Stories: History
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Reviving Shinto: Prime Minister Abe Tends Special Place in Japan’s Soul
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s deep adoration for the Ise Grand Shrine, the most sacred Shinto site in Japan, is no secret. He visits every New Year and reportedly even postponed a cabinet meeting in 2013 to attend a ceremony on its hallowed ground. So when Mr. Abe announced this summer that the 2016 summit of the Group of Seven...
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First Impressions of Ethiopia
I arrived early Sunday morning into Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, after a long haul flight from home. My day began Saturday at 3 am and after two fights totaling 16 hours I found myself in Africa’s highest capital Addis Ababa which translates into “new flower”. Street shots of Addis Ababa The earliest people living in...
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Why I Am Grateful for Traveling to Africa
I have written before that only a few short years ago I never wanted to visit Africa because I believed what the media fed me about the continent. I believed that Africa was full of child soldiers and brutal dictators. Ibelieved that diseases were rife across the continent. I believed that every country...
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Kazakhstan’s Painful Nuclear Past Looms Large Over Its Energy Future
As international attention continues to focus on the nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran, a less-discussed Asian country has quietly emerged as a leader in responsible nuclear development: Kazakhstan. In addition to its much-praised stint hosting last month's international talks on the Iranian nuclear program, Kazakhstan is now in talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency ...