Fighting for freedom: from one who knows whereof he speaks
Via Horsefeathers, a reprint of an important interview with Marek Edelman, who fought in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Please read it.
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Podcast and iTunes
Some of you have written to say that our podcasts can’t be downloaded through iTunes anymore. My apologies. It’s apparently some sort of technical problem that Pajamas is working on fixing, rather than a new policy. So it should be … Continue reading →
Who’s the audience for the show trial?
Now the Iranians are saying the British sailors might be tried: If Britain continued its current approach to the standoff, Larijani told Iranian state radio, “this case may face a legal path. British leaders have miscalculated this issue.” I think … Continue reading →
Sanity Squad: on playing poker with Iran
Here‘s the Sanity Squad’s latest podcast. Join Siggy, Dr. Sanity, Shrink, and me as we tackle the topic of Iran’s most recent game of high-stakes poker with Britain, the West, the UN, and the lives of fifteen British sailors and … Continue reading →
The chocolate Jesus and “Sensation” for sensation’s sake: art, culture, religion, and politics
The news that a sculpture entitled “My Sweet Lord” (after the Beatles song, no doubt, crossed with Tom Waits)—due to debut at a New York Hotel and consisting of a six-foot tall anatomically correct chocolate Jesus—has been canceled, conjures up … Continue reading →
The British sailors and the UN: international law and the enforcement problem
Many years ago I took a course to be certified as a volunteer divorce mediator in the state in which I lived. The profession was then in its infancy, and it sounded like such a good idea: the adversarial nature … Continue reading →
It’s “parading for the cameras” time
No surprise, really; those British hostages are being shown on Iranian TV apologizing for straying into Iranian waters. There’s nothing like the propaganda value of a few show confessions in an effort (vain, I hope) to shore up sagging support … Continue reading →
Isn’t technology wonderful? Well, sorta…
Yes indeed, it is. Yesterday I flew from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Despite the fact that it was a very windy day, the ride was smooth, and took less than an hour in the air. I’ve done that LA-SF … Continue reading →
Traveling day
I’m still in LA, and the weather’s been utterly spectacular. Today is a travel day to northern California, so I’ll make this very brief. The friends with whom I’m staying get the LA Times. It’s been a while since I’ve … Continue reading →
Iran: the proud hostage-taking tradition and the rules of engagement
In taking fifteen British sailors prisoner, the Iranian government is merely following its tradition of win-win hostage-taking. When in trouble (and there is some evidence the mullahs are in a certain amount of internal political difficulty in Iran), the best … Continue reading →
Tony Blair, the West, and the big “easy”
If you’ve ever had a bad back you know the drill: the doctor places your legs and feet in various positions, takes his hands and pushes in various ways, and asks you to push back each time. What’s he doing? … Continue reading →
Nature: red—and compassionate—in tooth and claw
Animals living in groups, such as the very social homo sapiens and certain other primates such as chimpanzees, must find ways to get along. We all know that this “getting along” is a relatively flawed and halting proposition. But still,there … Continue reading →