• Istanbul 04: The Dervish

    By revolving in harmony with all things in nature–with the smallest cells and with the stars in the firmament–the semazen testifies to the existence and the majesty of the Creator, thinks of Him, gives thanks to Him, and prays to… more ›

  • Tiananmen

    I was in Beijing just a few days after the tenth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. It was still closed to the public for “renovation,” in anticipation of protests and commemoration events. I could only get a few shots… more ›

  • Istanbul 03: History is a Pile of Debris

    Saturday, May 17, 2008, Turkoman Hotel, Istanbul Last night we went on the obligatory people-watching pilgrimage to Taksim in what used to be the Genoese colony of Pera that is now the trendy nightlife district of Istanbul. We sat upstairs… more ›

  • Istanbul 02: Travel Journal Except

    Friday, May 16, 2008, Hotel Turkoman, Istanbul After what seems and certainly feels like two lost days of traveling across continents and time zones, the beginnings of my third day in the same clothes due to a lost bag by… more ›

  • Istanbul 01: Call to Prayer

    Five times a day the call issues forth from the amplified speakers mounted atop the minarets. These days, the muezzin need not bother climbing the steps up the tower. Because of my training, I wonder (fully aware that I am… more ›

  • Sublime Porte

    View Larger Map Just a short trip to Istanbul and an even shorter stop in London on the return flight. I’ll post photos when I get back. more ›

  • Overview

    Is it over yet?Now is the time when my prick of a professor contacts my colleagues to let them know when the revised deadline is for their obligatory rewrite. Graduate school is so much easier when the professor dies and… more ›

  • Compretensile* Tales

    Okay, so everyone is clear on the fact that I’m a bit of an elitist as well as a smarty-pants wearing kind of guy. But for fuck’s sake, I was raised on a farm in east Texas. I’ve earned by… more ›

  • May Day, May Day

    As if to prove the rule from yesterday’s post, today’s headlines included “U.S. airstrike kills top Qaeda agent in Somalia” and “Car bomb kills at least 9 in Baghdad; U.S. troops kill 18 militants.” How smart our bombs—how intelligent their… more ›

  • Indefensible Offense

    Obama, radical leader of the Obamanations, has finally denounced his spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, because of assertions the reverend has made about the United States’ role in worldwide terror. The senator claims that such statements “rightly offend all… more ›