Dive into the archives.
- Puerto Rico Part II: The Lucky Ones
The luckiest in the neighborhood
Unlike Puerto Rico, other countries in the region haven’t fared so well the past century. The most obvious example of this is Cuba, which were it to have remained part of the US after the Spanish-American War, would undoubtedly be far more succesful, safe and prosperous than it is today. US [...]
- “There are no atheists in a foxhole”
Following up on our Xmas atheism discussion here is another angle on faith: religion on the battlefield. A recent Canadian press article looks at troops on the ground in Afghanistan and their change in religiosity.
“I don’t normally think about God at all,’’ said one member of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry recently. “But when [...]
- Sun, Sugar and Senoritas
As readers may know, I’m currently in Puerto Rico enjoying beautiful weather and amazing outdoors. I recently went kayaking in a bioluminescent bay on Fajardo on the eastern coast of the island, saw Arecibo Observatory in the center and have much more in store. Today I toured an abandoned sugar mill and learned about the [...]
- Saddam executed?!
Saddam Hussein’s appeal failed, and he was due to be executed in February. But some reports say that this has already happened. Apparently the Iraqi authorities also hanged his half-brother and a Revolutionary Court justice. Slate explains how they are going to/did it. Reuters has an obituary/profile. More as the story unfolds…
UPDATE: Here is a [...]
- The 51st State that Wasn’t and Still Isn’t
AUTOPOSTED! Am still on vacation
While I bask in the warm Caribbean sun, trek through the rainforests and indulge in other tropical delights, I thought it would behoove me to provide our readers with a short history of US involvement in the Caribbean and how Puerto Rico came to be part of the United States and [...]
- Ethiopia wins!
A victory in just 72 hours:
Ethiopian-backed government troops rolled into the Somalia capital Mogadishu on Thursday, seizing the city that has been controlled by rival Islamists since June and opening a new chapter in the history of the anarchic Horn of Africa country. Riding in tanks, armoured personnel carriers and 200 technicals – pickups [...]
- Drive-by counterfactuals
CA and Friends have been alternatively attacked by the evil Svenpundit!
- Could be from The Onion
Articles like this must make The Onion’s job harder. The Golden State fence company, which works on the border fence between California and Mexico, has agreed to pay nearly $5 million in fines for hiring illegal immigrants.
Via John Gruber
- Chirol in Puerto Rico
This year, instead of spending Christmas and new years in my native South, I’ll be spending it in Puerto Rico. For the next two weeks, I’ll be enjoying nonstop summer, swimming, boating, hiking in national parks and more in the Caribbean with Lady Chirol.
That being said, it’s likely that between swimming and general tropical paradise-ness, [...]
- History Hour Continued: The Accidental Kurdistan II
[Part I]
In part one of my series on the unintentional creation of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, I focused on the Gulf War and its immediate aftermath. Since that war ended, the Kurds were cut adrift, slowling developing their own government, culture, and ultimately de facto country. By the coalition invasion of Iraq in 2003, the [...]
