Norma Costello
War Is Boring
Ireland
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Past articles by Norma:
In War-Ravaged Southern Turkey, a Man Searched for His Missing Brother
Sakir Gokalp knew the procedure. His mother was dead and his elderly father couldn’t face the trips to morgue. Plus, he had seen mutilated bodies before. “They cut their noses, they cut their eyes, their mouths — everything,” Gokalp said. “One boy was run over by tanks. His body was... → Read More
Turkey’s Proxies Attack America’s Allies in Syria
A slither of land sandwiched between the the Kurdish controlled enclaves of Kobane and Afrin in northern Syria is fast becoming the country’s most volatile tinderbox. The small area between the Kurdish cantons is home to a multi-ethnic group of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen and is, in a sense, a... → Read More
Despair, Broken Bodies — The Real Cost of Trump’s Saudi Arms Deal
The first time Wael saw his reflection in the mirror, his world fell apart. “I didn’t look at my face for two years,” the 28-year-old from Yemen explains. “When I saw myself, I was destroyed. I completely lost myself.” Wael is one of the many Yemeni patients receiving treatment for... → Read More
Turkish Jets Blasted America’s Kurdish Allies in Karakoc
The rumble of Turkish jets taking off from the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir has become a banal muzak for the city’s wearied residents. Numbers are dialed, warnings are given and life proceeds — under the heavy presence of Turkish troops. Hasan, a middle aged Kurdish activist smiles slyly as he... → Read More
In South Sudan, Thousands Rely on Fragile Protection Camps for Survival
In a refugee camp in South Sudan’s capital Jub, Jikany Kuol awaits the rain in a tiny shack cobbled together with pieces of corrugated iron and U.N. tarp. “Our people are fed up with fighting,” he laments as the Chinese soldiers guarding the camp look on despondently. “The people in... → Read More
Fearing Destitution and Death, Turkey’s Kurds Plead With Lawless Courts
Aydin Ozdemir seems jumpy as he sifts through a sea of beige files before settling on one. “They offered this man 2,000 lira” — that’s $275 — “for his whole shop,” he tells me. “And that was after… → Read More
What It's Like to Become a Famous Stock Image Without Being Able to Stop It
After signing a waiver without realizing the implications, tattooed model Baz Black has found himself becoming famous in the weirdest way possible. → Read More
The Irish Battle Over Gay Marriage Has Gotten Ugly
The Irish LGBT community is caught in the middle of a heated battle between the country's liberals and conservatives, and some are feeling exposed and isolated. → Read More
Ireland Is Trying to Crack Down on the Parents Who Make Their Autistic Children Drink Bleach
Fans of "Miracle Mineral Supplement" claim that it can cure everything from malaria to autism, but the substance could seriously harm the kids who are drinking it. → Read More
Why Some Irish Parents Are Giving Bleach Enemas to Their Autistic Kids
A weird cult thinks that drinking bleach will cure pretty much anything. → Read More
Angry Polish Ultra-Nationalists Held Some Strange Meetings in Ireland
They got heckled by anti-fascists and talked about how Ireland has been infiltrated by "agents of Putin." → Read More
Ireland's Biggest Squat Is on the Verge of Eviction
A vacant Dublin building that's home to 30 people has become a symbol of the city's gentrification battle. → Read More
Ireland's Biggest Squat Is on the Verge of Eviction
A Dublin squat has become a symbol of the city's gentrification battle. → Read More
Is Ireland's New Left-Wing Alliance Actually Going to Change Anything?
Community activists are worried that playing politics will detract from the grassroots anti-austerity movement. → Read More
Is Ireland's New Left-Wing Alliance Actually Going to Change Anything?
Community activists are worried that playing politics will detract from the grass-roots anti-austerity movement. → Read More
Author Brooke Magnanti Is Suing Her Ex for Saying That She Was Never a Prostitute
It must be the first time somebody has sued over claims that she never performed sex acts for money. → Read More
Exclusive: 'Belle de Jour' Is Suing Her Ex for Saying That She Was Never a Prostitute
It must be the first time somebody has sued over claims that they are <i>not</i> a former sex worker. → Read More
A Giant Booze Company Is Telling Ireland to Drink Less
I can't help feeling that the Stop Out-of-Control Drinking campaign is a little misguided. → Read More
A Giant Booze Company Is Telling Ireland to Drink Less
I can't help but feel the "Stop Out-of-Control Drinking" campaign is a little misguided. → Read More
Bad News for Basic Freedom of Expression: Irish Protesters Were Sent to Jail for Protesting
They broke a court order that banned them from protesting against water charges. → Read More