A day to be reckoned with

I'm sure everyone reading this blog will join me in wishing Azerbaijan a happy National Day today. Yes, this must be an important date in the global calendar because the Japan Times devoted a full broadsheet page to the wonders of the little republic with a big heart complete with gushing and, dare I say it, not undeserved praise of the country that - wait for it - is a blend of East and West/ young and old/ traditional and modern, and, no doubt, little and large/ open and shut/ and over a barrel and under a cloud. But wait, a few pages on I discovered it was also Ethiopia National Day; there was another full page devoted to, er, the wonders of the little republic with a big heart...  and to think that people criticise journalists for always printing negative stories.