Iron is Master of Them All

"Gold is for the mistress -- silver for the maid -Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade."

"Good!" said the Baron, sitting in his hall, "But Iron - Cold Iron -- is master of them all."

~ Rudyard Kipling

BEIRUT, Lxebanon, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Amid a reported bloodbath in Libya and the Arab world in turmoil amid much Western hand wringing about selling weapons to dictatorial Arab regimes, the world's arms dealers are touting their wares at the Middle East's biggest defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi...more...

Cruising Near the St Louis Arch

Here is something I found to be very, very interesting. This is an embed of a Google Maps Street View. It is a special embed, that is interactive. That is to say you can control the view of the camera that took this image ( actually, it was a 360 movie image taken by a very special Google Van ).

Go ahead, left click and hold your cursor on the image and then move your cursor from right to left, up or down. See the little + and - symbol? That controls the zoom of the image. But that's not all folks, you can actually follow the path of the Google Van as it drove the streets of St Louis Mo. ( USA ).

When you hover your cursor over the image, you'll see the path of the vehicle displayed as a super-imposed yellow line ( about eye level from the ground ). Double click forward of the vehicle's position, and a small circle will appear, and the vehicle will move ( not really, but you'll catch on quick ).

Have fun!  



View Larger Map

Junior Has a New Home

There was a knock at the door about an hour ago, and now one of my pups has left for his new home. Not far away, but not close by either.

Junior was the second of four to go, and I know the remaining two will go sooner or later. There just isn't room here for them. Room in our hearts, space in our fenced yard, but the house just isn't big enough. He'll be going to an older couple's home just outside of town, where he'll have the room and love he deserves and needs. That's all good, but I miss him already.

I'm not going to pick favorites anymore, and I'm not going to name them either. They're whelped here, weaned here, and then they go away. They don't usually go far, and we nearly always keep in touch with their new owners. That's what brought the knock to our door, a lady with one of our pups brought an old friend of hers to us because her friend's husband had lost his dog the other day ( he doesn't know that he's getting a puppy yet ). I hope he keeps the name Junior.

I'm going to find out her husband's name tomorrow ( probably Bubba, Boo, or Billy-Bob ). I have no idea why some hulking, red-neck, back-hoe driving dude would ever want a wiener dog...but it doesn't matter because I'm not doing this anymore. Two more pups, and that's it for me.

It's Over, or Is It?

Obama has done what many have tried over the last forty years, he's pushed Health Care Reform through Congress. Many question if it is a victory for the people, but few dispute that it a political victory for the Obama Administration.

But, it may not be over as the Supreme Court hasn't weighed in yet, and there are many who believe that parts of the package are unconstitutional. In particular, the part that requires everyone to buy Health Insurance.

I think that if Conservatives push the Constitutionality of the Bill to the Supreme Court, it's going to open a very big can of worms for the Insurance Companies. It's not just Health Care that will be affected. Think about your Auto Insurance. Is it mandatory in your home state?

There is a difference of course, Auto Insurance is only mandatory for liability for damage to other people and property, while the Health Care Bill is mandatory damage to ourselves. But I think that distinction may get lost in the debate. And I'm not so sure that the Insurance Industry really wants people to question whether mandatory Auto Insurance is Constitutional. No, they don't want that at all.

Mandatory Auto Insurance is the goose that that laid the golden egg for the Insurance Industry. Lobbyists feed the guard dogs ( politicians ) that protect the Hen House ( that's our money ).

In my opinion, the political victory is also a political threat from the White House. How many Conservative Politicians are going to go to bat for the Insurance industry now? Do the lobbyists have a dog in this fight, and is there any fight left in their dog ( GOP )?

Remember, it's not about the dog in the fight, it's about the fight in the dog ( see; Obama~big dog ).

A Marvelous Game

I've been playing a marvelous game on-line for the last month or so. Tribal Wars seems to be all about conquest, exploitation and domination. Marvelous!

Starting with a village that supplies you with resources ( wood, clay and iron ), and building an army to pillage the resources of neighboring barbarian villages ( those that aren't blessed with a tyrant such as myself ) so that you can research and develop more and better soldiers and weapons to explore and exploit more distant villages. Marvelous!

When you're secure in your military strength, feel free to attack other tyrants! Or, if your not so secure join them in a larger quest against even larger groups of villages ( Tribes ). Marvelous!

I did well in the first several weeks, exploiting, building and researching to the point where it seemed worthwhile to join a tribe and take the game to a higher level. It took about a week for the tribe and I to get to know enough about each other, and then wham, they turned on me and decimated my original village. Not so Marvelous...

But that's ok, I've learned a valuable lesson; it's not by honorable conquest and subjugation of barbarians alone that elevates a tyrant. One needs to treacherous and conniving as well. I suspect that the greatest reward from this marvelous game will be the opportunity to slip a dagger in the back of my closest ( and most powerful ) ally. Marvelous!

All things considered Tribal Wars provides a marvelous provides a marvelous alternative to reading the news about the real world, and real people. Damn Marvelous!

Caught Red Handed

"Caught red handed," is a cliche' that refers to a killer found with blood on their hands. Recent revelations that the Republican Party ( GOP ) employees have been eligible for elective abortions under their Health Care Insurance policies are a perfect example of that cliche'. Which is all the more relevant as the House of Representatives has sent a Health Care Reform Bill to the Senate. A Bill that is being hotly debated on the issue of publicly funded, elective abortions.

Consider that this insurance policy has been in effect since George Bush Sr. was President, and that Democrat politicians ( including the current President ) have been criticised in every election since then by a party seemingly aligned with a political faction that was named back then, "The Moral Majority". Many Christian Americans, and most Fundamentalist Christian Americans where drawn to the Republican Party on this major issue alone.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele;

"Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose," Steele said in a statement late Thursday after learning of the abortion coverage from a news report. "I don't know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled."

Steele is the new face of the GOP, appointed immediately after their defeat in the last election. Can he move the GOP away from this blatant hypocrisy fast enough to dodge the accusations that will no doubt be made by the opposition in the Senate debate?

Another issue is the survivability of the GOP itself. Ben Smith, writing at Politico has a few sharp words, some great quotes on this issue of, "Do as I say, not as I do."

"...In order for the RNC to regain the trust of their donors, they must disclose the names of all people involved in any way of the selection of their health care plan. And those people must be summarily fired. No severance packages, no golden parachutes; fired. For cause.

No pro-lifer in good conscience can give them a dime until this happens...more..."

The GOP has enjoyed the financial support directed to them by the pulpit, but they require only the votes from that right wing of their rank and file. Their finances depend on lobbyists from Big Business...like the Insurance Industry that is obviously behind the opposition to Health Care Reform.

There's an election coming up, and many GOP Senators will have to decide between the Truth, and lies. Republican voters will be facing the same choice. Fundamentalist Christians have always embraced the contradiction between The Right to Life and the realities of business, it's known as The Puritan Dilemma. Or, as my Grandmother would say;

"If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?"

About the title of this post. It refers to the blood of the innocents sacrificed on the altar of profit.

Facebook has a backdoor to Friendfeed

Though she may be the proud Mother of Invention, Necessity is none the less a Bitch. Yesterday presented a problem, I could not access my friendfeed account! All I could get was a page that said something like, "Go away, this page has either moved, been removed or you are just not welcome."

Realizing that my facebook account had a friendfeed application, I did a thorough search of the application settings at facebook. And guess what I found down at the bottom of the friend feed application page...a unique link to my friendfeed account that worked! It's called; Regular FriendFeed Interface.

I have no idea why my friendfeed account was blocked, maybe it was hacked. I don't know. But, if you enjoy friendfeed it would behove you to sign-up at facebook just in case you get locked out. Then get the friendfeed application. I have no idea why a link on facebook works but other links don't, but it does.

Oh, did I mention that Facebook now owns Friendfeed? Bitches, I might just close both accounts.

Nov 7 Digest This

Fort Hood

US Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a military mental health doctor facing deployment killed 13 people and wounded at least 31 others. Dr Hassan had been working closely with soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

He was wounded but not fatally.

Dr Stephen Diamond ( psychologytoday.com ) asks some serious questions concerning 'Murder and Mayhem';

"...Should Dr. Hasan, given his apparently passionate religious and political beliefs, have been working with such patients in the first place?...more..."

Moscow

Russia may back sanctions against Iran, depending on whether they present a 'constructive position' in regards to an international plan to diminish their stockpiles of enriched uranium. The IAEA has suggested that Turkey may hold the solution to the impasse in negotiations.

“...It should work,” ElBaradei said in an interview Saturday on Public Broadcasting TV, as reported by Bloomberg. “Iran has a lot of trust in Turkey.” The Obama administration would agree to this proposal because the United States is “very comfortable with Turkey.” ...more..."

4 Nov Digest This

Tegucigalpa

President Mel Zelaya is ready to step aside as interim President, and allow the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord address the question of his reinstatement up to Congress...Hondurans are set to go the polls Nov. 29 to choose Zelaya’s successor, but most foreign governments have said they will not recognize the process as legitimate unless the deposed head of state is reinstated beforehand.

The Organization of American States ( OAS ) has been effective as a mediator in this crisis that affects many nations in Latin America.

Moscow

Two members of Russian National Unity have been arrested in connection with the deaths of Mr. Markelov, and Ms. Baburova last January. The RNU is a a paramilitary organization founded in 1990 by Aleksandr Barkashov, their lawyers claim the two are innocent.

Solidarity is an dissadent organization, a political movement and a cry for justice in what remains of the old USSR. Garry Kasparov and other political activists use words to battle guns. With elections looming in Russia, it will be interesting to see which strategy is more effective.

Near Cyprus

Israeli Navy commandoes captured a ship loaded with "hundreds of tons" of weapons headed for Syria.

This is the largest seizure of arms in Israel's history. Some believe it to be just a 'tip of the iceberg'.

2 Nov Digest This

El Paso, Texas

Violence is pushing Mexicans to take refuge in Texas, using laser visa ( border crossing visas ) to live. The laser visas are issued for 30 day visits with strict 25 mile limitations. More than 2,000 Mexican murders have been recorded so far in 2009, the victims mostly being involved in drug traffic, organized crime or police enforcement. Many Mexicans who live in Cuidad Juarez have relatives who are US citizens and live in El Paso, just across the border.

Moscow

Shabtai von Kalmanovic was gunned down in gang-land fashion, while in traffic. After spending several years in an Israeli prison as a convicted spy , the Lithuanian immigrant earned a fortune in the construction business, and fame as an investor in Women's Basketball. He was 60 years old.

Ukraine

An epidemic is sweeping across the Ukraine. Is it Swine Flu? H1N1? Or, something more sinister? Mainstream News is not saying that it is not a plague.

Digest This

Digest This will be a regular feature at Flexable Page, reflecting the News as it is posted.

Naples, Italy

Salvatore Russo was arrested, he's been on the run for 14 years. He's supposed to be the head of an Italian Crime Family from the Naples area. Police think that this will be a heavy blow to Organized Crime, but I have my doubts. It may however start yet another violent struggle for leadership in a culture of crime. Pasquale and Carmine Russo were also arrested, further creating a vacuum at the top of the organization that is supposed to control 40 towns in the Naples area.

200 Nautical Miles North of Seychelles

A Thai flagged fishing boat with 23 Russians aboard was captured by pirates. The Russians were from the Kaliningrad Region. A British Frigate was nearby but unable to save the ship. Kaliningrad Officials are investigating. Piracy has grown into a booming industry over the last two years, with many Governments responding to the challenge with their Navies.

1,000 Uzbek Militants are Fighting in Pakistan

Uzbek fighters will support the Taliban just to survive, as they have no place to go. As Operation Rah-e-Jihat proceeds, it is expected that both the foreign fighters and the Taliban will slip into the mountains as they have for centuries.

Radovan Karadzik's War Crimes Trile Begins

But Radovan isn't there! Some call him a hero, some say he's a psychopath. Everyone knows he master of the spectacle, and is doing his best to delay the inevitable; justice.

Kosovo Builds a Giant Statue of Bill Clinton

Hillary Clinton says she'll take a picture in front of the statue, and Prime Minister Thaci says he'll build a huge square around the statue. Wow.

Two Canadian Muslims Were Arrested

Mohammad Al-Sahli and Yassir Ali Kahn, from Windsor Ontario are linked to Lugman Ameen Abdullah ( a Detroit Muslim leader killed by the FBI ) and wanted for conspiracy to commit Federal Crimes. Crimes are related to weapons violations. No charges on terrorism...so far.

Check back tomorrow for Digest This updates.

The Children Did Not Come Out Tonight

My wife was disappointed but not greatly, when no kids came Trick-or-Treating on this Halloween. Disappointed because she enjoys handing out treats to all that come to our door, dressed as goblins and monsters. Not greatly disappointed because she was feeling poorly, and I was at work and not able to enjoy the night with her. This leaves us with much candy to enjoy for the next few weeks.

The weather has been foul for weeks, cold and drizzling rain that tends to dampen any festive spirits. And, the flu season is at it's peak so I doubt if many parents were eager to take their children from door to door. Fortunately for the kids, there was an alternative this year. Church.

Several local Churches got together and invited everyone to the local school gymnasium to celebrate(?) Halloween. Which seems rather odd to me, as most Churches are dead-set against anything to do with witches, goblins and the like! Oh well, if Jesus can tolerate Easter Egg Hunts and Christmas Trees perhaps a few Zombies would be ok too.

But I remember when Halloween was more than a Sugar Rush, better than a Costume Contest. It was an opportunity to get even with Teachers, Preachers and the local cop for all those little things they represent to kids; rules, manners and social graces.

Halloween was a night when latent Juvenile Terrorists went out armed with bars of soap to decorate neighbor's windows with vulgarities. We waged war on out-houses, tipping them over ( even better if a teacher was in it ). And toilet paper, roll upon roll of tissue to adorn the trees of the grumpiest neighbor.

It's kinda sad really, my wife and I with all this candy and those kids at the school with the preachers. It almost makes me wish I'd wake up to find the wind-shield of my car soaped, "Eat Shit Wallace! You Suck!".

People Live Longer With Health Insurance

I read a news report about a Harvard Study that ( for me ) reduces the debate on a National Health Program to it's simplest terms. Simply put, people with insurance live longer than people without insurance. That sounds obvious, and most folks probably wouldn't need an expensive research program to come to the same conclusion. But think for a moment what that means to the National Health-care debate.

If Health Insurance doesn't add days to my life, why would I ever buy the stuff? I of course buy health insurance because I do believe it adds days, if not years to my life. Others may buy it to get those 'feel good' drugs that are so expensive, and others may buy it so they can afford a doctor to write excuses to their employer for missing work. But those, and many other reasons for buying insurance seem trivial when compared the basic assumption that insurance should allow us to live longer.

From the article;

"For any doctor ... it's completely a no-brainer that people who can't get health care are going to die more from the kinds of things that health care is supposed to prevent," said Woolhandler, a professor of medicine at Harvard and a primary care physician in Cambridge, Massachusetts... more ... "

The National Health Program is in favor of a National Health Program. It's study was challenged by the National Center for Policy Analysis which backs a free market solution to the problem. Noticeably absent from the news article was any challenge by that critic on the conclusions of the study. I believe that critics are forced to challenge the methods of the study itself, because they absolutely do not want the debate to focus on a citizens right to life, or the insurance industry's assumed responsibility to extend that life as they are payed to do.

Ask yourself why a major think-tank would ever argue against a study that says Insurance Companies extend life. If more experts come out with evidence that health insurance extends life, will other think tanks challenge those studies too?

Do you assume that the health insurance you pay for extends your life? I would hope so, I do. And I'm not really comfortable with those who would argue against that assumption, on any level. But I would like to know who they are, and if they really have my best interests at heart.

From the Article;

Nearly 45,000 people die in the United States each year -- one every 12 minutes -- in large part because they lack health insurance and can not get good care, Harvard Medical School researchers found in an analysis released on Thursday.

If you don't believe the health insurance you pay for extends your life, then what are you paying for? Happy pills?

I would really like to hear anyone argue that Health Insurance doesn't extend life.

Town Hall Meeting; Obama Returns to New Hampshire

President Obama will be holding his own "Town Hall Meeting" on Wednesday in Portsmouth, NH. I welcome the event, and believe it to be a bold move designed to put his Health Care Reform program on the offensive in a debate mired in controversy and confusion. This strategy may also put the President in a position to deliver the final death blow to a struggling Republican Party that seems to be resorting to dirty tricks just to remain relevant.

There have been several such events recently ( Obama was not present ) that resulted in mayhem, arrests and controversy. When White House director of new media Macon Phillips posted note on the White House web site asking folks to send anything 'fishy' about these events or their participants to flag@whitehouse.org, Republican Sen. John Cornyn wrote a letter to the President stating, "I urge you to cease this program immediately." Both the note and the letter have distracted the public from the major issue, and caused many to wonder about the state of politics in general.

Will ( astranavigo08.multiply.com, aka The Celestial Navigator ) posted a note several days ago that addresses the political aspects of these events, and it would seem that thread is still active. Will makes his political position quite clear;

If a president is keeping an enemies list, and asking people to tattle on each other, he's behaving like Richard Fucking Nixon. Period. I don't care what color the man is; I don't care what politics he professes, or to which 'party' he belongs -- asking people to tell on each other is an old, old, tactic, and it's been used by some of the nicest people in the past -- and Nixon's enemies'-list was legendary.

This is a legitimate concern, and I'm hoping the President will address this issue while he's in New Hampshire. I don't see how he can avoid it if he actually allows his opposition into the High School Auditorium where the meeting will be held. I'm not so worried about the 'flag' note, and believe that it was posted to prepare the President for this meeting in New Hampshire, and to give him an opportunity to respond to his opponents on their own web-sites. I do however appreciate Will and folks like him that keep a close eye on our Civil Liberties as their is a growing mood of discontent in America that cuts across party lines.

That threat is Fascism.

If you've been watching these events in the media, you may be as curious as I am to know who exactly is behind the confusion and mayhem. Here's an MSNBC clip that sheds a little light on that;

I'm not a fan of MSNBC, or television news in general. In fact, the only time I watch it is when I find links to it on the web. I do like this clip, as there actually was some investigation into who was actually involved in the controversy, what their background is and who their sponsors are.

<> About the Republican Party; YOU SUCK! I learned my lesson in 1972 when I enlisted in support of a President that appeared to embody all of the good qualities of America, and seemed to have our best interests at heart. I couldn't have been more wrong, as I and many like me payed in spades for our mistake ( our mistake wasn't enlisting, it was believing anything a Republican says ). Since then I've watched several Republican Administrations rape our wallets, and steal our economic future with their Voodoo Economics. As far as Compassionate Conservatism goes, don't believe a hypocrite.

Here's the hypocrisy of Neo-conservatism in America; On Sunday you stand in a pulpit and denounce Darwin and Evolution as it goes against your religious beliefs, but on Monday you stand on Wall Street and preach Natural Selection in the Market-place. Let the anyone who buys their crap beware...< /rant>

I have two hopes for Wednesday meeting; I hope Obama's strategy of bringing the issue to the people works well for him, and I hope some fool throws a shoe. Both would put the Neo-conservatism in a tight little box that can be shelved with so many failed agendas.

And thank you Will, for you attention to issues and your talent as a writer/analyst.

Untitled Rant

Take a look at the photo to the left, I'm the old guy with the white hat. The other guy is a kid I work with at a very large noodle factory. I'm posting this pic to establish a context for anything else I might post on this blog.

Neither of us in an expert at anything. Both of us work very hard for very little. Either of us could go on the inter-net and establish ourselves as leading authorities on just about anything. Really.

Patrick ( the kid ) isn't even interested in the inter-net. It's not in the least bit relevent to his life. I'm curious and active on-line, but go there to 'get' more than I 'give'. Does the kid seem close-minded, or stupid? He's neither. Do I sound selfish? I don't think so.

What Pat and I have in common is the sure knowledge that neither one of us have the answers to the world's problems. Nor do we have the time or energy to solve those problems! It takes all kinds of people to make such a large world; leaders, doctors, planners and builders, cops and lawyers and all those other folks that believe they have at least a small part of the solution to the world's ills. But it takes a lot more of us ( the little people ), than it does of them ( the experts ).

So I will break from my policy of not meddling with other folks affairs today. I have some advice for all of those experts that seem to be having so much problems with the world's economic crisis, global warming, wars and conflicts, etc.;

Get a job! If you can't seem to find one that requires a suit and tie, do like Pat and I. Find some hand tools ( perhaps a shovel or a hammer ), and start walking down the street or highway. People will notice you ( trust me ), and some of them will actually pay you for work.

I never thought I'd say that! But, I've never heard ( or read ) so much griping about how the world has gone to hell. I do my share of griping, and so does Pat. But we do it in the break-room of a factory where we put little noodles in little boxes. We work for two hours, then we bitch about the world for fifteen minutes. We work for an hour and fortyfive minutes, and then we bitch for half an hour. Work for an hour and a half, and then we bitch for fifteen more minutes. We work for an hour or so, clean up our work area and then go home.

We tell our wives that we weren't able to solve the world's problems but all things considered, the bills are getting paid. And then once a week we hand her our paychecks, and she bitches for the rest the day at the high price of living.

And then she comes home, and rests. At peace with the world, because she knows there are more people like Pat and I than there are experts.

Early Morning Thoughts

Again, my mind wanders as I wait for my ride to work in these early am hours. I ponder the nature of Wealth, and Worth and my mind drifts back to memories of my Grandfather who died several years ago. He was a farmer, a Family Farmer which is different from most farmers these days as they own their land, do most of the work themselves and answer to themselves and the market.

Grandpa worked till the end, and when he stopped working the end came as he knew it would. His farm wasn't large, as he never intended it to be so. The farm was his retreat. That battle-scarred old man probably never read about Waldon's Pond as he only finished the sixth grade in school. But, he embodied that spirit more than anyone I ever met.

In the end, the entire family ( except for me, as I knew his secret ) was shocked to find out he had no money, no wealth, and they were not pleased to find that over the years he had been giving it away, acre by acre to my brother who had been working beside him for decades. He knew all along that you can't take Wealth with you, and that if his life was to have any worth he'd have to pass Wealth on.

What is Wealth? Grandpa knew that there was no way in the world that my brother could ever buy a farm of his own with money he had earned. That's what Wealth is, more than you could ever acquire honestly. And he knew that my brother's dream, and goal in life was to find his own seperate peace, and work that dream for him and his. For them work is the goal, not the means to an end. This definition of Wealth is quite different than what you'll find in the dictionary, or on the Oprah show.

I'm of to my job now, a job I really do enjoy because it suits me. And I'll be daydreaming all day, probably thinking about how I no longer have to help my brother take care of those damn hogs...

Thanks Grandpa, thanks Ed, dream on...

Natasha Estemirova was murdered

Natasha Estemirova was murdered

It is said, "Natasha was a truth-teller."

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Inspeculation: Moon Landing Tapes Degaussed

How do you destroy NASA's credibility, and jeopardize there funding for years to come? You can start by announcing that the best evidence of their greatest achievement doesn't exist. Follow that with an effort to recreate that evidence in a studio and you have all that is needed for conspiracy theorists to trash NASA for decades to come.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The original recordings of the first humans landing on the moon 40 years ago were erased and re-used, but newly restored copies of the original broadcast look even better, NASA officials said on Thursday...more

Those tapes of the moon landing set NASA's credibility on bedrock, and that credibility was the foundation for funding much of the research and development that has changed our way of life over the last four decades. Until now, anyone who was against the rapid advances of science and technology had to contend with this solid proof that people could and should look to science to improve and secure their future. At that time scientists were contending with the deeply rooted Fundamentalist mind set of average America. Since then Fundamentalism has grown around the world to challenge the change in society that science has fostered. Now questions are rising as to whether the Space Age ( read; NASA ) should be a part of our future.

How important is progress to you? Are there more important issues such as Global Warming, Universal Health Care, War on Drugs, and War on Terrorism? Would you vote for a Congressman or a Senator that chose NASA funding over the many other interests that compete for Federal Funding?

It looks like NASA is in a fight for it's life, and they can only blame themselves.

Allusions of Grandeur

Gone are the days when Emporers and Czars sold huge territories to balance their budgets, or are they? Surely the world has progressed beyond wholesale bartering of the fate and fortune of millions of people, to secure the status of the rich and powerful, or has it?

Yesterday Garry Kasparov gave a statement to President Obama in which the Chess Master alluded to those bigone days that was steeped in sarcasm, or was it? You be the judge;

Prime Minister Putin and his friends have treated the Russian treasury like their personal bank, but only for withdrawals. They are selling the riches of our country from under our feet. In fact, if, President Obama, you wish to go down in history like Thomas Jefferson or William Seward, I’m sure you can get a good deal on several million acres of Russian land during your visit!...more...

Perhaps Garry was merely expressing his feelings towards the Russian Leadership that is perhaps not performing very well in the World Economy. Or, perhaps he's referring to the recent decision to allow US Military flights over Russian Airspace to supply the war effort in Afghanistan.

I'm not going to pretend to understand the mind and machinations of a Champion Chess Master ( I really don't play the game well ), but I will make a wild guess that there was a real strategy, and deeper meaning to Garry's words. I surely hope so, because I didn't get much else from his statement.

But as long as I'm speculating, how much would the Artic Ocean be worth to Putin? Come on Putin, what's it going to take to make this deal happen?

For Six Months I've Been Following Two News Stories

For six months I have been following two news stories that are about to intersect. Garry Kasparov and his Solidarity are about to meet President Obama and his Foreign Policy. For the first time in six months, if you click on either of these links you will see the same story at the top of the page.

While the world pays attention to proxy battles such as Iran vs Israel, N Korea vs S Korea Honduras vs ... ( well they're fighting somebody down there, I'm just not sure who yet ), it is wise to watch the masters play out their strategies at the highest level.

While I don't pretend to have the slightest idea of what these intelectual giants will be discussing, I'm quite sure that the rest of the world leaders will be watching with great interest. Mr. Putin and his friend Ahmadinejad will no doubt be watching as well. That is not to say that the latter two aren't major world players, but that this story is not about power or politics.

This is about Journalism, and entertainment. And a Grand Gambit. Good luck Garry, this is your fifteen minutes of fame, play it wisely...

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Photo; File:Kasparov-27, jpg - Wikimedia Commons