I thought this was cool, so just wanted to share this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image of a cloud-free view of the Middle Eastern countries surrounding the Fertile Crescent. (I got the image from NASA.)

Arching along the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea through modern-day Syria, and then across to the Persian Gulf in an upside-down “u” shape, the Fertile Crescent is a rich, food growing area in an otherwise dry, barren land. Anciently, the land nurtured some of the earliest recorded human civilizations. Even today, a narrow strip of green along the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates River marks out the Fertile Crescent.

I was inspired by a fantastic article published by the Sietch Blog called Bending Swords Into Wind Turbines, so I decided to bring together some data to share on the opportunity costs associated with the ongoing war in Iraq.

Just to be clear, I’m not espousing any political position. I’m only interested in coming to an understanding of what alternatives we are forgoing by spending money, effort and lives in Iraq as opposed to spending them on something else. We’re talking about a whole boatload of money here, so it’s nice to know what else we could be getting for our dollar.
Read the rest of this entry »

Now here is something unique. A little game that allows you to hunt down insurgents in the streets of Iraq. The only catch is, you can’t win!

You see, it starts out with a few terrorists running around amidst the civilians in the streets of Iraq. You’ve got your finger on the trigger and you can hunt them down. If you manage to shoot one of them, fantastic! But if you hit any civilians in the process you’ll watch as their friends mourn them and then become terrorists themselves.
Read the rest of this entry »

Saddam dead, hanged around 6AM Baghdad time
Malaysia Sun

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been executed by hanging.

The execution took place around 6:00am Baghdad time Saturday, just before the sun rose which marked the commencement of the Eid Al Adha holiday.
Read the rest of this entry »