MetaFilter posts tagged with albania

1989, revolution in Eastern Europe

Kattullus — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:49:20 -0800

The BBC World Service has put together a special report on the 1989 revolutions in Eastern Europe (they also have a simpler portal). There is a wealth of material, including TV reports on key events from the BBC archives, interviews, a map timeline, a report on Catholicism's role in the 1989 revolutions, a first-hand report of what it was like to gather news in East Germany during that time and much more.

Safeguarding Albania's Vulnerable Bull

shoesfullofdust — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:52:08 -0800

"Soon were the lofty peaks of Corcyra lost to view;
We coasted along Epirus, and coming to the Chaonian
Harbour, we drew near Buthrotum, that hill city."
- The Aenid - Book III, Virgil (trans. Cecil Day Lewis)

Founded by Trojans, populated by Chaonians, a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, colonized by the Greeks and Romans, sacked by the Goths, ruled by the Slavs, the Byzantine Empire and the Turks, taken by Manfred of Hohenstaufen, purchased by the Most Serene Republic of Venice, invaded by Ali Pasha and Suleiman the Magnificent, eventually becoming a place of refuge for the likes of Casanova and for hunters and painters, the ancient city of Butrint, a microcosm of Mediterranean history, is a World Heritage Site within a National Park which includes a Wetland of International Importance all of which is being kept alive by a partnership of local, national and international organizations . Come and explore Butrint. Vouthroton, ΒΟΥΘΡΩΤΟΝ - ΒΟΥΣ/Vous = bull + ΤΡΩΤΟΝ/troton = vulnerable (from here). In the Footsteps of Aeneas: Five Years at Butrint from Archaeology Magazine. How the Goddess lost her head: the myth and reality of the looting of Butrint. Butrint National Park is home to some of the world's most endangered species, including the Slender-billed Curlew, the Loggerhead Turtle, the Leatherback Turtle and the Mediterranean Monk Seal. For additional visual stimulation here is a flickr slideshow and a YouTube video.

The Women Who Wore The Pants

EmpressCallipygos — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:23:57 -0800

"Pashe Keqi recalled the day nearly 60 years ago when she decided to become a man." In today's New York Times: an account of the twilight of an ancient Albanian tradition that permitted young women to forever pledge to live as men -- swearing completely off sex and marriage in exchange for greater social, political, and economic freedom. A last few women who took this step are still alive, and still treated as men by their communities.

MetaFilter, Albania

Wolfdog — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:04:05 -0800

MetaFilter: A small city in Albania? This is, to be perfectly clear, a link to a site designed primarily with the intent of getting people to link to it.

Bush's wristwatch gets nabbed.

hafetysazard — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:11:54 -0800

President Bush received a hero's welcome on a recent trip to Albania. This has been the first time a serving U.S. President has visited the country, and it's probably the first time a president has had his wristwatch stolen while shaking hands.

the terms of his employment would be made public in the future

amberglow — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 07:02:34 -0800

Albania to get more corruption, and duct-tape expert-- ... As much as Ridge's security expertise, Berisha wants him to also bring to Albania his "success story" as Governor of Pennsylvania on education, the judiciary, information technology, agriculture and money laundering. ...

the new islamic mafia

thirteenkiller — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 15:11:06 -0800

The New Islamic Mafia - An introduction to Albanian organized crime

Ex-women in Albania.

languagehat — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 09:47:44 -0800

Sworn virgins. "A sworn virgin is called such because she swears—takes a vow under the law of the Kanun—to become a man. From the day she takes this vow (which is sometimes at a very early age), she becomes a man: she dresses like one, acts like one, walks like one, works like one, talks like one, and her family and community treat her as one. She is referred to as he. He will never marry and will remain celibate all of his life." If you find this stuff intriguing, by all means read Alice Munro's great short story "The Albanian Virgin" (from Open Secrets, 1994); you might also want to check out A Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology, and Folk Culture, where there's much more cultural weirdness, and Edith Durham's classic High Albania (online here), from which I first learned of these mannish gals. Oh, and there's a movie!

America and Albania, alliteration buddies

RobbieFal — Thu, 06 Feb 2003 20:34:29 -0800

Our stalwart ally ... Albania? When there is much to be concerned about with America's relations with other nations, it's a relief to see that America and Albania can work together militarily after they spent 45 years aligned against the US. What a difference a few decades could make in foreign relations.

talos — Fri, 01 Nov 2002 03:13:09 -0800

The joke has become reality.
Albanian and Russian observers sent to monitor American elections... [via Cursor]