[letter from novosibirsk] tales from the former soviet union

Just looked out of my eighth floor balcony window and can’t make out what they’re doing across the road. I’m on what was once a relatively quiet street but is now a six lane highway, replete with median strip; and opposite used to be a carpark which has always fascinated. For two years I used to wake up in the early morning, golden sun streaming through and highlighting the golden parquet floor and cars could be seen, over the way, doing strange things. There’d be seven or eight of ‘em and they’d trace their way along the edges of the park, then turn in perfect synchronicity and make geometric progressions to different points on the chart, then turn about on themselves and retrace their steps. Sheer ballet in metal, affording hours of intrigue, if you’d been so inclined. The answer took a long time coming.

[iraq] secret report states the bleedin' obvious

The Bush administration has released portions of a classified intelligence estimate Tuesday that says the global jihadist movement is growing and being fueled by the war in Iraq, even as it becomes more decentralized, making it harder to identify potential ... That's as far as I got 'cause there were better things to do. There's nothing smug in seeing the global nastiness unfold according to a blueprint even Churchill and Wilson predicted. It's nothing to do with me and my kooky ideas. The 4th player has even written the blueprint for those who would read it. The good news, on the other hand, is that the morning is sunny out there today and breakfast was tasty.

[pc gone mad again] are you one of those wicked ageists

Interesting twist in Australia where PC gone mad actually benefits the middle-aged like yours truly [don’t forget I’m 90 according to my blog profile] but I want none on’t. Ageism laws come into force on October 1st. Heaven help us. The Employers Forum on Age survey of 1,000 people aged over 16 found 61% of respondents knew of cases of what they considered to be ageist behaviour where they worked. What utter balderdash. People being asked to identify wicked ageists, newspapers running full ageist-hunts plus obligatory ‘vote here’ boxes. This is a perfect, absolutely perfect example of woolly-headed do-gooder terrorists wreaking havoc. What utter … sorry, have to stop. Where's my pace-maker?

[russia & iran] launch date of nuclear power plant agreed

Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday that the two sides have signed a protocol that has set September 2007 as the Bushehr nuclear power plant start date and have scheduled the delivery of nuclear fuel to Iran for March 2007. The agreement came after talks in Moscow between Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency and Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. [

[professor kember] oliver kamm’s take

Leaving aside politics for one moment, I like Oliver Kamm personally. Therefore, when I began reading his piece on Professor Kember, I was more than a little worried. This sort of thing from the pacifist who was rescued by the SAS and was tardy in thanking them: “My son-in-law is a volunteer lifeboat man, who goes out to rescue stupid yachtsmen that do silly things. “People may say I did something silly there but I was rescued by people who, by being in the forces, chose to put their lives at risk so I don’t think that’s a valid argument.” Was this being presented as legitimate? I needn’t have worried. Kamm concluded: Soldiers risk their lives by volunteering for combat. Professor Kember believes they are wrong to do this. That is why Professor Kember is not only graceless but also hypocritical. Sigh of relief, for it is indeed so. Plus, I'm one of those 'stupid yachtsmen' who never expected any help but his own.

[soldiers] their view on the torture issue

Powerful piece over at Vox Populi on soldiers and torture. A soldier says: I found your last equivocation of torture very interesting. I suppose; since I am a soldier having had to deal with the reality of the fact that I will be tortured far worse than any detainee of the U.S., should I be captured, that I am somehow calloused to your remarks. I get this feeling that I was supposed to be uncomfortable after reading your words. I get this empty feeling that somehow I should get a feeling of remorse; however small, for the direction that the current administration is taking this torture argument. But I am having difficulty understanding your line of reasoning.

[clinton] vintage performance noted by gop

If ever the GOP needed a reminder that the ghost of Bill Clinton is far from being laid to rest, it was in Sunday’s confrontation when the provocative interviewer Chris Wallace attempted to pin Clinton down on the failure of his administration in addressing terrorism. Clinton turned the tables and began to interview the interviewer [earlier post] and then the following occurred: WALLACE: We ask, we ask - have you ever watched "Fox News Sunday," sir? CLINTON: I don't believe you ask them that. WALLACE: We ask plenty of questions - Continues here.

[from al jazeera] deficiency and impotence of arab states

Stories from the inside always seem more authentic. Soumaya Ghannoushi comments, about Arab states: The Israeli assault on Lebanon has poignantly brought two truths home: that some Arab states are unable to respond to ever-mounting external threats, and that the burden of homeland protection is increasingly shifting from the standard political order to non-state actors. The modern state derives its legitimacy from the right to monopolise and use instruments of organised violence for the purpose of maintaining internal stability and civil peace on the one hand; and securing its borders on the other. Some Arab states have failed on either or both counts. Continued here.

[business & state] how far should they subsidize the incapable

Often it’s the asides which are revealing. Chris Dillow stated, in his post on Left Libertarianism: My instinct, then, is that the state should provide a safety net, and not worry too much about letting the rich keep their millions. Stephen Pollard stated: I am contemptuous of CSR - business' job is to make profits, not act as a charity. Calvin Coolidge said: Civilization and profits go hand in hand. The one time I myself accepted the Queen’s coin, I came into contact with people who were – well – inadequate. They simply couldn’t. Sound in mind and limb, nevertheless there was something missing. Who should prevent them from starving to death? No one? Least of all business?

[execution] the best way to go

Ordinarily, I’d prefer not to think about this type of thing. Three Bali bombers on death row want to be beheaded rather than shot. Amrozi, Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas and Imam Samudra had asked to be executed "the Muslim way, by being beheaded", their lawyer Mahendradatta said. He said they believed death by firing squad would be torture. The 2002 attacks killed 202 people. I’ve always personally felt that this was the way to go, if one had a choice. And one would be in such august company. I’d least like to be barbecued, I think. Actually, I’d least like to be in the middle of a 32nd degree ritual but that’s another story. Perhaps you can submit your thoughts in the survey over to the left.