The ancient Silk Road was actually a network of transportation routes between East Asia and the Middle East, with branches into Europe. It crisscrossed Central Asia by land, and skirted the Indian Ocean basin by sea. The Silk Road reached its apex of trade and security during the time of the Mongol Empire, when the "Pax Mongolica" ensured relatively safe passage for traders and emissaries from across Asia and beyond.

Today, with the waning of Cold War tensions and the opening of formerly centrally-controlled economies, a new Silk Road is weaving its way across Central Asia. This time, however, the road is made up not of camel tracks and dhows, but highways and railroads. Hopefully, this newly connected infrastructure will provide economic hope and stability for the young nations of Eurasia's heartland.

Photo by Odds Photography via Flickr.com.

Photos provide us with a glimpse of a moment in history. Of course, with early photography, the moments captured were much longer - the subjects had to stand still while the image developed on the glass. If they didn't, it would blur.

Despite the inevitable staged appearance that results from long development times, images like these Photos of Colonial India really help us to envision times gone by. They also provide fascinating insights into the way that the photographers viewed their subjects - in this case, as exotic "Orientals."

Photo by the Keystone View Company / Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Collection.

To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's upcoming Diamond Jubilee, marking the 60th anniversary of her accession to Great Britain's throne, an interesting piece of statuary has gone in at Marble Arch, London. It's an equestrian piece depicting a famous world leader born 850 years ago - Genghis Khan.

Although the statue itself is wonderful, showing the Great Khan's hair blowing out behind him as he rides his fiery steed, many Londoners are perplexed or upset about the choice of the Mongol warlord's image. To some, it may seem like a rather unflattering comparison for Queen Elizabeth on her big day.

Painting via Wikipedia.

The government of India is putting into place a job training program for widows from neighboring Sri Lanka. Many of these women, mostly ethnic Tamils whose husbands died in the three-decade long struggle for independence, have trouble supporting themselves because of limited educational opportunities.

The Deccan Herald newspaper reports that 13,000 of the 35,000 widows who will be served by the program are under the age of 23. Considering that the war ended three years ago, they must have married quite young. Hopefully this help from India will give the young women involved a new start in life, and begin to heal some of the wounds left in war-torn Sri Lanka.