
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Blind Musicianship The Likes Of Which You've Never Seen

Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
I think it’s pretty obvious…
Report from The Caspian Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin reinforced ties with his Iranian counterparts today, when he met with the 5 Caspian Sea border countries today in Tehran. The flourishing relationship between Ahmadinejad and Putin was put on showcase as they stressed using the Caspian Sea for peaceful purposes, as tensions heighten over the presence of US airbases in Azerbaijan and a new plan to restore an old Soviet airbase in Turkmenistan (which prides itself on its neutrality). US planes have been using the airbases in those two nations mainly as refueling stops on the way into and out of Afghanistan, however speculation over whether these bases could be key in a military action against Iran has mounted in the coming weeks as tensions surrounding the region are on the rise. In effect, the 5 country counsel voted to only use the sea for peaceful purposes and reinforced the fact that no military action against Iran would be launched from any of countries, their respective airspace, or the sea for that matter. Their claim is that since the sea is landlocked (somewhat) that its contents belong to only those counties it borders and it is not considered international waters. This should cause quite a bit of concern for the US, considering if there were military action against Iran it would force the US out of using a very strategic and important front, from which to attack. Putin reinforced his willingness to use its UN Security Council veto to block any further sanctions (a vote that could be mirrored by China). In the face of US and Western European pressure on the Iranian nuclear program, Putin offered a vote of confidence saying that his country was the only country supporting Iran in peaceful nuclear ambitions. So, I ask where the line is drawn. When does peaceful nuclear ambitions turn into dropping the bombs and what do we do then? Sanctions or WWIII. I can understand Putin's strong arm tactics when it comes to oil, but what benefit other that a few billion can a nuclear capable Iran be and at what price. There must be some other motivation, with which I am not in the know. It seems to me when a crazy person walks into a gun store telling you they want a gun to make their bicycle go faster, you don't give them that gun. Anyways, it seems the discussion was controlled by the polarizing figures of Ahmadinejad and Putin because many of the issues concerning the other countries were not even touched upon. Putin, for example, cited environmental concerns over the disputed oil pipelines that would go beneath the Caspian Sea and into Azerbaijan, where it could be sent directly into Western Europe bypassing the monopoly of pipelines Russia has going into Western Europe. I was astonished by the key aspects of this somewhat small, incredibly important body of water. The Caspian Sea holds the third largest concentrated oil deposits in the world, deposits that were once controlled 50/50 by the Soviet Union and Iran. The oil deposits in the sea have still not been distributed properly since 1991 and Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan have all voiced their desire for the sea to be split by the length of the shoreline border. Iran, however, will not settle for anything less than 20%, so things remain unsettled. After all of this, I'm still trying to determine the relationship that exists between these two storied nations. It hasn't been since WWII that a Russian leader has been to Iran, but Iran uses almost exclusively Russian weapons. I also can't help, but point to the religious and moral differences between the two nations as a point of tension. I'm at a loss here, is it really "all about the money" or is there a bigger, more devastating plan in the works. But for now, all quiet on the Caspian front.Just try and burn this library, Amr ibn al'Ass!
Friday, October 12, 2007
How about some American nationalism? I'm sorry, I thought this was America.

In the spirit of patriotic afterbirth we have exhibit A, one Andrew Chadwick, student, who list as an interest, World War II. We salute you, Patriot. When the Chrono-Wars begin, you'll be in the first wave of soldiers off the landing craft on D-Day3000, defending the Future-West against the encroaching threat posed by Intergalactic Fascists, and their nefarious plot to take away our American Flag bumper stickers.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Old Soviet Nationalism
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Genocide or Blame To Hide?

Turkish President Abdullah Gul admonished the "serious problems that will emerge in bilateral relations if the bill is adopted". The possibly of air-space restictions as well as a break in cooperation have surfaced, likely making any military operations the U.S. carries out from Turkey an impossibility. The relationship between the U.S. and Turkey has already been a difficult one with the presence of the Iraq war fueling attacks to Turkey's southern region by Kurdish separatist group PPK (Kurdistan Worker's Party). Many Turkish peoples have already openly protested the involvement in the Iraq war and the problems it has brought to their country.
Turkey has already denied that a genocide was ever planned and that the deaths of the many Armenians came about through conflicts linked to World War I. With that said, isn't it time for Turkey to finally take the blame for the the murder, rape, and pillaging that took place during the three year period? The extermination of Armenians by Ottoman Turks is eerily reminiscent of Milosevic's attempt to ethnically clense Serbia and should carry the same weight when discussed, yet this moment in history is largely forgotten and dismissed in Western education and has for many years been completly denied by Turkey as an attempt at extermination by the Ottoman Turks. Shouldn't the arguement end with a renewed understanding of the events and not a strain of relations between those discussing?
The people of the country have begun to accept the blame over the past few decades, why shouldn't the government? I understand the issues within the country between its powerful military and the many non-secular political parties involved in parliament but I think that currently in Turkey, a new leaf needs to be turned and accepting blame for your country's actions is a neccessary step to forging a stronger government and a more unified people. At this point, unfortunately, the self-conciousness of the Turkish government has grown more paranoid and it has become even more offensible to slander "Turkisness" and make statements deemed "untrue" about its history. Hopefully an acception into the E.U. would ease all of these tensions but I remain skeptical. At this point, with Turkey's stance on trade with Cyprus and relationship with Greece, I am not even sure that talks will resume for their E.U. bid for some time. The movement to have a popular democratic vote can only help, but how much?
Should the U.S. continue with its legislation or honor Bush's warning of potential disaster?
Will Turkey ever take blame as a government?
Will policies and positions change that much if Turkey is accepted into the E.U.?
Will Turkey even get accepted in the next ten years?
Monday, October 8, 2007
The Great Balance has Become Upset (Don't let 'em steal Halo!)


Master Chief
The Politics of Destroying a Man's Farm (in the name of the War on Drugs)

Thursday, October 4, 2007
Can your capitalism do this?
German's make another big stink
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Black Water’s constitution is murky at best.

Black Water’s legal boundaries are so undefined that it’s difficult to delineate an image of the injustice surrounding the many cases of inappropriate procedure (which for most of us are immediately recognizable as murder). It appears as though the focus at this point is fixated on Black Waters finances (no doubt due to the fact that the oversight committee was instructed to steer clear of the two most highly publicized incidents involving reckless and excessive conduct). However, I’m pleased to see that Chairman Waxman simple explicated the fact that the state department is clearly the “enabler” of a corporation like black water and justifiably should be partly held accountable for Black Water’s operations in Iraq. There is no doubt that Black Water carries out its ‘intended’ goals effectively. However the question still remains whether or not Black Water, in its neglect of all of the nasty unforeseen avenues that it creates, is undermining and destabilizing key diplomatic components necessary for success in Iraq
(I use ‘success’ begrudgingly)?
Is Erik Prince correct when he talks about the necessity of a private agency (like Black Water with all of its perks) to accompany the military services in their endeavor to stabilize Iraq?
If Black Water (or anything like it) doesn’t buckle under the impending and almost certain ‘state-department protecting’ litigation that seems inexorably directed at it, what sort of legal boundaries could we create (with good conscience) for a private entity such as this?
The War
It's That Day Again!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Just because

Flight of the Conchords season finale song. It's got Demetri Martin and Todd Barry. I think it's pretty funny.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Tommy Cruise as Col. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg
The "McSubway" Project
Smoking Ban reaches the Great Health State of Minnesota
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1455207.html
You know what, bring back the Marlboro Man. "Truth.org" is some adolescent sham that targets 12 year olds. To all you brave smokers out there, worrying about this impending move and shake up in our beloved after-hours hangouts, stay strong homies.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Ongoing: You're not safe anywhere!


(This is the first in an ongoing series of pieces to promote fear-mongering) Nope, not even in the family pool or the lake at the cabin. Apparently, six people have died this year from a microscopic organism that EATS THE BRAIN! Yes, that's right, a parasite that enters the cranium through the nasal or ear passages, devours brain cells, causing headaches, delirium, and hallucinations followed shortly by death. Scientists are calling this mischevious 'lil stinker Naegleria fowleri, and it typically inhabits warm, stagnant waters. Apparently in an effort to make my task (i.e. the promotion of constant, vigilant fear) easier, biologist Michael Beach reminds us that with the onset of global-climate-warming-change we'll only see more of this little guy.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Babbitt wants out!

Q: Was it hard to remain so overoptimistic about everything. I mean, did the clichés provide some sort of comfort? I would imagine that it gets really frustrating?
Babbitt: “What?”
Q: The clichés not accommodating for your full range of emotions…?
Babbitt: “You can say that again.”
Friday, September 28, 2007
Breaking News!

Bush declares awareness of global-climate-warming by standing in front of what experts are calling a "hypothetical representation of the planet if it were made flat". this breakthrough in technology was immediately lampooned by the comical robots of Mystery Science Theater 3000 who were in attendance in the front row.
99% identical DNA a man does not make

So Austria refuses to acknowledge a 26-year old chimpanzee filing for bankruptcy assistance as a person (person as an entity distinctly separate from human, in Austrian legislature). This ruling bars him from all that sweet, sweet socialist capital that flows from the E.U. like so much milk from the teats of a nursing father. This issue brings to mind many questions and concerns, such as what values one uses to determine humanity (biological, social or moral?), or why it's appropriate for a journalist to open with a "monkeying around" pun. In this bloggist's opinion, whether we fling feces made of depleted uranium or doo-doo, we're all chimpmanzees.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Putin v Kasparov

Nothing like a two-headed beast.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070927/ap_on_sc/two_headed_turtle;_ylt=ApACNZTHiNpwqDJ5mGG.aASs0NUE
No More Red Lights? Then How Will I Know Where The Prostitutes Are?

"To Hug or Not to Hug" This is an uplifting story helping one navigate the many struggles of workplace touching. (by Yahoo Finance)
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/103549/To-Hug-or-Not-to-Hug
He’s only a nebbish schlemiel, just kvetching about…

UH OH, Wem ist Der Reicheskanzler!
Germany's reluctantly pressing for sanctions against Iran. Most news sources are interpreting Germany's refusal to discuss a pre-emptive strike on Iran (if sanctions won't provide cooperation) as being solely motivated by economic interest. "America has self-imposed sanctions on Iran that ensure America’s absence along with America’s competitors economic opportunity".
Germany has capitalized on Americas decision to place sanctions, meanwhile France is drawing up war plans for Iran, but ultimately think of what kind of tacit message Germany is sending Israel by trying to maintain its economic ties and avoid invasion.
Pavlik vs. Taylor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFr_uPHUnFo
Morning Headlines


Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Aggravated Stoner Boner
Chuck is one of the more dynamic characters on 'Gossip Girl'. Though he reads as a standard trope (affluent, east coast, spoiled social jockey/misfit), Chuck is also developing a heavy dose of psychosis. No doubt a result of his affinity for marijuana (which alone suggests a lack of moral stability) Chuck is depicted as a drug using degenerate who ignores the conventions that govern appropriate behaviour. In essence his social standing is the only thing that separates him from the drug addled rapist behind a bush in the park.
Brittney Spears is quite the interesting topic.
Brittney is real interesting. Check out this public restroom drama at some Quiznos restuarant.
There's a Butcher in Every Bunch
























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