· January, 2007

Stories about History from January, 2007

Kurdistance: The Kirkuk Referendum

  31 January 2007

While the Kirkuk Referendum isn't expected to take place until December 2007, it is creating waves within Kurdistan, Iraq and their neighbors. Why the flurry of activity now? The Iraq Study Report recommended that the referendum be delayed, citing the the area as a “powderkeg”. The Republic of Turkey wants...

Guatemala: Unearthing the Future

  30 January 2007

Xeni Jardin, best known for her writing at BoingBoing has also been blogging her recent travels in Guatemala including a five-part series for NPR called ‘Guatemala: Unearthing the Future.’ Patrick of the Guatemalan Solidarity Network expands on Jardin's first piece titled, “Group Works to Identify Remains in Guatemala.”

Czech Rebublic: Dechovka Music

  30 January 2007

NvB: Bored in Brno writes about dechovka music and posts a YouTube video of Eva and Vasek, “the most successful musical group in the [Czech] Republic from the standpoint of record sales”: “Happy listening! And remember, every Czech is not just a musician but also a dancer.”

India: In Korlai

  30 January 2007

Trivial Matters on Korlai, with some wonderful photographs. “You would be surprised to hear that I am not in Korlai for the views or even the crisp Arabian Sea breeze. I am in Korlai, in a search for haunted forts, fallen churches and a lost Portuguese Creole soon to disappear.”

Swahili Blogosphere: CIA's Role in the Zanzibar Revolution, Bloggers Association, The Wretched of the Earth, and Protesting UK's $12M Secret Payment

  30 January 2007

Following their virtual conference last November, Tanzanian bloggers are currently discussing the details of the organization they are intending to form. A blog has been set up by the interim committe, to facilitate the process. So far, they have chosen the name for the organization, Jumuiya ya Wanablogu Tanzania (the...

Taiwan: textbook debate

  30 January 2007

Micheal Turton from the View from Taiwan gives us more background concerning the change of textbook content in Taiwan: This is part of a continuing wave of pro-Taiwan educational changes that began back in the 1990s with the introduction of Taiwan-focused junior high history texts. In 1997 the Ministry of...

Lebanon: What Does Nasrullah Want?

  29 January 2007

Lebanese blogger Anton Efendi objects to Hassan Nasrullah‘s Ashura speech, saying that the Hizbulla leader “is intent on taking the country to war.” “What was his message to the Shiite community and the Lebanese? It was one of war, death, and suicide. This was best crystallized in a truly disturbing...

Ukraine, Romania: Serpent Island Dispute

  29 January 2007

Ukraine List writes about a Ukrainian-Romanian dispute over Serpent Island: “The island itself is just a small chunk of limestone (.17 km sq.) with a layer of topsoil. […] The geo-political history of the island is a bit complex […].”