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The New European Union: Off To An Abysmal Start
In yet another baffling sequence of events, European heads of state have chosen two no-name leaders for the Union's top positions. Read More
November 21, 2009 | In World
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Why Are the U.S. and Great Britain So Squeamish About Sex Education?
Most debates over sex education revolve around the choice between promoting strictly abstinence versus teaching students about safe sex. But a region in Spain is breaking open a new can of worms in its decision to launch a campaign on masturbation. Why do nations with strong Roman Catholic underpinnings, like Spain, take more liberal approaches to sex education than many of their Anglo counterparts? Read More
November 13, 2009 | In Health & Medicine
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I've written extensively about how difficult it's been for the European Union to ratify the Lisbon Treaty. But now that it's finally been given the go-ahead, an entirely new set of problems is emerging surrounding the imminent choosing of the EU's top leaders. Read More
November 12, 2009 | In World
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A Not-So-Happy Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution
Next week marks the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the series of non-violent protests that directly preceeded the overthrow of the Czech Republic's Communist government. Some have dubbed it the "Gentle Revolution," but its 20th anniversary is serving as little besides a stage on which current Czech President Vaclav Klaus and former President Vaclav Havel can re-hash their longtime rivalries. Read More
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The Impact of Nuclear Weapons on the Relationships Between Allied Nations
As part of its "nuclear sharing" policy aimed at defending against nuclear threats, NATO involves member nations in the storing and delivery of nuclear arms, even if they've got no weapons of their own. Belgium, Germany, and Italy, for example, host a number of U.S. nuclear weapons and means of delivering them should the need arise. In an effort to lessen NATO's reliance on nuclear weapons as means of global power, Germany (with support from the Belgians and the Dutch) is Read More
November 7, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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The Global Battle Against Texting While Driving
Great Britain is treating text messaging while driving as an offense tantamount to drunk driving, and establishing itself as the toughest anti-texting and driving nation in the world. Read More
November 4, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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The French Bid Farewell To One Of Their Greatest
It is not the denim giant Levi Strauss the world is looking upon today; instead, journalists across the globe are paying homage to French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, who died on Friday at the age of 100. Following his death, which was announced this morning, we take a look at exactly how important this Frenchman's work was. Read More
November 3, 2009 | In Truth & Justice, Life & Death
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Even McDonald's Can't Survive in Iceland
Iceland has long been shrouded in the utmost Nordic mystique -- the tiny European island-country is home to things like hot springs, government-subsidized healthcare, paltry daylight hours and Bjork. But even the most ethereal of nations hasn't been able to buffer itself against the realities of economic crisis, and there's no more telling sign of the extent of Iceland's hardship than McDonald's very recent decision to close its three restaurants on the island. Read More
October 29, 2009 | In Business & Economics
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Should the Lisbon Treaty Move Forward In Tatters?
The Lisbon Treaty, a document aiming to produce a better-defined, stronger concept of the European Union, is overcoming its final ratification hurdles. Notorious Eurosceptic and Czech President Vaclav Klaus has implied that he’ll finally sign, a move that will probably bring the treaty into ratification. But naysayers like Klaus have put up such a stink with regards to signing the treaty that it’s been whittled down and… Read More
October 26, 2009 | In World
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And We Thought the Patriot Act Was Bad: Britain’s Big Brotherhood
When I speak with people I know who have returned from a visit to the UK, they all report, without fail, one thing that startled them to the core about Great Britain: the omnipresence of surveillance cameras. The Brits themselves have remained remarkably calm about the government’s excessive use of electronic surveillance; 45 percent even consented to surveillance in public toilets in one survey. Occasionally, however there is an exception to the Brits’ apathy toward surveillance in which an individual gets publicly angry about being unjustifiably monitored. One of these in… Read More
October 24, 2009 | In Truth & Justice
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Merkel Does Her Conservative Business and Angers the Left
In the weeks leading up to this year’s presidential campaign in Germany, Angela Merkel refused to say much about what policies she would implement if re-elected. But less than a month after her victory, she’s forged full steam ahead and sealed a coalition deal that will cut taxes – a move that shows the ease with which Merkel can push a more conservative agenda throug… Read More
October 24, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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The Swiss Are a Bunch of Tattletales, or Polanski is a Just a Master Escape Artist
A huge part of the controversy surrounding Roman Polanski’s arrest last month stemmed from its confounding circumstances: Why 31 years late, and why in Switzerland? As it turns out, e-mails show that Swiss authorities tipped off the US federal officials that Polanksi would be traveling to Zurich to collect an award. But that still doesn’… Read More
October 22, 2009 | In Truth & Justice
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The Brits Love Facebook Even More Than Americans Do
When news comes out of Twitter using its social networking dominance to market its own brand of wine, it’s easy to get the sense that people might be ushering out Facebook (and everything else, for that matter) in favor of tweeting. But new research conducted by UK communications regulator Ofcom shows that across the pond, Facebook has surpassed Google in the Web war… Read More
October 20, 2009 | In Media & Internet
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The Birds and the Bunnies: Animal Rights Debates in Europe
Spain’s rich history of bullfighting has long garnered much attention around the globe from both animal rights activists seeking the sport’s destruction and die-hard traditionalists hoping to preserve the spectacle as an important national custom. During a wave of policy wins for animal rights activists, Spanish television dropped bullfighting from its TV schedule last year. This time around, opposing groups in Europe are h… Read More
October 19, 2009 | In Life & Death
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European Farmers: Not Just Crying Over Spilled Milk
When most businesses are upset over the dire economic state of their industry, they file for bankruptcy or try and barter with their government for assistance. But when European farmers are upset over the dire economic state of their industry, they take to the streets and begin shooting milk out of cows' udders at police officers. Really. Read More
October 16, 2009 | In World
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More Recession Perks: Carbon Pollution Reduction
Earlier this month, I wrote about a study that found the effects of recession to increase life expectancy in many nations of the developed world. Now, a global summary being prepared by the International Energy Agency (IEA) points to another positive side effect of the economic downturn: a significant fall in carbon emissions. Read More
October 11, 2009 | In Environment
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Working Yourself to Death: Europe and Workplace Suicides
Americans have acquired a strong reputation in foreign countries as the workhorses of the world, plagued by endless hours and deprived of luxuriously long vacations. But in spite of their well-crafted labor models, it is our European counterparts who are coping with frequent waves of work-fueled suicides. Read More
October 11, 2009 | In Life & Death
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In the wake of Ireland’s decision to ratify the Lisbon Treaty -- an international agreement that will attempt to centralize the governance of the European Union – all eyes are Czech President Vaclav Klaus to see if he’s got what it takes to almost singlehandedly stop the progression of the EU. At this point it seems unlikely that he will. But it leads us to wonder whether or not one man should have such an influence over one of the big… Read More
October 7, 2009 | In World
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First Ladies of Europe: Social Networking Royalty
Fans of France’s first lady Carla Bruni were so curious to take a look at her new Web site that they crashed it on the day of its launch – too many users tried to access carlabrunisarkozy.org yesterday. The buzz surrounding Bruni’s site is more evidence that politicians’ wives are using social networking mediums as much as their husbands are. Read More
October 6, 2009 | In Media & Internet
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Are Recessions Good For Our Health?
The effects of recession can feel pretty painful today, but they might mean that many of us will live longer, healthier lives. Read More
October 5, 2009 | In Life & Death
Carrie Battan is a BigThink blogger primarily focused on the politics of the European Union. A senior at Tufts University, she's currently pursuing a B.A. in Economics and Media Studies. Carrie has written for Dollars & Sense magazine in Boston, Boston Metro newspaper, The Daily Local News in Philadelphia and currently works for the Boston Phoenix. She has also done reporting and editing for campus publications at Tufts and takes a special interest in studying and writing about pop culture and women's issues. E-mail her at carriebattan@gmail.com