Saturday, September 18, 2010 

I must confess, I'm not happy with my new camera.

It's a drag. I really liked my old camera, about which I've written elsewhere. The new version is really crummy—a perfect example of extra stuff I don't want (megapixels) in exchange for stuff I actually liked (the "text" option for taking photos of books and archival docs, the "green" option for taking photos of green things). Just like whenever I get a cellphone—it's cooler-looking than the preceding one, but usually pleases me less.

So woe is me!

Otherwise, things are cool. I took a bunch of (semi-crummy) photographs with my new camera, which I'll hopefully post soon. Bozeman is still beautiful, even if the photos are not nearly as spectacular, in my opinion, as the ones I took with my old camera.

Meanwhile, up here at the Borderlands Lodge bear-sighting season has begun!


Bozeman besieged by snarling, tree-climbing wildlife 
 

But really people, enough with the chit-chat. My sense is that you came here looking for a little N & P, so let me give it to you:


Why do they hate us? US soldiers apparently killed Afghans for fun, collected fingers as trophies.

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United States of Inequality: Surprise, surprise! US wealth inequality skyrockets from beginning of Reagan administration onwards.

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Famed muckraker Mark Ames untangles what he terms as "bizarre CIA links " to the proposed Islamic community center in NYC.

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As Moscow seeks to eliminate the title "president" for republics within the Russian Federation, one legislator indicates that Tatarstan's leader might be able to keep this title.

What's in a name? Good question. In fact, it really doesn't matter much what the leader of Tatarstan or Russia's other internal republics are called. Allowing the leader of Tatarstan to keep this title would constitute nothing more than a fig-leaf for a "sovereignty" that evaporated a long time ago.

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16 killed and over 100 injured in market bombing in Vladikafkaz, in Northern Ossetia, Russia.

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Why do they hate us?, take 2: "Mistreated" Americans awarded $400 million from Iraqi government.

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(Some) Kurds boycotting opening of school year in SE Turkey.

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Great expectations: Turkish PM looks towards introducing new constitution next year

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Microsoft cooperating with Russian government's crackdown on dissidents.

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Tajiks turning to Sharia for solving family disputes 

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Bestriding Eurasia like a colossus! After beating Russia in the quarterfinals, the USA defeated Turkey 81-64 in the finals of the FIBA world championships in Istanbul!!!

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul both participated in the distribution of championship hardware after the game was over. I guess they weren't too worried about the country's national referendum on amending the constitution, which was taking place that same day.

Turkey's basketball team later received a check amounting to about $ 1 million per player as a special bonus for making the finals.

Not bad after losing by 17 points! I wonder what they would have gotten for losing by 30...


Eurasia's finest teams were no match for Chauncey & friends. My personal hope was that Reşid Wallace would come out of retirement and play alongside his former Piston teammate, but no luck....maybe we'll get luckier in the Olympics.

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