Dive into the archives.
- What the world eats
A gallery of food expenditure for one week, around the world.
- On the edge
Via The Memri Blog
The text says “Northern Iraq”
- The Economist COIN edition
This week’s edition of The Economist discusses problems in fighting counterinsurgency with modern militaries.
The first article, Brains, not bullets, outlines the discussion of force transformation over the past decade and a half. It gives an overview of Future Force Warrior and ends up recommending a different type of ground fighter, “preferably a linguist, with a [...]
- Ducks in a row
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has followed the examples of Chancellor Merkel and President Bush in angering China by receiving the Dalai Lama at Parliament. The Western powers know that China can’t throw too big a tantrum over these meetings with the 2008 Olympics coming up, so they are getting their kicks in while they [...]
- For all of you going into public service
Condi Rice confronted by a protestor at Capitol Hill before speaking about the “two state solution” in Israel and the West Bank. Sometimes you really have to wonder why persons in high positions of power don’t just say f*ck it and go live the quiet life while raking in the dough on the paid [...]
- Banality of evil
Conspiracy — co-produced by HBO and BBC — gives a chilling peek at what might have happened at the Wannsee Conference in 1942 where the SS basically announced their solution to “The Jewish Question.” The film is brilliantly scripted and brilliantly acted by an all star cast including Kenneth Branagh and Stanley Tucci. You will [...]
- Almost Halloween Roundup
Lots of fun stories in the news:
First lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner swept to victory in Argentina’s presidential vote on Sunday, the first woman elected to lead the country.
Tensions continue to escalate between the socialist government in Madrid and the Vatican.
Greenland is finally becoming green.Nepal votes on whether or not to abolish the monarchy and [...]
- Turkey Looking to Iran
Disappointed with the weak show of support from America and Europe, Turkey is now looking further east for support for its planned operations in Iraq. And they need look no further than Iran, also battling its own Kurdish independence movement. Al Jazeera reports that the foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey are increasingly expressing their [...]
- The Roman Conquest of Britain
As Roman power grew in the ancient world to control and rule over much of Europe and the Mediterranean—from Gaul to Greece, from Hispania to Egypt—the island of Britain remained remote and relatively unexplored. For many Romans it was regarded as a place of mystery, with some even refusing to believe it existed.
Julius Caesar [...]
- Considering the state of things, not that unusual…
Russian bombers neared NATO summit on unusual practice run, Norway’s military says
Two Russian strategic bombers on an unusual practice run Thursday neared the Netherlands, where NATO defense ministers were meeting, the Norwegian military said. Another set of bombers earlier Thursday flew unusually close to far northern Norwegian territory, but remained in international air space, [...]
