Author Archives: Sam
MOVING ON
I have started a new blog and will no longer be updating this one. If you want to keep up with my writings, follow me on thediaspora.wordpress.com.
YEAR ZERO: A COUNTRY HAUNTED BY A DARK PAST
We tend to think of humanitarian crises in far-off countries as having little to do with us. But the Cambodian genocide is a reminder that these crises are sometimes inextricably tangled up with politics closer to home.
I’M BACK!
After a long hiatus I’m back on Wordpress. Not sure who is still following this blog, but I’ve recently had a couple of enquiries from long-time followers asking if I have any new material so it seems I still have an audience of some kind here.
Mumbai Outliers
“Check out that view,” Johnny said. “Many Bombay locals have never seen this place, even though it’s right on their doorstep.” But I was already absorbed in the breathtaking scenery gliding past my window on the southbound Western Railway train. We were crossing the Ulhas River at the point where it feeds in to the Arabian […]
F!re!
Every year on November 5th arsonists across the United Kingdom celebrate Bonfire Night (aka Guy Fawkes Night). It is the only festival I know of which involves enacting the immolation of a would-be terrorist, and the traditions and rituals associated with it are observed with an almost religious fervour. I love Bonfire Night because it’s […]
The Other Iraq (Part 4 of 4)
This is the concluding part of a four-part series on Iraqi Kurdistan. If you haven’t read the preceding parts and would like to do so please click on the title of my blog to be referred to the archives. Alternatively you can just read this as a stand-alone piece. ‘Kirkuk! Kirkuk! Kirkuk!’ It was 7am […]
The Other Iraq (Part 3 of 4)
Human beings can be truly abominable creatures. As if you need to be convinced or reminded of that let me tell you the story behind the Amna Suraka (Red Security) Museum in Sulaymaniyah, northern Iraq. The museum is housed in a former Baathist intelligence headquarters and prison and it is here where Saddam Hussein’s henchmen […]
The Other Iraq (Part 2 of 4)
The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against all but essential travel to Iraq given the security situation. Travel within Iraq remains dangerous. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning dated January 19, 2012, to update information on security incidents and to remind U.S. citizens of ongoing security concerns for U.S. citizens in Iraq, including […]
Mystery Tramp 