I need the obligatory "Who are you?" post, so this is it. My name is Brian Ulrich, and I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Islamic history at the University of Wisconsin. I started this blog on a whim way back here, and seem to have decided to stick with it. My main area of posting is the Islamic world, defined in its broadest sense, though following my academic interests I concentrate on the Middle East. I should add a disclaimer: I am a historian of the medieval period, so very little of what's on here represents "expert opinion." The rest is just the views of someone who has some applicable context and experience working with issues related to the Islamic world. Finally, almost no fact content here will originate with me - if I don't mention or link to a source, then its either just generally out there or I forgot. I will, of course, also include occasional notes about my own life, as well as other topics of interest such as sports and literature. Hope you enjoy reading!