PHOTOGRAPHY: Worth a Look: “Our World At War” by the photographers of VII and the International Committee of the Red Cross (vafoto.com)

VII and the International Committee of the Red Cross have just unveiled their globe-spanning project documenting current humanitarian crises, “Our World At War.” The work includes: Lebanon by Franco Pagetti, Afghanistan by James Nachtwey, Haiti by Ron Haviv, Caucasus by Antonin Kratochvil, Liberia by Christopher Morris, Colombia by Franco Pagetti, Philippines by James Nachtwey, and Congo by Ron Haviv.

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Caucasus seen by Antonin Kratochil >>>

ARTICLE: Stalins vergessene Villen. Von Simon Sebag Montefiore

Er liebte riesige Bäder, lud zu Grillpartys ein und hatte in jedem Haus ein Heimkino: Josef Stalin verbrachte seinen Urlaub in prunkvollen Residenzen am Schwarzen Meer. Sein Biograph Simon Sebag Montefiore hat sie wiederentdeckt ...

Der ganze Text bei WELT-online: Diktatoren legen sich oft gleich eine Reihe von Wohnsitzen zu

Ruins of Stalin's summer-house by the lake Ritsa (2004-07-074)

Lake Ritsa (2004-07-069)

Lake Ritsa is the deepest lake in Abkhazia (116 m) and rich in trout. Mountains with heights of 2200 to 3500 m surround the lake. Many specimens of the Nordmann Fir, which reach heights of over 70 meters (230 feet), are found around lake Ritsa. Six rivers flow into the lake and one flows out (Lupshara river).

Photos by Vyacheslav Stepanyuchenko

http://www.argenberg.com/ (Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation)

Gagra (2004) (Set)

BOOKS & ARTS: Stalin
The makings of a monster
The early years of the Great TerroristMay 17th 2007 (Economist.de)