Civil War?

"What we have here is a failure to communicate...."

The media is rife with reports of a burgeoning civil war in Iraq, and this assessment is reflected clearly in the poll numbers in support of the president. George W Bush has his lowest support in many years among Americans, and it is due largely, if not solely, to the debacle curently unfolding in Iraq. For this reason Bush has started this past week on a PR campaign, going "to the people" in order to explain to them exactly what's happening.

Bush, starting off his campaign with a news conference at the White House, adamantly denied that there is a civil war going on in Iraq. He called it "sectarian violence", and insisted that it was only temporary. In fact, he seemed optimistic about the progress that is being made on the ground in that country. The problem is that most Americans do not seem to agree with him. The third anniversary of the war was marked by an upswing in violence, both on the side of the insurgency as well as on the side of allied troops as part of "Operation Swarmer". In the background, we had Allawi directly contradict Bush by calling this a civil war in Iraq. He later turned it down to say it was a "low-grade" civil war, whatever that means.

I personally do not believe that this can or should be classified as a civil war. There opposing sides do not hold territory, do not have armies or planned invasions schemes, and are not trying to unify the country. However, what we do have is violent civil strife, which could easily descend into civil war if the US did not have troops in the region.

That's right. I think it's our presence there that is keeping Iraq from descending into civil war. There have been numerous positive developments that we have pushed through, including two rounds of elections (with great turnout rates) and a formally ratified constitution. The problem is that we're the only ones holding this in place right now.....the Iraqi army would disintegrate if we left. Thus, in order to win (and win we must), we have to stay.

I expect US troops in Iraq until 2010. I know that's a long time away, but we've committed ourselves now, and we better stay. Otherwise we really will be putting ourselves on the defensive and fighting the terrorsists here instead of there. I don't think that was true when we went into Iraq, but it's true now.

Mmmm.....cake....

I have a notoriously bad sweet tooth -- most who know me will corroborate this fact. I'm not quite sure where it comes from since none of my parents or siblings display this trait (although my maternal grandfather apparently had one heck of a sweet tooth). Actually, I have a particular leaning towards baked goods: cakes, brownies, cookies. I love them all. I like hard candy much less, chocolate bars are so-so, and most regular candy is really optional in my opinion.

As opposed to a warm chocolate brownie sundae with vanilla ice cream. Now that's not an option. It must be eaten.

And let's be clear about all this: I don't actively seek out the chocolate, or the cakes, or the cookies. Somehow, for some unknown reason, they always appear where I happen to be. Now, this is not to say that I don't have my regular feeding grounds. I know where the baked goods are likely to be, and I survey those areas frequently. But come on, that's only human, right? Who would pass up free, homemade, german chocolate cake (like i'm eating right now)?

I made a bet with myself yesterday to see how long I could go without eating refined sugar. I made it to this afternoon, but I broke down when I saw the cake. It's just not worth it. There are too few pure pleasures in life. Thanks go out to the compulsive bakers out there who make this stuff and then give it away b/c they can't eat it all. Trust me, they exist, and I love them for it. There is probably one in your neighborhood right now -- I suggest you seek him/her out immediately.

I thought I was pretty well travelled, but this map below (which shows where I've been) argues otherwise. I really need to get out more -- and plan on doing a lot of travelling soon.

Clearly my experience in South America and Africa in particular are lacking, which is odd since I speak Spanish. Thanks go to Rob for pointing me to this map making tool.



create your own visited countries map

Whisky, continued

A few months ago (more, perhaps) I posted on whisky and the basics of the spirit (pun intended). Earlier tonight, over a couple of beers and sausages (rosamunde and toronado, in case the locals were curious), a friend asked me about the difference between bourbon and whisky. The answer I provided was clearly unsatisfactory even to me, and so here I provide more detail on this difference. Whisky (spelled whiskey in most places outside scotland) finds its origins in Scotland. I'm not going to make this an overlong or detailed post, so let's stick to the basics.

Whisky from Scotland (known as scotch) is made from malted barley dried over a peat fire (where it gets its distinct flavor). It is distilled twice and then aged in oak casks which formerly were formerly used to age either bourbon or sherry, generally.

American whisky is generally known as bourbon. Bourbon is made from mashed corn (at least 51%), which is dried without peat and then distilled once and aged in new oak casks (charred on the inside). Bourbon, by international agreement, can only be made in the US.

Which is better? Scotch whisky is far better, IMO. You just can't replace that peat flavor -- although there can be too much of a good thing. Beware excessive peatiness. But you should figure out what you prefer for yourself. Random sidenote: there is also Irish whisky, which is distilled 3 times and is therefore a little lighter, smoother, and more palatable than most Scotch whiskys. Some are very good.

Chicken Nuggets and Fries

I really enjoy McDonald's chicken nuggets. Also their french fries. Damn good. Why do I get flack for this from California health freaks?

Don't get me wrong: I've seen "Supersize Me", and I get it. I've heard enough about 'Fast Food Nation' to realize that I don't want to know what goes into these chicken nuggets. Honestly, they don't even taste too much like chicken anyway. And the french fries...come on. McDonald's just got sued again for not revealing something about how their fries are cooked. Let's face it -- nobody really knows what's in those things either.

But oh man are they good. Not all the time mind you -- this is not a daily (or even weekly) meal for me. However, once in a while as I'm driving by a McDonald's, I'll stop off and get myself a 6 piece chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce. Or perhaps just a medium order of fries. And let me tell you, that can make my day.

Especially when I'm tired and hungry, and just need something to tide me over until a nice big meal, there's nothing like french fries. The grease helps with the hunger, and the sugar/salt is great for an immediate pick-me-up. And honestly, we all probably do a lot worse things to our bodies on a normal basis than eat the occasional pack of french fries. Seriously.

So don't hate on the fast food joints. I guess that's my point. Enjoy the fries. And yes, the nuggets too. They may be mysterious, but that's just part of the adventure.

Sidebar Notes

Slight updates to the sidebar folks; just some housecleaning. I removed the link to my politics blog, since I have not updated it in eons. As evidenced by my last posting on this blog, I am really just combining them, so you have one place to go for all my rants. Expect about a 50-50 mix of politics/current events and random personal anecdotes/observations.

I also added two new links. The first is Waiter Rant, funny and very popular blog by an anonymous bistro waiter in NYC. I like it - he's a good writer, and he's not pretentious like a lot of these other popular bloggers.

The second new link is Kim's photo sharing site, knows as Larry the Llama. It's actually pretty cool. I am particularly impressed with his ability to geo-synch the photos with GPS coordinates and link to google maps/earth. Kinda cool. If you look under Regina's album there, you'll see some pictures of yours truly.

A recent issue of the Economist has a parody of Dr. Strangelove on the cover, poking fun at Bush and the recent nuclear deal he signed with India. The lead editorial argues, in a nutshell, that the US Congress should not ratify this treaty because it undermines the NPT and provides justification (and perhaps even further motivation) for countries like Iran who are pursuing nukes. I disagree -- I think the deal is a very good idea.

The recent deal, to recap, essentially makes US nuclear technology and conventional weapon technology available to India. In return, India will place most of its nuclear facilities under international safegaurds and inspections and designate them for civilian nuclear energy only. The problem, of course, is that leaves several nuclear facilities free from inspections, where India can continue to work on building its nuclear arsenal.

This is a good idea for three main reasons.

First, it provides a strong counterweight to China in two big ways. It gives China a suddenly worrisome border to the south which it will have to watch more closely, and Chinese actions in the area will be more closely monitored now that India can use US technology. It also makes a strong US ally of India, thus surrounding China (since Japan is already a strong ally of ours). I really think that containing the China factor is a big part of our reason for making this deal. Impossible to ignore. Incidentally, the Economist barely mentions this piece of the puzzle....I have no idea why.

Second, this is a good idea because India has the desire and money to buy a ton of weaponry from the US. This means jobs, and a boost for the economy. India is looking to buy something on the order of 5 billion dollars worth of weaponry.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, it regulates the growth of India's nuclear arsenal and makes it a heck of a lot more transparent that it is right now. India has acted as a responsible nuclear nation for over 30 years now -- and in response to a growing China will inevitably seek to increase it's nuclear capacity. Much better that it does that legally through channels we can track than otherwise.

Finally, let me point out that there is a massive difference between India and Iran/North Korea. India is democratic, the others are not. India does not support terrorism, the others do. India has zero history of selling or leaking nuclear technologies, the others are actively doing so. India has an open dialogue with almost all countries, the others have a closed dialogue with most countries. And on, and on. Comparing them just does not make sense.

Just my 2 cents. And apologies again for the lack of posting here. I will attempt to earn back your regular readership (if it ever existed) in the near future....

The Motherland

Ahhh....so good to be back in India. The land of monkeys and mayhem, of curries and corruption, of travels and travails.

My visits with family went quite well. You know, I think I've been experiencing a quarter-life crisis recently: passing into my late-twenties and into the gloom of responsibility and adulthood.....feeling really very sorry for myself. Many of my friends are going through this as well. It's kind of early prep for the "Omigod I'm turning 30" crisis coming up in a few years. So anyway, I was moping.

And then I met my two grandmothers. There's no better cure for these mentally depressing life stage crises than meeting with upbeat relatives over 90 years old.....that's a dose of perspective I don't often get. I also saw many other relatives, both old and young, and was really happy to see they were all healthy and happy (for the most part).

Skip past the ensuing work week, and the following weekend found me with a couple of friends in Bombay (or Mumbai, whatever, I don't care, and no, I don't feel the need to be PC about it, so bugger off). I stayed in the Taj President: a very nice hotel whos staff must've thought I was crazy.....but that's another story for another time. We chilled on the beach, saw the sights, took a ferry ride, went dancing, had long dinners with lots of sangria, smoked a cuban cigar, and missed our flight home. A truly enlightened and meditative trip. Really. I got in touch with my inner self.

I'll be back in SF soon, sadly but surely the trip is coming to an end....but hey, it's been fun. I'm looking forward to more of it this year.