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The National Gallery of Armenia

 

The National Gallery of Armenia was close to our hotel, on Republic Square.  It's the largest art museum in Armenia.

In addition to the world's largest collection of Armenian art it has an impressive collection of Russian and Western European art. 

Founded in 1921 under the decree of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic it gained a core of works from Moscow.  In addition to the Armenian State collection and has works from artists of the Armenian diaspora working in Paris, New York, Rome and Beirut. 

The Russian collection is particularly strong, including works by Kandinsky and Chagall. But there are some important pieces of Western European art including the old masters: Donatello, Tintoretto and Canova. I spent several happy hours there.

 

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The National Gallery of Armenia, Republic Square
A pleasant way to spend some time wandering about
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In the same building is the History Museum of Armenia, requiring an extra visit, before we left this delightful city for the long flight home.

 

 

 

 

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Travel

Laos

 

 

The Lao People's Democratic Republic is a communist country, like China to the North and Vietnam with which it shares its Eastern border. 

And like the bordering communist countries, the government has embraced limited private ownership and free market capitalism, in theory.  But there remain powerful vested interests, and residual pockets of political power, particularly in the agricultural sector, and corruption is a significant issue. 

During the past decade tourism has become an important source of income and is now generating around a third of the Nation's domestic product.  Tourism is centred on Luang Prabang and to a lesser extent the Plane of Jars and the capital, Vientiane.

Read more: Laos

Fiction, Recollections & News

The U-2 Incident

 

 

 

In 1960 the Russians shot down an American U-2 spy plane that was overflying and photographing their military bases.  The U-2 Incident was big news when I was in High School and I remember it quite clearly. 

The Incident forms the background to Bridge of Spies a 2015 movie, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance from a screenplay written by Matt Charman together with Ethan and Joel Coen that centres on these true events. 

Spielberg and the Cohen Brothers.  Who could miss it?

 

 

Read more: The U-2 Incident

Opinions and Philosophy

Overthrow and the 'Arab Spring'

 

 

Back in April 2007 I was in Washington DC and wandered into a bookshop for a coffee.  On display was Stephen Kinzer's  National Best Seller: Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq.  So I bought it to read, before bed and on the plane. 

It is a heavily researched and work; very well described by the New York Times as: "A detailed passionate and convincing book... with the pace and grip of a good thriller."  And like a good thriller it was hard to put down.  I can recommend it.

Read more: Overthrow and the 'Arab Spring'

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