May2013 Archive

When is the Summer Solstice not in June?

2013 May 26   category: Latest News   author:  

Simply when you are south of the equator – in that case the June solstice is actually the winter solstice. Nevertheless, in either hemisphere the mid-year solstice will occur at 05:04 UTC on June 21 this year and is a worldwide event that you can celebrate with friends regardless of nationality. For more nationally specific opportunities in June to strengthen your global connections see our list of key world events listed below.

Jun 1: Independence Day in Samoa
Jun 2: Republic Day in Italy
Jun 5: Constitution Day in Denmark
Jun 6: National Day in Sweden
Jun 10: Portugal Day in Portugal
Jun 12: Independence Day in the Philippines; Russia Day in the Russian Federation
Jun 14: Liberation Day in the Falkland Islands
Jun 17: National Day in Iceland
Jun 18: National Day in the Seychelles
Jun 21: Ullortuneq in Greenland
Jun 23: National Day in Luxembourg
Jun 25: Independence Day in Mozambique; Statehood Day in Slovenia
Jun 26: Independence Day in Madagascar
Jun 27: Independence Day in Djibouti
Jun 30: Independence Day in Congo-Kinshasa

Eurovision 2013

2013 May 21   category: Global Culture   author:  

Sadly my favorite entry in this year’s big euro-community song contest failed to make it past the semifinal stage. I enjoy the friendly cross border enthusiasm of this event and just occasionally there’s a musical gem worth further investigation. This year Bulgaria’s entry, Samo Shampioni performed by Elitsa Todorova and Stoyan Yankulov, caught my attention. These guys have quality musical pedigree and some further digging around turned up other interesting tracks by Todorova and Yankoulov on emusic.com.

May 2013 Trivia Question

2013 May 10   category: Fun & Games   author:  

Q: The name of which South American country is a description, in the local Guarani language, of the river that runs through it?

find the answer on our Trivia Page – there’s no prize; it’s just a bit of fun; something to stimulate your geographic imagination.