Our story left off with the city of Baghdad and the peoples under its sway having been nearly erased from existence and from memory by the fiery wrath of Genghis Khan and his hordes, not all of whom were of strictly Mongolian origin. Many of the horsemen that galloped below his banner belonged to tribes of Turks, and it is to these warlords ( Read more... )

            On March 19th, 2003, the United States invaded Iraq.  This was not the first time, no more than it is that peoples’ first experience of occupation and the depredations that must always ensure.  Iraq, or Mesopotamia as it has been called from antiquity to 1917, has fought many wars, but this is not one of them.  They have won and lost ( Read more... )

The purpose of my previous entry was to give a general historical overview of the country now known as Iran from a perspective of power, a domain we in the United States should be quite well acquainted with by now.  The general thrust was that, considering the near innumerable empires and aspirants of empire that have risen and permanently fallen ( Read more... )

If one were to open a map of the earth and focus his view on that world we call Muslim, one that spans three continents, three oceans, and three climate zones from the arid sandy seas of Morocco to the steaming monsoon jungles surrounding volcanic Jakarta, he will find his gaze fixed reflexively upon the heart of these far-flung lands. It is this ( Read more... )

All journal entries below were written during my 4-month stay in Istanbul as an exchange student in the Spring of 2005. It was an unforgettable time, much of which was spent commenting on the events of the day, although the reader will find plenty of first-hand accounts and impressions of my experience living as a Turk, or at least trying to ( Read more... )

The tourists have all arrived along with the sweets smells of spring which have once again awakened my senses from the annual winter hibernation.  Its nice to feel emotions again.

Its also very nice to hear the English language being spoken on the streets, though I still miss my good friends, the blacks of Philadelphia, who make traveling by ( Read more... )

As I ponder the content and tone of my numerous tirades, it wouldn’t surprise me if many of you have gotten the impression that I hold some bitter grudge against your mindless complacency. Relax, for such is not the situation ( Read more... )

Read no Evil, Report no Evil…When we do it ( Read more... )

You all deserve a break after that extended explosion of polemic writings which were most assuredly not about my trip to Istanbul, which is what you’ve all been wanting to hear about. Don’t worry, I’ve been aware of the fact all along, but please understand that my anger and frustration with the current state of country and world needed to be ( Read more... )

When commenting on the current state of the U.S. government, I've often made remarks similar to "Washington would be turning over in his grave". In his Farewell Address, ol' George offered his advice to future Americans. Read some excerpts and cringe ( Read more... )