Dive into the archives.
- 1979 Part 2
Bloggers are all over the board on Iran’s capture of 15 British sailors, wondering if this is a rerun of American embassy hostage crisis. Allahpundit figures
... they’ll be released soon and the incident will be dismissed as a misunderstanding. Iran can’t have meant to do this, not with Ahmadinejad set to address the Security Council [...]
- Headline of the week
Here it is: Angola sends 2500 ‘ninjas’ to Zimbabwe
Of course, we’re not talking about trained assasins from feudal Japan, but Angola’s paramilitary police, which are apparently named as such because of their “ferocity and black uniforms.” And the Ninjas are apparently sent on an “exchange program” to reinforce Zimbabwe’s police force (the force was [...]
- Not even a flinch
Baghdad blast shakes up visiting UN head
In a reminder of why the United Nations all but abandoned Iraq in 2003, an explosion rocked the Baghdad press conference of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Thursday after he made an unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital.
The blast — presumed to have been caused by Katyusha rocket — [...]
- Last Stop before the Caucasus
Day 21 in Kars, Turkey
Kars immediately amazes the visitor with its wide tree-lined boulevards, grid system, even sidewalks and European architecture. Women of all ages walk around in European fashion and new shops line the streets. Am I still in Turkey? The current incarnation of Kars is Russian and everything screams it while walking the [...]
- Day 20 in Dogubeyazit, Turkey
Today was fabulous although it did start with disappointing yet expected news. No Iranian visas for Americans. Impossible!
I woke up and met the two Polish guys and Mehmet, the travel agent. We decided to start our tour at 12 and spent the morning watching the Newroz celebrations. The two polish guys, are actually travel agents, [...]
- Day 19 in Dogubeyazit, Turkey
I got to the bus station around 10 this morning only tofind out the bus leaves at 11:30. Normally they are more regular so I didn’t expect that. I killed the hour or so in an internet cafe and returned. We set off and the ride mostly consisted of insane mountain scenery and military checks. [...]
- Iraq Travel Guide
Here’s a short travel guide for anyone who wishes to visit Iraqi Kurdistan now.
Getting there
The best route in is via Turkey from which you have two options. Many people fly to Diyarbakir and take a taxi for around 150 USD to the border. If you are traveling the area anyway and wish to see other [...]
- Day 18 in Van, Turkey
Had another fabulous day and nothing could start a day off better than the second hot shower I’ve had on my trip so far!
I woke up about 7:45, checked out of my first hotel which wasn’t bad at all, 10 lira (5 EUR) a night with a shared bathroom but I really wanted hot water [...]
- Day 17 in Van, Turkey
Got some much needed sleep and set out exploring today. It’s quite the change to be in a proper city now. There are modern shops, grocery stores (instead of hole in the wall kiosks) that use bar codes, people in more European fashion and more. It’s also quite clear that the city isn’t original, in [...]
- The winding down of the anti-war movement
A few hundred anti-war demonstrators across Canada gathered together on the anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq to denounce both the Iraq war and the mission in Afghanistan. The numbers are not official but do seem substantially less than last October when just under 2000 demonstrators came together to call for the withdrawal of [...]
