August 05, 2005
I have to admit, if she was my child, I'd be like Chrissy and readying the bad-behavior-breaking boot camp, too. But since she's not, well, I just get to enjoy her. Which I do. Tremendously.
That child cracks me up.
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OSLO (Reuters) - Masked robbers stole three worthless copies of pictures by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch from an Oslo hotel Wednesday in a bungled raid, almost a year after Munch's 1893 masterpiece "The Scream" was stolen.Thieves wrenched the copies off the walls of Oslo's Hotel Continental with crowbars, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.
The thieves struck almost a year after armed robbers stole "The Scream" and another work by the pioneer of modern expressionism from an Oslo museum in front of stunned tourists.
Police were searching for three robbers, two who entered the hotel and one who waited in a getaway car that was found abandoned nearby.
"They both had crowbars and were wearing hoods and masks," Reuters reporter Anne Merete Henriksen said.{...}
You're, of course, asking where the ineptitude alluded to in the title is. I live to deliver you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, the goods, so here it is:
{...}The hotel has 12 Munch originals -- lithographs, wood cuts and an etching.{...}"The three paintings were copies but we are handling the case as if they had been genuine," Hjulstad told Reuters. He said he did not see any link to last August's museum theft.
So, you've got lots of Munch goodies to steal in this particular hotel, yet these bunglers manage to steal three copies rather than any of the real stuff. Duh.
Which leads me back to my original question: what exactly is it about Munch's work that encourages theft?
I'll admit, Munch is not my favorite, but that's my own deal. It's good art, because it makes you think. But as far as my personal preferences are concerned, well, The Scream is not something I'd want hanging on my living room wall, ya dig? It's just a wee bit uncomfortable for my liking because that's probably what I look like when I scream, and like everyone else, I only want flattering portraits of myself hanging in my home. But, again, that's just me. Apparently Munch is very popular with some people, as they've been following the story of last summer's museum heist rather closely.
I've long wondered if, perhaps, RP's interest has---ahem---a wee bit more behind it...if you get what I'm driving at. Hmmmm? Like he's a litigator by day and Thomas Crown by night?
Hmmmm?
I'll be curious to see if RP has made a trip to Norway recently. Sure he said he was moving. And cleaning off his desk yesterday. That doesn't mean he didn't have something to do with the theft.
He---gasp!---could have been lying!
{Insert any number of conspiracy theories here}
But, really RP. I think you could have at least hired some competent thieves. You know, ones who could distinguish between the real stuff and the fakes. You're taking too many risks with these smash and grab jobs. Or are the smash and grab jobs just a clever diversionary tactic? You know, to keep suspicion from falling on you for the real theft? Hmmmm? Inquiring minds want to know.
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August 04, 2005
Pop quiz time - who wrote the following inarticulate statement?
I donÂ’t think women generally have the sensibilities to run the country. Before you jump all over me, itÂ’s important that you know I donÂ’t care what you think. YouÂ’re reading this blog, so you obviously care what I think, so there it is.
Well, folks, in case you were wondering, it's that cutting-edge, I'm-a-big-shot-and-you're-not "Conservative" Blogger, La Shawn Barber.
To be fair (more fair than she is apparently) this is what she wrote in its entirety:
Rice for President: One of my advertisers is a group called Americans For Rice, and IÂ’ve been asked by several people where I stand on the Condi-for-president meme. I wouldnÂ’t vote for Condoleezza Rice for president of the United States. First, I donÂ’t think women generally have the sensibilities to run the country. Before you jump all over me, itÂ’s important that you know I donÂ’t care what you think. YouÂ’re reading this blog, so you obviously care what I think, so there it is.Second, Rice is pro-choice and might be pro-race preferences. No moderate Republican who I know is a moderate will ever get my vote.
So, what we have here is a statement against Condoleeza Rice for President. La Shawn has her reasons for not potentially voting for her. That's all well and good, but to say that "I donÂ’t think women generally have the sensibilities to run the country" is beyond the freakin' pale. Note how she uses the qualifier "generally," as if that's going to keep her from getting into trouble. Then she acknowledges that people might be a wee bit upset about her sexist remarks and makes the most unbelievably arrogant statement I've seen yet: "Before you jump all over me, itÂ’s important that you know I donÂ’t care what you think. YouÂ’re reading this blog, so you obviously care what I think, so there it is." (My emphasis.)
You know what, LaShawn, I don't read your blog unless someone points out something inane and stupid that you've written. What can I say? I revel in it when someone who has such a puffed-up sense of self-importance gets slammed. I'm mean that way. Sue me.
I could say an awful lot about LaShawn's blatantly sexist attitude, but Jody does it better. But it doesn't end there. Oh, no. {Insert best Ron Popeil voice here} But wait....there's more! When LaShawn, in a fit of magnamity, deleted Jody's trackback, Beth had a few choice words to say about La Shawn's apparent inability to have people disagree with her.
Apparently, according to a comment La Shawn left at Jody's place and an update to the post linked above, the easiest way to discount someone who disagrees with you is to chalk it all up to jealousy over traffic and Ecosystem rankings.
First, the comment:
Way harsh and uncalled for. What did I ever do to you? Don't envy my ranking. I've worked hard for it. If you apply yourself, you can do it, too. By the way, save yourself the aggravation and don't wander over to my blog anymore. It's only going to get worse, I promise you. I'm starting to care less and less what people of any political stripe think of me, male or female.
Notice how she doesn't bother refuting the merits of Jody's argument. It's all about Ecosystem rankings and how hard she's worked to get where she is. I particularly adore the patronizing tone of the "If you apply yourself, you can do it, too" statement. I'd like to thank all of the little people...
Second, the update:
New/smaller bloggers, IÂ’ve got something to say to you. One day a few of you may become huge. Your traffic and Ecosystem ranking will rise, and your reputation in the blogosphere will grow. Or not. But whatever happens, do me a favor? DonÂ’t forget about or bad-mouth the bigger bloggers who linked to your posts and helped you back when you were smaller or first starting out, OK? ItÂ’s bad form. Especially if you asked them to link to your posts.Sadly, itÂ’s happened to me, and itÂ’sÂ…sad. The bitterness dripping from one such post wasÂ…bitter, and I donÂ’t know why itÂ’s there. IÂ’m not a flame warrior, so I wonÂ’t link. It really doesnÂ’t matter who it is. Just remember old LBÂ’s advice.
To quote Kevin Spacey's character, Lloyd, from The Ref:
"You know what I'm going to get you for Christmas next year? A big wooden cross. So the next time you feel unappreciated for all the sacrifices you've made, you can climb on up and nail yourself to it."
See, since Jody asked the simple question: "Please someone tell me why she is so high in the ecosystem?" LaShawn could easily chalk Jody's criticism up to jealousy. I'm sure she'll do the same thing to me if she bothers reading this post, even though I don't give a rat's flaming behind about Ecosystem rankings. It's that simple for LaShawn: you don't like what I have to say? Well, since my blog is bigger and better than yours is, I must be bigger and better than you are. Hence your criticism is invalid and I will go along my merry way, spreading my inane ideas across the blogosphere to wide acclaim because no one will know if anyone disagrees with me because I will---ahem---delete their trackbacks and ban them from my blog.
I ask you, my devoted Cake Eater Readers, is that an attitude that represents the best of the blogosphere? Is this an attitude that represents the most intellectually honest position one could take?
I don't think so. Furthermore, I just flat-out love how LaShawn is all about helping the little bloggers. Her post has many little bits flavored with all sorts of advice for bloggers, yet she makes one of the most egregious errors of etiquette you can make in the blogosphere: she deletes the trackback of someone who disagrees with her. The only time it's appropriate to delete a trackback is when it's spam---of either the blogger-generated or pr0n operator variety. That's it. The rest of us humble bloggers see this format as a means of having a conversation. It's a sort of cocktail party, wherein you can chat with many people, gain many different ideas, and, most importantly, make up your own damn mind about whether or not those ideas have merit. LaShawn is anything but humble. She, apparently, is the cocktail party guest who says "SHUT THE HELL UP AND LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY BECAUSE I'M THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE ROOM AND THE REST OF YOU ARE PEONS!" Then, if someone has the temerity to speak up, she puts her hands over her ears, in a most childlike fashion and screams, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
Most bloggers are interested in debate. LaShawn, from what I can gather, is only interested in herself.
I have some questions for all you bloggers/blog readers who read LaShawn's blog: does LaShawn Barber's Corner really represent the best and the brightest of the blogosphere? Does she embody all the promise blogs and the blogosphere present? What, precisely, do you get out of reading her blog? I'm completely serious when I ask these questions. If you think the Ecosystem has any merit to it, you should know that LaShawn is ranked #20 within it. Is her blog better or worse for her ranking? Or am I out of line when I criticize her inability to take criticism simply because I'm ranked #913 (as of today)? Would you judge my criticisms of her "work" as valid---no matter what my ranking---or should I just kow tow to a "big dog" because that's the way LaShawn would have the blogoshpere work?
I'm interested to hear what you all have to say about this one because it really does get down to the heart of what a good deal of us think the blogosphere is about: the spread of ideas. How those ideas are spread is, apparently, an issue of debate itself. Would you rather read a blog that cares about debate? Or are you only interested in blogs that are echo chambers of approval for their authors? The blogosphere, I believe, is all about saying what's on your mind and then listening to what people have to say about it. It's about furthering the discussion.
Is it really interesting to you to read a blog written by someone who only has a mouth, but no ears?
UPDATE: Yeah, LaShawn, we're all really jealous of your ranking!
{...} have reason to believe these people are either envious of my ranking (who cares?) and donÂ’t want me to be there, or canÂ’t figure out why IÂ’m there in the first place. HereÂ’s the irony: because of their boredom/pettiness and links, IÂ’ll rise even higher over the next few days. The ranking is based on links.Thanks, kids, but IÂ’m not worth your precious time. Contribute something to the blogosphere that doesnÂ’t revolve around what another blogger is doing or writing. ItÂ’s boring.
Christ. Could LaShawn's head get any bigger without exploding and splattering stuff all over the place?
The only reason I ask is because I don't want to get any on me.
UPDATE DEUX: Oddybobo has a few choice words for LaShawn and Andy believes LaShawn's second post was actually directed at him for something Intelligent Design related in that massive linkdump---which, quite frankly, could be the case: she's just nutty enough to piss off that many people. Go and read both posts.
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There's always something good going on at your blog.This didn't go over so well with Paxety or Val, because it patently ignores the reality of what's going on in Cuba. But Fausta, well, while she agrees with these two, she has a different sort of axe to grind with Cowie:
But Colin's on a roll:"Instead of a tablecloth, use potato sacking or jute"
This one really got on my nerves.
Colin, let me hold you firmly by both lapels while I heap scorn at your face,
The most humble Caribbean host would rather DIE than use potato sacking as a tablecloth. Hand-embroidered linen tablecloths are de rigeur, and, if it's a sit-down meal, accompanied with matching dinner or lunch-sized linen napkins. If linen is not affordable, or the hosts want a more casual look, tablecoths of the best-quality fabric the budget would allow. Good-quality paper tablecloths are used for outdoor ocassions, such as picnicking. Not potato sacking, you idiot.
The Early Show's show of cluelessness would only be matched by having Colin feature his watermelon napkin rings at an NAACP convention.{...}
Fausta: The blogosphere's Latina Emily Post.
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11:30 AM
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{Insert irony bells clanging loudly here}
This from the chick whose finances skyrocketed after she (oh, pardon moi, her character) started beating up Linda Evans on a regular basis in the mid-80's?
While she's undoubtedly got a point, I don't know that she's the best person to be trumpeting said point.
{Hat tip: Martini Boy}
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10:24 AM
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A MAN cut the tail off his goldfish with a pair of scissors because he was "bored" after a day of drinking.Kenneth Grindlay, 20, launched the vicious attack on his pet goldfish - before tossing it back into its bowl for his horrified mother to find.
Grindlay, of Rosyth, Fife had started drinking after being left alone in the house for an afternoon and decided to cut off the family goldfish's tail with the scissors - left out for him by his mother to trim his beard - because he was "just bored".
He admitted carrying out the cruel attack at a court hearing yesterday but will not learn of his fate until detailed psychiatric reports are prepared.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard yesterday how Grindlay's mother Shona returned home to find the bloodied scissors he had used to maim the six-year-old fish out on the kitchen worktop.
She found the fish thrashing desperately around in its tank without its tail. She then called the police - who arranged for the mutilated pet to be taken to the vet.
The practice decided, however, that its injuries were so severe it had to be put out of its suffering. Grindlay pleaded guilty by letter to cruelty and ill-treating the fish and causing it unnecessary suffering at a hearing last month.
The hearing was told by depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf that the fish's injuries were among the worst that the vet had ever witnessed.
She said: "The police were called. When they arrived the fish was still alive but the police had noticed that it wasn't very active in the tank. The vet described it as one of the worst injuries they had ever seen."
When police arrived to interview Grindlay he told them: "I cut the fin off. I was a bit drunk. I was just bored."
He was later charged under the Protection of Animals Act of 1912 and referred to psychologists at Dunfermline's Queen Margaret Hospital. {...}
Yes, that's right. The guy was bored and drunk and cut the fin off his pet goldfish. He "launched a vicious attack" on his pet. He's having to undergo psychiatric evaluations because he did this. While this was not a nice thing to do and while I fully understand that harming one's pets or other small animals is a big alert that someone will become a serial killer, don't you think that perhaps, just perhaps this is a wee bit over the top? Particularly since it was a freakin' GOLDFISH that was maimed? A fish that, ahem, cannot feel pain.
What's the crime rate in Scotland again? Hmmmm. I wonder. Is there, possibly, anything the cops could be doing other than prosecuting people for cutting the tails off their goldfish? Hmmmmm? Could it be that the only reason they prosecuted this guy was because, ahem, he fessed up to his dirty deed?
It makes one wonder, doesn't it, what they'd do nowadays to all those people who used to participate in "how many goldfish can you swallow?" contests?
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August 03, 2005
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Muslims who resent the British way of life should leave the UK, regardless of whether they are citizens or not, a senior Conservative said last night in comments that have heightened already tense community relations.Gerald Howarth, the shadow defence minister, last night told The Scotsman that extremist Muslims who see the Iraq war as a conflict against Islam should be considered as treacherous as Soviet sympathisers during the Cold War. His remarkable claim shatters the tri-party consensus which Michael Howard, the Tory leader, sought to make with Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, and the Liberal Democrats.
Mr Howarth said yesterday that he is incensed by suggestions from Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, that Britain is "part of the problem" in Iraq - and said that the problem in the UK lies in fanatical Muslims living within our shores.
He is the first mainstream UK politician to suggest that extremist British Muslims should leave for Islamic societies. The government is looking at deporting foreign-born nationals and imprisoning British Muslims who incite or glorify terrorism.
"If they don't like our way of life, there is a simple remedy: go to another country, get out," Mr Howarth said. Asked what if these people were born in Britain, he replied: "Tough. If you don't give allegiance to this country, then leave."
He added: "There are plenty of other countries whose way of life would appear to be more conducive to what they aspire to. They would be happy and we would be happy." {...}
Gauntlet, indeed.
The fact that this is a war against those who would advocate civilization and those who wouldn't is coming home to roost, it seems.
It's too damn bad that it took two bombings---one which, of course, failed---to get that message across.
Related: Gorgeous George Galloway also has been at it again.
Someone needs to slap a burqua on gool ol' George and then we'll see how much he enjoys Muslim "civilization."
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05:19 PM
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The bitches.
The reasoning these hoverers always use is that "they could catch something." I think this is ridiculous. The average public restroom, unless it really is nasty, is cleaned more often than your bathroom at home. At some places it's cleaned several times a day. While I will admit there are shining examples of nasty restrooms everywhere, most are clean. What pisses me off is when you have a perfectly clean bathroom that becomes fit only for swine once these women get done. If the bathroom wasn't nasty before they got there, it sure as hell is when they're done.
But no one ever believes me when I tell them they should just sit down and do their business. Today is my day of sweet revenge. Because I have proof!
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Have you ever wondered why your teeth chatter when you're cold, or if you could really catch a disease from sitting on a toilet seat?New York physician Billy Goldberg, pestered by unusual questions at cocktail parties and other social gatherings over the years, puts the public's mind at ease in his book "Why Do Men Have Nipples?" which hits the book stores on Tuesday.
"It's really remarkable how often you get accosted," said Goldberg, 39. "There are the medical questions from family and friends, and then there are the drunk and outrageous questions where somebody wants to drop their pants and show you a rash or something."
{...}During the course of their research, Goldberg and Leyner found reports of gonorrhea, pinworm and roundworm found on toilet seats -- but catching something from it isn't common.
The authors discovered that an office setting might be worse for your health than toilet seats. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, found the typical office desk harbors some 400 times more disease-causing bacteria than the average toilet seat.{...}
{my emphasis}
Get that? Your desk is nastier than the average toilet seat, so, for the love of all that is good and holy, beeeyotches, slap your fat asses down on the seat and tinkle!
You will make me much happier by doing this than when you leave a mess for me to clean up.
The world, and I, thank you for your efforts in this matter.
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02:09 PM
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(Say it really fast and then you'll get it.)
And yes, it's hard to dance when you don't have any limbs.
{Hat Tip: Stiggy}
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01:42 PM
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Between the husband and I, we've received some interesting variations on the Nigerian Oil Scam Spam in the past couple of days and I thought I'd share.
If you're at all interested, take the jump. more...
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01:18 PM
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If you don't know what a Katana is, go peek at this.
{Hat Tip: John L. at Texas Best Grok}
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10:40 AM
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And it's not just because he wants to play more golf.
{...}He said: "I'm fed up with the idiots... the ever-widening gap between people who know how to make movies and the people who green-light the movies."Sir Sean added: "I don't say they're all idiots. I'm just saying there's a lot of them that are very good at it."{...}
I can't fault his logic, but I'm very, very sad about this. Sigh.
{Hat Tip: Fausta}
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August 02, 2005
{Hat Tip: WitNit}
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11:55 PM
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LONDON - Armed groups in Iraq that oppose the U.S.-led coalition are committing war crimes by killing civilians, taking hostages and torturing and slaying defenseless prisoners, the human rights group Amnesty International said.
Ah, but don't get too excited.
The London-based organization also said it recognized that many Iraqis believe U.S.-led troops also have committed grave human rights violations. But it denounced the Iraqi insurgents for a "failure to abide by even the most basic standards of humanitarian law.""There is no honor nor heroism in blowing up people going to pray or murdering a terrified hostage. Those carrying out such acts are criminals, nothing less, whose actions undermine any claim they may have to be pursuing a legitimate cause," Amnesty said.
Hey, try not to judge Amnesty too harshly. At least US Troops are now on equal footing with the "insurgents." There's something to be said for that.
Because all terrorists are created equal, no? Now there's a human rights campaign for ya!
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11:44 PM
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We all know this.
I adore my Chardonnay. I really do. I'd drink red wine if I wasn't allergic to the tannins, which give me a whopper of a headache the next day if I have more than one glass. Meaning I can have two glasses of red wine and the next day I will be as hungover as W.C. Fields was everyday of his life. I took me a while to figure this out, of course, but once I did I stopped drinking the stuff, except on rare occasion. But I do like a full-bodied adult beverage when I have one. When a cocktail is in order I like a Sapphire and Tonic (lime on the bottom). I refuse to drink Rhine wines or Sauvingnon Blancs. They taste like wine that deserves a good beating. They're the proverbial skinny guy on the beach who gets buried in the sand. Same goes with frou-frou drinks that are blended and come with an umbrella. So, you can perhaps understand why Chardonnay serves my purposes beautifully. It's full bodied, but not so much so that I hate life the next morning, no matter how little of it I actually drink.
These are the things I like when it comes to boozing it up.
It should be said that I generally avoid beer. I'm not in college anymore. I don't have to drink the stuff if I don't want to. And, for the most part, I don't want to. For many reasons. But...there's a bunch of it in my fridge right now and I'm finding myself drinking it as my evening cocktail routine to clear it out.
And you know what? It's not tasting all that bad.
Hmmph.
ML and The Doctor brought some Bass Ale over the other night for dinner, because my brother-in-law is not a big wine drinker. I thought that perhaps, if I was lucky, my sister might take it home with her, but seeing as how she left more than half her temporary kitchen in my permanent one, she didn't. And she even left me one token Corona, too, so I shall have to drink that as well. No, you don't have to worry: I already have lime in the house.
I don't know why, but it's tasting pretty good. Ususally beer fills me up and leaves me feeling guilty when I invariably reminisce about how much of the stuff I charmed off cute Fraternity boys in school. And I charmed a lot of the stuff off of cute boys. Yeah, I know. I was one of those chicks. Take comfort in the fact that I do feel guilty about it. I'm assuming the fact it's tasting good is because it's hot outside, and the weather seems to demand cold beer, but who knows, really, why it's tasting good.
Perhaps it's because the stuff is free?
I'm puzzled.
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06:28 PM
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My life is rated NC-17.
What is your life rated?
I'm pretty sure it's the smoking thing that shot me out of the "R" category.
{Hat Tip: Phin}
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02:14 PM
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Who are all AOL subscribers.
I somewhat feel like I need a shower.
I'm also fighting the urge to update that post with a little addendum instructing them to get a real ISP. That there's a whole world out there, just waiting for them if only they'd stop being so dependent upon other people, who want to tell them where and how to surf. AOL isn't protecting anyone from spammers or viruses: they're protecting people from finding other alternatives; from exploring the world that is beyond AOL's walls. Which is really sad.
I have willfully restrained myself, however. But damn, it's hard. If I could only get one person off of AOHELL, I might have not only done that person a favor, but have also struck a blow against AOL by denying them that person's monthly protection payment. If only...
Sigh.
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01:26 PM
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KHARTOUM, Sudan - Violent mobs surged again into the streets of Sudan's capital Tuesday, a day after 36 people died in riots sparked by the death of Sudanese vice president and former southern rebel leader John Garang.The initial violence Monday was blamed on Garang supporters from the Christian and animist south who blamed his death in a helicopter crash on Sudan's Muslim-dominated government, but both northerners and southerners reportedly staged attacks Tuesday after a quiet morning.
Arab gangs invaded some neighborhoods heavily populated by southerners on the outskirts of Khartoum and attacked people in the streets and raided homes, said William Ezekiel, managing editor of the Khartoum Monitor. He said some people had been shot to death.
"The Arabs are attacking them, entering their houses and looking for southerners," said Ezekiel, whose newspaper focuses largely on southern issues.
"It's a reaction to the reaction from yesterday: `Where is the government? Where are the police?'" he said.
A senior U.N. official in Khartoum said angry southerners from camps outside the capital for people displaced by the long war in southern Sudan attacked the Omdurman area. He said a Muslim imam had been slain.
"The situation is turning religious and that will be even more dangerous," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists.
The reports of deaths Tuesday could not be independently confirmed. Officials said Monday's riots resulted in 36 people being killed and about 300 injured.
The government renewed the 6 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew first imposed Monday night, and by midafternoon downtown streets were nearly empty. An occasional siren could be heard.{...}
Oh man.
Sudan's twenty-three-year long civil war between the Northern---Muslim---government and Southern---Christian and Animist---opposition has finally been put to bed with a power sharing deal and it's threatened by this. And make no mistake about it, the peace deal is very much at risk of dissolving with Garang's death. His appointment as Vice President was a very big deal. While I still claim that this decades long civil war was fought more in the name of resources, which are scarce in the North but abundant in the South, religion does play some part in it. And it seems as if that's to be the dividing line once again with this recent violence. The new government has to quash the violence and they have to be equal about it. Any hint of favoritism will blow the peace accord right out of the water: these people are used to fighting; they may want peace, but they know initmately how that peace was obtained and if Bashir, the Northern President, doesn't follow the terms of the deal in relation to quashing the violence, it will be seen by the Southerners as proof that a. they actually did kill Garang and b. they never meant to follow through with the terms of the peace deal in the first place. Even though the SPLM is Garang's organization, and they have denied that the accident was anything other than an accident, it's been reported that they did as much killing of southerners as did the Northern army. If I were a Southern Sudanese, I'd be just as wary of them and anything they had to say as I would be of the Northerners.
Whether or not Bashir will actually do what is needed to salvage the deal is anyone's best guess. It will be interesting to see who rises to take Garang's VP slot. If Bashir appoints a northerner, someone loyal to him, it's a sure sign that's he's going to renege and that the Civil War will flare back up again.
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This, I have to admit, is not interesting news in itself. He's been sick for quite some time and has played no active role in leading his country, having handed that task over to his half-brother, Abdullah, formerly the Crown Prince, now the king. Now, Abdullah himself is no spring chicken at 81. King Fahd was only three years older than him and his successor, another half-brother, named Sultan is 77. These are the sons of Abdul-Aziz bin Saud, who founded the Kingdom. And these are only three of his sons: he sired forty-two children that we know about. God only knows how many illegitimate children he fathered.
I think it's safe to say that nothing interesting is going to happen in The Kingdom until Abdullah and Sultan pass on, provided Sultan moves to the "younger" generation---Abdul-Aziz's grandsons---for his successor. If Crown Prince Sultan doesn't move to the younger generation for his successor, well, things could get interesting of their own accord. Saudi Arabia needs younger leadership: Fahd was great for stability, but Saudi infrastructure is stagnating and needs a boost. If Crown Price Sultan sticks with his own generation for his successor, that could create even more problems within an already disenfranchised population. This would give ground to Islamofascists and democracy activists alike: who both want the House of Saud to crash to the ground.
I'm no expert on The Kingdom, but politics are politics: whether it's in the Kingdom of Great Britain circa 1400 or The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia c. 2005. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the House of Saud holds great power, but that said hold is slipping. The only way to keep that power from slipping further is to find a balance between what's good for the House of Saud and what's good for the population of the country and is something they're willing to live with. There's quite a bit to be done within the Kindgom as it stands right now. Unemployment is sky high within the native population (there are plenty of guest workers, including westerners, but educated young men are increasingly frustrated at the lack of employment opportunity within the country); the economy, other than the oil industry, is stagnating; a great deal of the country's wealth is in the hands of a very small number of people, like this guy, (yeah, he's the guy whose money Rudy Giuliani refused for the 9/11 fund) who would prefer to bring in westerners to rebuild the infrastructure of the Kingdom rather than spending his tens of billions of dollars doing it himself. And this, of course, says nothing of that particularly frustrating brand of Islam called Wahhabism that the House of Saud promotes that causes its own bunch of problems.
Whomever gets the reins after Crown Prince Sultan is going to dictate the direction of Saudi Arabia. The country will either go up in revolutionary flames, or it will continue along the same path with what could be considered to be radical improvements. The ball is still rolling in the same direction it was under King Fahd. We're going to have to wait and see what happens to the ball when the younger generation takes power.
Posted by: Kathy at
12:13 PM
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