Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

GREAT podcast. I listened to it several times:

Lawrence Wright spent five years researching the history of the events leading to the destruction of the World Trade Center Towers in New York City.

His book about the subject, The Looming Tower won the 2007 Lionel Gelber Prize, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize. In this public lecture, Wright analyses the forces that created Al-Qaeda, and adds to our understanding of what we must do to fight them.

Download File – 24.3 MB or Listen To This Podcast – CBC’s The Best of Ideas Podcast

Or if you have time and money to spare, get the book:

Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

Iraq exit strategy?

Go big, go long, or go home?

The worst part of this “liberation” for Iraquis is yet to come, I fear.

Going bigthe “surge” — has not worked, so far as I can see.

Going long, like the 54-years-and-counting Korean American military presence is likely the best option.

I don’t think that will happen. Some American politician, sooner or later, will decide to Quit Iraq.

Going home. Long lines of American vehicles and tens of thousands of refugees moving slowly toward the Kuwait border. That’s the exit I expect.

Sound familiar?

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Fall of Saigon

It will likely get bloody in Iraq as the Americans drive away. Strong men will fight it out to replace Saddam.

I was just as gloomy about South Africa when the ANC assumed power. But the anticipated blood bath did not occur.

Hopefully I’m just as wrong about Iraq.

Bush Is Back! – Colbert gleeful

It’s getting easier and easier to watch Colbert and Jon Stewart clips on the internet.

Newscloud.com is the best yet.

These are legal clips from Comedy Central.

Here’s a sample:
Bush Is Back! – The Colbert Report – NewsCloud.com

No Smoking Day

The first thing to do to promote a healthier society is to encourage non-smoking.

No Smoking Day is an annual health awareness day in the United Kingdom that helps smokers that want to quit smoking.

The first No Smoking Day was on “Ash Wednesday” in 1984 and it now takes place on the second Wednesday in March. The campaign is now in its 24th year and is a firm fixture in the UK calendar because of its continuing success. On No Smoking Day 2006 1.5 million smokers made a quit attempt and millions more used the Day to take a step towards stopping smoking.

Wikipedia

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larger original

video – North Korean MASS games

This was originally posted on my gymnastics blog.

There’s no doubt the most spectacular large gymnastics displays are in North Korea.

Canadian coach David Burgess visited years ago and became something of a foreign celebrity there. He was several times interviewed on Korean TV.

Dave brought back photos from the “Mass Games” from that trip and we were blown away by the scale of the shows.

Click PLAY or watch the clip on YouTube.

These spectacles are criticized as totalitarian government propaganda. But a British Film crew was allowed unrestricted access to film A State of Mind, a documentary following two North Korean child gymnasts and their families for over eight months leading up to the 2003 Pyongyang Mass Games.

The movie paints a much more sympathetic picture of one of the Axis of Evil nations.

Watch the movie trailer on YouTube.

wanting to see SICKO

Can hardly wait for the latest Michael Moore film. It is really going to get people talking. From Cannes:

Moore’s documentary “Sicko” – a ferocious attack on the U.S. health care industry – is the talk of the film festival, and he is hot property. …

… Much of “Sicko” consists of moving testimony from Americans who have suffered at the hands of insurance companies, drug firms and HMOs. That includes a mother whose daughter died because the nearest hospital could not treat her, and a man who was told the cost of reattaching his two severed fingers would be $60,000 for the middle finger and $12,000 for the ring finger.

Several interview subjects died before the film was completed.

“It was pretty somber working on this film,” Moore said. “We just kept thinking, the only reason this person is dying is because they hold American citizenship. If they lived in Canada or Britain or France, they’d have a chance.”

“Sicko” has been rapturously received by audiences and critics at Cannes, where it is screening out of competition. Moore’s last film, the President Bush-bashing documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11,” won the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, in 2004.

‘Sicko’ spawns Moore fever in Cannes

Americans have been BSed into believing they have a better health care “system” than Canada.

Not so.

It’s time Americans learned the truth. Theirs is only the better system for those who have private coverage.

Unfortunately, I believe the Canadian socialist system is doomed, long term. The American model would be better IF ONLY they truly had a free enterprise system. They don’t.

Decisions are made in the USA based on the demands of the pharmaceutical lobby and other such money grubbing scum.

Of course Michael Moore is somewhat discredited as some of his past movies have been less than “on the level”. He’s manipulated the facts at times, unnecessarily I think. His stories are so important that no tricky editing is needed.

Moore should study my favourite documentary to learn how to put one together correctly.

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Calgary Olympic Legacy

Kate delivered a big baby.

Actually, three big babies.

Her 3 final reports on the legacies of the 3 most recent North American Winter Olympics are posted on-line linked on her Kate is Always Late blog.

Certainly VANOC (Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games) — shouldn’t that acronym be VOCFT2OAPWG, Kate? — selected Kate to draft these invaluable documents because she is so passionate about sport. And legacy.

I was particularly interested in her Calgary report:

Two billion people worldwide watched the opening ceremony of the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games.

Vancouver 2010 – Legacies of North American Winter Games – Calgary

I was one of the coldest of 2 billion, sitting in the frozen arena. (Thanks Katrina for scoring tickets!)

Kate’s done a great job of cataloguing the many benefits of the Olympics for Calgary. It was wonderful for the city. Good luck to Vancouver!

Vancouver 2010 Olympics – official website

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Imus, Limbaugh, Hannity – which to push first?

In Canada I never hear a thing from American right wing politically oriented talk radio personalities.

But driving a rent-a-car in the States, they are unavoidable.

Pandering to racism, misogyny, and homophobia is profitable in the USA.

Seems to me these rogue commentators, getting away with things not allowed on TV, will say whatever brings in the ratings. Talk radio is all about the money.

Don Imus I did not know until his recent and ridiculous scandalous dismissal. (He’ll be back bigger than ever, no doubt. Perhaps on satellite.)

Sounds like Imus was probably best of breed of rabid radio shock jocks. He garnered some praise from some pretty credible people.

Rush Limbaugh, of course, the Big Fat Idiot, has some folksy charm. I’ve never heard him less intelligible on this last trip. Is Rush “losing it”?

I had never actually heard Sean Hannity. I knew he was widely ridiculed by Jon Stewart and others.

Then I happened to see him debate the Mayor of Salt Lake City on TV. Hannity came off second best. Unprepared, disorganized and … as a good looking idiot.

Bill O’Reilly I have to spare because he inspires Stephen Colbert’s great comedy.

com.jpgThe first one I’d push off a cliff is still … Dr. Laura.

She’s a dangerous hypocrite.

Image from Dr. Laura Naked.

how is that WAR ON DRUGS going?

Sure the USA is losing the War in Iraq. More and more Americans want to walk away.

war-on-drugs.jpgBut the War on Drugs hits a lot closer to home.

• Price and purity estimates are a key barometer of cocaine availability
• Dropping prices are an indication of robust supply or weakening demand
• In letter to senator, drug czar says street price of cocaine fell last year in U.S.
• Disclosure may contradict U.S. claims $4 billion in Colombia aid stemming flow

U.S. drug czar’s letter: Cocaine prices drop – CNN.com

OK, $4 billion and street prices fall. Do you think supply rose? Or demand fell?

Maybe they should try EDUCATION
of Americans.

There’s no WAR ON SMOKING and yet numbers of smokers have decreased long term.

image source

Stephen Colbert GQ magazine

Stephen Colbert is featured on the May 2007 cover of GQ Magazine.

Seems he’s decided, finally, to run for President.

Now we have a Republican candidate who can take on Mike Gravel mano-a-mano.

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More great Colbert photos – Stephen Colbert Covers “GQ” May 2007 | TV Crunch