A Piece of Danish Leads 2013's Eurovision Song Contest Parade

by David Paul Appell  What is it about this annual cheesefest that has captivated many in Europe and beyond ever since inception in 1956? Big pop-music spectaculars seem to do reliably well among the public, and many folks do of course tune in because they want to hear good new pop tunes (after all, some great music and performers have been launched or boosted by Eurovision, perhaps the most famous being Sweden's ABBA, which won with “Waterloo” way back in 1974, and Celine Dion, who won for Switzerland in 1988). This year...  Read more

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Burmese Days: Exploring the New Yangon (Rangoon)

by Bev Malzard  “I have a robe for you,’ a passing monk said to us near the mighty Shwedagon Pagoda, which gleams and beams across the city of Yangon. We had been wandering around the centre of town being dazzled by the temples, buildings, animal statues and Buddha images – cleaned to within an inch of their many karmic lives. Lift your eyes and golden spires swirl above you, lower your eyes and small, feet are padding across the tiled outdoor floors – small feet belonging to many maroon-robed monks. Anyway, one of my travelling companions was very fair and bald, and it took a microsecond for the penny to drop – it was a... keep reading

images: Eurovision | Bev Malzard