U2: One Tree Hill Live at Soldier Field | July 6th, 2011
Here’s a vid I got at last night’s show. The audio quality’s pretty lacking, but it was cool hearing a song that they rarely play live.
Blog category: International Affairs
“Will You Accept This Collect Call from Islamabad?” | May 2nd, 2011
“Hi, USA? It’s your old buddy, Pakistan!
“Osama bin Laden in our country? As if! Hmm, it’s really a mystery where he is … don’t you guys hate Iran? I mean he’s gotta be there, right? The guy’s an icon of religious tolerance; surely he could have overcome the centuries-old Sunni/Shi’a divide.
“No, of course that’s not ridiculous. Which one of us lives in this part of the world? Come on, trust me.
“That enormous secured compound built four years after 9/11 in the sizable city of Abbottabad, which also has a huge Pakistani army base and military academy? You mean the compound where they burn their trash, and some tall guy in a camo jacket keeps ordering dialysis treatments? What can I say, you know these kids and their McMansions! It’s like a regular fraternity party in there. Imagine the heating bill for that place, am I right or what?
“By the way, can you spare a few billion dollars again for military aid? It would totally help me out in fighting these terrorists, bro. For real, I got your back.
“You know, because you’re such a great friend, I’m going to treat you to a special deal at our new venture, ISI Used Cars — I just got this shipment of ’83 Yugos that purr like a kitten, and they have your name written all over them. Consider it a favor for letting those drone strikes slide!
“Alright, I gotta get going to my meeting with the Taliban … oh jeez, did I say Taliban? I meant to say Talleyrand — I’ve really gotten into Bourbon Restoration re-enactment, so I’m going to this conference for Congress of Vienna enthusiasts. Should be a ton of waistcoats up in there.
“But for real, bro — you’re my ace and I love you like a brother. We are totally tight allies, for real. Catch you on the flip – Pakistan out!”
5 Things I Learned in Paris | April 11th, 2011
G and I just got back from a week in the cité, during which approximately 12 pounds of croissants and pain au chocolat were consumed by each one of us. Some observations:
- The French women definitely look good, in part because they’re almost all punching above their spot on the 10-point scale by dressing smartly. Looking well-put-together really does make you more attractive — who knew? Certainly not my T-shirt-wearin’ ass.
- Wine and pop cost the same in Paris. This isn’t so much because wine is cheap — it’s only a little cheaper than in a U.S. restaurant — but because everything else is fantastically expensive. Maybe it was just the euro exchange rate, but Paris prices stung even worse than the famously expensive ones in London. Getting a sit-down lunch for less than $50 is a heinous challenge.
- France gets a lot of crap from Americans about being a nation of military losers, but the martial spirit is pretty alive and well over there. I think the surrender-monkeys characterization is a little unfair — 1870 and 1940 were historic disasters, but the French won in 1918 after a long, awful slog on their own turf, and you can’t simultaneously say the Germans were a war machine but Napoleon was somehow a loser. No matter what Americans think, French military fandom is notably present in Paris — tons of flags fly everywhere, military and history magazines dot the newsstands, every other thing is named after Charles de Gaulle and Maréchal Foch, and the French public is right behind the Libya and Ivory Coast actions. The medal-bedecked vets at the Arc de Triomphe ceremony had a bunch of little kids shouting the Marseillaise at the top of their lungs — these dudes love their military.
That said, the Musée de l’Armée is a pretty out-there perspective on France in World War II — the Resistance was only 5% of the population, and the Vichy government actively fought against the Allies, but you’d be hard-pressed to discover either of those things in their WWII exhibit. I get the need for national psychological redemption, but wow.
- History continues to be the coolest thing ever. At almost every historical site in Paris were groups of schoolkids on field trips. I could only imagine how awesome it would be to take field trips to the Bourbon palace of Louis XIV or a world-famous cathedral built 900 years ago — a good field trip back in the day in Pittsburgh was collecting amoebas from the local pond water.
- There’s a nation out there that’s just as crazy about pets as the United States. French people do love their chiens and chats — there are tons of dog owners walking their pets on the street, and tons of pet stores selling the same ridiculous doggie sweaters that you can buy in Lincoln Park — if a bit more fashion-forward. I was tempted to pick up a bouledogue at the pet store on Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville, but held off for now. (For now.)
Honorable mentions: Modern art at the Pompidou is still more interesting than the popular older stuff; Emmental cheese on a croque monsieur is delicious enough to blow up the Death Star; remembering French from high school was a huge benefit; French-style mussels marinière are better in America than in France; Kronenbourg 1664 (the macrobrew of France) is pretty solid; we met a few rude waiters but they’re in the minority; the Catacombes are one of the ghoulishly best things to see; I could drown in onion soup and die a pleasantly savory death; and the Hôtel Caron de Beaumarchais is a phat place to stay if you’re in Paris.
Best Indian-Cooking Website Ever | December 30th, 2010
My new favorite cooking site is Manjula’s Kitchen, which from a digital professional’s point of view is ideally organized and contains all the content you could want for Indian cooking info. But I like it even better for the videos, which are clearly just Manjula’s husband taping her in her kitchen and forgetting to edit cues like “OK, go.” It’s an endearing mix of professional organization and homemade goofiness, plus dal.
It Goes Without Saying | March 17th, 2010
But may everyone have a meat-and-tea filled day honoring the nation that thought this up:
Why Countries Hate Being Occupied | November 24th, 2009
Here’s a thoughtful piece that should be obvious but too often isn’t: just why it is that military occupation makes people angry, no matter how well-intentioned it may be.
“Why They Hate Us: Lessons from Civil War Reconstruction”, ForeignPolicy.com, Nov. 23, 2009
Although as the first commenter pointed out, the question is when it’s worthwhile to occupy another nation anyway. That’s the tricky part.
The ‘Burgh As Star of the Developed World | September 24th, 2009
Things I don’t like about the G20 in Pittsburgh today:
- In Pittsburgh fashion, the citizens are mistaking dreadlocked-white-people protesters for a snowstorm and hunkering down with supplies of bread, milk and toilet paper.
- College-educated anarchists breaking things, garnering tons and tons of sympathy for their cause. And by tons and tons, I mean zero.
Things I like about the G20 in Pittsburgh today:
- National news outlets being forced to do stories (here and here and here) conceding that “Once smoky and horrible, Pittsburgh today is a creative, scenic center of high-tech industry,” or in layman’s terms, “Hey, it’s nice here!” We keep telling you it’s not a dump, but you just can’t stop indulging the “blue-collar” stereotype.
- Mad props from the President and world leaders!
- $8 million into the local economy — even if that’s not a ton, and G20 cities don’t usually see much economic benefit, it’s still a net positive. (Though what’s up with that taken-aback headline, former employer?)
- This humorous image (from Magnus Patris via the blogger formerly known as PittGirl):
- World summits hosted: Pittsburgh 1, Cleveland 0.
Liking The Enviro-Debt Swap | June 30th, 2009
As much as it’s feasible in light of the enormous deficits on the horizon, this is a cool idea:
U.S. to Forgive Indonesian Debt in Exchange for Conservation Plan, Wall Street Journal
The more forest that’s protected to suck in CO2, the better, and obviously a poor nation’s government benefits when the debt evaporates.