City Matters
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Transnistrian customs in Pervomaisk. Photo by Донор (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
Why Russia’s War May Soon Spread to Moldova and Transnistria
There is growing concern that Moldova and Transnistria could be dragged into Russia’s war against Ukraine. Read more
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Vendors selling books and roses fill the streets and squares of Barcelona on Sant Jordi's day. Photo by Mònica Moreno courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
Saints and Lovers: Catalunya's Sant Jordi's Day
Every April 23rd, Catalunya celebrates love and remembers the legend of a man who killed a dragon to save a damsel in distress. Read more
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Gavà's Asparagus: Tradition and Taste
Every year the Fira d’Espàrrecs Gavà celebrates the area's traditional farming methods and the famous white asparagus that is grown there. Read more
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U.S. volunteers in Spain, spring 1938. New York University's Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives.
Ukraine’s Foreign Fighters Have Little in Common with Those Who Signed up to Fight in the Spanish Civil War
If there is one way in which the Ukrainian analogy with Spain applies, it is the tragic way the country is being used as a proxy in a battle between the world’s great powers. Read more
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Església de Sant Pere Nolasc. Photo by Vicente Zambrano González courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
The Bells of Barcelona
While other forms of marking time’s passage are now more common, the ringing of bells still has something to tell us. Read more
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Russian troops completely destroyed his house in Markhalivka. Source UAnimals March 11, 2022 ROLDA FB Page.
The War in Ukraine Is Powerfully Magnifying Our Love for Animals
Domesticated animals are affected by almost every human decision and those involving violence most of all, whether they’re hidden in factory farms or captured by the lenses of photographers and broadcast globally. Read more
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What Would a No-Fly Zone in Ukraine Mean?
To be effective, no-fly zones require a credible threat of a military action if a target country violates banned airspace and sends aircraft into this area. In other words, a country that declares a no-fly zone must then be ready to enforce it. Read more
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Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in 2015. Image courtesy of Kremlin.ru (CC BY 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
3 Reasons Belarus Is Helping Russia Wage War against Ukraine
One politician, Alexander Lukashenko, has ruled Belarus with a draconian hand for the last 28 years, with no interruption in power. And now, Lukashenko is supporting Russia in the war in Ukraine. Read more
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Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, photo by Veismont (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
Military Action in Radioactive Chernobyl Could Be Dangerous for People and the Environment
The site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukraine has been surrounded for more than three decades by a 2,600-square-kilometer exclusion zone that keeps people out. Read more
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"Gegants" are brought from Sant Cugat to l'ermita de Sant Medir for the Sant Medir's Day celebrations. Photo by Jordi Garcia (CC BY NC 2.0)
Sant Medir, the Revered Saint of… Sweets?
Every year on March 3rd the Barcelona neighborhoods of Gràcia, Sarrià, Sant Gervasi and La Bordeta explode in what has come to be known as "la festa més dolça"—the sweetest festival. Read more
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