Oct 1st, 2009 at 8:30PM:
Today, October 1st, marks the 60th anniversary of communist rule in China - an era that has been defined with great success and development for the country. Leaders in Beijing and 30,000 specially invited guests observed the day with an epic celebration that was reported to be larger in scale than the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games. Visitors and residents of Beijing had limited access ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
communism posts
Communist China celebrates 60th anniversary
Oct 1st, 2009 at 8:30PM:
Today, October 1st, marks the 60th anniversary of communist rule in China - an era that has been defined with great success and development for the country. Leaders in Beijing and 30,000 specially invited guests observed the day with an epic celebration that was reported to be larger in scale than the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games. Visitors and residents of Beijing had limited access ...June 4 trial date for American journalists in North Korea
Outsiders not welcome at Chinese spy museum
May 2nd, 2009 at 9:00AM: Foreigners keep out!
Committed to preserving national secrets, the new Jiangsu National Security Education Museum in Nanjing is only open to Chinese citizens. So, if you want to see guns embedded in lipstick, maps hidden in decks of cards and other accoutrements of the spy trade (or, "tradecraft," as spies over here call it), you have to have the right passport.
Most of the items on display are ...Travel read: Around the Bloc
Dec 21st, 2008 at 11:00AM: I stumbled upon Stephanie Elizondo Griest's writing on a stopover in New York City. She was reading from her third and most recent travel-related book, Mexican Enough: My Life Between the Borderlines, at Book Culture near Columbia University. I was immediately struck by her engaging use of language and her savvy presence. It's a pleasant sight to behold a young, female traveler and writer who is ...Where did the commies go?
Sep 23rd, 2008 at 10:00AM: With September came the near fall of another Communitst leader, as Kim Jong Il, dictator over North Korea vanished from the limelight, joining his Cuban counterpart Fidel Castro in the murky depths of unknown, fiercely hidden ailments. The realist in me knows that both leaders are gravely ill. Kim Jong Il is said to have suffered a stroke early this month and hasn't since been seen in public -- ...Beijing forces vehicle traffic to halve, subways choke
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Jul 22nd, 2008 at 11:00AM: The great thing about running a communist state is that you can dream up and enforce any crazy rule you want -- and the people can't do anything about it. China, scrambling to clean up its image as the Olympics draw closer, has been making changes to the landscape left and right -- beautifying Beijing, planting flowers and cleaning up the streets. This week, in an effort to clean up the ...Bolshoi in Russia: Lenin, Stalin and other marketing icons still alive and kicking
May 31st, 2008 at 5:00PM: I have always wanted to see Russia. Growing up in a satellite communist country, with the Soviet Union--the occupying force--pitched as the Evil of all Evils, it took me a while before I thought I could honestly visit the country with an open mind. Nineteen years after the end of communism in Central Europe, to be exact.
Needless to say, I grew up imprinted with a lot of stereotypes about Russia ...Infiltrating North Korea Part 19: A Final Word
Dec 24th, 2007 at 10:00AM: Infiltrating North Korea is a 19-part series exploring the world's most reclusive nation and its bizarre, anachronistic way of life. To start reading at the beginning of the series, be sure to click here. Although it was a short trip of only five days, my time in North Korea proved to be one of the most fascinating journeys I've ever taken. This brief glimpse into the world's most reclusive ...Why Everyone Should Fly Aeroflot Once in Their Life
Oct 1st, 2007 at 8:30AM: Russia's national carrier, Aeroflot, has made a lot of progress in the last few years. Once abhorred by the general public as a "dangerous" carrier (although their record is no more tarnished than any domestic airline), a few new Airbus aircraft, superjets and an international advertising campaign have surged the company into the present. Now you too can enjoy the paltry legroom in coach, ...A Canadian in Beijing: 798 Arts District Accepts the Cultural Baton
Jun 8th, 2007 at 7:00PM:
The arts district of Beijing is called the "798" district. That's its address, to be precise. It's technically in "Da Shan Zi ???" (which is the area of the city) and this complex used to be a series of factories that have now all been converted to galleries and cafes. It's quite beautiful and peaceful there and I have been meaning to tell you about it for a while. My friend and I took the bus ...Future Travel to Cuba Possibly Easier
Dec 5th, 2006 at 9:40AM: Ever since I saw the Buena Vista Social Club, I was sold on getting to Cuba. It wasn't just about wanting to watch tiny old woman roll fat cigars anymore or about chilling on some cool Cuban coastline with a cocktail anymore. That movie made me what to explore the bottomless depths of the music scene. Or should I say musicia? The songs, the dance, the history and the lives of the people swaying to ...
