You (almost) read it here first

Yesterday I read in the news that Jihadi John, the public face (eyes?) of ISIS, the nut case who was their designated beheader, was killed in a US airstrike.  Good riddance!  

Then the news went on to say that our strikes have been responsible for a mid-to-upper level ISIS leader being killed every few days since the summer.  And how anti-ISIS forces in Syria / Iraq have inflicted on them recent battlefield setbacks, and how ISIS recruiting is beginning to fall short of replacing their losses.  Again, no tears from me.

But then a little light bulb went on in my brain that reminded me of the old saying, "Desperate people do desperate things".  The one thing a military cannot do is lose momentum.  Once momentum is lost, supporters stop jumping on their bandwagon.  It seemed logical to me that ISIS would need to do something soon, something game changing, to regain the momentum.

Since the only thing ISIS is good at is killing, I expected to see them commit a major atrocity somewhere.  My thoughts were they could attack the US, but really, there were targets softer and easier to get to elsewhere that could be attacked and help get ISIS back on the offensive.  Logically, that would be somewhere in Europe.

Before I could put my thoughts on the internet, it happened.  As we saw last evening, they chose Paris.  Over a hundred souls are dead, with another 300 injured, many critically.  French President Francois Holland has now said "This is war.  We are going to be ruthless!"  And I just heard a French commentator say "No boots on the ground there (Syria / Iraq) will mean more blood on the streets here."

This is going to be big.  Really BIG!  Where many countries, many different political persuasions, have been holding back, the pressure to get involved in a more substantial way may now be too much for them to resist.  For a western country to agree to contribute a mere handful of aircraft to the anti-ISIS cause will no longer be considered enough.  And after the Rooskies lost a passenger aircraft to ISIS, you know they are going to ramp up their kick-ass-and-take-name offensive.  Strange bedfellows, huh?

Now I'm wondering what is going to happen to / towards the millions of Muslims who live in western nations?  It's hard to not look at them with suspicion, but to do anything overtly discriminatory against them could backfire in a big way.  And it's already started.  I just heard a Republican presidential candidate say "Our president needs to do more to protect the American people instead of trying to protect the image of Muslims."  I get that, but still, it's a slippery slope we're walking.

IMHO, the big winners:  Political hawks (read: Republicans), the pro-gun movement in the US (yes, we tend to over react), and the western world's military / industrial complex.  

Doesn't the fact that we will likely soon be spending more of our human and national treasure fighting ISIS mean that they win, even if they lose?  

Maybe I should stop thinking.

S


 

Diner en Blanc

This one was totally under my radar.  It's really way too hoighty toighty for me, but still I find it interesting.  It's called Diner en Blanc, a spontaneous bring-your-own-dinner party where everyone wears white (that's the "en Blanc" part) and meets in a park, the exact one announced only minutes before it starts.  And they show up in droves:

Four thousand people showed up at NYC's Bryant Park last week to break bread and schmooze.  And they didn't just bring their own little picnic basket full of fried chicken....oh no!  They brought their own tables, chairs, table cloths, china, etc.

The concept started in Paris 25 years ago and is still going strong there today....

Now there are organized Diner en Blanc events in 40 cities around the world, with another 400 cities asking to have one organized in their area, too.

I can't imagine going anywhere dressed in all white.  I'm like that little slob kid in the Charlie Brown entourage who has a cloud of dirt and dust around him at all times. Best case I'd show up in "dirty gray" and be denied entry.  Maybe I'd better just stick with gourmet food trucks.  Their dress code is more to my liking.

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Is anyone besides me here in landlocked America keeping up with the America's Cup?  This is the sailing event where teams vie to take on the reigning champion, currently Oracle Team USA.  After a lengthy Louis Vuitton Cup series where Emirates Team New Zealand won the right to challenge Team USA, and then jumped out to a commanding lead (8-2), Oracle has come back strong.  Right now it is tied up 8 wins each.  The race today is winner take all.

The race will be televised on the NBC Sports channel at 1:15 pm Pacific Time, and on the free America's Cup app for iPad.  I don't know squat about the tactics and strategy behind sailing, but I just like the come-from-behind drama.  

It's like being behind by 5 touchdowns going into the 4th quarter, then somehow coming back and kicking a field goal as the final second ticks off to win.  Will that happen here today?  

I've watched most of the races so far and have become addicted.  *gettin' my nachos and cold beer ready*  :)

S

Troubles in Europe

Apparently tourists are voting with their feet, and they're traveling increasingly to places other than Paris.  The stereotype at least is that Parisian service providers are crabby, so unpleasant the Paris Tourism Board had 35,000 pamphlets distributed explaining how to behave towards tourists.

"The British liked to be called by their first names.  The Japanese like to be reassured.  The Spanish just want people to be nice.  Americans are glued to their electronic devices and like to eat as early at 6 pm."

Paul Kappe, an owner of the renowned Brasserie de I'lsle Saint-Louis, perched behind the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, gave a Gallic shrug when he saw the brochure.

"In the United States", Mr. Kappe observed, "waiters can be fired at any time and must work for tips, so they have to be nice. In France, you can't just fire somebody if they're not doing a good job.  If you could, everyone would be friendly."

Ummm....

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And apparently HRH Queen Elizabeth II is having a tough time making ends meet, too.  The headline in today's paper read:

England:  Queen's Swan Is Barbecued and Eaten

(Maybe I should go back and read the accompanying article?)

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On a more serious note, I recently watched an episode of Top Gear (British car show) where the guys drove some exotic convertibles around sunny Spain.  The striking thing that was pointed out was how economically depressed things are there.  You can read about it, but until you see it you can't really comprehend it.

Spain had a building boom just like we did in America, their bankers throwing money at builders and developers and unworthy borrowers while raking off Mucho Euros for themselves in the process.  (Apparently we don't have a monopoly on crooked Banksters.)  In some areas, as far as you can see, tens of thousands of unoccupied high-rise condos sit abandoned.  

There was even a billion-Euro airport built, complete with a 15,000' runway (wildly excessive), that sits unused, rotting.  And long stretches of roads equal to our Interstate highways are totally empty.  There is no traffic.

The Spanish economy is in ruins.  Overall unemployment is 25%....youth unemployment (<24 yrs) is 56%.  It will take them years to pull out of this self-inflicted disaster.  Kinda makes our mess here seem tame, doesn't it?

Q:  And what have governments / regulators done to see to it that this can't happen again in the future?  A:  Almost nothing, here or there.  And don't bother writing your Congressman to complain.  They're probably on a junket somewhere with their sponsoring Bankster.  (They can probably get a helluva deal in Spain.  Just sayin'.)

S

Maybe I've been too hard on the French

Ever since The Great War it's been pretty easy....fashionable even....to poke fun at the French.  Example:

TV NEWS:  "Today it was announced that the French will be sending a battalion of troops to join the coalition fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan."

ME:  "Umm....could they just donate a hundred bucks instead?"

But today I read that a "Parisian archive" (whatever that is) has brought in four of these rather shaggy looking sheep to eat the grass on the grounds of the archive (whatever that is).  They're obviously trying to go Green and mothball their lawn mowers, letting the sheep graze to their heart's content instead.

Bravo Parisian archive!  (Whatever that is.)  Credit where credit is due.

Homeowners of America....UNITE!  Let's follow the lead of this innovative Parisian archive (whatever that is) and ditch our lawnmowers.  Just think how much more pleasant our weekends would be if we just left the lawn mowing to the sheep?  And the fertilizing, too.  Screw the HOA!  They want Green?  Let's give 'em Green!

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OK, one last dig at the French. (Old habits die hard.)

It seems that back during one of the many Anglo-French Wars the French captured a British officer.  During his interrogation the French asked him why the British always wore red uniforms?

The British officer explained that if he were to be wounded in battle his blood wouldn't show on his uniform and his men wouldn't become demoralized.

The French realized what a morale-boosting idea this was and that is why, to this very day, French officers wear brown pants.  ;)

Now you know.  Have a great weekend everyone.

S

The End is Near-ish

So how is this "End of the World" thing gonna happen?  If I understand it correctly, the Mayans in their infinite wisdom have it figured tomorrow is "the day".  "Turn out the lights, the party's over".  It sounds rather silly to me, but then again, who knows?

If it turns out to be true I'd hate for my last meal to be a grilled cheese sandwich.  And I wouldn't want to spend my last day on earth rotating the tires on my car.  And why ruin my last day by balancing my checkbook or going grocery shopping?  To the contrary, I'm thinking about blowing all I have and then some on something really decadent.  Maybe I could drive my new Maserati to III Forks for a juicy, medium rare steak.

Do I dare chance it?  What if the Mayans were wrong?  I can't afford a new freakin' Maserati!

OK....OK....I'VE GOT IT!  We should be able to see this end of the world thing coming, right?  Wouldn't it start over in the western Pacific at the International Date Line?  Then it would work it's way around the world one time zone at a time.  Yeah, that's it.  By the time "the end" made it to Hawaii I would be behind the wheel of my new dream car.  By the time the lights went out in LA I'd be savoring my last bite of steak.  

As things got quiet in Denver I'd be assembling the kids and grand kidlettes in order to watch them open their Christmas presents.  Then we'd be off to the airport (no need for luggage....security should be a breeze!) where my private (rented) jet would be waiting to take us to maybe Paris....no....MONACO!  Wonder if we'd have time for a stopover in Switzerland?  I've never been there and it sounds pretty cool.

Hmmm....maybe I should have been accepting all those credit card offers I get every day in the mail that I've been pre-approved for.  We could've had one epic "Going Out With a Bang!" party.  Oh well, too late to worry about it now.

We could wind down the day in Singapore.  (Is that east or west of the IDL?  I'd better research it.)  Then we could sit and rest a while and thank God for all He's done for us and tell Him again what a great Boss he's been to us all.

Yep, I think I'll take today off work.  I have some shopping to do.  (But I'll keep the receipts just in case.)  *wink*

S

One sweet gig

By now you've heard about the English DJ who phoned the hospital where Kate Middleton has been holed-up, telling hospital staff she was "HRH da Queen".  The staff bought it and told the impostor everything.  So why didn't they quiz "da Queen" like my bank quizzes me every time I call?...."What was your mother's maiden name?"...."What was the name of your first elementary school?"...."What was your high school mascot?"  Looks to me like this could have been a fairly simple hoax to foil.  

OK, now about that sweet gig:  Do any of you watch Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel?  He (claims to be) a chef who now travels the world visiting great (sometimes) places, seeing all the off-the-beaten-path sites, and eating exotic local cuisine.  How do people land these really cool jobs?  

Now I'll admit, it's probably great fun....for a while.  After living out of a suitcase for months on end I'm sure you can get burned out pretty fast.  Still, I'd do it in a heartbeat.  A couple days ago Anthony was in Paris getting a guided tour from a food critic friend.  They bypassed the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre and instead visited all the little markets on the side streets, drank vino and people watched from little sidewalk bistros, and ate at those quaint little restaurants off narrow alleyways that have 3 tables total.

My only hesitation would be the food itself.  He's always served something weird.  "Today, just for you Monsieur....Roquefort crabgrass and beet salad, roasted Bunion of Roadkill, and semi-fermented Brussels sprouts."  And of course he just woofs it right down cooing "Mmmmmm....this is just woooonderful."

I wish I had that wide a taste palate.  I really do.  All I'd be able to do is push the food around the plate and smile while off-camera digging into my backpack for some fake-cheese-in-a-can and some crackers.  I'm sorry, but if I can't identify it, I don't eat it.

I guess that's what's holding back my Travel Channel TV career.  :(  *Stella...I coulda been a contenda*

S