Gisèle Mounzer of esri, a brilliant company that specializes in mapping, has published a map of the travels of Odysseus in his ten-year journey from Troy to Ithaca. It uses a modern-day map of the Mediterranean and points out the various stops on his journey. It is impossible to verify the accuracy of the map, but the map itself is an extraordinary window into a great work of art.
There was a bomb attack at the central train station in Volgograd (known as Stalingrad during the Soviet era), Russia. Authorities believe that the attack was carried out by a female suicide bomber associated with a Islamic movement in the Caucasus. There has been a spike in violence in the region as rebels appear to be trying to disrupt daily life in Russia as the Winter Olympic games in Sochi get close to opening. Female suicide bombers are known as “black widows” by Russian authorities as they try to avenge the deaths of their husbands or loved ones at the hands of the Russian police or military.
Violence is breaking out in Bangladesh as elections near. The ruling Awami Party, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has been rocked by the refusal of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to participate in the elections. The BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, believe that the elections will be rigged and are refusing to participate in protest. Hasina and Zia are longtime rivals, and their personal animosity toward each other is a major part of the deadlock. THe violence, however, will serve to undermine the legitimacy of the Bangladeshi state.
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