By Bernie Debusmann, Pictures by Sarakshi Rai To most non-Spaniards, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) is distant history, the stuff of Hemingway novels. But to many Spaniards, the war can seem like yesterday – and nowhere is this more evident than in the town of Belchite. Belchite, home to about 2,000 people in Aragon, had … Continue reading
Black markets seem to be an integral part of human existence. Supply and demand trumps all. The authorities (rightly or wrongly) ban a commodity for which there is demand and the profit incentive will drive entrepreneurs to find a way to supply it. The punishment or consequences for participation in these illicit activities dictates how … Continue reading
Amber, that lovely fossilized tree resin, that is found in the Baltics and Kaliningrad is particularly noted for its quality… There is also a lot of it. Therefore, it should probably not come as a large shock that amber mining and the sale of amber is a big part of the economy in Kaliningrad. Given … Continue reading
The majority of the articles I write for outside publication (stuff outside of The Velvet Rocket) have been printed in Italian newspapers. This makes things relatively easy as I can simply post the English version here and not conflict with a publication that would be upset about the duplicate content. However, the main eastern Ukraine … Continue reading
Article and Photos by Bernie Debusmann Life isn’t easy for Egypt’s Coptic Christians – who have called Egypt home since Christianity was first introduced to the country in 42 AD. While they’ve experienced periods of discrimination and marginalization throughout their history, the rise of Islamic extremism in recent years has made it worse. These problems … Continue reading
This abandoned submarine facility is the Hara Submarine Base and it is actually located inside of what is now Estonia’s Lahemaa National Park (although very few locals know of its existence). It served as a high-tech, top secret facility used for de-magnetizing submarines (Google it – it’s complicated). When it was in operation, several hundred … Continue reading
No, The Velvet Rocket has not been forgotten. Instead, we have found ourselves in an awkward situation following our trip to the battlefields of eastern Ukraine. We obtained a lot of great material – some of our best ever – and have multiple projects in the pipeline right now, but news flow through the outlets … Continue reading
