A few things to mention while I slip in and out of consciousness due to this ridiculous cold that I’ve caught.
The situation in Kenya remains precarious. Both Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga have agreed to begin negotiations, so let’s hope it leads to something substantial.
In Afghanistan, the Upper House of Parliament is supporting the death sentence of a journalist for blasphemy (the distribution of an article insulting to Islam). During last night’s State Of The Union address, President Bush went out of his way to paint Afghanistan as a budding democracy full of hope and new possibilities. It shouldn’t be overlooked that this is the very same democratic government that is supporting the death of this journalist based on religious grounds. It seems eerily familiar with regards to the actions of another Afghan group, doesn’t it?
In the US, while the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the second time in nine days in an attempt to avoid a recession, both Rudy Giuliani (R) and John Edwards (D) have both dropped out of the Presidential race. Their departures signal what will probably be the last two withdrawals before Super Tuesday.
The second half of the Winograd report was released today and it looks like Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is going to politically survive its implications.
Some 100,000 Liverpool FC supporters from around the world are launching a bid to buy back the club from its current American owners – and good on them for it.
From Tom Engelhardt comes Looking Up: Normalizing Air War from Guernica to Arab Jabour.
And lastly, US Attorney General Michael Mukasey reminds us why he’s the perfect man for the job – the inability to actually suggest that he doesn’t think it would be appropriate for him to “pass definitive judgement” on the legality of waterboarding.
I Have A New Favourite Band
I realize that I’m late to the party, but last night I finally got my hands on the first season of the Flight Of The Conchords (site hasn’t been updated since June of 2006).
In my opinion the show is utterly brilliant, but what is even more brilliant is the music produced for it. While it might be comedy based, the writing is, in truth, outstanding – that is, those songs that are original and not based on the songs of others (such as their parody of West End Girls).
There’s just something about the show’s entire situation and how it’s conveyed by the primary characters that is extremely refreshing to me.