RSS« November 2005 | January 2006 »
December 2005 Archives
December 29, 2005
Starting.
Today. Shall perhaps reflect on chemicals later.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:58 AM
| Comments (41)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 28, 2005
Chemicals, Waiting & Technology
I have decided I need a music player for this chemotherapy nonsense. Given convos with various, I am under the impression that the "chemo room" will be filled with garralous blue hairs looking for community, or depressed doomed people.
As many of my readers seem to be technophiles, a question. What sort of music player would be the most efficient thing to buy, given I note that I am on a MS system. There is strange talk of flahs versus HD and the like, and the ubiquitious I-POD. Enlighten your poor cancer patient.
I should also like to learn about this new fangled MP3 downloading thing that the youngsters talk so much about. Particularly where one can actually legally buy this sort of thing by track or whatever, and where such things that appeal to my tastes, such as Rai, French hip hop and Cuban Son, may be found. Not the dreary North American rock rubbish.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:56 PM
| Comments (29)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
Juan Cole - Footballs and Realities
Shall try to elaborate on this latter, but thanks to the Glittering Eye (still hate that name), I note this fine post by Juan Cole on Iraq:
Top Ten Myths about Iraq in 2005
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:28 AM
| Comments (2)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Iraq
Otherwise, to prove some fools never learn
This item from the wires: Munich mastermind spurns Spielberg's peace appeal wherein one of the planners of the Munich terror attack on the Israeli olympic team shows himself to be every bit the idiot he was 30 odd years ago.
The cretin, in keeping with his long career of shooting Palestinian interests in the back with cretinous morally warped idiocy, gave the stereotypical, just unpacked from the 1970s Black September rant (no wonder King Hussien had to crush the fools).
Continue reading "Otherwise, to prove some fools never learn"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:09 AM
| Comments (4)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Politics
Arabic resources and fevers and language learning
Nothing to do with each other, other than the fever has me up now after having retired earlier, and I feel moved to bang on about Arabic resources and language learning.
Continue reading "Arabic resources and fevers and language learning"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:31 AM
| Comments (3)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso Biz Notes
December 26, 2005
Amusing Email
For those wanting to know how not to invest in frontier markets like Iraq, my old friends at investorsiraq and their illiterate delusions of massive revaluations of the Iraqi dinar, etc.
I share it with you for your amusement (or questions).
Continue reading "Amusing Email"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:12 AM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Iraq
December 25, 2005
Having discovered the new narcotics are a bit strong
I thought I might entertain myself.
Continue reading "Having discovered the new narcotics are a bit strong"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:10 AM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
Small Absurd Notes
I note that today an old man insisted on opening doors for me at a local store. Wonderful, I look so ill old men insist I need help getting through doors.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:54 AM
| Comments (3)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 23, 2005
Just because the narcotics are kicking in again
The whimsical fours thing
Continue reading "Just because the narcotics are kicking in again"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:14 PM
| Comments (11)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
Wafa bint Yelsam Bin Laden (bint Dufour) [added link and de rigeur illustration, plus further reflexions]
An odd piece of news. GQ is doing a sexy spread of Wafa Dufour (Bin Laden) (also see the online partial arty at GQ)
Not sure if this is a good idea or not (probably not, although the facile like Andrew Sullivan will trumpet it), but it is interesting.
By the way, the arty says Yeslam spells his name differently. No, he transcribes it differently. Who can blame him, given even the looney Left has it out for his fams.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:09 PM
| Comments (12)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Society & Culture
For the trivial perso item [corrected minor typos]
A small bit of news. I have been diagnosed.
Continue reading "For the trivial perso item [corrected minor typos]"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:39 PM
| Comments (18)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
As a small compensation
I was sent home today with an explanatory note for federal and other authorities as to why I might set of radiation "sniffers" and the like. This was accompanied by a quite serious lecture as to the same.
The United States truly has become a country of fat paraniod loons.
Continue reading "As a small compensation"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:30 AM
| Comments (13)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 22, 2005
The ongoing still alive, not dead note.
However results delayed. Friday will be the moment of truth. May start prelim treatments Weds as Drs are concerned. Still kicking regardless. Looking forward to not having blood from the nose when me walks, its gross and impolite, and just won't do in social situations.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:34 AM
| Comments (4)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 21, 2005
Further random reflexions
Some more random reflexions for no particular reason.
Continue reading "Further random reflexions"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:10 AM
| Comments (12)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 20, 2005
Reflexions
A few personal thoughts. Nothing of interest really.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:15 AM
| Comments (14)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 19, 2005
Out of Boredom and Thanks to Narcotics: Ignorant blundering idiots
For the sheer entertainment value, and finding that reading this was less taxing on my narcotics befuddled brain:
Now, I ran across Totten during the much ado about the "Lebanese intefada" blithering on when naive fools saw the protests over the Hariri assasination marked some great "democratising" moment, and ever since have considered him a gullible fool. Amusing sometimes, but an ignorant gullible fool.
Continue reading "Out of Boredom and Thanks to Narcotics: Ignorant blundering idiots"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:39 AM
| Comments (13)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Egypt
December 18, 2005
Vignettes of profound ignorance... Or simply things that annoy me to date.
Well, given I am on fine narcotics, only the best quality after all (and this means no cuban products), I shall babble on about how annoyed I am with my treatment so far. This being done in the five minute windows of coherence that I have.
I suppose concretely I should tell you that the operation went fine, that I now have a "window" (the charming jargon used) cut in me ribs, and have given up a chunk of my lungs to science and labs. Science being in a fit of public spiritedness, I consented to donate some of my tumour to some generic research on the probable cancer involved. Labs of course is the verification of the high probability diagnosis. With that will come some level of unpleasant treatment, as the tumour has spread into various sensitive areas of central chest and can't just be chopped out. Might be elsewhere too, but that's for some nice sporting testing in this upcoming week.
Continue reading "Vignettes of profound ignorance... Or simply things that annoy me to date."
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:53 PM
| Comments (3)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 14, 2005
Afraid the nicknames are right out.
I shall be having some distractions from posting the immediate future. It appears I have a rather nasty cancer. Rather inconveniently timed. Have to do some surgical intervention this week and the Drs are a bit vague. This will distract from my MENA ranting and the like.
Apologies in advance. Afraid this has not been a terribly brilliant day. Now, I think I am going to go get really drunk with some old friends of mine.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:29 PM
| Comments (26)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
On Torture, New Bolshies and Image
Over the past week, in between my occasional funks over these bloody lungs, and my paranoia regarding my work and the orgy of backstabbing going on, I have had the sad occasion to become reaquianted with US media and in particular news.
Well, it is called news although as far as I can tell, nothing remotely ressembles proper news.
This aside, I have followed with some bemusement the 'debates' over torture in the US media.
Continue reading "On Torture, New Bolshies and Image"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:20 AM
| Comments (3)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Politics - US FP
December 13, 2005
Headaches
I think I should hie myself back to the region. Bloody doctors are not returning my bloody phone calls, I'm certainly not getting any kind of treatment here, and my paranoia with respect to my multiple schemes grows dialy.
The Fund has hit a hiccup with a serious dispute over financing between the partners - puts closing at risk. My man seems to be on the losing end of a power struggle, and this does not look good. It also does me no good to be gone from my prime jobbie, much scheming is going on, puts me at risk.
Fat end tails, goddamned bloody fat ended tails.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:22 PM
| Comments (6)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso Biz Notes
December 12, 2005
On Syriana
Having just seen this film, I thought I might make a comment or two.
Overall, a very interesting film, I rather liked it. Somewhat on the dramatic side, as relatively large budget film has to be, but very nicely done overall. I shall not pretend to review the film as a film reviewer, but some thoughts on its MENA subject matter and small details that pleased me (as well as displeased), from someone who operates in this kind of world.
What follows will have direct reference to the film’s events, “spoilers” to use that silly precious little phrase. Don’t want to read them, don’t read on. For those who may want to see the film, my summary is I found the film to be a very nice rendition of affaires here in my region, although to be sure dramatised.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:49 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Biz - Private in MENA
,
Business
,
Economics
,
MENA Region General
,
Politics - EU FP
,
Politics - Foreign Policy
,
Politics - US FP
December 08, 2005
Still alive, not dead (bis)
A quick note to observe that I am not dead. Afraid my mental energies however have been off of the MENA ball at the moment. And no, no news as to the lungs, other than the bloody things are damned inconvenient.
Also glad to note my lazy co-contributors are stepping up to the plate.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:45 PM
| Comments (5)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 03, 2005
Judgement
I would be remiss not to note this important little issue arising in Morocco, as reported in the press: two fairly dim or perhaps idealistic (I personally can not tell the difference sometimes) young things decided that they would get married via consul. Mixed marriage and all that. Only they're both men.
I personally am indifferent to the issue in grosso modo. However this was a rather stunningly stupid move. Just bec. the home country of one of the fellows in question recog. such does not mean it's smart to walk into a consulate and insist on tying the knot.
The phrase, when in Rome comes to mind.
Doubtless a bit of very precious activism going on in this case.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:38 PM
| Comments (5)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Religion
Alive and Not Dead
However, not well. Drs bit concerned, but no matter, I am hard to kill.
Regardless, may be so bored and drugged to write about recent Iraq and other developments.
I note that I have had it with the Titanic scum. They baited and switched tickets on me, bloody flew in plebe class after being told I had the usual ticket, too late to change. Scum, utter scum.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:17 PM
| Comments (2)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 02, 2005
Iraq and papers
The story today about a certain group, well, this is one of those times I wish I were not so paranoid. Well, one day I shall say something.
My real life has gotten a lot of emails on this. My sole comment is that it's odd that it took so long.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:40 AM
| Comments (12)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
December 01, 2005
Obscurity
A small message to let all know that I am en route to my little detour and I have taken down several prior posts for the reasons you all would understand. They will eventually return, I suppose, but that's enough.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:32 PM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
