The second edition of the book by archaeologist Ivan Šprajc, a considerably enlarged version of the first edition published in 2009, is a first-person narrative of his explorations in the Maya area. ...Written by a distinguished expert and published in German in 2015, with an English translation currently in press in the USA, it is an adventurous story presenting in a reader-friendly way the incidents, difficulties, dangers, and triumphs experienced by an archaeologist in the tropical forest of southeastern Mexico. The thematically rounded episodes following the chronological order of Sprajc's expeditions include interesting information about the life of the ancient Maya, about their settlements, economy, social order, religious life, politics, and the emergence, development, and collapse of their civilization, as well as about the lives of their modern descendants, the technological advances of archaeology, and Mexico's concern for cultural heritage. The book is equipped with an overview map and a wealth of photographic material.Publication of this book was made possible by generous gifts from Slovenian supporters of Šprajc’s expeditions: Abanka, Ars longa, Adria kombi, and National Geographic Slovenia (Rokus Klett Publishing House).
Od samog početka takozvanog Arapskog proljeća u zimu 2010. godine različiti izvori povlače usporedbe s padom komunizma i demokratizacijom Istočne Europe 1989/1991. Čak je i sam naziv ovog političkog ...fenomena sličan nazivima političkih promjena u komunističkoj Istočnoj Europi. Usporedba s Istočnom Europom bila je snažno naglašavana, a argumenti koji tom toku misli idu u prilog imaju neku težinu. Međutim, članak tvrdi da, zbog iznimne specifičnosti komunističkih režima u Istočnoj Europi, usporedba s Arapskim proljećem nije u potpunosti adekvatna. Istočna Europa prošla je kroz trostruku tranziciju i bila je pod jakim utjecajem želje da se pridruži Europskoj uniji, za razliku od Sjeverne Afrike. Zbog toga članak tvrdi kako je demokratizacija Srednje Amerike daleko adekvatnija za usporedbu sa zemljama Arapskog proljeća.