Blade | International

The unique life of The Blade’s voice in Europe; For nearly 40 years, Fernand Auberjonois brought the world to Toledo

Posted on February 6, 2000 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page A1 BANDON, IRELAND — When Fernand Auberjonois does his daily shopping around the narrow little streets of this Irish town, he gets a polite nod and a “yes, sir” from the girls who work in the shops. It’s to be expected: He’s 89, and at that advanced age, […]

Reminders of deep divide, signs of hope mix in Ulster

Posted on November 28, 1999 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page A1 BELFAST — On the surface, it looks like any other cookie-cutter, working-class neighborhood in Europe. Small, dull houses are pushed up against one another, with a few tiny patches of green grass poking through the gray tones. But look a little closer at this two-block housing development […]

Irish-Americans provide money, moral support

Posted on November 28, 1999 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page A8 Throughout the three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, those on both sides have looked to America as one of their greatest resources. And why not: There are more than seven times as many Irish-Americans as there are Irish. “They’ve played an important part in the conflict […]

2 Germanys struggle under 1 flag; Iron Curtain still shadows east, west after decade

Posted on November 7, 1999 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page A1 BERLIN — It is the first question any tourist here asks: Where was The Wall? Driving through the Mitte district of Berlin, taxi driver Ranier Quambusch points to a thin line of cobblestones snaking through a city street, about two feet from the curb. “There it is,” […]

PITCAIRN: Even today, a visit to Pitcairn is not plain sailing

Posted on August 22, 1999 by jbenton

Sunday, August 22, 1999 Page 1A Even today, a visit to Pitcairn is not plain sailing BY JOSHUA BENTON BLADE STAFF WRITER Getting to Pitcairn today isn’t much easier than it was for Fletcher Christian. There’s no airstrip for planes. There’s no regular passenger service of any kind, air or sea. And if you do […]

PITCAIRN: The islanders have their own word for it — in plain Pitkern

Posted on August 22, 1999 by jbenton

Sunday, August 22, 1999 Page A1 The islanders have their own word for it – in plain Pitkern BY JOSHUA BENTON BLADE STAFF WRITER “Aboot yawly gwen?” “I se gwen ah big shep.” “Humuch shep corl ya?” “I kawa.” As bizarre as it may look, it’s a pretty basic conversation: “Where are you going?” “I’m […]

PITCAIRN: An expedition, a clash of wills — then mutiny

Posted on August 22, 1999 by jbenton

Sunday, August 22, 1999 Page 1A An expedition, a clash of wills – then mutiny BY JOSHUA BENTON BLADE STAFF WRITER More than 20,000 islands dot the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Most are uninhabited. Many support a few hundred or thousand people, but manage to go unnoticed by the outside world. It’s an accident […]

PITCAIRN: The dwindling days of ‘a heaven on earth’

Posted on August 22, 1999 by jbenton

Sunday, August 22, 1999 Page 1A The dwindling days of ‘a heaven on Earth’ BY JOSHUA BENTON BLADE STAFF WRITER PITCAIRN ISLAND, South Pacific Ocean – Forty people is a crowded commuter plane. Forty people is a football team, or a Cub Scout pack. On two square miles of dead volcano in the South Pacific, […]

Early morning skies are thick with pheasants, shotgun fire; Foreigners flock to Pelee Island for a little bit of hunter heaven

Posted on November 2, 1997 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 18 PELEE ISLAND, Ont. – When a few hundred Americans with rifles invaded Pelee Island in 1838, they weren’t welcome. An American mob, 300 strong, wanted Ontario to declare its independence from British rule. To support the cause, they gathered up some guns and walked across frozen Lake […]

Pelee Island school stands in silence during strike

Posted on October 29, 1997 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 6 PELEE ISLAND, ONT. — Across Ontario, 126,000 striking teachers are picketing in public squares and chanting slogans about government unfairness. But here on Pelee Island – the tiny Lake Erie isle that houses 250 people, a few thousand pheasants, and one lonely school – silence is golden. […]