For far too long, this has been a matter of speculation for us personally. But thankfully, the Wall Street Journal has done the legwork for us and determined that, at least for now, the Azeris have the biggest pole.DUBAI -- David Chambers builds the tallest flagpoles in the world. His current
client wants him to stop. This month, Mr. Chambers is erecting a pole in
the wind-swept Azerbaijan capital of Baku. At almost 532 feet, it will be the
tallest flagpole on record. Azerbaijani officials, eager to savor the feat, have
asked him to hold off building a taller pole for a year, he said.
Clients "always tell us they want this to be the last record," Mr.
Chambers said from his small office in Dubai's sprawling port. "But they know,
in general, that we're on a roll, and we're gonna...
It's little known fact but the Russians invaded Turkey long before they set their sights on Georgia. Antayla, which sits on the Mediterranean Coast and used to be not awful, receives planeloads of vomit-splattered yobs from Rostov every day. Any devushka worth her boob job knows that Antalya is waaaay better than Batumi, with the added benefit of plenty of oversexed Turkish men (hey girls! It's not whoring if you give it away!). The Turks have been falling over themselves to serve this new demographic, which demands high prices and the same level of quality and service they've come to expect back home in Smolensk. They've even built a resort replica of the Kremlin and St. Basil's so Russians feel at home. I've heard that a Russian developer is building a seven star hotel which, to you...
We've often pondered whether groups that fund terrorists deal with the same challenges that face organizations that give grants for things like democracy promotion or humanitarian projects. How do you decide whom to fund? Does Al-Qaeda issue RFPs on the USAID model? How is capacity measured? How is
sustainability defined? Do they demand documentary receipts for explosive purchases? Are there strict "Buy Pakistan" procurement regulations or "Fly Saudia" requirements? Surely, the average terror grant giving organization must get a lot of fucking stupid ideas coming in the door. How do they deal with proposals offered by those who are clearly incompetent? This "stupid terrorist" meme is a rich vein. So rich, in fact, that The International Man of Mystery and his sidekick Young...
Because there are so many easy targets, Out of respect for the rich culture of Azerbaijan, I usual try to ignore ridiculous new stories coming out of Baku. But like the asshole hotel, once they hit outlets like FARK, I feel it's my duty to weigh in and add a bit of cultural context.
The local media recently busted the Camel Toe, a fine drinking establishment in Baku that I have used to illustrate so many anecdotes that Carpetblog (proudly) comes up in google searches of the term. Apparently, the wizards at the state-controlled Today.AZ just discovered what the name means. (Don't know? Wikipedia does).
The retardedness of taking issue with the name of a bar that has been there for AT LEAST five years is exceeded only by the retardedness of the article itself. Because I don't trust...
Astute reader Jonathan passes along a titillating rumor that he's heard around Baku!"Baku is trying to negotiate to be the location for a Disneyworld!
It will be out on the island off Baku, and there will be a new causeway
connecting to the new road they are building up near TISA.
I find it hard to believe but then I remind myself that this
is a place that thinks it can get the Olympics…
All those fancy hotel pictures you have seen (the arsehole
one…) are tied into this dream I suspect."ZOMG! Because Carpetblog is nothing if not service-y, we're offering some ideas for amusements that we think are consistent with the "Happiest Place on Earth" brand yet, at the same time, take advantage of the rich cultural offerings of "the Oasis Between Iran and...
Seriously, I was trying to ignore this ridiculous hotel proposal for Baku, but it turns out I can't. The Azeris are challenging the Gulf Arabs for the "More Money Than Taste Award."
It looks like a giant asshole to me, which is screamingly......
Because if you ever find yourself at Miniaturk, the most ridiculous theme park ever, you might pay 10 YTL to enter, instead of BEŞ (5 YTL ) or ÜÇ (3 YTL, if you're a student) or IKI (2 YTL if you're on a school tour).
When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I would spend a cold, sunny Sunday afternoon next to the Halic, strolling among miniature replicas of Turkey's major tourist attractions. But that is how I roll.
Having seen this lifelike model of Nemrut Dağ, I don't feel like I need to travel to eastern Turkey to see it in person now. It's that good!
There were also replicas of things that are not, strictly speaking,
"tourist" attractions such as a mall, an Opet gas station, Ataturk airport, the
Olympic stadium nor things that are, strictly...
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports today that Russia is going to send NGOs to America to work on different issues.In one of his few explicit references to the United
States in his November 28 speech, President Putin suggested that
unnamed Russian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) should "be able to
work in...the United States and other countries in an environment as
comfortable as that which we provide for their counterparts working in
Russia," kremlin.ru reported.
"Vremya novostei" pointed out on November 29 that
Putin is simply reviving an old Soviet propaganda technique by claiming
that his country can help protect human rights abroad...The paper pointed out some
specific cases that became the objects of Soviet propaganda campaigns,
like the one in the...
The winner is: Bon Appetit! They don't even put the whole article about Turkish recipes online, yet they've managed to get all their delectable cliched goodness in the online teaser. Difficulty: 10!
Let's take a look:
Turkish Delight: You don't actually have to be able to find Turkey on a map to smack this one down.
East meets west: Ah, yes. I've heard there's a bridge between Europe and Asia. Hmm. How can I say that a different way?
Ancient meets modern: Someone read some tourist brochures!...
From Carpetblog's Bekaa Valley correspondent:...