dispatches from here

Syria is a country with very limited internet access. Very very few people can afford to have access at home and wireless apparently need special permission to set up. Someone told me about the wireless router they had set up in their home, only to have the police come to their home a while later and demand they shut it down.

Those that have emailed me are surprised by my quick responses. How is it possible? I’ve made many good friends here so far, especially in the Assyrian community. As it turns out, one of them, Sargon, owns an internet café which is open until about 3 am. So I bring my laptop, we kick up our feet and have some drinks while I post on the blog and answer emails. The best part? Its called the Ashur Internet Café (or café-net as they’re called here).

Sargon, a double major in biology and chemistry from Baghdad University, has found a new career running an internet cafe in Damascus. He has been in Syria for 4 years awaiting a visa and acceptance westward.

Ashur Internet Cafe in Damascus (the Arabic script on the right says "Ashur"). That is where this blog post is coming from. There is also the Assyria Net internet cafe a few kilometers away.