Lauren Lynch and James Waterson share the latest tennis news. Serena and Venus Williams are rumored to be on the grass courts at Eastbourne. Maria Sharapova and Li Na rose in the WTA rankings while Novak Djokovic is only 45 points behind Nadal after he got to the French Open semifinals. Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick are close in the ATP rankings. The men are competing at the AEGON Championships at the Queen’s Club in London and the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. On the women’s side, Caroline Wozniacki is the top seed in Copenhagen... Читать дальше...
The holiday of Shavuot brings with it unique forms of observance. In addition to the consumption of dairy-rich delicacies, many people participate in a tikkun layl Shavuot, an all-night study session. During a tikkun, it’s traditional to peruse and discuss a portion from the Bible, the Talmud, or the Mishneh. To mark Shavuot this year, […]
Paul Goble
Staunton, June 6 – Anecdotes about leaders and policies have long been an important part of Russian life, but the Internet is transforming its form and content because falling prices for connectivity are increasing the number of users and rising download speeds are making video clips more widely accessible, according to a Moscow commentator.
On the “Russky zhurnal” portal, Aleksandr Chausov argues that at present Russians are “observing an evolution of the form of jokes... Читать дальше...
Paul Goble
Staunton, June 6 – Six months after the clashes in Manezh Square, radical Russian nationalists groups are increasing their activity, supported by the increasing number of ethnic Russians who feel that they are second class citizens in their own country because the powers that be are giving more support to North Caucasians and Central Asian immigrants.
In an article in Friday’s “Nezavisimaya gazeta” entitled “Russians Feel a Sense of National Inequality in Their Own Country,”... Читать дальше...
Paul Goble
Staunton, June 6 – In the run-up to local elections in Moldova yesterday, some politicians sought to exploit Chisinau’s March 14th decision to register a Muslim group thereby making it appear that Moldova is riven by “a clash of civilizations” -- even though Moldova has only 300 Muslims and even though few objected when the registration decision was originally made.
In an essay on Win.ru, Irina Katanina sorts out this discussion which has attracted some attention abroad... Читать дальше...