Blog - foXnoMad

Army Stories Part 3: Entering Burdur

by Anil Polat | Jan 26, 2007 | Travel Journal | 2

Burdur, Turkey is a small place and most everyone gets there via car or bus.

On the lonely, dusty highway in, as the signs tell you that only a few kilometers remain one gets the sense that the drive will never end. I have no doubt these feelings have something to do with anxiety, but as soon as I felt on the edge of the world a set of very familiar golden arches could be made on the horizon.

I’m not kidding…a McDonald’s, in the middle of nowhere.

As I was overcome with a small surprise (no, not a Starbucks in sight) I saw a haze from the car window which I made out to be the huge Lake Burdur. A few shops and small cafes began to line the street and while absorbing the town I was shocked to see a few thousand people in the streets, all with bags and chattering like little old ladies.

Some old, bald, and fat, they looked more like they were going on vacation more than anything else. At this point any feelings of anxiety were washed away (from me at least). Perhaps it was the crowd, seeing the surroundings, or excitement.

I hung around for a few minutes and got ready to go on to the base, surrounded by gray walls and the occasional solider with a machine gun directing traffic. Bags in hand people line up to go through metal detectors that beep every time someone passes through, but no one gives any notice.

At that moment something hits…that the reality you know is gone and you are entering a new order. Suddenly you are no longer under your own control.

Britons Entering the US: The FBI Wants Your Fingerprints

by Anil Polat | Jan 26, 2007 | Security | 0

I’d be worried about this if I were British.

Millions of Britons who visit the United States are to have their fingerprints stored on the FBI database alongside those of criminals, in a move that has outraged civil rights groups.

The Observer has established that under new plans to combat terrorism, the US government will demand that visitors have all 10 fingers scanned when they enter the country. The information will be shared with intelligence agencies, including the FBI, with no restrictions on their international use.

Snow Days Based on the Federal Government: Recieve Email Notification

by Anil Polat | Jan 25, 2007 | Travel | 1

Many businesses in the Washington DC metro area base their ‘winter weather’ status on the Federal Government. If you are one of employees this affects, you can sign up to the Operating Status List which will automatically send you an email anytime there is a status change so you don’t have to sit through the boring local news.

This service is run by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management so you won’t receive any spam or advertisements. Also, you stay on the list unless you decide to opt out later on.

Btw – the Federal Government hasn’t been closed on account of the weather in the past three winters (not that anyone is counting). Gee, I wonder why…I’m looking at you mother nature!

Lots of Alcohol and Airplane Passengers Don’t Mix

by Anil Polat | Jan 25, 2007 | Air | 0

But the combination does make for good blogging material. 😀

The War Within: Radical Muslim Youth in Britain

by Anil Polat | Jan 25, 2007 | Culture | 0

Christiane Amanpour reporting,

What struck us most was how deeply the Iraq war has radicalized today’s generation of young Muslims in Britain. Whether extreme or mainstream, they are angry about the war, angry that their country so devotedly follows U.S. foreign policy, angry at what they see as a worldwide war against Muslims and Islam.

“The new threat is radicalism. It’s a cause. Every young man wants a cause.”

This is not just going on in England, here is how this is happening in Africa too.

Frilled Shark Filmed Alive

by Anil Polat | Jan 25, 2007 | Green | 2

A species of shark rarely seen alive because its natural habitat is 600 metres (2,000 ft) or more under the sea was captured on film by staff at a Japanese marine park this week.