Sunday, January 19, 2014

Meanwhile back in Egypt...

...moving right along...

This is worth a post dedicated entirely to it: Egypt's version of The Onion!

http://www.elkoshary.com/features/egyptian-prosecutors-question-god-over-controversial-cloud-formation

Don't overlook This article either. ROTFLMAO!

Still, the situation remains serious with not just Morsi on trial but journalists, too (Ahram Online).  Still, journalists who work for state media aren't really independent and I don't care how many American journalists work for the state media (Al Jazeera).  It's still state media. More about Egypt from Ahram Online.

The Square (on YouTube)

Meanwhile in Iran, U.S defense contractor goes for the $$
Occupy Iran??

Shafaaq News -- Baghdad

Fellow Blogspot blogger writes about Syria

Syria, Lebanon wait breathlessly for Geneva II as Iran chimes in on that one, too.  Who's following Iranian lead? Turkey. Imagine that.

The good news in Asia is that there hasn't been any reports of Chinese incursions in the South China Sea for a good while now.  The big trouble spot remains Thailand.   Conclusion: the TPP talks are more good than bad, at least where Asia is concerned, but the west coast of South America is in the TPP coverage, too.  But from what I hear, what's good for Japan is good for Peru, given the large number of Japanese there. So, Argentina, are you going to follow suit toward peace and get less belligerent toward the Falklands and Antarctica now? Can't say I'm holding my breath for that one.  I note with interest, though, that Argentina wants to move its capital closer to the Pacific. To quote Arne Johnson: verrrrrrrry interrrrrrrrrresting.  And I'm wondering if Chile & Peru will feel easy about that. I'm thinking Chile might want to guard its eastern border a little more ardently even if that is a mountain range over there.

I'm happy to let souse Rodman handle N. Korea...sneak a little saki in the suitcase next time, will ya?

The only thing any country in Africa is doing right now is proving that religion doesn't guarantee morality.  End of story.  Well, mostly.  I still support the Ghana fair trade org that has a shop in OKC, but Africa's biggest problem is its natural resources because everybody and his kid despot brother is going to be fighting for control over it.  The last time the African continent was more peaceful was when the Ghana Empire stretched almost entirely from west to east as it traded with the Arabs in ancient times.  Since the rise of Europe during the Age of Discovery and after, Africa's nations went into a tailspin and hasn't recovered since.  That's because it's too rich.  But it's also where China comes in and suddenly we're back at the TPP with indirect impact on Africa.

Where China is concerned, it's not just petroleum, or any of the typical gold, silver and gems that have always come from that continent into Europe and beyond--what concerns China these days is rare earth minerals, and in bringing up those, we're cycling back to its belligerence with Japan, which isn't confined to just the South China Sea.  Just as DeBeers got a chokehold on the global diamond market, and Russia has a chokehold on natural gas going to Europe, China wants a chokehold on rare earth minerals too.  Rare earth minerals are necessary for your smartphones and all computing devices.  Besides "blood diamonds", nations of Africa also have blood tantalum, and the like.  But the globe likes its cheap tech gizmos so much that it'll turn a blind eye to atrocities committed to ensure they'll keep coming.

O Canada! Your CBC is still a wreck. Fix it. Edited to add Fred Waterer's comment about that...he says it's already been neutered.  Yeah, Fred, I know--that's the problem!

Meanwhile in the U.S. this Sunday, there was an excellent discussion about science & religion on Moyers & Company.  Trouble is, when you go looking for it on his website, the program is PAGE NOT FOUND .  Too soon right now, I guess.  Good to check back at a later date, and I suggest that you do.  I know I am going to check back because listening to that at the same time I'm listening to Fred Waterer's Radio Time Capsule as I try to do every Sunday, is a major challenge.  He's worth it, too.

Hey Fred--this one's for you, buddy.


And wouldn'tcha know it--just as soon as me & Fred were cracking wise about the CBC, in walks CBC's David Lennick. YIKES! lol. Tous mourir de rire...so to speak. Sounds better than Tous meurt de rire, so THERE. David dropping by wasn't the only treat of the evening, though. Bob Zanotti himself (Swiss Radio International) did a promo for the program.  Shortwave old timers know him as half of The Two Bobs, and he's now more regularly on PCJ Media in Taiwan.  That's Keith Perron's baby, besides the revival of the old Happy Station Show, which I personally know that Tom Meijer (former host of The Happy Station Show of Radio Nederland Wereldomroep in the good ole days) endorses heartily.


Edited to add that just as I went looking for the RNW URL to put into the link, I found an announcement that it's a *new* RNW in process of launching.  What? AGAIN??  When they did that while Tom Meijer was still employed there, disaster ensued.  I'm inclined to filing that under Same Ole While Expecting Different Results.  I'm not optimistic.

Bob Zanotti, originally of SRI's Music Merry Go Round, also hosted by Bob Thomann as "The Two Bobs". He used to run Switzerland In Sound, but not since he joined Keith Perron's PCJ Media.

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