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Mimar Sinan;
16th century
Ottoman Architect
Mimar Sinan born a Christian in Anatolia, from either a Greek or Armenian background, was conscripted into Ottoman service in 1511, and converted to Islam. He was the chief Ottoman architect to four sultans. Sinan worked in seismic, as well as political, fault zones, and his buildings are famous for their earthquake resistance. His extraordinary output included 146 mosques.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 12:38 PM on August 14, 2008
(7 comments)
By its own admission
the US government is currently detaining at least 26,000 people without trial in secret prisons, and information suggests up to 80,000 have been ‘through the system’ since 2001.
even 200 years ago, there was a general insistence that prisoners be charged with and convicted of a crime before they could be condemned to the lower decks of an aging naval ship.
(
prison hulks previously ).
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 3:33 AM on June 4, 2008
(43 comments)
Tul Karem’s refugee camp, the time, if I remember correctly, Chanukah 2003, it was to execute there about 9 people. Sorry, I don’t remember the pretense we were given for the mission.
From Shovrim Shtika or
Breaking the Silence where Israeli soldiers confess the horror they have visited on
Hebron
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 11:45 PM on April 21, 2008
(13 comments)
Riding The Tiger;
Muqtada al-Sadr and the American Dilemma in Iraq is the final chapter of
Patrick Cockburn's new book.
Seymour Hersh has called Cockburn, who writes for the British paper, The Independent, "quite simply, the best Western journalist at work in Iraq today."
Meanwhile al - Sadr has
called off his million man march for now.
Juan Cole asks: What if the US military presence is juvenilizing the Iraqis and prolonging the civil war?
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 3:50 AM on April 9, 2008
(29 comments)
British Political Cartoonists have always had a certain "
edge". Also seen
here,
and again
here.
The UK Guardian's cartoonist
Steve Bell (each cartoon has its related news story) was first noted for his cartoon
"If.." starting pre Falkland's war, and starring a cast including God, Margaret Thatcher and a
Penguin.
Here is some of his earlier
work.
Political Cartoon
history
includes A Cartoonist's
response to the events of 9/11 by
Martin Rowson, also from the Guardian.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 2:20 PM on March 11, 2008
(12 comments)
Small is Beautiful - The best new journals.
(
via Guardian / Observer) selected by
Stephanie Merritt. "Published out of tiny offices or even editors' apartments, funded by grants, donations or founders' savings, distributed by direct subscription or in selected independent bookshops, paying contributors little or nothing at all, these magazines have nevertheless attracted such eminent writers as to give them an international reputation far beyond their limited circulation."
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 10:18 AM on December 30, 2007
(29 comments)
Walking the Dog
"All photos in this gallery were taken within a radius of about
3 miles of our home in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, mostly one handed while hanging on to an impatient dog with the other hand."
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 7:15 AM on November 28, 2007
(20 comments)
End of Empire
: A collaboration of all areas of geopolitics affecting countries of the world in relation to the 'Empire' of the United States of America, and the 'sub-Empires', such as the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and any other country which seeks to exploit poorer nations and their people in the quest for domination.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 6:15 AM on November 27, 2007
(11 comments)
The Guajurati State Government has been
directly implicated in a massacre of over 2,000 moslems during riots in 2002.
There has been surprisingly little coverage by
world news media. via
pickledpolitics a British based SE Asian current affairs / political
blog.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 9:19 AM on October 30, 2007
(22 comments)
The quicker you succeed the better.
Declassified documents show Secretary of State Kissenger
gave a green light to the Argentine Junta, whilest Rev. Christián González
aka Christián von Wernich, also leant a hand, showing that The Catholic Church's involvement with fascism and the Dirty War was far from dead. The Vatican was instrumental in
witholding detail. The
Desaparecidos probably exceeded
12,000.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 6:25 AM on October 10, 2007
(9 comments)
Nicolas Chorier
takes stunning photos of a wide range of subjects and themes using
Kite Aerial Photography. Be sure to click on the India link on the editions button as well as Uzbekistan.
Another Frenchman,
Arthur Batut (click "Le cerf-volant) took the first Kite Aerial Photograph in 1888. Here are some
resources should you wish to try this out.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 4:53 AM on September 24, 2007
(7 comments)
Underfire;
images from the Vietnam war. Some photographers never made it out:
Dana Stone,
Henri Huet,
Sean Flynn.
Tim Page is still alive and his photos tell the story of
'Fire in the Jungle".
Several of these almost forgotten legends hung out at
Franki's House at one time or another.
Page, Stone and Flyn were all friends of Michael Herr who wrote about them and the war in
Dispatches which was widely acclaimed and acknowledged by Hunter S. Thompson as
puts the rest of us in the shade.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 2:37 AM on August 8, 2007
(14 comments)
Accessing JStor would greatly improve both my mental life and my historical research. However there are a few problems. I live in Spain and I am not accredited to any Institution of learning so popping down to my local library is not an option.
Does anyone have any suggestions.? Email in profile.
posted to Ask Metafilter by adamvasco
at 4:25 AM on May 31, 2007
(11 comments)
Two podcasts from the BBC.
Around the world, by every measure, America's reputation and image has never been so poor.
Part 1: Venezuela; Part 2: Turkey
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 11:18 AM on May 9, 2007
(43 comments)
No fairytales allowed;
Lawyer Clive Stafford Smith has 36 clients in Guantanamo and has visited many times. This is an extract from a new book where he argues that secrecy is a disease. A
further extract explors the surreal world of the prison's media relations, where the only journalist with real access is one of the inmates. Stafford Smith was one of the narrators is this excellent recent
FPP. Here is the
site of his UK organisation.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 12:43 PM on April 22, 2007
(6 comments)
"How to" write a web page. Easy advice for a n00b.
posted to Ask Metafilter by adamvasco
at 8:09 AM on April 11, 2007
(14 comments)
A 70 year old friend has just started chemo for third time in two years. The side effect which really gets him is that for the first week / 10 days everything has a really horrible metallic taste.
posted to Ask Metafilter by adamvasco
at 10:15 AM on April 1, 2007
(13 comments)
Australia: the new 51st state
John Howard's servility to the US is even greater than Tony Blair's. "John Pilger," wrote Harold Pinter, "unearths, with steely attention facts, the filthy truth. I salute him."
via New Statesman.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 3:01 AM on March 5, 2007
(40 comments)
Right Web
, founded in 2003, is a program of the International Relations Center (IRC) that tracks the work of those, in and outside of government, who have been instrumental in shaping or supporting U.S. policies in the global war on terror, also has the archives of
Group watch (1985-1991), which profiled more than 125 private, quasi-governmental, and religious organizations that were closely associated with the implementation of U.S. foreign policy, especially in Central America.
Profiles of Right wing
individuals,
organisations,
corporate, and
government.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 11:52 AM on February 5, 2007
(9 comments)
Pushtunwali:
Thieves, murderers, rapists; and how the Pushtuns' ancient tribal code is fighting for survival against radical Islam.
via The Economist. More about Puhktuns and Puhktunistan and some history together with a brief explanation of Afghan ethnic groups. There is an interesting discussion of the main article on Sunni Forum.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 2:25 AM on December 28, 2006
(21 comments)
New "Hi - tech" passport cracked.
Standards for the new passports were set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (
ICAO) in 2003 and adopted by the waiver countries and the US. The UK Home Office has adopted a very high encryption technology called
3DES - that is, to a military-level data-encryption standard times three. However they used non-secret information actually published in the passport to create a 'secret key'. That is the equivalent of installing a solid steel front door to your house and then putting the key under the mat.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 3:49 AM on November 17, 2006
(53 comments)
The UN reports
“ Up to a million
cluster bomblets discharged by Israel in its conflict with Hezbollah remain unexploded in southern Lebanon."
"
What's shocking" (Read down) and quote "
I would say completely immoral is that 90 percent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict when we knew there would be a resolution, when we knew there would be an end. Most of them are from America." who may
ban future sales.
Some people are campaigning. A
brief history (Scroll down). Bravo Belgium.
An unexpected
link between books and bombs.
Last discussion.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 6:59 AM on September 27, 2006
(156 comments)
Esfahan
is home to the
Blue Mosque and other buildings with their unique
blue tiles which are beautifully shown in
photographs
by flickr's
horizon.
Esfahan is a world heritage site and is home to many examples of traditional Persian Architecture which is made up of
eight traditional forms which taken together form the foundation on which it was based in the same way that
music
was once based on a finite number of notes.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 7:15 AM on August 10, 2006
(19 comments)
Black Hawk Down Revisited
: (newsfilter) giving cladstine support to the warlords, The American Operation is in breach of the United Nations’ arms embargo on Somalia and therefore in breach of international law. The islamists are
claiming victory in Mogadishu. Meanwhile the Somali "leader"
sacks Ministers. While the people .... well what do they matter
anyway. There's always
more from Somali News.
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 6:16 AM on June 5, 2006
(14 comments)
The World Challenge
aims to find individuals or groups from around the world who have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. It could be you or someone you know. (
via bbc)
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco
at 3:42 AM on May 31, 2006
(5 comments)
