A brief explanation

Dear readers A few words are in order as you may notice a change in my output over the next few months because I am off to Egypt to study Arabic for at least three months. The strict educational term for this is, “a fuck load of work”, hence I may not have the time to devote enough of my ailing brain cells to keeping you up to date with the world’s toilet facilities and other such vital geopolitical issues….

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What we dont know about Ukraine…… or anything

Is it possible to know less about what is going on in a country after you have visited? I certainly came away with this impression on leaving Ukraine. Sure, I learnt a bit about the history, food and the lengths of skirts but what about the big stuff in the news? As with other controversial geopolitical issues such as Israel/Palestine, Syria, Turkey and the Kurds, you only have to read the comments sections on many internet news sources to know…

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Multistorey Glory

Celebrating the treasures of Soviet, multistorey, concrete buildings and their enduring legacy When traveling the former Soviet Union, one of the true pleasures in life is the opportunity of standing under the magisterial, architectural creations that gave us such joyous images of that sadly departed era. A recent visit to Ukraine, Moldova and Transnistria furnished me with the chance to revel in some fine examples of hi-rise construction. In case you are wondering, Transnistria is that delightful corner of south-eastern…

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