Stories about History from September, 2008
Bulgaria, Macedonia: Rapprochement Through Literature
Yavor Mihaylov reports on how Bulgarian and Macedonian bloggers, through literature, have contributed more to the improvement of the Bulgarian-Macedonian relations than the Bulgarian and Macedonian governments from the recent years.
Turkey: Armenian Sport in the Ottoman Empire
“For the first time in the history of Turkish Olympic Games, two Armenian sportsmen Vahram Papazian and Mkrtich Mkryan represented Ottoman Turkey in the Fifth International Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912,” writes Turkish blogger, Mavi Boncuk, as he announces an exhibit at the Armenian Genocide Museum on “Armenian Sport...
Uzbekistan: Tashkent 2200
Manshuron continues a series of photo-response by the bloggers to the call for pictures of Tashkent to celebrate the 2200th anniversary of the Uzbekistan's capital city.
Armenia: Football Diplomacy & Relations with Turkey
A number of World Cup qualifying matches were played worldwide on Saturday, but many were interested in what might instead prove to be a historic political rather than sporting event. Without diplomatic relations or an open border, Armenia played against Turkey in its capital, Yerevan. Despite historical grievances, Turkish President Abdullah Gul arrived to watch the match with his Armenian counterpart in what many referred to as “football diplomacy.”
The Balkans: Florence Hartmann and the ICTY
Greater Surbiton writes about the case of Florence Hartmann, former spokeswoman for ICTY chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte, recently indicted “for allegedly disclosing classified information relating to the proceedings against Slobodan Milosevic.”
Haiti, Bahamas: Hurricane Hanna
Haiti didn't need another tropical storm, far less another hurricane. As Hanna descended upon the island, she brought with her more rains, more flooding and more death.
Japan: Cup Ramen Museum
Peter Payne from Japundit blogs about the cup ramen museum in Osaka.
Russia: St. Pete Remembers Beslan
A few photos from a Beslan commemoration event in St. Petersburg – by LJ user alter-gregor (RUS).
Abkhazia: Vacation Photos
Vacation photos from Abkhazia, by LJ user zyalt – here, here, here and here.
Turkey: Drawing Parallels to Tough Political Women
Erkan's Field Diary compares vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin to former Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Çiller stating that “she of course confirms a cliché. In order to move up as a female, you have to acquire ‘masculine’ traits…. “
Haiti: Political Propaganda
The Haitian Blogger refers to an article that ran in a mainstream Egyptian newspaper to make the point that “the human rights of Haitians are violated daily by the international community.”
Jamaica: ‘Bata’ Bouncers
“Nothing seemed to say ‘made in Jamaica’ as much as Bata”: Long Bench discovers the roots of the shoe brand that saw her through her school years and realises “there’s a little bit of us in what we consume.”
Armenia: An Unprecedented Football Match
A Fistful of Euros comments on this weekend's World Cup qualifying match between Armenia and Turkey in Yerevan. Although there are no diplomatic relations between the two countries, and as the border remains closed, the blog considers the event, which will also be attended by the Turkish President, Abdullah Gul,...
Russia: Four Years Since The End of Beslan School Siege
Natalia Antonova writes this on the fourth anniversary of the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis: “And, for many of us, the world has not been the same since. That’s all I can say about it, really. Although, even though I’ve linked to C.J. Chivers’ “The School” before, I’ll go ahead...
Armenia: Nagorno Karabakh Independence Marked, Anti-Turkish Protests Planned
While the international media concerns itself with the two breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia, bloggers reminds their readers that yesterday marked the 17th anniversary of the declaration of independence by another self-declared republic in the South Caucasus — Nagorno Karabakh. Marking the occasion in Yerevan also gave one political party the opportunity to declare its intention to stage street protests when the Turkish president arrives in Armenia this weekend.
Taiwan: The flying saucer houses will be torn down
These flying saucer houses, as the Chiang-Kai-Shek Memorial, were built in 1970s...They are very special architectures. We can observe how architects tried to free themselves from the mainstream palace-like buildings. On the other hand, at the end of 1970, Taiwan just overcame the challenge of oil crisis and embraced the economic growth. Taiwanese finally had more income and higher life quality. The presence of the flying saucer houses as resorts shows that people in those days had some money to spend on new and fancy activities as other people in developed countries.
Russia: Riverboat Trip Report
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis posts a photo report from a riverboat trip to Kazan, Cheboksary, Kozmodemyansk, Nizhny Novgorod and a few other places.
Russia: Re-Writing History, Again
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about yet another attempt to re-write Russian history.
Ossetia, Georgia, Russia: History
“A little about history of Ossetia and Georgia” – at De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis.
Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Obama & Race
Notes from Port of Spain asks, “How much does it matter that Barack Obama is black?”
Czech Republic: Children's Playgrounds and Ice Cream
Dr. Sean's Diary writes about children's playgrounds in Brno and the Polish-made ice cream featuring “Helena Vondráčková, the politically conformist 1960s pop diva turned stalwart of normalization era light entertainment.”
