· September, 2008

Stories about History from September, 2008

Ukraine: How Russian is the Crimea?

  30 September 2008

The 8th Circle discusses the Crimea and Ukrainian fears of a Russian secessionist movement, arguing that the peninsula could be compared to other European regions, which today could not be imagined seceding. He also refers to a new book on this theme by Ukrainian writer Taras Kuzio.

Bahamas: Culture of Agriculture

  29 September 2008

“There’s a myth, see, in the world, see, that says that technology is hierarchically stacked and that agriculture is better than horticulture which is better than foraging and fishing…and in this world, it’s true that agriculture failed in The Bahamas. But what nobody tells you is why it failed.”: Nicolette...

Dominica: Independence

  29 September 2008

Dominica Weekly posts photos from the opening ceremony of the island's 30th anniversary of independence.

Haiti: More than Charity

  27 September 2008

Haiti Reborn reports that the country's president is calling for “more than just ‘charitable’ contributions to Haiti's recovery.”

Cuba: Back to Normal?

  27 September 2008

Things appear to be getting back to normal in Cuba post-Hurricane Ike, but Generation Y questions the definition of “normalcy”: “I do not believe that a month ago we had anything resembling ‘normal.’ Furthermore, in the three decades that I have under my belt I do not think I have...

Nigeria: Post-independece political scene

  27 September 2008

Omo Taylor analyses Nigeria's post-independence political scene: “Forty-eight years on, I muse, Nigeria is gripped tightly by what I would call demonised Democracy. A government of the people in most cases, by sneaky, snaky, money-corrupt, weak, scheming, power-corrupt, sugar tongued vipers; who have no inkling about ruling the people in...

Taiwan: The Return of Local Cinema

  26 September 2008

This summer, Taiwanese cinema is not only celebrating a comeback, but is also shining like the sun. No matter how strongly the typhoon hits Taiwan, movie theaters are witnessing hundreds, if not thousands, of people waiting in line just for the new film, “Cape No.7“. The movie became a blockbuster...

Saudi Arabia: Part of the tribe

  24 September 2008

Saudiwoman explains the significance of belonging to a tribe in Saudi Arabia: “To urban families, being called Bedouin has connotations of being unrefined and unruly. And in Bedouin families, being called an urban essentially means sissy.”

Japan: Takeda Castle, the Japanese Machu Pichu

  23 September 2008

An entry entitled “Japan's Machu Pichu? The ruins of Takeda Castle, Castle to the Heavens” [ja] posted at Tomorrowearth.com has an incredible set of photos (more here, here and here) of an abandoned castle in Asago city, Hyōgo Prefecture. More pictures and a map of the castle ruins here [ja].

Ukraine: Critique of a Text on NATO Membership

  22 September 2008

The 8th Circle posts a detailed critique of Jeffrey Tayler’s piece in The Atlantic: “[…] in the process of attempting to make the case against Ukraine’s membership in NATO, Tayler resorts (consciously or not) to claims that are either: misleading or factually inaccurate and/or are highly improbable to be true...

Jamaica: Portia Prevails

  22 September 2008

Both Active Voice and My View of JamDown from Up So blog about former Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller's victory over “the unprecedented leadership challenge by long-time party stalwart Dr. Peter Phillips.”

Jamaica: Slaves

  22 September 2008

Jamaican Geoffrey Philp has “had enough of these latter day heroes whose bravery exists only in their febrile imaginations. They denigrate the memory of our ancestors who sucked salt, bore the whip and the yoke of slavery, and invented stories in the dark so that one day their children could...