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
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
Salem, Massachusetts is undoubtedly best known for its relation to witches and its deadly witch trials… Such a history, naturally, calls out to The Velvet Rocket team and so when two of us recently found ourselves in Massachusetts, it was perhaps inevitable that we would pass through this infamous town. I shall not bother to … Continue reading
This is the English version of our short article that recently appeared in Italy’s LiberoReporter: North Korea has been busy recently… Early in September North Korea conducted its fifth (and most powerful to date) test of a nuclear weapon. Then, just days ago, North Korea tested a high-powered rocket engine that could be used on … Continue reading
This is the English version of our article just published in Italy’s Il Giornale newspaper… Although largely out of the headlines now, Yemen continues to be battered by a conflict initiated in 2014 when Shiite Houthi rebels formed an alliance with loyalists of ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh to seize large swaths of the country, including … Continue reading
Updating one of our Kosovo features… This is the English version of our recent article in Italy’s LiberoReporter: Kosovo, the predominantly Muslim land severed from Serbia by US and NATO military intervention, finds itself today in the curious position of being officially one of the most pro-Western Islamic countries in the world while simultaneously holding … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 