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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Greece is broke and will be auctioning off its subs soon.
Any bets on who gets them?
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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What is the difference between a nuclear Iran and a nuclear Pakistan? Or a nuclear India. Or a nuclear Israel. Or a nuclear South Africa.
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America is the only country to use them in aggression. Maybe we should be disarmed.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Britain's former Prime Minister Tony Blair was forced out of office early because, weakened by his backing for the war in Iraq, he refused to condemn Israel for the Lebanon war of 2006. Another fine bit of revisionism. Blair's credibility was destroyed by his being Bush's bumboy, by having been prime minister for over a decade, and economic mismanagement. It had nothing to do with Israel's invasion of Lebanon, an issue barely on the radar for virtually British voters.
The middle east and Israel are less important than Jeff would have us believe.
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Norton
Social climber
the Wastelands
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Yes, in this country primarily only Jews have an interest in middle east.
Fatty is a Jew, hence his interest.
By far the vast majority of non Jewish Americans could not care less.
My guess is 85% of Americans could not even find Israel on a world map.
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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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This thread needs waffles.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Reader alert: Wafflejack in progress. Please do not adjust your sets.
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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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Bring on the waffles. Woot!!!
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bookworm
Social climber
Falls Church, VA
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Oct 14, 2010 - 12:28pm PT
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hey fattrad
ever read "Culture and Carnage" by Victor Davis Hanson? Outstanding book explaining why the "West" has been militarily dominant since the Marathon
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 19, 2010 - 12:29pm PT
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I think this might be part of the Clash but since the reporter's name
is Simpson I'm not sure:
The latest Vatican line: Homer Simpson is Catholic
By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer Victor L. Simpson, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 1 min ago
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican newspaper has declared that Homer Simpson is part of the pope's flock — a claim that leaves "The Simpsons" TV producer baffled.
"Few people know it and he does everything to hide it but it is true: Homer J. Simpson is Catholic," L'Osservatore Romano wrote in its weekend edition under the headline: "Homer and Bart are Catholic."
Last December, the newspaper praised the show on its 20th anniversary for its philosophical leanings and irreverent take on religion.
The weekend story was the latest example of the Vatican paper's efforts to be more relevant in the last few years, and follows stories not only lauding Harry Potter but even praising the Beatles and waxing philosophical about John Lennon's boast that the British band was more popular than Jesus.
The paper quoted an analysis by a Jesuit priest, the Rev. Francesco Occhetta, discussing Homer's and his son Bart's conversion in a 2005 episode after meeting with a sympathetic priest, Father Sean, voiced by actor Liam Neeson.
L'Osservatore says the analysis shows that behind the TV program's jokes are themes "linked to the sense and quality of life."
"'The Simpsons' remain among the few programs for children in which the Christian faith, religion and the question of God are recurring themes," it said. "The family recites prayers together before meals and, in its own way, believes in heaven."
While noting that "The Simpsons" often takes jabs at religious figures, it said parents should not be afraid to let their children watch "the adventures of the little guys in yellow."
But the show's producer told Entertainment Weekly the Vatican may have gone a step too far in its analysis of the satire, noting that Homer and Bart only consider converting in the 2005 episode.
"My first reaction is shock and awe, and I guess it makes up for me not going to church for 20 years," EW.com quoted executive producer Al Jean as saying.
Jean noted that the Simpson family attends the First Church of Springfield "which is decidedly Presbylutheran."
"We've pretty clearly shown that Homer is not Catholic," he told the entertainment website. "I really don't think he could go without eating meat on Fridays for even an hour."
But L'Osservatore would seem to take that in stride, too.
"Skeptical realism seems to prevail in the Simpson stories," it wrote. "Young generations of television watchers are educated to not let themselves be fooled. The moral? None. But one knows that a world without easy illusions is a more human world and, perhaps, more Christian."
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AP correspondent Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 22, 2010 - 01:29pm PT
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how do you get that democracy in the Arab world, likely at the end of a gun.
Yes, but it works better if the guns are wielded by the inhabitants.
Turkey's army has, arguably, created the Middle East's most viable democracy.
We probably won't see its like elsewhere for a goodly while.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 22, 2010 - 01:41pm PT
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Turkey may be headed in the wrong direction as far as we're concerned but that clearly doesn't bother them.
You have to agree that their democracy is pretty close to the real deal.
Of course, if it gets too 'real' the army could step back in but that seems highly unlikely.
this week's The Economist:
Is Turkey turning its back on the West?
No. But it might if Europe and America cannot come to terms with its success
Oct 21st 2010
ITS strategic position, next to the Middle East and Russia and astride Europe and Asia, means that Turkey has always mattered. But over the past decade its significance has hugely increased. For Turkey has gone through two big, and not always widely recognised, transformations: in its economic performance and in its foreign policy.
For most of the post-war years the Turkish economy was, to reuse Tsar Nicholas I’s 19th-century phrase, “the sick man of Europe”, plagued by erratic growth, soaring inflation and periodic banking busts. Today inflation is far lower, the banks are solid and Turkey boasts the fastest-growing economy in the OECD club of rich countries. Because it is resource-poor, this growth reflects fundamental strengths, especially in manufacturing and construction. Turkey makes things like furniture, cars, cement (it is the world’s biggest exporter), shoes, televisions and DVD players. In a sense, it is Europe’s BRIC: it might be called the China of Europe.
On foreign policy this long-standing member of NATO, with an army second in size only to America’s, has always been a bulwark of the West. Turkey and Norway were the only NATO members to border the Soviet Union. But Turkey’s pro-Western stance led it to neglect its neighbourhood, including many countries once in the Ottoman empire. Here, too, there has been a transformation. Backed by its strong economy, Turkey has become highly active in its diplomacy across the Middle East, in the Balkans and as far afield as Africa—and not always to the satisfaction of its allies. In a sense, Turkey has become a local diplomatic giant—the Brazil of the region.
You might imagine that Western powers would welcome such an advance. Instead, a more prosperous, bumptious Turkey is jangling many nerves. Europeans are trembling over the prospect of being asked to admit such a populous state into the European Union. The United States, which used to scold the Europeans for their reluctance, is uncomfortable with Turkey’s newly adventurous foreign policy. Critics in the West are prone to hide behind the idea that Turkey is drifting towards Muslim fundamentalism and somehow “being lost” by the West. This judgment is completely wrong; yet the more that people in the West persist in making it, the greater the chance that they may genuinely lose Turkey.
The perils of democracy
In foreign policy, the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has certainly fallen prey on occasion to excessive Muslim solidarity. It has been too nice to Sudan’s ghastly president, Omar al-Bashir, ignoring his indictment for war crimes. It made a mistake by joining Brazil in an ill-fated Iranian nuclear initiative that led to the embarrassing sight of Turkey, a member of the UN Security Council in 2009-10, voting against tougher sanctions on Iran. And its increasingly strident attacks on its once-close ally, Israel, have angered not only the Israelis but also many Americans, especially after the Turkish-led flotilla that tried to “relieve” the siege of Gaza this summer.
But wait a moment. Brazil was nice to Iran, without anyone doubting its Western credentials. On Israel, Mr Erdogan has certainly at times played to the Arab street. But many of Turkey’s complaints, such as over settlement-building in the West Bank, are hardly controversial. It may have been ill-judged for the government to have been involved with those who launched the Gaza flotilla, but this would not have turned into such a catastrophe had the Israelis not killed nine people on board the leading ship. More fundamentally, the Turkish government is doing what democracies tend to do: reflecting its people’s views. Many Muslims think the Palestinians have been ill-treated. From an Israeli viewpoint it is no doubt awkward to have its human-rights record questioned by an elected prime minister, rather than by the usual Arab dictators. But who would America rather hear as a Muslim voice? The autocrats in Egypt and Saudi Arabia? The clerics in Iran?
The Europeans are also in a funk—over Turkey’s possible membership of the EU. Negotiations have formally been going on for over five years. No country that has begun such talks has ever failed to be offered membership. But the leaders of France, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands seem dead set against Turkish entry, as is much of their public opinion. The unresolved Cyprus dispute seems a near-insuperable roadblock. Yet if the EU chooses to exclude its own China, it will be turning away the fastest-growing economy in its neighbourhood. It will also lose any hope of influencing the region to its east. At a time when many Europeans fret about being ignored in the world, this would be an historic mistake.
How Western are they?
The common excuse for these follies is the claim that Turkey is not really Western—and is becoming ever less so. Once again, Mr Erdogan has done some unhelpful things. Critics note that, ever since his mildly Islamist Justice and Development (AK) party came to power in 2002, it has been engaged in a battle with the Kemalist secular establishment. He is intolerant of dissent, shown in his battles with critical media commentators. And he is increasingly impatient with the EU.
Yet fears of Turkey turning into the next Iran are absurd. A new tolerance of the headscarf in universities does not imply a sudden lurch into stoning adulteresses. Mr Erdogan’s run-ins with his opponents have certainly created a polarised society; he should adopt a more conciliatory tone if he wins re-election next June. But his opponents in the media still write their critical columns. It is troublemakers in the army who have posed a greater threat to democracy in recent times.
In short, Turkey is heading in a good direction. It remains a shining (and rare) example in the Muslim world of a vibrant democracy with the rule of law and a thriving free-market economy. Much though Western leaders would like to turn the argument into one about Turkey, the real question is for them. Are Americans and Europeans prepared to accept Turkey for what it is: a Muslim democracy, with a different culture and diplomatic posture, but committed to economic and political liberalism? This newspaper hopes the answer is yes.
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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Oct 27, 2010 - 06:42pm PT
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Ha haha ha.
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