Curated knowlege, trenchant insights & witty bon mots
The CIA has been operating a series of black prisons around the world to better interrogate the world's worst terrorists while safely hidden from prying eyes. Human Rights Watch has issued a report calling on the Bush administration to come clean on what happened to everyone who went through that mill. An excerpt from the Washington [...]
Wed, February 28 2007 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
From the NYT: When a psychology professor at DePauw University (in Greencastle, Ind.) surveyed students, they described one sorority as a group of “daddy’s little princesses” and another as “offbeat hippies.” The sisters of Delta Zeta were seen as “socially awkward.” Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority was contributing to a decline in membership that [...]
Wed, February 28 2007 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
How much are we to make of the fact that a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself outside the Bagram air base in Afghanistan while U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was safe inside? This NYT analysis suggests it may symbolize American worries about a Taliban and al Qaeda resurgence in Afghanistan. An excerpt: American officials insisted that [...]
Wed, February 28 2007 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
The Kajaki dam, once it gets fully up to speed, could provide electricity for another two million Afghans. Don't think the Taliban don't know that. Some excerpts from the BBC story: The plaque bearing the American eagle says it was built in 1975 – the hydro-electric power station was donated at a time when Cold War [...]
Wed, February 28 2007 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
From the NYT: President Bush has decided to send an unusually tough message to one of his most important allies, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, warning him that the newly Democratic Congress could cut aid to his country unless his forces become far more aggressive in hunting down operatives with Al Qaeda, senior [...]
Mon, February 26 2007 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
The Toronto Star's Haroon Siddiqui with Pakistan's side of the story on the current situation in Afghanistan. An excerpt: The assertions of Pakistani involvement have been repeated so often they have become part of the received wisdom of many Canadian politicians, editorial writers and pundits as well. I do not know and have not been [...]
Mon, February 26 2007 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
So Martin Scorsese finally wins an Oscar for Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy and Goodfellas! Woo-hoo!! :) About time! While I'm happy for Scorcese, The Departed winning best picture was essentially a show-me-the-money award in addition to payback for all the Oscars Scorsese should have won, but didn't. The film grossed [...]
Mon, February 26 2007 » Film, Main Page » Comments Off
From the NYT: Since when did microlending, global poverty, constitutional law and civil wars in Africa become topics for frank discussion on fake-news comedy shows? Publishers say that particularly for the last six months, “The Daily Show” and its spinoff, “The Colbert Report,” which has on similarly wonky authors, like the former White House official [...]
Sun, February 25 2007 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
I was riding the Scarborough Rapid Transit line on Wednesday when two young women started talking about bachelorette parties. One says she knew of one girl who had a midget stripper entertain at her “sweet 16″ party, “and he even gave her a lap dance.” Says the other: “That's kind of funny.” Well, I certainly [...]
Sun, February 25 2007 » Main Page, Minutiae » Comments Off
From the NYT: Johnna Cottam was showing a group of her girlfriends how to do a move called the Fireman. As music by Shakira played, she strode up to grab the portable pole in the living room of her well-appointed lakefront home here, wrapped her right leg around it, swung wide with her left, and [...]