Please tell me somebody lost that book on White Trash sitting at the next table. I can't believe the Professor reads about Erskine Caldwell characters fun. But it could help her understand the Southern Bible Belt. And it is not that far removed from LBJ's Biography which she likes so much.
Meanwhile, from the United States' standpoint, the Middle East has become a highly dubious place to invest owing to systemic political and economic dysfunction. The region features little water, sparse agriculture, and a massive oversupply of labor. Of the Middle Eastern countries that still function, most run large fiscal and external deficits, maintain huge and inefficient civil service payrolls, and heavily subsidize fuel and other necessities for their populations; lower oil revenues will probably limit the Gulf states' ability to finance those creaky mechanisms. Active conflicts in many Middle Eastern states have displaced large proportions of their populations and deprived their young people of educational opportunities and hope for the future. These conditions have produced either abject despair or, what is more ominous, political and religious radicalization. The effort to remake the Middle East as an incubator of liberal democracy that would pacify young Muslims failed even when the United States had plenty of cash to throw at the project and more reasons for optimism about its prospects, in the years immediately following the 9/11 attacks.
Finally, groups within Middle Eastern societies that were once reliable bastions of pro-Western sentiment-such as national militaries, oil-industry elites, and secular technocrats-have generally seen their influence wane. And in instances where traditional pro-Western elements have retained power, their interests and policies now increasingly diverge from American ones. The Egyptian military, for example, served for decades as a pillar of the U.S.-Egyptian relationship. Thanks to the coup it launched in 2013 that placed the former army general Abdel Fattah el-?Sisi at the top of a new authoritarian regime, the military now exerts more control than ever in Egypt. But this hardly augurs well for Washington: if past is prologue, the military's brutal suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood will almost certainly lead to an increase in jihadist violence and thus expose the United States to the very blowback that its assistance to Egypt is intended to prevent. Hopes in the 1950s and 1960s for the ascendance of a secular, technocratic, Western-oriented Arab elite that would bring their societies with them have long since faded.
Colectivo's dark roasts (especially the Dark Sumatra) are excellent. For some crazy reason they insist on only brewing their lightest roasts in the store, which all taste like stomach acid.
Ah, Biograph. My introduction to the amazing breadth and depth of the BD catalogue. It was my first big purchase after buying my first CD player. All I had before that was a scratched-up second-hand copy of BD's Greatest Hits (which admittedly has better cover art).
All these years later I still have Biograph (or bits of it) in regular play on my iPod.
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17 comments:
You are a world-class doodler, Ann.
...and former hippie chick.
Has it improved your penwomanship? Or is it just more comfortable.
If I had not been allowed to use a typewriter on law school exams, I probably would have flunked, so I grasp at any straw, penmanship wise.
Reminds me of the album art for Ultimate Spinach's Behold & See.
Please tell me somebody lost that book on White Trash sitting at the next table. I can't believe the Professor reads about Erskine Caldwell characters fun. But it could help her understand the Southern Bible Belt. And it is not that far removed from LBJ's Biography which she likes so much.
Meanwhile, from the United States' standpoint, the Middle East has become a highly dubious place to invest owing to systemic political and economic dysfunction. The region features little water, sparse agriculture, and a massive oversupply of labor. Of the Middle Eastern countries that still function, most run large fiscal and external deficits, maintain huge and inefficient civil service payrolls, and heavily subsidize fuel and other necessities for their populations; lower oil revenues will probably limit the Gulf states' ability to finance those creaky mechanisms. Active conflicts in many Middle Eastern states have displaced large proportions of their populations and deprived their young people of educational opportunities and hope for the future. These conditions have produced either abject despair or, what is more ominous, political and religious radicalization. The effort to remake the Middle East as an incubator of liberal democracy that would pacify young Muslims failed even when the United States had plenty of cash to throw at the project and more reasons for optimism about its prospects, in the years immediately following the 9/11 attacks.
Finally, groups within Middle Eastern societies that were once reliable bastions of pro-Western sentiment-such as national militaries, oil-industry elites, and secular technocrats-have generally seen their influence wane. And in instances where traditional pro-Western elements have retained power, their interests and policies now increasingly diverge from American ones. The Egyptian military, for example, served for decades as a pillar of the U.S.-Egyptian relationship. Thanks to the coup it launched in 2013 that placed the former army general Abdel Fattah el-?Sisi at the top of a new authoritarian regime, the military now exerts more control than ever in Egypt. But this hardly augurs well for Washington: if past is prologue, the military's brutal suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood will almost certainly lead to an increase in jihadist violence and thus expose the United States to the very blowback that its assistance to Egypt is intended to prevent. Hopes in the 1950s and 1960s for the ascendance of a secular, technocratic, Western-oriented Arab elite that would bring their societies with them have long since faded.
Glad to see you got the classic Pelikan color. Great pen.
Collectivo has shitty over roasted coffee. But there is a sucker born every minute.
Love the drawing. I'm thinking ancient Greece and Jean Cocteau.
I am voting for liberty in this election. Liberty, bitches! Liberty!
Colectivo's dark roasts (especially the Dark Sumatra) are excellent. For some crazy reason they insist on only brewing their lightest roasts in the store, which all taste like stomach acid.
Would love to know what the book is in the photo. Thanks.
I remember some of you being intensely interested in chess. There is an impressive tournament going on in St. Louis this week.
this is a very great Dylan tune. on regular rotation.
Fairport Convention's is the better version. Sandy Denny slows it down and pulls emotion out of it.
Ah, Biograph. My introduction to the amazing breadth and depth of the BD catalogue. It was my first big purchase after buying my first CD player. All I had before that was a scratched-up second-hand copy of BD's Greatest Hits (which admittedly has better cover art).
All these years later I still have Biograph (or bits of it) in regular play on my iPod.
Great to see the Pelikan put to such good use.
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