Here in the US, it’s Thanksgiving Eve. When my parents were alive, this was always a big deal. This is the third Thanksgiving without them, but it’s the first time I’ve been able to sort of sit down, catch my breath, and think about it. Thanksgiving of 2013 and 2014 made no impact. My brothers…
A primer on the Islamic State
October 25, 2015
Today I heard former British Prime Minister Tony Blair say that the 2003 invasion of Iraq “gave rise” to the Islamic State. Later on Twitter, a Jew-hater told me that Israel and Saudi Arabia created the Islamic State. And British Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted that the Islamic State isn’t Muslim. All of these…
Islamic State propaganda worse than Pallywood
August 9, 2014
You can judge the quality of a fighting force by the psyops (psychological operations) that it undertakes. Well, Islamic State propaganda is worse than Pallywood. I’ve been saying for a long time the Terrorists Formerly Known as ISIL or ISIS are not as much of a threat as people make them out to be. Now…
The Internet of things
July 5, 2014
A while back I learned a new phrase: “the Internet of things.” Here’s the actual definition. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a scenario in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. IoT has evolved from the…
The smug inhumanity of the safe and coddled
June 16, 2014
You probably know that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) is on the move in Iraq, taking over entire cities without facing any meaningful opposition. ISIL has declared the return of an Islamic Caliphate. In response, I’m hearing a lot of smug inhumanity expressed by the safe and coddled. There…
Is it hard to keep your balance?
June 11, 2014
I have trouble with my balance. Meniere’s disease causes rotational vertigo attacks, and down I go. So I’d like to ask some of my fellow Americans: Is it hard to keep your balance when you stand on dead bodies while trying to score political points? Today I’m reading a lot of gloating. Some Americans are…
The price of denial
June 10, 2014
In 2013 neither of my parents would acknowledge the seriousness of their illnesses. For them the price of denial was their lives. Today the Iraqis are seeing what happens when you refuse to face reality and change your ways to accommodate unpleasant truths. Iraqi City of Mosul Falls to Jihadists. BAGHDAD — Islamic militants overran…