Baba Yaga (05/10)
In
A Long, Long Time Ago…And Essentially True, one of the
main characters, Beata, is constantly referred to by the nickname 'Baba Yaga.'
Baba Yaga is a popular figure in Slavic folk tales (
Slavic
language map). Also known as the 'Old Woman
of Autumn,' her origins can be traced back to the ancient Slavic goddesses of birth
...
A Short History of Barcelona (05/10)
Barcelona, Spain's second largest city after Madrid, is the capital of the
Autonomous Community of Catalonia in the North East of Spain (
map) and a major economic center for finance, business, media, arts and international trade. Its location on the Mediterranean coast brings it mild, humid winters and warm, dry summers. ...
John The Revelator, The Person and The Shng (05/10)
The title of Peter Murphy's book is taken from a traditional song about John of Patmos, the name given to the author of the biblical Book of Revelation, who identifies himself as living on the Greek island of Patmos. Scholars date Revelation to between AD 54 and 96 with most believing it
to have been written around AD 95.
In the 2nd...
Vory Tattoos - the mark of a Soviet fraternity of criminals (05/10)
The vory developed a complex series of coded tattoos that are still employed by the vory today. The tattoos have a bluish color and are blurred-looking due to the poor quality implements used to create them. Ink inside the prisons is usually created by burning the heel of a shoe and mixing the soot with urine and shampoo. The tattoos ...
India (04/10)
According to the
U.S. Department of State, India's population is estimated at more than 1.2 billion and is growing at 1.6% a year. It has the world's 12th largest economy - and the third largest in Asia behind Japan and China - with total GDP in 2008 of around $1.2 trillion (which, to put it in context, is less than the USA's budget ...
Bethlem Hospital (03/10)
The Bedlam Hospital that appears in Revelation is no figment of the author’s imagination. It is fashioned after what is perhaps the oldest hospital for the mentally ill in the Western world, Bethlem Hospital in London. Bethlem has also gone by the name Bedlam, the root of the modern English word bedlam, meaning 'uproarious confusion....
King Arthur - history or myth? (03/10)
No one is sure if there was truly a person named Arthur who was a ruler of
the Britons. Evidence for his existence is scant at best.
The first complete account of the life of King Arthur appeared in Historia
Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), written in 1137 -
1138 CE by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Geoffrey surely ...
Korean Picture Brides (02/10)
Korea became the object of Japan's colonial ambitions in the late nineteenth century, culminating in Japan's annexation of the region in 1910. Koreans, escaping the abuse and heavy taxation imposed by the Japanese, began immigrating to Hawaii. Approximately 6000 migrated to the islands between 1906 and 1910, 90% of whom were male. Most ...
The Angel Island Immigration Station (02/10)
In
Shanghai Girls, Pearl and May are incarcerated at the
Angel Island Immigration Station after fleeing war-torn China. Angel Island was the first stop for most Chinese entering the United States during this period; 175,000 were processed there during its thirty years of operation.
Chinese immigration to the United States began in the ...
England's Black Country (02/10)
England's Black Country is currently defined as the West Midlands region encompassing Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell, though the specific borders have been previously debated. The name reputedly derives from the thick Staffordshire coal seam and from the area's industrial past. Once home to steel mills, coal mines, glassworks...
Listening to and Looking at Pakistan (01/10)
This book is Uzma Aslam Khan's third novel. One of her goals as a woman and a Pakistani is to undo formulaic assumptions about her homeland as well as to aid in the struggle for self- ownership, self-representation, and intellectual recognition of women. She writes passionately about this purpose in her essay, '
Women and Fiction Today.'
...
Britain & The USA in World War II (10/09)
Very often a parent gives life to a rebellious child and the two of them
engage in a lifelong love-hate relationship - until, for health or other
reasons, that parent needs help. At that point the prodigal child often returns
to step in at the parent's hour of need; though not always without a little
coaxing. Such was the case ...
A Short History of Kenya (10/09)
The Republic of Kenya is located on the eastern coast of the African continent (
map).
It is approximately 225,000 square miles (580,000 square kilometers), with a
population of 38 million people (2008). The official languages are English &
Swahili, and Nairobi is its capital city. Primary exports include coffee and
tea.
The ...
The History of Russia & The Soviet Union during the first half of the 20th Century (10/09)
The history of Russia and the Soviet Union during the first half of the 20th
century is complex to say the least, characterized by near-constant turmoil. The autocratic
reign of the Tsars came to an end in 1917, sparked by economic hardship
instigated by Russia's involvement in World War I, rapid urban growth, and
the rise of ...
Hammerfest & The Snow White Project (09/09)
Global warming usually suggests images of wild tempests and massive floods, but some countries are trying to tap into what they see as potential benefits of climate change. One of the numerous fascinating places that Stephan Faris visited to collect material for
Forecast is
Hammerfest in northern Norway. Billing itself as the ...
The Great Chicago Fire (08/09)
The Great Chicago Fire burned from about 9pm on October 8th to early on the 10th, 1871. The source of the blaze is unknown; for many years it was believed that the fire was caused by a cow kicking over a lantern, but more than twenty years after the fact the reporter responsible for first publishing this story admitted that he'd made it ...
Afghan Culture and Customs (07/09)
Afghanistan's 33 million
people are made up of more than twenty
ethnic groups with their own distinctive languages and cultural mores. The largest and most dominant of these groups, politically and economically, are the Pashtuns (42% of the population), The second most populous group are the Tajiks (27%). Smaller groups include the Hazaras...
A Short History of Vietnam (07/09)
Vietnam's history has been one of repeated invasions and resistance (
map of Vietnam today). For most of the first millennium AD, Vietnam was controlled by the Chinese. A final rebellion in 938 led to Vietnam achieving independence until the mid 19th century when increasing parts of the country were defeated by the French. The ...
Very Short Histories of Afghanistan & Iraq (06/09)
Iraq and Afghanistan are countries with deep histories and multiple ethnic
and religious citizen groups.
The geographical area that today is
Iraq is regarded by historians as the site of some of the earliest human
civilizations, including the Sumerians (who lived between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers in
Mesopotamia,
a ...
Australian Vernacular (06/09)
Being a novel from 'Oz', the pages of Breath are casually sprinkled with words not found in most non-Australians' vocabularies. While 'blokes' and 'fags' are easily recognized as meaning 'men' and 'cigarettes,' other descriptive terms remain cloaked in obscurity. To counteract this sense of puzzlement, here is a regional translation chart...
Interesting facts about the London Eye (06/09)
The London Eye, the fantastic and graceful Millennium structure that
dominates the skyline of 21st century London, is as much a character in the
novel as Ted, his sister and the mystery.
- It took seven years and the skills of hundreds of people from five
countries to make the London Eye a reality.
- Since opening in 2000, The ...
The Cuban Bolero (05/09)
The Cuban bolero is the first internationally recognized music form to originate in Cuba. Closely related to trovador songs and habaneras, boleros are songs of romance, featuring themes of love and heartbreak. The music is most often slow, sensual and deeply romantic.
The
Cuban bolero
is often confused with the Spanish bolero. The ...
The Bedouin of Saudi Arabia (05/09)
Once the undisputed masters of the desert,
Bedouin tribes have diminished over the last couple of
centuries – mostly due to governments intent on taxation and
political control – to become only about 10% of today's
Saudi population. They are still a distinct sect and
although Nayir al-...
A Short History of Penang (05/09)
Most of the action in
The Gift of Rain occurs on the island of Penang (part of the Malayan state of Penang) situated off the northwest corner of the Malay Peninsula, in the Strait of Malacca (maps of
South-East Asia,
Malaysia and
Penang). The small, turtle-shaped island has a total
area of approximately 293 square kilometers (183 ...
The Fisher House Program (05/09)
War veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are coming back with injuries that would have been fatal a few years ago. Medical advances mean that more young men and women are returning home with serious brain injuries and requiring artificial limbs. These vets need long periods of rehabilitation. To assist them and their families, the...
A Short History of the Channel Islands, including Guernsey (05/09)
The Channel Islands are a group of islands approximately 30 miles off the coast of Normandy, France (
map).
They are organized into two bailiwicks: The Bailiwick of
Guernsey (made of up of the islands of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou and Lihou), and the Bailiwick of Jersey (containing the island of Jersey and a few ...
Sindoor and Arranged Marriages (04/09)
With supreme and economical skill, Jhumpa Lahiri uses only a few cultural signifiers to situate her characters in space and time. Almost all of the mothers in her stories, the women from the older generation who emigrate from India to the United States with their husbands, wear vermilion powder in their hair. Called sindoor, this powder ...
Surrey (04/09)
The landscape in which
The Outcast is set plays a large role in the overall feel of the novel. Much of the story takes place in the county of
Surrey, just south of London. Most of Surrey lies in the 'Green Belt' (a ring of rural land around London protected from excess development), making it a popular place of residence for ...
The Chindits (04/09)
Major General Orde Charles Wingate was a controversial figure in the British
military during WWII. He was abrasive and opinionated, with ideas about warfare
that struck those around him as either idiotic or sheer genius. Many of his
superiors were impressed by him; others thought him a madman.
Wingate was born in India in 1903. ...
Interesting Facts About Botswana (04/09)
Since independence in 1966, the former British Protectorate of Bechuanaland has transformed itself from one of the continent's poorest nations into one of its most prosperous. Botswana (
map) has vast diamond wealth which has underpinned this boom (Jwaneng, the world's largest and richest diamond mine, was discovered when termites looking ...
Beaufort Castle and the Four Mothers Movement (02/09)
Beaufort Castle, the setting for
Beaufort, sits on a high, rocky outcropping in southern Lebanon (
map). Known in Arabic as Shqif Arnun ('High Rock'), it soars 1000 meters (more than 3000 feet) above the Litani River Valley. Its commanding,
360-degree views have made it perfectly suited for a command post or lookout, and it has been used ...
East Prussia (02/09)
The Central European region known as Prussia extended from the
south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to the
Masurian Lake District which is now divided between Poland, Russia, and
Lithuania. East Prussia was a province in the Eastern part of the region
which, along with the rest of Prussia, became part of the German Empire during...
A Short History of Mongolia (11/08)
Mongolia (
map)
is located in Northern Asia between China and Russia. It should not be
confused with the Mongol autonomous region of the People's Republic of China
(known as Inner Mongolia), which is located in the north of China, bordering
southern Mongolia.
The name 'Mongol' was first recorded by the Chinese during the Tang ...
A Short History of Afghanistan (11/08)
Afghanistan lies on the historically important trading routes between the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent. As a result of numerous invasions and migrations it is made up of many different ethnic groups including Baluch, Chahar Aimak, Turkmen, Hazara, Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Nuristani, Arab, Kirghiz, Pashai and Persian.
Historically...
About The Dreamtime (11/08)
In
Lost Paradise, Nooteboom introduces us to Alma and Almut, best friends barely
out of teenagehood, as they leave their childhood homes in Sao Paulo, Brazil for
Australia. They're on a rather listless quest in search of The Dreamtime, an
Aboriginal concept of creation and spiritual existence with which the two best
friends have ...
The Lost Empire of Khazaria (10/08)
Khazaria (
map) was an empire founded by semi-nomadic Turks in the 7th century. Khazaria was a strong ally of the Byzantine Empire and enemies of the Crimean Goths. By the time of its decline in the 10th century, Khazaria covered much of what is now southern Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the ...
A Short History of Haiti (09/08)
The Republic of Haiti occupies about one-third of the island of Hispaniola (the second largest island in the Carribean;
map); the remainder being the Dominican Republic (Hayti means
mountainous land in the native Arawak* language).
In 1697, the French colonized the island and imported African slaves to work the lush coffee and sugar ...
A Short History of the Dominican Republic (09/08)
The Dominican Republic occupies two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti (
map). Claimed by Christopher Columbus in 1492, Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which became ...
Laos and the Hmong (09/08)
A Brief History of Laos
The Lao People's Democratic Republic, commonly known as Laos (sounds like
'louse') is located in South-East Asia where it is sandwiched by Vietnam on
the East and Thailand on the West. It shares its northern border with
China and Burma/Myanmar, and its southern border with Cambodia (
map).
It's population...
A Short History of Saudi Arabia (09/08)
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia covers an area about the third of the size of
the USA, and occupies most of the Arabian peninsula (
map),
most of which is desert.
Its population is about 27 million, of which 5 million are foreigners
(technicians, merchants, diplomats and soldiers). 90% of citizens are
Arabs and all are Muslims (...
A Short History of Jamaica (09/08)
The island nation of
Jamaica is in the Greater Antilles about 385 northeast of the Central American mainland, and about 90 miles south of Cuba. Within a century of Columbus sailing the ocean blue and the subsequent Spanish occupation of the island in 1494, the native Arawaks (who called the island Xaymaca) had effectively died out, due to ...
The Republic of Sierra Leone (08/08)
The Republic of Sierra Leone is a small country with a population of about 5.3 million on the west coast of Africa bordered by Guinea and Liberia. The life expectancy of men is 39 years and women 42 years. The name is an adaptation of the Portuguese, 'serra leoa' (lion mountains). During the 18th century it was an important center for the...
Rankin Inlet & The Inuit (08/08)
Rankin Inlet (
picture)
has a population of about 2,200.
It is located on the 63rd
parallel on the west shore of
Hudson Bay (
map)
approximately 1,100 miles north
of Winnipeg in the recently
formed territory of Nunavut,
which was ...
A Short History of Lebanon (08/08)
The area now known as Lebanon (
map) was settled by the seafaring Phoenicians (also known as Caananites) around 3,500 BCE. They established city states such as Beirut, Tyre and Sidon. Over the next five millennia the area would come under the control of numerous empires including the Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader and ...
Yiddish Theatre in America (07/08)
More than 200 Yiddish theatre troupes performed in the United States between 1890 and 1940 (
photo of a theater group in 1909). In their heyday in the 1920s, twelve troupes resided in New York City alone, with 22 Yiddish theatres on the Lower East Side, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. Their repertoires spanned a variety of genres including ...
Silk, and The Silk Road (07/08)
The Silk Road (
map) starts at the western gate of old Changan in
Xian which, in the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), was the greatest city in the world. The Xian municipality commissioned a red sandstone sculpture of twice life-size camels in commemoration, but the site is now engulfed by a supermarket - so the camels have been relocated to a ...
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