In Norway, A Show About Firewood Splits NorwegiansA TV show - and a bestselling book - about firewood?
This fascinating New York Times article shows that in Norway - a country where 1.2 million households have fireplaces or wood stoves- the topic of firewood can elicit surprisingly strong opinions and passionate interest. |
“What I’ve learned is that you should not ask a Norwegian what he likes about firewood, but how he does it — because that’s the way he reveals himself. You can tell a lot about a person from his firewood stack.” |
Courtship Traditions Around the WorldWhere in the world do boys and girls undergo a tooth-filing ritual to prepare for marriage? Or dance with apples under their arms to give to prospective partners?
Find out some of the most interesting and unusual ways that men and women signal their attraction - both today, and in the past. |
9 Little Translation Mistakes That Caused Big ProblemsFrom Mental Floss: Knowing how to speak two languages is not the same thing as knowing how to translate. Translation is a special skill that professionals work hard to develop.
In their new book, Found in Translation, professional translators Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche give a spirited tour of the world of translation, full of fascinating stories about everything from volunteer text message translators during the Haitian earthquake rescue effort, to the challenges of translation at the Olympics and the World Cup, to the personal friendships celebrities like Yao Ming and Marlee Matlin have with their translators. The importance of good translation is most obvious when things go wrong. This article highlights nine examples from the book that show just how high-stakes the job of translation can be. Read the book: Found in Translation by Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche |
When Dad Lives in Jail: A Soft New Way for German Kids To Visit Prisoner ParentsOver 100,000 children in Germany have an incarcerated parent. Visiting a parent in jail can be frightening and upsetting - so a group called Treffpunkt has begun a program that helps prisoners’ families.
Together with the correctional facility, Treffpunkt organizes sessions between fathers and children that are designed to have an everyday feel - because not having their dad around for everyday stuff is when the children miss their fathers most. Here's how kids are responding to the project. |
"It's not about making the sentence easier for the father; it's about a child's right to his or her father." |
"Biblioburro": The Donkey Library in ColombiaFrom PBS: Biblioburro is the story of a librarian — and a library — like no other. A decade ago, Colombian grade-school teacher Luis Soriano was inspired to spend his weekends bringing a modest collection of precious books, via two hard-working donkeys, to the children of Magdalena Province’s poor and violence-ridden interior.
As Soriano braves armed bands, drug traffickers, snakes and heat, his library on hooves carries an inspirational message about education and a better future for Colombia. His simple yet extraordinary effort has attracted worldwide attention. Note: Posted to the right is a short trailer of this movie. Click here to see the full-length (52 minute) video, available online until March 12, 2013. |
Watch Biblioburro - Trailer on PBS. See more from POV. |
Holograms Keep Holocaust History AliveFrom Mashable: There are thought to be more than 500,000 Holocaust survivors worldwide. The average age of a survivor is 79 and nearly a quarter of them are 85 or older.
Some fear that as this aging generation fades away, so too will the personal accounts of the horrors they experienced. Taking this preservation into the 21st century is a group led by the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation, which, for the last 18 months, has been creating three-dimensional holograms of nearly a dozen Holocaust survivors. The project is called New Dimensions in Testimony. Learn more about the project here. |