http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld the world in your pocket Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:59:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The 2008 Olympics, hosted by China, began on Friday 8th August with a spectacular opening ceremony. Directed by Zhang Yimou, an acclaimed Chinese filmmaker, the ceremony showed scenes representing triumphs from China's past, including famous Chinese inventions such as gunpowder, the compass and paper. Read more in this article from ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/08/10/spectactular-start-to-2008-olympics/ Toyota and Japan Rail are testing an innovative new vehicle for public transport. The vehicles are a cross between train and bus - they have rubber tyres for use on roads and steel wheels for travelling on rails. They can swap from one to the other in less that 15 ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/08/08/road-to-rail-in-15-seconds/ Paddle steamers have been used as river transport in different parts of the United States including the Hudson River in New York State and the Mississippi river in Louisiana. In 1811 the New Orleans was the first steamboat to travel the entire length of the Lower Mississippi River ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/07/29/end-of-an-era-for-americas-paddle-steamers/ Well the obvious answer to this question might be Pakistan. But if you don't live there and can't make a visit what are the options? All Things Pakistan, with the help of its readers, has compiled a list of Best Pakistani Food outside Pakistan. Most of the restaurants listed so ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/07/24/where-to-eat-pakistani-food/ As a country's economy progresses and relative competitiveness shifts in comparison with other countries, inevitably the composition of its job market also changes. Some sectors and industries grow, creating new jobs, whilst others shrink as they become less important or jobs move to other countries who can do it better ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/07/20/americas-changing-work-landscape/ In Iceland soup can be a dessert as well as a first dish. Icelandic magazine DV.is explains this and more in its English language special edition on Icelandic food. It contains recipes and anecdotes about food in Icelandic culture. Check out what did they eat? to read about the diet ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/07/16/sweet-soups-for-icy-weather/ The Darfur horse festival is a traditional Sudanese event. During the festival people perform songs and dances which date from hundreds of year ago. Following years of conflict the horse festival has been revived with a special purpose: to provide a common cultural backdrop for discussing peace and reconciliation in the ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/07/11/darfur-horse-festival/ Russia's economy is booming, helped partly by its $1bn a day in energy exports. This economic success is propelling a new revival in Russian film making, subsidised by the government or private investors, with demand supplied by young working Russians with money to spend. The International Herald Tribune explains that ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/07/09/russian-film-revival/ Hands up if you ever had a t-shirt with Chinese characters on it. Any idea what they meant? Or whether they were even real Chinese? Or you didn't really care, because they just looked cool? This is one of the reasons for the growth of Chinglish, according to Oliver Lutz Radtke. ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/07/04/dedicated-follower-of-chinglish/ Australia is campaigning to get more people to use the bicycle for transport. Unlike in many other countries, women and older people in Australia are less likely to cycle, and the government is keen to change this. The Cycling Promotion Fund encourages Australians to get into cycling as a way ... http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/2008/06/30/australians-get-on-their-bikes/