One of my favorite authors, Anthony Loyd, describes being in an automobile accident in Africa… A few miles before Makeni, the surface of the road improved and Twin put his foot down. The sun shone from a cloudless sky. We moved faster and faster. I leaned back and began to doze in the heat. The … Continue reading »
Filed under People …
The Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory (Erzsébet Báthori)…
Countess Elizabeth Bathory has gone down in history as Die Blutgrafin (The Blood Countess), who tortured to death over six hundred women and girls, sometimes biting chunks of flesh from their necks and breasts – the origin of legends that she bathed in the blood of virgins to keep her own skin white and translucent. … Continue reading »
In Search of Transylvania’s Vlad Dracula: The Dracula Tour
Fifteenth-century Wallachian prince Vlad Tepes is all too often credited with being Dracula, the vampire-count featured in the classic Gothic horror story Dracula (1897) written by Anglo-Irish novelist Bram Stoker. The association of these two unholy figures – one historical, the other fictitious – is nothing more than a product of popular imagination though. But … Continue reading »
General George S. Patton Believed That In His Past Lives, He Was…
A prehistoric mammoth hunter A Greek hoplite who fought the Persians A soldier of Alexander the Great who fought at the siege of Tyre Hannibal A Roman legionary under Julius Caesar An English knight during the Hundred Years War A Napoleonic marshal
The Life And Times Of Teodorin Obiang
The owner of the estate at 3620 Sweetwater Mesa Road, which sits high above Malibu, California, calls himself a prince, and he certainly lives like one. A long, tree-lined driveway runs from the estate’s main gate past a motor court with fountains and down to a 15,000-square-foot mansion with eight bathrooms and an equal number … Continue reading »
Quotes of the Day: Anthony Loyd
Some of the more poetic and quotable passages (to me) from war correspondent Anthony Loyd’s books – My War Gone By, I Miss It So and Another Bloody Love Letter: ‘Death wish’ is a tired old cliche – simplistic, absolute and inept in describing my motivations. I do not want to die, but I … Continue reading »
Pei Tapan Gab
This picture is of Pei – our local fixer in India’s Northeast for most of our trip: Pei is from a warrior tribe known as the Nyishi which have a fierce reputation. And, of course, Pei’s sword, which he takes with him everywhere, does nothing to dispel this impression. The strap on Pei’s sword is … Continue reading »
