This page features brief excerpts of stories published by the mainstream
media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously
biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in
each source note. Quotation marks are not used.
Source: Shreveport Times (LA)
Nov 2, 2009
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., has taken up a banner of history that has fallen, at least on the field of battle.
She and fellow Democratic Sen. Jim Webb, of Virginia, have introduced the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission Act of 2009 “to establish a Commission to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War,” a release from her office states.
“We must remember the legacies of the Civil War,” Landrieu said. “The United States emerged completely altered after t
Source: Voice of America
Nov 2, 2009
November 9th marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Most analysts and historians agree that former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev played a pivotal role in the events leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond. His policies of "perestroika" - restructuring - and "glasnost," or openness, paved the way for the dissolution of communist power in Eastern Europe and ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Robert Le
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
Nov 2, 2009
When Barack Obama campaigned for president, the first-term senator from Illinois set a high bar for himself. Making history as the first African-American to occupy the Oval Office almost seemed beside the point. In Reaganesque fashion, he wanted to transform America.
Then the financial markets collapsed. The economy teetered on the edge. By the time Mr. Obama was elected, almost one year ago, an anxious nation was ready for answers. Could Washington stave off a full-fledged depressi
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Nov 2, 2009
"For young people, the Communist era is as exotic as ancient Greece," said Anna Dzierzgowska, a history teacher in Warsaw.
"We are lucky not to have to wear uniforms, observe army-style discipline, have our hair cut for school and admire Lenin," Clara Dimitrova, a high school student from Sofia, said with relief.
What students learn in school often clashes with the memories of their disillusioned parents, who struggled during the transition to democ
Source: NBC
Nov 2, 2009
Sept. 9, 1963: In this interview on NBC’s Huntley-Brinkley report, President John F. Kennedy—fresh off his 'victory' in the Cuban missile crisis—discusses U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
Hear more excerpts from never-before-released tapes of President John Kennedy discussing Vietnam policy.
Source: McClatchy
Nov 2, 2009
ARLINGTON, Texas — Rick Kupke was busy encrypting classified messages inside the U.S. Embassy in Tehran when the Marine Corps guard yelled over the radio, "They're coming over the wall!"
Hundreds of Iranian student protesters were scaling the 7-foot wall around the embassy and making their way into the building through the tear gas being sprayed.
It was Nov. 4, 1979, and the administrative officer told Kupke to send a telegram to the State Department saying,
Source: BBC
Nov 2, 2009
The ancient Nazca people of Peru are famous for the lines they drew in the desert depicting strange animal forms.
A further mystery is what happened to this once great civilisation, which suddenly vanished 1500 years ago.
Now a team of archaeologists have found the demise of the Nazca society was linked in part to the fate of a tree.
Analysing plant remains they reveal how the destruction of forests containing the huarango tree crossed a tipping point, ca
Source: WSJ
Nov 2, 2009
Sandwiched in between China and India, two of the world's biggest new sources of energy demand, Myanmar is believed to have significant untapped reserves of natural gas. But its tangled history of government restrictions and, more recently, allegations of human-rights violations have limited outside investment to develop its resources.
The country now known as Myanmar was one of the world's first oil producers, with some exports as early as 1853. Foreign investment followed, with si
Source: WSJ
Nov 2, 2009
LEWIS RUN, Pa. -- Tuesday, voters in this small borough, population 573, will decide whether one of the longest-lasting, though little-known, political teams will stay together.
Mayor Albert Montecalvo and his right-hand man, Council President Frank Langianese, both 87 years old, are up for re-election, seeking their 15th and 16th terms. The pair, who were next-door neighbors as children, have worked together for 56 years on matters like water, sewer and garbage collection.
Source: Yahoo News
Nov 2, 2009
WASHINGTON – Federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald famously declared in the Valerie Plame affair that "there is a cloud over the vice president." Last week's release of an FBI interview summary of Dick Cheney's answers in the criminal investigation underscores why Fitzgerald felt that way.
On 72 occasions, according to the 28-page FBI summary, Cheney equivocated to the FBI during his lengthy May 2004 interview, saying he could not be certain in his answers to questions abo
Source: NYT
Nov 2, 2009
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday said it would not review a case arising from the 1964 kidnapping and killing of two black teenagers along the Mississippi-Louisiana border, an episode that continues to stir legal debate as it stokes memories of the ugliest racism.
The court declined to take the case of James F. Seale, a cancer-stricken former Ku Klux Klan member now in his mid-70s, who was convicted more than three decades after the deaths of Charles E. Moore and Henry H. De
Source: Yahoo News
Nov 2, 2009
LONDON – Women faced their share of trouble at the Tower of London, including three queens who were beheaded there.
But treachery has long been considered a thing of the past at the notorious 11th century fortress. At least until now.
If charges made Monday are true, the Tower — a popular tourist attraction and home to Britain's Crown Jewels — will add bullying to the list of foul deeds committed there. The victim: the first woman selected to join the all-male ranks of
Source: Pew Research Center
Nov 2, 2009
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, most of the publics of former Iron Curtain countries look back approvingly at the collapse of communism. Both east and west Germans express positive opinions about reunification. But the enthusiasm about these changes has waned.
The Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project surveyed nearly 15,000 people in the U.S. and 13 European nations: Britain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Russi
Source: Press Release--Francis Gary Powers Jr.
Nov 2, 2009
The November 1 issue of the Cold War Times is now posted for viewing online at www.coldwartimes.com. Over the past decade, the Cold War Museum has made great strides in honoring Cold War veterans and preserving Cold War history. I am writing to provide you with a brief update.
Location, Location, Location
Progress continues with our efforts to find a permanent home for The Cold War Museum. When negotiations ceased with Fairfax C
Source: Times (UK)
Nov 2, 2009
Three greying men, one in a wheelchair, one leaning on a stick, shuffled on to a theatre stage normally occupied by high-kicking chorus girls to discuss old times — the good old days when the Berlin Wall came down and they were in charge of the world.
The 20 years since have taken their toll on Mikhail Gorbachev, George Bush Sr and Helmut Kohl, but this weekend they were determined to celebrate and be celebrated.
Margaret Thatcher, regarded by many as one of the key p
Source: Times (UK)
Nov 2, 2009
The USS New York, a new battleship built with steel from the World Trade Center, sailed into New York harbour today on its maiden voyage and delivered a 21-gun salute near Ground Zero.
The $1 billion US Navy assault vessel, whose bow includes 7.5 tonnes of steel recycled from the 2001 terror attack, will be officially commissioned in its namesake city on Saturday.
Rescue workers and families of those killed in the attack gathered on the Manhattan waterfront to watch t
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Nov 2, 2009
"For young people, the Communist era is as exotic as ancient Greece," said Anna Dzierzgowska, a history teacher in Warsaw.
"We are lucky not to have to wear uniforms, observe army-style discipline, have our hair cut for school and admire Lenin," Clara Dimitrova, a high school student from Sofia, said with relief.
What students learn in school often clashes with the memories of their disillusioned parents, who struggled during the transition to demo
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Nov 2, 2009
The former Bosnian Serb president boycotted the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague again but agreed to attend a hearing on Tuesday aimed at continuing the trial without him unless he takes his place in the dock.
Alan Tieger, the UN prosecutor, concluded his case, begun last week, by accusing Mr Karadzic of personal responsibility for "one of humanity's dark chapters", the slaughter of over 7,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica.
"He was in
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Nov 2, 2009
Stained glass windows overlooking the tomb of Edward, Prince of Wales, were destroyed by Puritan iconoclasts in the 1640s, allowing damaging UV rays to enter the cathedral unfiltered. Since then, clear replacements have been installed and the deterioration of the paintwork on the 14th century canopy surrounding the prince's resting place has continued.
The brilliant colours of the artworks that look down on the bronze figure of the prince are fading rapidly and the red pigment used
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Nov 2, 2009
The mayor of Rome, who would play a pivotal role in organizing the event, said the beatification of John Paul is expected to take place "at the latest" by 2010.
Speaking on a visit to Krakow, in the former Pope's native Poland, Gianni Alemmano said: "These are internal decisions (for the Vatican) but it is expected to take place at the latest by next year."
Vatican observers say the most likely date for the beatification would be April next year, on
