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World Affairs

International news and events
<em>acanuck</em>'s pic

The Decline, Fall, Plunge and Demise of Journalism

If you go to the Drudge Report right now, you'll see the teaser:

PAPER: Soros 'at center of hedge funds plot to cash in on demise of the euro'...

If you click on the link, you'll see the Mail Online headline:

Man who broke the Bank of England, George Soros, 'at centre of hedge funds plot to cash in on fall of the euro'

If you read the lead paragraph, you'll see:

A secretive group of Wall Street hedge fund bosses are said to be behind a plot to cash in on the decline of the euro.

And if you read the entire story, you'll see it is spun entirely around a private dinner meeting that Soros himself did not attend: [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Americans disconnected

The disconnect never fails to amaze me. Death on a personal level is a heart-wrenching, life-altering affair. The recovery is a long process, filled with grief. Losing a loved one stays with you until you finally join them. But being part of the machine that gives others the same grief on a spectacular level has little to no effect.

I’d like to say I brim with outrage every time I see mention of civilian casualties during war time. I’d like to say I vehemently protest each unmanned drone that takes out a village along with a terrorist, leaving carnage and heartache in its wake. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

McCain, Lieberman want to help brave Iranians (but would rather kill them with bombs)

As Iran is in the midst of severe domestic turmoil and an uprising of its populace, Senate Republicans are prepared to do whatever it takes to save the brave American populace from the clutches of evil dictator President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his boss, the Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Because for them, the situation in Iran has aways been about democracy. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Iran delivers stunning punch to West by attacking its own people

The far right, convinced that Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were planning to destroy the world today with its massive, unchecked nuclear arsenal, can rest easy thus far, as Iran seems only intent on showing the world it’s military might by making life Hell for its own people.

In his address, Mr. Ahmadinejad praised the achievements of the Iranian people and railed against the West. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Louie Psihoyos: Oscar for 'The Cove' could save lives of dolphins

Louie Psihoyos wants to win an Academy Award. For the Director of the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Cove,” being nominated is great, but when the envelope is opened, he wants to hear his film called out. Mind you, Psihoyos doesn’t much care about the award itself (“I’d probably give it to the crew,” he said.), but he wants what he sees as the biggest benefit an Oscar offers – a massive audience. [Read more]

<em>DF</em>'s pic

Let Them Eat (mud)Cake

Listening to Marketplace this evening, I heard guest Tyler Cowen mention that the people of Haiti are literally eating mudcakes.  This struck me as astonishing, so I immediately employed the use of Google to verify whether this was true.  Well, it turns out that it is:

At first sight the business resembles a thriving pottery. In a dusty courtyard women mould clay and water into hundreds of little platters and lay them out to harden under the Caribbean sun. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Osama bin Laden – Tree hugger

There was a time not long ago that Osama bin Laden was the world’s most feared man. The 9/11 mastermind was “Wanted: Dead or Alive.” He was the devil incarnate.

Now, he’s an environmentalist. From the Washington Post:

CAIRO — Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has called in a new audiotape for the world to boycott American goods and the U.S. dollar, blaming the United States and other industrialized countries for global warming. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Osama bin Laden to “retool” terror show after latest video tanks

CAVE 11, Pakistan – Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, upset that his most recent video failed spectacularly, has announced plans to “retool” his show. [Read more]

<em>Genghis</em>'s pic

5-Year-Old Philanthropist Raises Money for Haiti

Last Thursday, I received a phone call from my friend, Lily, a San Francisco native halfway through her kindergarten year. In truth, we are more than friends. We married in an unofficial ceremony during the summer of 2008, and over a few brief hours of marital bliss and several cups of imaginary tea, we were blessed with four or five children, one of whom resembled a furry red monster. But alas, the marriage could not survive the age and geographical distances. We drifted apart. Lily claims not to remember the wedding, and the kids are stuffed in a box somewhere. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Haiti Earthquake News, updates and links with updates

As the world tries to comprehend just how horrifying the situation is in Haiti, news of the fall-out from the 7.0 Earthquake has steadily been coming in throughout the early morning. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Sources: Underpants Terrorist Kid printed full-page ad in NY Times promising to attack a U.S. plane

Ok, maybe not quite that over the top, but the Intelligence Industry really dropped the ball on the Underpants Terrorist kid. And by “dropped the ball,” I mean “Put thousands in needless risk.” I do expect there to be attempted attacks that will get past authorities somehow, but this is sounding quite abysmal.

That aside, Yemen.

–WKW [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

U.S. Officials: "Happy New Year" greetings likely originated in Yemen

ITALY - Blogger William K. Wolfrum today sent Happy New Years greetings to all his friends, family and readers. Upon hearing this news, U.S. officials quickly surmised that the greeting likely originated in Yemen.

"At this point it may be too early to tell, but we have it on good authority that the New Years greetings in question more than likely originated in Yemen," said an anonymous U.S. official. "Al Qaeda has a stronghold in Yemen, and the recent attempted terrorist attack came from someone in Yemen. Yemen." [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Boy, 8, pays bully to protect him - shocked when Bully turns on him

TUPELO, Miss. - Little Timmy Johnson, 8, had been having trouble with bullies at his new school in Tupelo, Miss. Having moved with his family to Mississippi several months earlier, Johnson was treated disrespectfully by long-time students of Rumsfeld Grammar School.

“Every day he’d show up with a black eye or with his lunch money stolen,” said Sally Johnson, Timmy’s mother. “We tried to get him to defend himself, but he was just overwhelmed by opposing forces that hated him for differing reasons.” [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Did Tiger Woods story go from amusing to tragic? Woman rushed from Woods' home on life support

(FINAL UPDATE: According to People Magazine, the woman taken from Tiger Wood's home in an ambulance was his mother-in-law, Barbro Holmberg. Hospital spokesman Dan Yates told reporters that Holmberg, a well-known politician in Sweden, was admitted for stomach pain and is currently undergoing evaluation. He described her condition as stable. A family member also confirms that Holmberg is in stable condition and undergoing evaluation. -- WKW)

________ [Read more]

<em>Genghis</em>'s pic

Minaret Attack!

Demonstrating the brilliance of direct democracy, the Swiss people declared their nation to be a minaret-free zone. One cannot help but admire the simplicity of Swiss thinking. They did not bother with definitions or rationales. There was no legal gobbledygook, no extended rationales, no conscience-driven caveats. They simply voted to amend their constitution with the inspirational words, "The building of minarets is prohibited."

True, it might have been more fitting to insert the words into Article 15: Freedom of Faith and Conscience rather than Article 72: Church and State, but that's a quibble. The important thing is that there will be no more dangerous minarets in Switzerland. [Read more]

<em>Deadman</em>'s pic

Ennui's a bitch ... and then you blog

With a couple of exceptions, I've been gone from dagblog for several months. I've rarely posted. I've barely commented. Heck, I've even stopped visiting the site on a regular basis.

I have a number of legitimate excuses - and some not-so legitimate excuses - for my time away. I did a lot of wedding planning. I picked up online poker again. I broke a wrist. I got married and had a minimoon. I fell behind work at my paying day job. Fantasy football started.

But mainly, my prolonged absence boils down to something much simpler, and in many ways, much more disturbing: I stopped caring. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Brazil’s Blackout - Rio, Sao Paulo and others in the dark, problem not close to being solved

MINAS GERAIS, Brazil - For those seeing the news about Brazil’s blackout, here’s what I can report: Itaipu Dam, which creates power for much of Brazil’s south, has 18 generators down, with just two working - and those two send energy to Paraguay. [Read more]

<em>Doctor Cleveland</em>'s pic

Why Obama Won the Nobel, Part I

So, have you heard about President Obama winning the Nobel Prize? If you'd suggested this to me yesterday, I wouldn't have believed it, let alone been able to put forth an argument for it, so I won't pretend it made intuitive sense when I woke up this morning.

I do think this prize makes more sense when you think about the nature of the Nobels for Peace, and for Literature, and understand how they work. If you think of the Nobels, or similar prizes, as straightforward and objective rewards for merit, then it seems obvious that Obama should continue paying his dues, and maybe the Middle East's dues, before it's his turn.
 [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize - Conservatives explode like Agent Smith at the end of Matrix

UNITED STATES - In a stunning announcement today, U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic efforts. Immediately following the announcements, Conservatives throughout the United States lost cohesion and exploded, much like the Agent Smith character did at the end of the Matrix.

“I was sitting next to Jonah Goldberg and Bill Kristol having breakfast,” said an unnamed source. “We heard the news and I looked over to them and all I saw were pixels floating into space.” [Read more]

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