Ride one of these if you want to remain a bachelor.
Saw a flock of DC Smartbikes today (they just sort of appeared overnight). Judging from the open spaces on the end someone is riding them.
This gaggle was located at 14th and I just a few blocks from the White House. It’s actually close the McPherson Square Metro Station but I’m not sure how many Metro riders put up with the Orange Crush line and then get on one of these to go battle the 14th Street chaos (for those not in DC, 14th Street is the road that heads over the bridge to Virginia. Basically a great deal of the DC to VA traffic heads down this road. It can get ugly)
]]>
Because you probably don't know where it is either.
Debka, which is NOT one of the most accurate websites in the world (but still pretty interesting) is reporting that the quasi-breakaway region of Adjara (also spelled Ajaria and Ajara) in the Southwest corner of Georgia may be ripe for the pickings by Russian naval forces. The population of Adjara is split between Russians and Muslims and there is a bit of discontent with the Georgian government (though not as much as in Ossetia). After a briefing crisis, the former separatist leader was sent to exile in Moscow.
There is/was a Russian naval base in Batumi, and another small garrison elsewhere in the region that is supposed to be turned over soon. However, Batumi is the pipeline <-> ship port for Georgia and having control of this vital location is certainly of interest to some in Moscow.
It will be interesting to see how far Russia goes in ‘punishing’ Georgia and whether this might include the port at Batumi.
]]>
Russian Black Sea fleet at Sevastopol, for now.
The Ukraine is pretty annoyed with Russia’s operations in Georgia and has started to strike back, this time with some ‘regulations’ on the use of the Ukrainian port in the Crimea. By way of background, the Russian Black Sea fleet is based in the Ukraine at the port of Sevastopol until 2017 (follow that link if you want to know more). The Ukrainian government is no friend of Russia and they have announced that Russian naval vessels need to request permission 10 days in advance before returning to the port. Russia says ‘you can’t be serious.’
Four ships of the fleet based in the Ukraine were sent to support Russian operations in Georgia and when they come back, perhaps we’ll see some more fireworks.
]]>
A quiet protest is underway at the Olympic village by a number of athletes unhappy with the services. At all Olympics, a religious center is set up to handle athletes spiritual needs. Chaplins and Imans and other religious persons were brought in from around the world with multi-lingual abilities to help athletes prepare mentally before their events. But in China, the government steadfastly refused to allow any foreign religious leaders in, and instead is making do with Chinese volunteers, few of which speak the language of the athletes fluently.
The quality of the religious services center came into sharper focus on Saturday after the fatal attack against Todd Bachman, the father-in-law of the coach of the U.S. men’s volleyball team, at a popular tourist spot in Beijing. To help athletes with their grief, the U.S. team had to scramble for official permission to get a chaplain who spoke English fluently into the village.
Phelim Kine, a researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group, said the ban on foreign chaplains runs counter to the Olympic charter’s “dedication to fundamental ethical principals and freedom of expression.” He also said the International Olympic Committee shares the blame.
“This is yet another example of IOC’s failure to enforce and to stand up to China’s efforts to roll back basic freedoms that have been taken granted at previous Olympics,” Kine said.
]]>
It's not a tank but it can still hurt you.
The London Times is reporting on a new offensive launched in the Dafur region of the Sudan. 300 ‘technicals’ (militarized civilian vehicles) are on the move in a major push in Northern Dafur. Oil companies have been asking for this area to be pacified so that they can begin seismic surveys in the never ending hunt for new oil sources.
Suleiman Marajan, a commander with one faction of the Sudan Liberation Army, said yesterday that the Government had lied to the world with its message of peace.
“The Government of Sudan has attacked our places with 300 vehicles. They have been here for three days protecting Chinese oil workers,” he told The Times by satellite telephone from North Darfur.
There has been no comment (or action) from either UN or African Union peacekeepers regarding this latest offensive.
Interestingly, the roots of the term ‘technical’ have never been definitively proven. It is believed that the term (which came to most people’s attention during the Somalia crisis in 1992) arose from the use of ’security contractors’ and ‘warlord bribes’ made by aid agencies operating in Somalia. These payments were called ‘Technical Assistance’ on the expense reports and the name ‘technical’ sort of stuck as a way of describing a militarized (but non-military) vehicle.
]]>
Yea, a bit of a stretch, but due to an odd convergence of facts there is trouble with the International Space Station due to Russia’s recent foray into Georgia. 
