al-Jazeera...

...is starting an English language version from today, I learnt just now. However, I haven't been able to find out which satellites are carrying the signal, and whether it is encrypted. Will have to see whether our cable operator carries it.

update: another related article.

Before leaving Germany...

...at the beginning of 2005, I got myself an international driving license from Hamburg. I did have a German driving license, the good thing for which is that it is valid for life. However, I have now surrendered it in exchange for a Canadian driving license. Therefore my international license was lying unused. But I did take it with me to Greece when I went there in early October this year.
The hotel where I was living was basically in the center of nowhere. Which meant that the relatively bigger towns were quite some distance away, and there was very limited public transport available. Taxi was the other option, but, of course, it was very expensive.
About 25km from the hotel was the city of Heraklion, and the ruins of Knossos. The taxi fare from the hotel to the ruins was abotu 45 € one-way.
But then, a delagate at the conference from Germany, told me over lunch about the possibility to rent motorbikes. So that's exactly what I did, I went to a rental shop near the hotel, and rented a motorbike which is pictured in this entry. Its one of those motorbikes (or rather mechanised bicycles) in which all that you have to do is to maintain your balance, accelerate, and brake. No changing gears, no fuss about nothing. Plus you can drive these with my license, which is basically for driving cars.
The rental shopkeeper even gave me a helmet, since he said on my way to the ruins I will have to go over the highway as well.
I found these bikes being used much on the roads. Few people were wearing helmets, specially in the city, and many of those driving were tourists, who had rented the bikes. Almost all were driving them really fast.
My trip turned out to be really good, since I was able to make the trip to Knossos and back in about € 26, including rent and petrol. Plus I got to see really beautiful coastline, along which the highway traverses. Excellent trip it was, enjoyable, plus the freedom of driving yourself and stopping whereever and whenever you wanted to take pictures was really fascinating. 

An experiment...

...to do away with traffic lights and traffic signs. I would think this could make lots of sense. But perhaps only in lightly populated cities.

So the proverbial...

...wheel of history has gone a full circle. Though lots has changed as well.

Two news items...

...related to Muslims and Islam, the first seemingly a routine now, the other bizarre, but maybe reflective of European mentality that carries over from the dark-ages :
1) Security clearance of Muslim workers at Paris's airport cancelled.
2) Pastor burns himself to death out of fear of spread of Islam.

A few days...

...ago I bought the huge tome by Robert Fisk, The Great War for Civilisation. Most of the free time I have at home is spent reading this book. But its so huge, so far I think I have just been able to read less than one-fifth of it.
Highly recommended.
A few years ago, I also read about a documentary by Robert Fisk, named "From Beirut to Bosnia". I tried to find it while I was in Germany, but couldn't. The only reference I could find to it was in some library in the US.