Issue 20

The theories about its origins are devilishly many. According to one hypothesis, its three arches were built by the devil himself because no one else could do it. Whenever the residents of the increasingly depopulated Rhodope villages nearby exclude the devil, they mention the Romans, even though it is quite obvious to anyone with the slightest interest in bridges that the construction is Ottoman - and fairly new in Balkan standards: 18th Century.

Hint: Camel caravans used to pass over this bridge until about 100 years ago.

The tripartite coalition consists of three men, typical Bulgarians, who are playing cards.

Sergey Stanishev, prime minister of Bulgaria, on the sculpture he gave as a birthday present to his coalition partner Ahmed Dogan.

Three years ago I said that only the Bulgarian Socialist Party can overthrow the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

Clearing out the old junk that had accumulated on my computer, I came across an article that someone had sent me as an email attachment after the terrorist incidents in England in 2005.

Reading it again, I realised that I and all British people living abroad were now the immigrants. The comments made by the unknown author applied to us as much as the new people who live in Britain as our replacements. Maybe we foreigners in a foreign land should read it and see just how much it applies to us now the shoe is on the other foot. So here it is: