Issue 75-76

On the scooter ride back Hien clung to her so tightly that she had to scold him. They crossed a city brimming with life, past the hotels and cabarets and restaurants, until the lights of Saigon gave way to jungle darkness. They lived on the outskirts of the city, in a cluster of one-story homes with concrete foundations and within earshot of an airfield. A central kitchen and courtyard was shared by all the families. In the day, French planes droned overhead, shaking furniture and wall hangings out of place.

Remember my dad, how he always sat in the kitchen by the window, just like on that afternoon. Drinking red wine.

"Are you going to the café?" Mom asked him. "You're usually gone by now."

"I'm going," he replied indifferently, before unexpectedly adding: "Y'all could come along."

Standing in the doorway of her modest but stylish residence in Central Sofia, Marcie Berman Ries, the new US ambassador, looks petite. But appearances, as usual, are deceptive. Whenever she speaks out, Ries asserts herself as a strong-willed woman, an achiever in fields and areas traditionally considered the domain of men. Taking in her impressive CV confirms the initial impression. Ambassador Ries, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, has held various positions with increasings seniority in both the US State Department and abroad.

RE: What I have learnt for five years in Bulgaria, Vagabond No 47-48

Do you know how I can purchase a chushkopek to use in the United States? I have searched online without any luck. We love roasted peppers and would love to have one of these. Thanks!

Russell Nielson

One might have thought at the beginning of the 21st Century Bulgarians would have learned from past mistakes and come to appreciate all aspects of their own history in a balanced and objective manner, but the reactions prompted by Vagabond Media's latest book, The Turks of Bulgaria, seem to indicate otherwise.

Dr Johnson defined patriotism succinctly and perhaps unfairly as the last refuge of scoundrels. I say unfairly, because for me there is a vast difference between patriots and people who call themselves patriots. What has never changed is the alacrity with which self-declared patriots label as unpatriotic those who care deeply about their country. Sitting smugly on their moral high ground these self-professed "patriots" feel they have done sufficient. There is no need to engage in any rational argument with those whose views they disagree with.