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Tag: christmas
In Italy and Spain, there’s more time to casually socialize. Americans unapologetically dive into the consumerist crush of gifts. But in Germany, Christmas is a solemn pseudo-Christian ritual with much too much pressure on everyone.
The nativity scenes, signs of hope and time for contemplation of modern Christmas is so retrograde! Let’s celebrate the secular and modern solstice. But really?
TREVISO — Not just a token sheep, but a flock of sheep. Not just Joseph and Mary, but all their neighbors, plus angels and wise men, bands of bagpipes, ancient tools, tables and cutlery, traditional dances and, yes, a thatched hut sheltering the Madonna and baby Jesus — several in fact, dressed for those roles, […]
BRAGANÇA PAULISTA — Brazilians are very serious about their Christmas trees. And the different fortunes of two unusual ones is proof of just how strict the standards of what is and isn’t acceptable as decoration can be in this festive Catholic country. A few weeks ago, the city of Rio de Janeiro started the holiday […]
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Worldcrunch’s Weekend Staff Playlist #5
Well, well, well, could it be Friday again? Time for our fifth weekend staff playlist, then. Can you guess this week’s theme? Quick hint: It involves going around people’s houses, hiding stuff, and a fair amount of arguments. No, it’s not the NSA.
Colombians seem to worship all things Anglo-American, “Miami-style” most of all. It’s a sign of our own socio-cultural shame and some appalling choices made by past governments.
The modern consumer is bombarded by advertising that exploits our “addiction” to visual stimuli. But after the holiday rush, can we still become discerning buyers?
Christmas is a global holiday, which sort of makes Christmas World Music a musical genre. See below for some holiday hits from across the planet. Worldcrunch Pick: Yes indeed, every December, the world celebrates the birth of an eternal figure who has inspired multiple generations of men, women and children around the world. For some, […]
December 19, 2014 KURDS BEAT ISIS ON MOUNT SINJARKurdish forces have broken a months-long ISIS siege on Mount Sinjar after a two-day offensive backed by U.S. airstrikes. The BBC describes it as the Kurds’ “biggest victory yet” against the terrorist group. Thousands of displaced people had been trapped on the mountain in northwestern Iraq since […]
PARIS – Do the Internet and digital devices make us happier and more efficient. Or do they just make us less intelligent? Two new books try to answer the question asked by Nichols Carr in The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains. Italian linguist Raffaele Simone and French philosopher Jean-Michel Besnier deliver […]
PARIS – As the end of the year approaches, it is difficult to escape the gift-giving madness. Santa has the family covered, of course, but the office is a different matter. Here, a postman replaces the old man with the red coat. The person who sent the present is rarely from Lapland – most often […]
PUTIN TO PARDON KHODORKOVSKY After his annual press conference, Vladimir Putin stunned reporters by saying he will sign a pardon for jailed ex-Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky “in the nearest time,” RT reports. MARKETS ON THE RISE AFTER FED’S STIMULUS REDUCTION European and Asian stocks were on the rise this morning after the Federal Reserve’s announcement […]
PARIS – For Christmas this year, eight-year-old Thomas has asked for… a laptop computer, just so he doesn’t have to use his mother’s. Last year, when he was seven, he got an iPod. This Christmas will be characterized by society’s evolution toward high-tech gadgets; an evolution that has not bypassed children. For dozens of years, […]
So far Benedict XVI’s new @Pontifex on Twitter has avoided controversial topics.
HAMBURG – A chocolate penis – with bite marks – hangs around an angel’s neck. Olivia Jones breaks out in a loud, naughty laugh at the sight of it and declares it awesome. Hamburg’s most famous drag queen is wearing a Dalmatian coat and enough red glitter to deck out a whole Christmas tree. “I […]