Eurovision 2012: A Rundown of the Finalists' Faceoff

by David Paul Appell   This year, 2011’s winning tune, the appropriately titled “Running Scared” ('cause after all, Azerbaijan is a dissident-slamming dictatorship) sent the competition to oil-soaked Baku, and after getting off to a typically bombastic start, on came the 26 finalists. And while Sweden's multiculti Loreen Alhouai snagged top honors with her catchy club track "Euphoria" (though it wouldn't've been my own top choice), there was sho' 'nuff plenty of stiff competition, from a half-dozen Russian grannies baking cookies to a bunch of Turks with a natutical fetish. Oh, and let's not forget the pair of hyperative blond twinks in sci-fi getups, courtesy of Ireland (oh, tapadh effin' leibh, folks). But the most unforgettable moment was...  keep reading

Volcanoes, Adventure & Maori Heritage: New Zealand's North Island

by Paul Anthony Rogers  The "other" land Down Under, the islands the Maori call Aotearoa, is a heady mix of wild and civilized, spectacular and homey, Maori and European, adventurous and sedate. But the more northerly and smaller of New Zealand's two major islands, site of both its largest city and its capital, offers perhaps the more quintessential Kiwi experience, and these are the top places and experiences I found on my... keep reading