Venezuela’s Chavez Paranoid - Sampling the Goods?
September 11, 2008
International
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is acting highly paranoid and marginally delusional, leaving third-party observers to wonder if Chavez may have fallen victim to the peer pressure of a high-currency drug trade whose home front is Chavez’s own country. According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Venezuela is a a major transit point for cannabis and coca-derived illicit drugs.
In an Associated Press article, it is reported that Chavez has ousted U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy over concerns that the United States government is involved in a covert plot to have Chavez removed from power. He is quoted as saying, “They’re trying to do here what they were doing in Bolivia,” and, “That’s enough [expletive] from you, Yankees.”
Chavez recently invited Russia to deploy two Blackjack bomber aircraft to Venezuela, which U.S. officials have dismissed as inconsequential. Of the bomber delivery, Chavez said, “The presence of those Russian planes in Venezuela is a warning. There’s nothing better to keep yourself from being attacked than to dissuade.”
To provide some background, Chavez also referred to George W. Bush as “the devil” at a United Nations meeting, commenting that he could still smell sulfur in the room after Bush had left.
That must be some serious weed!
Image Credit: Wikipedia
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For the Geek in All of Us: Motorized Office Chairs
August 18, 2008
International, Technology
Three chairs cheers for two German kids who took innovative ingenuity and paired it with a need for all geeks everywhere. According to this article, German police arrested the two teens who had apparently scrapped an old lawn mower to convert a common office chair into a source of transportation. The teens insisted they had only tried the contraption over a distance of a few meters, but witnesses reportedly claim they had seen the office chair motoring around town.
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Staged Photos? Has Reuters Been Had with an Indian Stampede?
August 3, 2008
International
A story reported today out of Chandigarh, India tells of a stampede at a Hindu temple which resulted in the deaths of more than 140 people, most of which were women and children, when a few large rocks fell scaring several people which in turn instigated the stampede among the thousands of Hindu followers.
If this story turns out to be an accurate account of things, it is a tragedy and prayers go out to the victims. However, at first glance, the photos from the associated Reuters story (see inset for example) appear a bit suspect. A slideshow of more photos from Reuters and Associated Press regarding this incident can be found here.
Note in this photo: the faces of the victims have been obscured. There is no visible blood (in any of the photos), and the three visible faces in this particular photo all appear to be smiling (see below). Is it possible that Reuters has been had, and given staged and doctored photos? The quality of all the photos is very poor - at least the version available at the referenced site.
The photo inset is from Reuters, and is reproduced here for the purpose of providing critical commentary of said photo, and no free version is available.
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Iraqi Civilians Being Secretly Shipped to the U.S.
August 1, 2008
International
In a quaint, hometown newspaper article, buried in subsections to meet the ideals of objective journalism while keeping in toe with the corporate media’s angle on Iraq, a reporter tells the story of twenty-seven Iraqis, aged 17-18, who have been brought to the U.S. under secrecy. They have been in the U.S. since July 21, 2008 and have strict orders not to be photographed or allow themselves to be in video or even a physical description released by those with whom they associate.
Who are they? Foreign exchange students, whose famlies back home could face dire backlash if their local communities knew about the trip. Exactly what kind of backlash their families might face is not reported, but according to the article these young Iraqis have spent their time in Gainesville, FL enjoying the company of their host families and experiencing the typical American life: theatre, government, movies, local parks, and of course: pizza.
Apparently, one of the most surprising aspects of American culture to these young minds is how friendly Americans are. Apparently, one of the most surprising aspects of these Iraqis to the Americans they’ve interacted with is how “normal” they are - no ethnic clothing, or trouble speaking English.
While many across the world herald the “War in Iraq” as a travesty of justice and a blemish on modern society, these Iraqis and the Americans they’ve visited are experiencing firsthand the social outcome of such a “travesty.” Where fundamentalist ideologies are pushed aside for the greater purpose of individual freedom, cultural barriers fall exposing the best human beings have to offer - simply living. Since this is being kept quiet, you can be sure this is happening all across the country.
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Saudi Arabia Looking toward Post-Petroleum Society?
July 18, 2008
International
The world’s most oil-rich nation isn’t just looking, they’re acting on it. This isn’t a forecast model in centuries to come, this is happening today - right now, according to this article.
Is the worldwide oil crisis just a smoke-screen for something going on behind the scenes? Have scientists finally found a safe, effective, “green” alternative to petroleum? Has the decades-long push toward “green” industry been a precursor of what’s to come?
Or is Saudi Arabia just putting all that jacked-up crude oil profit to work?
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