France’s national statistics bureau (INSEE) quantifies what many might have suspected, also in light of noted correlations between wealth and life expectancy. But the latest French study, which echos similar findings from other countries […]
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Wind Blowing — Video Quote Of The Day
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Nuke Rhetoric, GOP v. Trump, Joan’s Ring
KIM JONG-UN RAMPS UP NUCLEAR THREAT Raising his belligerent rhetoric again, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the national military to prepare its nuclear warheads “to be fired at any moment,” Pyongyang’s state-run news agency KCNA reported today. The comments were made as Kim supervised military exercises involving newly developed rocket launchers that were […]
“Court slams last door for Pistorius,” Afrikaans-language daily Volksblad writes on its front page Friday, a day after South Africa’s highest court denied the Paralympic champion’s request to appeal his murder conviction for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. Pistorius is now scheduled to be sentenced in Pretoria’s High Court on April 18, according […]
BEIJING — “No more homosexuality, extramarital affairs, or one-night stand content in Chinese television drama.” Thus reads a general rule published jointly this week by China’s Federation of Television Production Committee and the Chinese TV drama production Industry Association, Sina News reported. The list is extended to anything that is “against scientific spirit,” or which […]
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The Baroque Capital
The stunning facade of the Basilica di Santa Croce in Lecce, in southern Italy, is a good example of the exuberant architectural style that has earned the city its nickname of “capital of Baroque.”
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Washing Feet — Video Quote Of The Day
NORTH KOREA FIRES ROCKETS Photo: YTN/Yao Qilin/Xinhua/ZUMA North Korea has fired six short-range projectiles into the sea, an angry reaction to new UN sanctions adopted yesterday against Pyongyang, news agency Yonhap reports. The sanctions, motivated by North Korea testing nuclear weapons in early January, are the harshest to date against Kim Jong-un’s regime. They ban […]
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When Japan Embraces Pure Swedish Living
More than a handful of Japanese have taken the idea of cultural fusion to the next level. Tucked in the hills about 30 kilometers from Sapporo City, Japan, and some 8,000 kilometers away from Stockholm, a small village called Sweden Hills is home to some 2,000 Japanese residents who live in Swedish-style houses, Svenska Dagbladet […]
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Taxi International
Rickshaw, bajaj, tukxi, maruwa, lapa … From India to Peru, from Pakistan to Nigeria, the three-wheeled mototaxi has many names. But in Thailand, this colorful and chaotic mode of urban transport is just called a tuk-tuk.
The case of Hanxiang Ni, a University of Iowa student who was expelled last month for posting a photo of himself holding a gun and threatening to kill his professors, has turned new attention to the growing number of Chinese students enrolled in — and kicked out of — U.S. academic institutions. Attendance is up, […]
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Sea Shore — Video Quote Of The Day
TRUMP AND HILLARY SCORE BIG ON SUPER TUESDAY Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton moved closer to a presidential face-to-face, with each winning seven of the 11 states holding primaries on the so-called Super Tuesday. Trump took home Republican primary wins in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia, while Clinton won Democratic contests in […]
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Rock Concert
Before it became one of Slovenia“s top attractions, Postojna Cave welcomed the likes of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and Benito Mussolini: Orchestras entertained them, making the most of the outstanding acoustics of the cave’s “Concert Hall” chamber.