For all the insanity going on in our particular neck of the woods, the rest of the world was having their set of circumstances. Mysterious Iranian scientists, terrorist Bombings in Kampala, Gay Marriage in Argentina and the continuing saga of the Dollar versus the Yuan.
And god gave us Tums.
(Shahram Amiri - In perfect Iranian fashion - a myriad of conflicting stories)
In a story that has more questions than answers, the saga of Shahram Airi, the Iranian scientist who disappeared for a year and suddenly resurfaced in Arizona gave the media a certain amount of pause this week. In this case it was the BBC World Service program Newshour from July 13 who gave us the story.
(Bomb scene in Kampala - watching the World Cup has never been so deadly)
The Sunday bombing of several establishments around the Ugandan capital of Kampala served the illustrate just how random and senseless these acts of violence are. Innocent people, caught up in watching the World Cup on TV's at various restaurants and bars around town were caught in a wave of mass murder as a series of explosions ripped through the Capitol leaving some 74 dead and hundreds injured. By the time of this newscast (Africa Today from the 13th) there were groups taking credit for the bombings and arrests had begun. The senseless acts continue.
(I guess you could say "Two Juans Make It Right"?)
Given Argentina's rather repressive past (military Junta's, overthrows, dictatorships) and a strong influence from the Catholic Church, you'd think the last country in the world to approve gay marriage en masse would be Argentina. But no. On Thursday, Argentina voted to allow Gay marriage to be a legal and binding in that South American country. BBC World Service Global News does a piece - there is also a longer piece featuring an interview (in Spanish) with Maria Rachid from the Federacion LGBT in Bueos Aires at the bottom of the page. The world is loaded with surprises.
(Mao is looking more like Ben Franklin every day)
Yes, there is something of a currency war going on between the U.S. and China - it probably doesn't get that much coverage via our MSM, but it's there and it's going on and BBC Business Daily did a piece on it Thursday.
(Torture allegations - the gift that keeps on giving)
It is highly likely we will never hear the end of allegations of torture by our military and the military of our allies over the next generation or so. So deep and entrenched and secret have these violations of human rights been that each time another set of allegations comes to the forefront it almost makes you wonder how it's all going to end. On this Saturday segment of the BBC Radio Four program The Today Program (no relation at ALL to the one over here), the allegations continue from former detainees at Guantanamo.
(Maria Rachid - pleased and relieved)
And finally, for our Spanish speaking friends (or if you just want to brush up) I am offering an interview done via Radio Nacional in Buenos Aires (a very cool website with a LOT of really useful news) this past Thursday featuring the President of Federacion LGBT Argentina Maria Rachid and her reaction to the passage of Gay Marriage legislation in Argentina.
Until next week . . .
