The Return of News
What's happenin', diabolical denizens of the Internet? I hope everyone's week is going well; I'm doing alright. Following up on yesterday's post, I saw a second article about that massive stockpile of yellowcake Uranium that's been shipped from Iraq to Canada. For the record, I check nine news sites daily, including a blog that collects obscure articles on international issues, and I've seen this story covered a grand total of twice. If you ask me (and your reading of this blog post is an implied inquiry of my opinion), that's pure and simple evidence of media bias. I'm thinking of using those two articles, though, to update the Iraq FAQ, originally posted in January of 2007. Special thanks to Sam-Wise, who encouraged me by forwarding that original link to numerous people. Outstanding! That's precisely why I post that kind of thing on the blog.
I've seen a couple of additional articles in the last couple of days that have been pretty interesting. One is about the state of national defense in the Nordic countries, and what it might mean for the future of NATO and the EU. Very interesting, particularly in its discussion of the unwillingness of European governments to fund mandated military operations, and the implications for relations between Russia and the international community if more of its neighbors join the EU or NATO. Particularly given the threatened fallout of the missile defense treaty between the Czech Republic and the United States, the situation with economically resurgent, militarily impotent Russia is worth paying attention to... In part because they have massive oil reserves (and decaying capacity for exploiting them).
The second interesting article I saw was about the exhumation of the grave of President Daoud of Afghanistan. President Daoud was the cousin of the late Afghan king, Mohammed Zahir Shah, and deposed Zahir Shah in the 1970's. When the Soviet Union tried to take control of Afghanistan in the late 1970's, he stood up to them, only to be murdered and buried in a shallow, unmarked grave. Now, thirty years later, his grave has been identified. It's a very interesting article, particularly its brief mention of what this exhumation could stir up in modern Afghan politics.
You knew it was coming... Well, maybe you didn't. Today's the day I poke fun at none other than Bryan Adams! First off, I'd like to post a link to Cracked.com: 6 Famous Songs That Don't Mean What You Think. The first entry is about the Bryan Adams classic, "Summer of 69", which he claims to be about dirtiness instead of the year 1969. How painful is that? And do you remember this song... ?
I know that Mighty Mo remembers that sumbitch, given that she's always sending me lists of things folks ought to remember if they grew up in the nineties. So, what's sad about that song? He now performs it solo. Does Rod Stewart do it? Nope, he's too busy pooping his pants. What about Sting? No, when he's not campaigning for looney environmental causes, he's singing his own cool songs. Bryan Adams had plenty of great songs, so why he performs a song written by and for three people solo is beyond me. It's very sad, and that's why he's sad, too.
Hey! The next time you're in Aberdeen, Scotland, why not eat at Jimmy Chung's Chinese Buffet? Don't know where it is? Well, it's right here. I ate there in September of 2004, right before I went to Orkney, and absolutely loved it. They do a great job, and their setup is different than any Chinese buffet I've ever been to in the United States. So, the next time you're in Aberdeen, stop on in. You can tell them that The Fly sent you, but they'll have no idea what you're talking about.
If I finish it tomorrow, I may put up a rough passage from one of my two books. Part of my plan for the second of two spy novels, set in North Africa, is to have the protagonist gain a better understanding of Islam. He's not going to convert, and I'm not trying to convert anyone to Islam with my book. Humans (not just Americans) have a tendency to write others off when they're different. I think I've made it obvious that I'm no tree-hugging hippy, and I certainly don't think that the solution to the clash between Islamists and the West is some sort of appeasement coupled with an understanding of "why they hate us" - they hate us because we're free, as evidenced by their suppression of freedom in Afghanistan and Anbar when they controlled them. At the same time, I've found that understanding the ways and the reasons why people are different than I am is helpful in dealing with those people when I come into contact with them. Anyway, I'm going to try to get it written, refined, and posted in the next couple of days, and I'd love it if people would offer their input once it's posted.
And now, I have things to do. Have a truly outstanding day, folks!
I've seen a couple of additional articles in the last couple of days that have been pretty interesting. One is about the state of national defense in the Nordic countries, and what it might mean for the future of NATO and the EU. Very interesting, particularly in its discussion of the unwillingness of European governments to fund mandated military operations, and the implications for relations between Russia and the international community if more of its neighbors join the EU or NATO. Particularly given the threatened fallout of the missile defense treaty between the Czech Republic and the United States, the situation with economically resurgent, militarily impotent Russia is worth paying attention to... In part because they have massive oil reserves (and decaying capacity for exploiting them).
The second interesting article I saw was about the exhumation of the grave of President Daoud of Afghanistan. President Daoud was the cousin of the late Afghan king, Mohammed Zahir Shah, and deposed Zahir Shah in the 1970's. When the Soviet Union tried to take control of Afghanistan in the late 1970's, he stood up to them, only to be murdered and buried in a shallow, unmarked grave. Now, thirty years later, his grave has been identified. It's a very interesting article, particularly its brief mention of what this exhumation could stir up in modern Afghan politics.
You knew it was coming... Well, maybe you didn't. Today's the day I poke fun at none other than Bryan Adams! First off, I'd like to post a link to Cracked.com: 6 Famous Songs That Don't Mean What You Think. The first entry is about the Bryan Adams classic, "Summer of 69", which he claims to be about dirtiness instead of the year 1969. How painful is that? And do you remember this song... ?
I know that Mighty Mo remembers that sumbitch, given that she's always sending me lists of things folks ought to remember if they grew up in the nineties. So, what's sad about that song? He now performs it solo. Does Rod Stewart do it? Nope, he's too busy pooping his pants. What about Sting? No, when he's not campaigning for looney environmental causes, he's singing his own cool songs. Bryan Adams had plenty of great songs, so why he performs a song written by and for three people solo is beyond me. It's very sad, and that's why he's sad, too.
Hey! The next time you're in Aberdeen, Scotland, why not eat at Jimmy Chung's Chinese Buffet? Don't know where it is? Well, it's right here. I ate there in September of 2004, right before I went to Orkney, and absolutely loved it. They do a great job, and their setup is different than any Chinese buffet I've ever been to in the United States. So, the next time you're in Aberdeen, stop on in. You can tell them that The Fly sent you, but they'll have no idea what you're talking about.
If I finish it tomorrow, I may put up a rough passage from one of my two books. Part of my plan for the second of two spy novels, set in North Africa, is to have the protagonist gain a better understanding of Islam. He's not going to convert, and I'm not trying to convert anyone to Islam with my book. Humans (not just Americans) have a tendency to write others off when they're different. I think I've made it obvious that I'm no tree-hugging hippy, and I certainly don't think that the solution to the clash between Islamists and the West is some sort of appeasement coupled with an understanding of "why they hate us" - they hate us because we're free, as evidenced by their suppression of freedom in Afghanistan and Anbar when they controlled them. At the same time, I've found that understanding the ways and the reasons why people are different than I am is helpful in dealing with those people when I come into contact with them. Anyway, I'm going to try to get it written, refined, and posted in the next couple of days, and I'd love it if people would offer their input once it's posted.
And now, I have things to do. Have a truly outstanding day, folks!
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