EuroQuest EuroBlog

The End of the Quest

2006-12-25T22:16:00.000+01:00

Yes indeed. It's the last EuroQuest ever!!!

You can listen to the last program here.

Well, it's been a great run with the show playing on hundreds of stations around the world for the better part of a decade and covering literally thousands of subjects. I basically learned how to make proper radio producing this program and so I leave it with some regret.

We are moving onto bigger and better things here at Radio Netherlands Worldwide and so stay tuned for a program called "The State We're In" looking at state of humanity each and every Saturday starting in May.

To those of you who listened radio program each week, I thank you for listening and promise even better things soon. I hope you enjoyed the programs and we'll see you in the new year.

Just in case you're wondering, this blog will no longer be updated.

Cheers, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Jonathan

Christmas Pleasures and an Important Announcement

2006-12-18T15:26:00.000+01:00

Before I get into the nitty gritty details of this week's show, a special announcement:

At the end of this year EuroQuest, and this blog, will cease to be. After around 600 shows 3000 items 300 hours of radio, EuroQuest is coming to an end. Next week, a great show looking at 11 years of the quest entitled, what else: The End of the Quest. More on that next week.

Now, to get back to the task at hand....

Segment 1 - Belgian Wine
Jonathan Groubert and Brussels correspondent Vanessa Mock discuss the northerly high quality wines of Belgium and the attempts by the European Union to make the wine industry more competetive.

Segment 2 - The King of Tavolara
Dany Mitzman interviews Tonino, King of the island of Tavolara, just off the Sardinian Coast.

Segment 3 - Irish Pub Smoking Ban One Year On
Lars Bevanger looks at the success of the total ban on public smoking in Ireland back in 2004.

Segment 4 - Santa Lives in Sweden...or was it Finland?
As you lick the envelope to send your gift wish list off to Santa, remember, he does not live at the North Pole, he lives in Finland; or was it Sweden? No wait...it’s Norway! Or was it? Radio Sweden looks into where Santa can be located on his downtime.

Download this week's program as an mp3

Art: new and renewed

2006-12-12T20:56:00.000+01:00

This week: a different look at the arts.

Stay tuned in the coming days for some important news about EuroQuest.

Segment 1 - The Study of Sound
Berlin’s University of the Arts has just opened up a new degree course in Sound Studies. Sound Studies is a very appealing idea to us radio makers and so Berlin resident independent producer Cinnamon Nippard went for a look, I mean, a listen.

Segment 2 - The Rise of the Lithuanian Film Industry (not in Newshole Edition)
Lithuania is a highly skilled and inexpensive alternative to filming in London or Los Angeles. Now they’re filming a new movie about the life of Pope John Paul II and Sabina Casagrande was there.

Segment 3 - Treating Gaming Addiction
Smith and Jones is an Amsterdam clinic that has opened Europe’s first treatment center for gaming addicts. The clinic’s director told Fiona Campbell that about 1 million youngsters are susceptible to getting seriously hooked in Holland alone.

Segment 4 - Greatest Yeats Exhibition Opens in Dublin
A major exhibition just opened in Dublin where you can learn about Yeats’ life, loves, his surprisingly active interest in the occult and yes, there’s even some poetry. Louise Williams drew inspiration in Dublin.

Click here to download the program as an mp3

Trafficked!

2006-12-06T13:34:00.000+01:00

This program is a repeat from last February

Human trafficking is on the rise in Europe and throughout
the world. This week's EuroQuest looks at the problem and what's being done to combat its spread.

To the right is Anna Ziverte. As she is the star witness in a number of has cases the Dutch government has pending against human traffickers, she has understandably turned her back to the camera.
Click here for a full article about her ordeal as well as an interview in both Real and Windows Media formats.

Segment 1 - Turkey Fights Sex Slavery
The UN’s Organization for Migration has set up an emergency telephone line for trafficked women. Fifty-two women have been saved this way since its launch last year. Dorian Jones has more from Istanbul.

Segment 2 - Anne Ziverte Tells Her Story
After Anna Ziverte was freed from forced sex slavery in Holland, she went to the police. And then, as she told Sarah Johnson, another nightmare began.

Segment 3 - OSCE Special Representative on Combating Trafficking
Jonathan asks Helga Konrad, the OSCEs Special Representative on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, her reaction to our stories from Turkey and the sad tale of Anna Ziverte?
Click here for more information on the OSCE's efforts.

Segment 4 - France Clamps Down on False Marriages
France is clamping down on fraudulent marriages that some immigrants are using to obtain citizenship. As John Laurenson reports from Paris, illegal unions are becoming big business in parts of France.

Download the program as a high quality mp3

SEX....and consequences

2006-11-28T16:46:00.000+01:00

A very sexy EuroQuest this week, but not without something to think about! Read on....

Segment 1 - Red Light District Still Black (content advisory)
RNs Dutch Affairs Editor Saskia van Reenen looks at the reality of legalized prostitution in the Netherlands. The assumption was that legalization would benefit the prostitutes get them better, safer working conditions.
But according to prostitutes organization The Red Thread, shady, semi-legal "escort bureaus" are now taking the place of the legalized brothels, and sex workers are no better off than they were before.

Segment 2 - Forced Prostitution in Germany
At the time of the world cup there were fears that as many as 40,000 sex slaves would be trafficked to Germany to take advantage of the event. Mike Mühlberger reports that the International Organization found it was impossible to put an exact figure on trafficking.

Segment 3 - Feminist Porn in Berlin (content advisory)
Some feminists argue that women actually like porn, that is why some female industry insiders are getting behind the camera - to reclaim their positions in front of it.Cinnamon Nippard reports from the first Porn Film Festival held in Berlin.

Segment 4 - The Emotional Consequences of Terminating an Abnormal Fetus
A Dutch report concludes that parents who decide to terminate their pregnancy because of a serious birth defect of the fetus often experience serious feelings of doubt, failure and guilt. Barry Thorne investigates the trauma of the medical abortion of a much-wanted child.

Download this program as an mp3

Back to Belsen Part 2

2006-11-21T12:56:00.000+01:00

This week, Berthe Meijer and 70 other Dutch Bergen Belsen survivors return to the remains of the camp to inaugaurate a memorial plaque that some feel comes decades too late. Plus, a mini integration theme with a look at Dublin's ever increasing Polish population and a story of how Italy is integrating its Chinese community.

Segment 1 - Back to Belsen Part 2
Berthe Meijer is a holocaust survivor. Last week she told us how, in 1943, in Nazi occupied Holland, she, her sister, mother and father were rounded up by the Nazi’s and sent to Camp Westerbork in the Netherlands and then on to Bergen Belsen in Germany where she would spend the rest of the war. Last month, 61 years later, she and 69 other Dutch survivors returned to the site of the camp to inaugurate a new Dutch memorial. Today Berthe is going back to Belsen.

Segment 2 - Warsaw on the Liffey: Polish Immigrants in Ireland
When the EU took in ten new members in 2004, Ireland was one of only three countries to open its borders right away to workers from these states. Since then, about a quarter of a million immigrants flooded into an Irish population of only about four million. Perro de Jong tried to find out what has become of the newest Irish residents.

Segment 3 - Chinese Integrate to Italy
Dany Mitzman saw first hand how an organization based in the small town of Carpi, near Modena, has been running a project for contacting and legalizing Chinese businesses.

Click here to download the program as a high quality mp3

Back to Belsen Part 1

2006-11-14T23:52:00.000+01:00

Something different this week. Most of the program is devoted to a woman named Berthe Meijer. Berte is a holocaust survivor. In 1943, in Nazi occupied Holland, she, her sister, mother and father were rounded up by the Nazi’s and sent to Camp Westerbork in the Netherlands and then onto Bergen Belsen in Germany where she would spend the rest of the war. When the Russian Army freed her in 1945, she was just 7 years old. Berte tells her story. It is the story of the horrors of the holocaust, told through the eyes of child. Next week Berte, along with 70 other survivors, return to Belsen for the first time in 61 years, to inaugurate a new Dutch memorial.

Segment 2 - Lithuanian School of Yiddish
The University of Vilnius’s Yiddish Institute was the first Yiddish center of higher learning to be established in post-Holocaust Eastern Europe. It is working to preserve and further the East European Jewish language and culture. Sabina Casagrande went for a visit.

Listen to this week's program as a high quality mp3

The Far Out Far Right

2006-11-09T16:50:00.000+01:00

At right, Jean Marie le Pen is running for President of France again. Does the far right candidate stand a chance of winning, or at least upsetting the election like he did last time? No one knows of course, but sometimes it seems like all of Europe is rushing rightwards. We discuss in this week's show.

Segment 1 - After French Law and Pamuk’s Win, Turkey Lurches to the Right
Turkey correspondent Dorian Jones discusses with Jonathan Groubert how Orhan Pamuks Nobel Prize win and the new French bill making it illegal to suggest that Turkey did NOT commit the genocide of a million Armenians have made Turkeys politics lurch to the right.

Segment 2 - How Far Out Are the Dutch Far Right?
Jonathan and Hague correspondent Andy Clark discuss the bevy of colorful characters populating the new Dutch right as they compete for seats in next Dutch parliamentary elections.

He of the Mozart hair. At left, far right policitian Geert Wilders will try to take his and even more parliamentary seats in this month's Dutch elections.

Segment 3 - Why the Extreme Right Wing Is So Popular in Flanders
The extreme right wing party Vlaams Belang or Flemish interest partyregularly gets over 30% of the Flemish electorate voting for them. Jonathan and Belgian political commentator Stefan Walrave discuss their success.

Segment 4 - Jean Marie Le Pen Ready for French Election
RFI reporter Hannah Godfrey asks if National Front leader, Jean Marie Le Pen, can succeed in the next French election.

Segment 5 - A Musical Look at Reforming the UN (not available in Newshole Version)
Our Barry Thorne has been hearing some very different music about what direction the UN should be going in.

Download this week's show as an mp3

Sorry about the delay!

2006-11-09T09:02:00.000+01:00

I'll post the show some time later today!
My apologies!

Questions of Morality

2006-10-31T12:58:00.000+01:00

At right, Internet hipsters

This week guest host and producer Daniel Frankl and Sarah Johnson examine questions of morality facing Europe today.

Fighting for the right to say No
The Desertion rate within the British forces has doubled since start of the Iraq war in 2003. Lars Bevanger listens to the story of one deserter having to fight his conscience as well as the enemy.
The Washington Post has a roundup of the coverage on this issue.

Questions of conscience in Turkey
In Turkey every man has to serve 18 months in the army. While normally an honor, a small group of new objectors are standing up and ending up behind bars. Dorian Jones takes up the story of one individual.

Norway’s (Paradise) Prison
Around 110 male prisoners live on the island of Bastøy in excellent conditions. As Guy Degen reports, they are given an extraordinary degree of freedom, trust and responsibility.
Another interesting article on the prison.

The Open Enclosed Nuns
The nuns of the Matris Domini Convent in Italy are bringing a new meaning to the word Enclosed. In fact they are now taking one giant virtual leap into the outside world, all the way into cyber space! Dany Mitzman reports.
Yes, of course, they have a site.

Download this program as an mp3

EuroFauna

2006-10-24T17:21:00.000+02:00

Delicious intruder: the Red King Crab

Or should it be called "Animals Gone Wild".
Guest host Daniel Frankl and producer Sarah Johnson provide you with a selection of stories about our spiny, furry, shelled friends. Enjoy.

Segment 1 - Underwater Advance of the Red King Crab
Armies of Red King Crabs are marching westwards along Norway’s coast, devouring everything, upsetting fishermen & environmentalists. But, as Lars Bevanger reports, they are as mouth-watering as they are controversial.
Concern from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.

Segment 2 - Festival of the Snail
Every summer, the people of Casumaro hold a huge snail festival – the sagra della lumaca – attracting visitors from all over Italy and beyond. Dany Mitzman was there.

Segment 3 - Pig Heaven
Dafne Westerhof runs the so-called "Promised Land for Pigs" in Amsterdam. She believes that its possible to communicate with pigs, and that they are good for our stress levels. Anne Blair Gould set off to pig heaven.

Segment 4 - Cow Cuddling
A farming family in the Dutch countryside is offering their cows up for a cuddle. Queenie Scholtes went down to join in on one of their group cuddling sessions.

Click here to download the program as an mp3

Alienation in an Alien Nation

2006-10-17T21:18:00.001+02:00

At left, a screen shot from the film Submission. It's director, Theo van Gogh, was consequently murdered by the Dutch born Moroccan Muslim, Mohammed Bouyeri.

How do young Muslim men, born and bread in Europe, become fundamentalists? We discuss in this week's EuroQuest.

Segment 1 - Muslim Radicalization Expert Atef Handy: Part 1
Jonathan Groubert interviews Muslim Radicalization Expert Atef Handy, who wrote a report on how Dutch born Muslims turn against society and embrace Muslim fundamentalism.

Segment 2 - Ahmed Dadou Pleads the Case of Holland’s Young Moroccan Male
No part of the Dutch Muslim community is more maligned that the young Moroccan male. Jonathan Groubert asks Ahmed Dadou, an articulate spokesman for the Dutch Moroccan Community, what he thought was alienating his peers.

Segment 3 - Muslim Radicalization Expert Atef Handy: Part 2
Jonathan Groubert interviews Muslim Radicalization Expert Atef Handy: Part 2

Segment 4 - German Islam Summit/Mozart Opera
The German government met Muslim community officials for the first Islam summit. It was billed as a rational discussion meant to enhance relations and improve the integration of Muslims into German society. And then, it all got a bit weird.

Segment 5 - Indigene
A new film telling the story of North Africans who fought to liberate France in World War Two, is opening up a forgotten chapter in French history. Alasdair Sanford went to see the film.

Download the program as an mp3

European Disunion

2006-10-10T20:17:00.000+02:00

At right: Worth the money? The European Parliament in Strasbourg.

It used to be only the British who were the Euroskeptics. Now it seems to be a sport open to all. Does the EU have a future or is the game over? European Disunion in this week's EuroQuest.

Segment 1 - RNW’s Brussels Correspondent Discusses EU Disunity
Jonathan Groubert and Brussels correspondent Vanessa Mock mull over the causes and consequences of the current crisis in confidence in the EU.

Segment 2 - Swedish MEP Campaigns to Get Euro Parliament Out of Strasbourg
The European Parliament is located in Brussels. It also spends 4 days a month in Strasbourg. The OneSeat campaign this is a great waste of time and money. Jonathan Groubert speaks to Swedish Member of European Parliament Cecilia Malmstrom , of OneSeat.

Segment 3 - Will Turkey Ever Join the EU?
Jonathan Groubert discusses the countrys recent disinterest in joining the EU with Turkey correspondent Dorian Jones.
Turkey EU Accession bid site.

Segment 4 - Is Spain’s EU Love Affair Over?
Now structural funds from the EU are about to head east to the new and even poorer member states like Hungary and Poland, Danny Wood wonders out loud if Spaniards think that the best days of their relationship with Europe are over?
Spain's page at the EU's official Web Site.

Download the program as a high quality mp3

EYE SPY!!!

2006-10-03T22:48:00.000+02:00

Should governments spy on their citizens? Is giving up some freedom in the name of security worth it? This week's EuroQuest wonders out loud if European governments are spying on their own citizens in the same way the American government has attempted in NSA spying scandal.

Cees Hamelink on European Personal Spying Part 1
Jonathan Groubert interviews Internet privacy expert and ethicist Professor Cees Hamelink of the University of Amsterdam on new European surveillance laws.

French Privacy under Pressure
RFI’s Alice Moss investigates the problematic elements of new French anti-terrorism security measures.

Hamelink on European Personal Spying Part 2
Cees Hamelink returns, comments on the French situation and discusses the ethics of potential new European-wide security measures.

Russian Dissdent Claims Russia is Ruled by Spies
Former Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky explains why he thinks Russia is being run by the security services. And how the war in Chechnya got them there. The interview was conducted by Margreet Strijbos and produced by Jonathan Groubert.

Click here to download the program as a high quality mp3.

Feel free to comment below

Singing the Praises

2006-09-26T20:25:00.000+02:00

Songs with an unexpected religious twist in this week's show. At left, she's sexy; she's hip hop; she's klezmer! She's Sophie Solomon and she's making Klezmer kinda...well...hot!

Madonna Concert Deemed Blasphemous by Dutch Christians
A Pew Study on European Values says just 21% of Europeans say religion is "very important" to them. So, if that’s the case, why did Dutch Protestants protest a recent Madonna concert? Jonathan Groubert reports...
Read more on this here....

French Evangelicals
Promising miracles, joyful gospel singing and rebaptisms, the Evangelical and Charismatic churches are growing and growing. One American preacher just finished a week in Paris. The meetings were unprecedented both in size and in style. Alison Hird pulled up a pew.

Turkish Islamic Pop
Yeshil, the latest Turkish music craze, joins pious Islam with wicked guitar licks. Dorian Jones meets the king of Yeshil pop in Istanbul. And asks what this unlikely musical fusion says about modern Turkey.

Vienna Boys’ Choir Sing Talking Heads
The Vienna Boys Choir is steeped in tradition. But as Louise Potterton recently heard with her own ears, a more modern sound has been wafting from the eaves of the baroque palace where the boys live and rehearse.

Klezmer the New Cool: Sophie Solomon
Currently on tour with her new band in Europe, Cinnamon Nippard caught up with violinist Sophie Solomon who fearlessly joins Hip Hop with Klezmer.

Click here to download this week's program as a high quality mp3

The Price at the Pump

2006-09-19T15:09:00.000+02:00

This is how this week's program germinated. It was pretty simple really. I filled up my 13 year old Renault 19's tank with gas, it was particularly empty, and saw the counter soar up to 60 Euros! That's $75 folks! I got pissed off. I wanted answers. And I got some. This week: The Price at the Pump.

The Expert Says Oil Prices are Right
The top 5 oil companies combined made 112 billion dollars last year. At the same time, they’re claiming to be in trouble. What’s going on here? Jonathan Groubert asks Dr. Coby van der Linden of the Clingendael Energy Institute why the price at the pump is so high.
Click here to go to the site of the Clingendael Energy Institute
Royal Dutch Shell's Sustainability Reports

Environmentalist Spins Oil Profits
Jonathan Groubert interviews Hannah Griffiths, Royal Dutch Shell expert at the environmental group, Friends of the Earth. She points out that oil company profits

Norway’s Arctic Oil Bonanza
Norway is exploiting new gas fields in the Barents Sea, much to the consternation of environmentalists and joy of the locals. Lars Bevanger reports from Lillehammer.

Segment 4 - Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan Pipeline Opens
Americans outflanking the Russians. Wars in the Caucuses. Turkey currying favor with the EU. Jonathan Groubert interviews Dorian Jones about the woes and benefits of Turkeys part in the oil pipeline that hopes to avoid the Middle East and sideline Russia.

Click here to download the program as a high quality mp3

The Last Best of the Quest: Letting the Past Catch Up

2006-09-13T09:59:00.000+02:00

And we should let the past catch up with us. Case in point: Warsaw's massive Palace of Culture and Science. A prime example of Socialist Realist architecture that is so instantly recognizable in former Soviet satellites. It was a gift to Poland from Joseph Stalin. As a result, many were as ambivalent about it as Romanian's were about Ceaucescu's Palace (see post Nov. 21). Remember all those scenes from spy movies or newsreels of party gatherings in gigantic auditoriums? Warsaw's is here. When Pope John Paul II decided to make his move and give a speech in support of the Solidarity Labor Movement in the 80s, he did that in the square in front of this building, taking advantage of its obvious symbolism.

Once it dominated the city, but today it shares the skyline with modern steel and glass towers. This thing is, it's still a great building. And it has secrets waiting to be explored.

Did you know there's a Museum of Technology in there? It is massive and deceptive. At first I walked in fully expecting to see a laughable holdover from the socialist past. And indeed, I chuckled at the ancient, cracked display cases that must have looked outdated the day they were put up. The signs were stained, hand written Polish with the odd misspelled English word. But as I walked from room to room, I began to realize that this Museum had a rare and utterly complete collection of technologies. Oh yes, there was the requisite emphasis on factories, but in the form gigantic working scale models.

Another section boasted a collection of computers, from a Commodore 64 to a Kray supercomputer and socialist models totally unknown in the West. Strolling through a section on historical typewriters, I nearly whizzed past an enigma device, the German encoder/decoder so important during WWII.

Today they are opening a Museum of Communism. I can think of no more fitting place to let the past catch up.
You can hear more about it in last week's EuroQuest.

Segment 1 - British Public Service announcements
Does the public really need instructions on the proper operation of a handkerchief? The British government thought so back in 1945 and produced a film on that and other so-called public service matters. The British national archive has pooled together a number of these films and has placed them online. Want to see them for yourself? Click here.

2 - The Slovak Artist and Vincent van Gogh
Thousands of people have made pilgrimages to the house in Nuenen, where Vincent van Gogh grew up. But only one of them has actually met Vincent, in a way. Helene Michaud tells the weird and wonderful tale of the two Vincents.

Segment 3 - Warsaw Palace of Culture Revisited
The Palace of Culture in Warsaw, with its monstrous size and audacious architecture, is a tourist attraction and a moneymaker. But, as Michal Kubicki explains, it was a gift from Josef Stalin, meant to glorify socialism.

Please click here to download the program in high quality:
The Podcast of EuroQuest can be downloaded at:
PodNova
And the Yahoo Podcast Beta
As always, you can leave comments
below.

Best of the Quest Part 5 = Living Apart Together Part 2

2006-09-05T18:18:00.001+02:00

The Red Head Dead? The End of the Red Head? Can it be? Read On.

Segment 1 - French ‘Grande Ecole’ Recruits Minorities
Five years ago France’s Institute of Political Studies decided it was time to change the resolutely white, upper class profile of its student body, and reach out to the untouchables of French society. Frank Browning filed this profile of the Institute.
Science-Po's Official Site

Segment 2 - Colonial France Rehabilitated?
French colonialism still has repercussions to this day. After all, many of the young men burning cars in the French suburbs were the sons of immigrants from the former empire. So, should France be proud of its colonial past? Nick Champeaux reports.

Segment 3 - Germans Have Hard Time Integrating to Holland
Mira Peeters from the University of Nijmegen wrote her doctoral thesis on the integration of German immigrants. She found that most Germans have a hard time feeling Dutch, and that the Dutch themselves aren’t really helping. Thijs Westerbeek reports.
Interesting discussion continues on the EXPATICA web site.

Segment 4 - End of the Red Head?
Can it really be true that, as a result of migration and ethnic mixing, there will be no redheads in 50 years time? Kathy Clugston spoke with dr. Eric Sistemans.
Kathy wrote an article with picture of people with genuinely red hair!

Click here to download the program as a high quality mp3

Best of the Quest: Living Apart Together Part 1

2006-08-29T11:42:00.000+02:00

We're "Living Apart Together" in this week's EuroQuest....or alongside or in parallel or whatever. The point is...we are not actually communicating or commisserating or whatever. Take Cyprus. That island has been divided since 1974. It seems that, for some, this division has become a state of being and end in itself, rather than a temporary blip in the island's long history. While it seems most on both sides want to see this state of affairs ended, Cyprus is proof that a status quo is hard to shake loose. But, sometimes, an odd but outstanding event comes along that makes people think and adds to the drumbeat for change. One of those events is in this week's EuroQuest. Listen and enjoy.

Segment 1 - The Last Yugoslavs
Jonathan Groubert tells the story of his first visit to Belgrade and an ethnically surprising tour of the biggest Orthodox church in the Balkans.

At right, Sveti Sava, the bitggest Orthodox Church in the
Balkans.

Segment 2 - Turkey’s Armenian Orphans Dorian Jones goes with a Turkish filmmaker as she researches the history or of one of those orphans -- her grandmother.

Segment 3 - Cypriot Musical Colloboration Unites Divided City The Mediterranean Island of Cyprus has been divided ever since the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974. It is precisely this divide that was the subject of a recent musical collaboration between Greek and Turkish Cypriot musicians. Tabitha Morgan was there.

Segment 4 - French Boarding School for Kids from the Projects Ever since the riots, much thought has been given to what can be done about the ennui amongst the immigrant youth in the French housing projects. One solution is boarding schools for the poor. John Laurenson reports from Lyons.

Click here to download this week's program as a high quality mp3

As always, you can leave comments below.

Man's Best Buddy

2006-08-24T07:40:00.001+02:00

Buddies of all shapes, sizes and species! At right that means the Norwegians at Longyearbyen on the near Arctic island of Svalbard (at right) and their Russian neighbors at Barentsburg (lower left). Two very different places, yet somehow they manage to meet, in a cultural kind of way.

Segment 1 - Burger Buddies
The Dutch Burger Buddy project pairs those in power with those on the street, in the hope that small personal contacts will help further understanding. Harry te Riele told Louise Dunne why he volunteered to buddy with, in his case, a civil servant.
The program's site is in Dutch, but if you're interested, here it is...

Segment 2 - Warm Neighbors in a Cold, Cold Place
Lars Bevanger reports on how the peoples of the modern and extraordinarily affluent Norwegian town of Longyearbyen and the poor Russian mining town of Barentsburg overcome economic and political barriers through an exchange of culture.
The Svalbard Pages!

Segment 3 - Dolphin Therapy for Autism Sufferers
Dolphins can help children with Down’s syndrome and autism to concentrate and develop cognitive and social skills. A Dutch project has begun to prove the effectiveness of this ‘dolphin-aided’ therapy. Thijs Westerbeek has more.

Segment 4 - Luxury Dog Kennels
For many people, when it come to one’s pet, nothing is too expensive, nothing is too rare, too good for one’s pet. So when it’s time to take that well-earned break, why not send your canine surrogate child on a holiday of its own. Penny Young went along to see for herself.
Want to book? Here's the site of the Third Bridge Holiday Home for Dogs...

Click here to download as a high quality mp3

I'm Back!

2006-08-24T07:31:00.000+02:00

Ostrog, an Orthodox monestary built into the side of a mountain, just north of the Montenegran capital Podgorica. Not only is it ancient and eerie, but to get there you have to drive up the single most dangerous road I've ever been on. Worth the trip, but not for the fainthearted.

I'm back from Montenegro and Bosnia where I holidayed and visited my inlaws respectivley. Fascinating places nearly devoid of easy Internet access (get to work on that guys). This explains last week's rather meager posting. But it's business as usual this week.

End of holiday special!

2006-08-16T11:47:00.001+02:00

I,m in Montenegro struggling with this Slavic keyboard, so no extra info this week. I,m going back to the beach. Hope your holiday is heavenly. I know mine,s been interesting.

Segment 1 - Dutch Caravan CrazeWherever you drive through Europe, there they are, the family car straining to pull a massive camper up the Alps, through the Provence, and down to the Spanish Coasts. All Europeans do it, but none more so than the Dutch. Jonathan Groubert reports.-

Segment 2 - Camping and Nudity Go Well Together in Germany
In Germany, nudism is a normal part of camping. Mike Mühlberger explains and visits a few campgrounds himself. Aren’t you glad this is radio?

Segment 3 - Bulgaria: Up and Coming Holiday DestinationBulgaria’s subtropical Black Sea Coast has created a building boom. But environmentalists there claim vast areas of natural beauty are being ruined. Malcolm Brabant put on his skivvies and filed this story.

Segment 4 - La Rentree: the French Get Back to WorkIf you are in France just don’t try to get anything done in August. The French have checked out while the tourists checked in. But they’re back. Well, kind of. Marjorie van Halteren explains…

End of Holiday Special

2006-08-16T11:47:00.000+02:00

The Best of the Quest Part 1: Sound Advice

2006-08-09T00:08:00.000+02:00

A bunch of blowhards...

I'm away for the month of August and part of September so enjoy this 6 part series of repeats known as the "Best of the Quest"! This week a second chance to hear the program themed "Sound Advice". Don't forget to comment and...enjoy!

The Evolution of Music
How did we go from the songs of Gibbons to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony? And for what evolutionary reason? Madeline Amberger attempts to answer while attending “From Perception to Performance”, the second international conference on the neurosciences and music.

Recorders Made Exciting
Can the recorder be exotic and sexy? The Quartet New Generation, or QNG, a recorder collective, is trying to break down stereotypes about contemporary classical music. Sarah Elzas has this profile.
The QNG has a wonderful site as does Sarah Elzas.

The Haunting Song of the Sami
Jana Mange is a member of Sweden’s indigenous Sami and also one of Sweden’s few professional singers of Joik or traditional Sami songs. She tells Radio Sweden all about the Joik tradition.
Folksy Links has a compendium of Nordic Music for the enthusiast.

Romanian Noise Pollution
Radio Romania’s Iulian Muresan explains how Bucharest’s development has turned into a noisy din. Its the kind of noise that can even damage your health.
Iulian Muresan's day job is at Radio Romania International.

Click here to download the program as a high quality mp3 file!

Pedophilia

2006-08-01T23:32:00.000+02:00

Are these gentlemen, the leaders of the Dutch political group the Party for Love, Freedom and Brotherly Love, brave beacons of democracy or just plain old pedophiles? Listen to this week's program and decide for yourself.

Segment 1 - Release of Pedophile Causes Irish Controversy
Protests in front of the Irish Parliament follow a High Court decision to allow early release from jail of a pedophile. For EuroQuest, Louise Williams was at the day of protest in Dublin.

Segment 2 - Fighting Child Porn on the Internet
Reporting of child porn on the Internet has increased. But at the same time child porn on the web is becoming more extreme and the culprits are finding ways to hide porn sites from the police. Cormac Callanan of the organization Inhope, says there’s no telling how much child porn is on the Internet.
Click here for a link to Inhope

Segment 3 - Polygraphy in the Fight Against Child Pornography
Since the beginning of this year the lie detector has become a regular tool used in sex offender therapy in the Netherlands. Critics say the lie detector can’t be trusted and so the method should not be used. Michel Walraven reports.

Segment 4 - Holland’s Pedophilia Party
Martijn Uitenbogaard and his new Party for Brotherly love, freedom and diversity, want to work to reduce the age of consent in the Netherlands from 16 to 12. I asked Martijn Uitenbogaard exactly why he decided to openly take this issue on…
The party has a website. It is all in Dutch...

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