Happy New Year!

A very Happy New Year to everyone. May the new year bring you wonderful things.

“Ethiopia Does What It Wants To Do.”

The Guardian gives some background on what is going on in Somalia right now. It implies that Washington has a bit of influence on what is happening, but the words quoted in the post title say a bit more. They are from Professor Ken Menkhaus, a Somalia expert at Davidson College, North Carolina. His opinion is that the Ethiopian attack would have happened whether or not the US said a word. Given the overreaching threatening rhetoric of the islamists, I suspect he is correct.

The US, which has a large military base in Djibouti, Somalia's neighbour, faced a dilemma. It had been embarrassed by its policy of backing an alliance of warlords who had failed to stop the Islamists taking control of Mogadishu. Now it had another problem: the SCIC's victory in Mogadishu and its 'creeping radicalism' was being perceived as a victory for jihadists worldwide.

There was never any question of direct US intervention - memories of the disastrous campaign in the Nineties that led to the 'Black Hawk Down' incident precluded that. But in Ethiopia Washington had an ally with no such inhibitions. Soon after the SCIC took power in Mogadishu, Ethiopia began sending thousands of troops over the border to protect the administration of President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, which had no influence beyond its base of Baidoa.

Initially the US urged Ethiopia to act with restraint. But as the Islamists expanded their territory, neared Baidoa and began to talk about 'holy war' against Ethiopia this month, Washington's position changed. Jendayi Frazer, US Assistant Secretary of State, described the top layer of Islamists as 'extremists to the core'.

None the less, according to Professor Ken Menkhaus, a Somalia expert at Davidson College, North Carolina, Ethiopia's attack would have happened anyway: 'The US has given what the media calls "tacit approval" to Ethiopia, but anyone who follows the region knows that Ethiopia does what it wants to do.'

Bryden said the Ethiopians were now likely to push towards Kismaayo to ensure the SCIC is 'cut off and killed'. But while it will not be easy for them - Kenya has closed the border to the south - he thought it was likely that some of the Shabaab would slip away.

This is not to say that there are not huge challenges for the Somali government. There are. But it may also be true that the reason the islamists were successful in the first place is that the country is tired of war and warlords and wants some order restored. If the Somali government can step up, there is a chance for peace.

After the snake's nest is cleaned out, of course.

Somali troops, supported by Ethiopian tanks and MiG fighter jets, attacked front-line forces of the Islamic group in southern Somalia. Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi said they would "capture or kill" the terror suspects.

Thousands of residents fled the fertile agricultural area before the battle, carrying blankets, food and water as they headed toward the Kenyan border, 100 miles to the south.

Gedi said Islamic militants in Kismayo, Somalia's third-largest city, were sheltering alleged bombers Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan and Abu Taha al-Sudani. The bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed more than 250 people.

The latest fighting broke out in Helashid, 11 miles northwest of Jilib, the gateway to Kismayo, where an estimated 3,000 hardcore Islamic fighters were preparing for a bloody showdown.

We'll see. About the Bloody showdown, I mean. Thus far, the islamist's idea of a fight has been to see if it was possible to break the sound barrier with a brisk enough walk. They've been brisking it all the way across the country. Because, of course, they would never run from their enemies. They say so - and their PR department (the Western media) dutifully reports every word they say with a completely straight face.

Request

Would someone who is using the RSS feed from Blue Crab Boulevard please let me know it is working correctly. Either leave a comment or shoot me an email (addy on the "About" page). Thanks in advance.

Quiet Charity

With no fanfare or hype the Bush administration has quietly increased aid to Africa. Not by a small amount, either. Aid has tripled in the past five years. Many activists credit the moves with saving thousands of lives and improving a number of things on the continent. Sadly, a few have to try to paint it as somehow driven from bad motives or ultimately evil in intent.

The president has tripled direct humanitarian and development aid to the world's most impoverished continent since taking office and recently vowed to double that increased amount by 2010 — to nearly $9 billion.

The moves have surprised — and pleased — longtime supporters of assistance for Africa, who note that because Bush has received little support from African American voters, he has little obvious political incentive for his interest.

"I think the Bush administration deserves pretty high marks in terms of increasing aid to Africa," said Steve Radelet, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development.

Bush has increased direct development and humanitarian aid to Africa to more than $4 billion a year from $1.4 billion in 2001, according to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. And four African nations — Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt and Uganda — rank among the world's top 10 recipients in aid from the United States.

Beyond increasing aid to Africa, Bush has met with nearly three dozen African heads of state during his six years in office. He visited Africa in his first term, and aides say he hopes to make a return visit next year.

Although some activists criticize Bush for not doing more to end the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, others credit him for playing a role in ending deadly conflicts in Liberia, the Congo and other parts of Sudan. Meanwhile, Bush has overseen a steady rise in U.S. trade with Africa, which has doubled since 2001……

…….Some advocates suspect that the Bush administration's interest in Africa is motivated more by business ambitions than altruism. Grants made by the Millennium Challenge Corp., a foreign aid program developed by Bush with the aim of rewarding poor countries that practice good governance, are also partially predicated on whether countries have open markets that allow widespread foreign investment.

"I know a lot of activist groups who believe that the president's stated commitment to Africa is, at best, a play on words," said Nii Akuetteh, executive director of Africa Action, a Washington-based advocacy organization. "First of all, much of the aid is emergency food or medical aid, rather than true development assistance. Then there are conditions that are attached where the emphasis is more on countries that open up their markets so American companies can go in and privatize things like water and electrical service or have access to certain resources."

There has been very little reporting on any of this in the mainstream media to date. Even so, the administration is doing a great deal more than previous administrations. Requirements that nations practice good governance and open up to trade are not things to criticize, but things to applaud. Trade is the only thing that can lift the continent out of poverty. But some would apparently rather take shots at the administration and let people die than appreciate what has been accomplished. That speaks rather more to the values of the people criticizing than it does to the actions of the administration.

Python Party

A python in Florida apparently decided to throw a little New Year bash at his digs at the Tarpon Springs Aquarium. He invited the animal handler in for the feast.

She did not know she was on the menu, however.

Alison Cobianchi, 18, was taking Chloe, a Burmese python, out of her cage for the daily snake presentation Saturday at the Tarpon Springs Aquarium when the snake wrapped itself around her arm and waist.

Visitors and aquarium employees kept the nonvenomous snake from pulling Cobianchi into the cage, but couldn't make it release its grip.

Police were called to help. "We either had to Taser it or we would have had to kill it," police Sgt. Allen MacKenzie said.

Cobianchi suffered puncture wounds on her wrist.

Our advice is to remember that if there is no Taser handy, then a 9-iron works rather well. We also highly recommend that Ms. Cobianchi be exceedingly careful when using the restroom. Pythons are vengeful creatures who hold grudges for a long time.

Animal Uprisingâ„¢ Sacrifices 1,400 Turks

The Animal Uprising™ engaged in some serious payback on the people of Turkey today. For many years, the Turks have celebrated the an annual feast with animal sacrifices. After killing the animal, they have a hearty meal. This year, the animals fought back, sending 1,400 Turks to hospital emergency rooms all across the country.

At least 1,413 people — referred to as "amateur butchers" by the Turkish media — were treated at hospitals across the country, most suffering cuts to their hands and legs, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Four people were severely injured, crushed under the weight of large animals that fell on top of them, the agency reported. Another person was hurt when a crane used to lift an animal tumbled onto him, the agency said.

Three other people suffered heart attacks and died while trying to restrain animals, CNN-Turk television reported.

We here at Blue Crab Boulevard want to know one thing: who gave the animals the knives to attack the humans with? Someone is running weapons to the sheep! (Good thing they didn't arm the camel.)

UPDATE: Ireland Online even notices this. Of course they miss the important part about the Animal Uprising™.

Two bulls escaped and caused havoc in the streets of the central Turkish city of Kayseri and in the south-eastern province of Sanliurfa, until they were caught with the help of veterinarians who fired tranquilliser darts.

Which makes you wonder if everyone fell asleep after the banquet.

Drunken Snake Fondling: Not Recommended

There is a hysterically funny article in the Times of London today about the official snake catcher of the city of Darwin, Australia. Said snake catcher, 23-year-old Chris Peberdy packs a lot of memorable one-liners into his everyday speech. At least when there's a reporter about.

Like looking for a gas leak with a lighter, drinking and snake handling would appear to be a rather obviously lethal combination. Chris’s former business partner narrowly escaped death after being nailed on the chest by a taipan — the second most venomous snake in the world.

“Trying to impress a bird again,” shrugs Chris. “He had a bottle of Jim Beam in one hand and the snake around his neck.”

Antivenin, made by injecting poison into horses and extracting the resulting mix, saved his life, but not — apparently — his sanity.

“The mad bastard went off and joined the Foreign Legion after the bite,” says Chris. “He thought it’d be safer.

Read the whole thing. It really is funny.  But I really wouldn't want the job.

AP: Good News! AP: Bad News!

Juxtaposing two AP stories and the headlines for each one is interesting.

Poll: Americans see gloom, doom in 2007

WASHINGTON - Another terrorist attack, a warmer planet, death and destruction from a natural disaster. These are among Americans' grim predictions for the United States in 2007.

But on a brighter note, only a minority of people think the U.S. will go to war with Iran or North Korea over the countries' nuclear ambitions. An overwhelming majority thinks Congress will raise the federal minimum wage. A third sees hope for a cure to cancer.

AP poll: Americans optimistic for 2007

And so it goes for most Americans. An AP-AOL News Poll finds that while most Americans said 2006 was a bad year for the country, three-fourths thought it had been a good one for them and their families.

"In a time of war, so little has been asked of us as citizens," said Given, who teaches ancient Greek at East Carolina University. "We haven't had to sacrifice anything. We've been allowed to live our lives very, very well."

Looking ahead, optimism reigns.

Seventy-two percent of Americans feel good about what 2007 will bring for the country, and an even larger 89 percent are optimistic about the new year for themselves and their families, according to the poll.

What's interesting here is that both stories describe the same poll. The exact same poll numbers. I have screenshots just in case they change the headlines.

Not As Clear Cut As The Media Portrays It

David's Medienkritik has a very interesting post about a poll taken in the US and Europe. When asked if people favored the death penalty for Saddam Hussein, majorities both in the US and in Europe favored it. The reporting on the reactions doesn't reflect those poll results, however.

The recent results of a poll conducted by Novatris/Harris for the French daily Le Monde on the death penalty shocked the editors and writers at Germany's left-leaning SPIEGEL ONLINE. When asked whether they favored the death penalty for Saddam Hussein, a majority of respondents in Germany, France and Spain responded in the affirmative. Here the results by country:

Percentage of respondents in favor of executing Saddam Hussein:

USA: 82%
Great Britain: 69%
France: 58%
Germany: 53%
Spain: 51%
Italy: 46%

Clearly, there is a gap between the United States and the European nations polled. On the other hand, the western Europeans polled demonstrated that there is majority support for the death penalty in particular cases. In other words, the gap that exists across the Atlantic is not at all the clear-cut, "black-white" divide that some in media make it out to be.

You have to take a look at the roundup of headlines posted over there. There is clearly a divide between the US and the media/political elite in Europe, but the populace is another matter entirely. The analysis of the positions in Europe - Germany in particular for obvious reasons - is particularly interesting. The German left is a potent political force and a lot of the "good versus evil" rhetoric comes directly from them. But the poll results say it isn't exactly the done deal the media reports it to be.

Stormtrooper Update

We warned last week about the coup plot that George Lucas was working on to take over the Rose Parade. His stormtrooper legion will be marching - and somewhere along the parade route, the coup will take place. It turns out that Lucas has even had an action figure of himself made! This man is determined to own the entire parade.

It seems fitting for Lucas to serve as the ambassador of the 2007 Rose Parade that will feature the three-piece "Star Wars Spectacular," which commemorates the 1977 release of "Star Wars," the first film in the sci-fi six-pack. The procession will include two floats depicting the moon of Endor seen in the "Return of the Jedi" and the garden planet of Naboo. Darth Vader will lead a group of 200 stormtroopers, assembled from around the world, who belong to a fan club called the 501st Legion.

Lucas won't don a stormtrooper costume at the parade, but he's not missing out. Earlier this year, toy maker Hasbro paid plastic tribute to the filmmaker by creating a limited-edition action figure of him with the snow white stormtrooper attire.

The 30th anniversary of "Star Wars" will be marked by conventions, festivities and the introduction of new video games in 2007. Lucas also is pursuing an animated 3-D TV series of "Clone Wars," a continuation of the Emmy-winning show by the same name that aired from 2003 to 2005. The new series has not been sold to a network yet, but Lucas was confident a deal would be reached next year.

Lucas said he will team up again with actor Harrison Ford and director Steven Spielberg for the highly anticipated fourth installment of the "Indiana Jones" movies. Filming will begin next year and the movie will be released in May 2008.

That last paragraph actually holds the key to the entire plot. We suspect that Lucas is planning the coup to ensure good coverage for the next Indiana Jones movie. "Write good reviews or you'll never see your parade again!" Harrison Ford at age 64 is a bit long in the tooth to be playing an action hero*. So Lucas is doing this to ensure the movie is a hit.

* We are working diligently to try to confirm that the working title for the new movie is "Indiana Jones and the Walker of Doom". If not, maybe it should be.

There’s Truth Then There’s The New York Times

An absolutely stunning column from Byron Calame, the "Public Editor" at the New York Times. In it he reveals that a very lurid claim made in a New York Times Magazine article from April turns out to be false. The story stated that A few women were serving 30 year jail terms in El Salvador for having abortions. The article gave the example of Carmen Climaco stating dramatically that she had an abortion 18 weeks into her pregnancy then was convicted and sent to prison.

Only the trial records indicate that the baby had been born alive then killed. She was convicted of infanticide, not of having an abortion. The writer never checked the transcripts.

It turns out, however, that trial testimony convinced a court in 2002 that Ms. Climaco’s pregnancy had resulted in a full-term live birth, and that she had strangled the “recently born.” A three-judge panel found her guilty of “aggravated homicide,” a fact the article noted. But without bothering to check the court document containing the panel’s findings and ruling, the article’s author, Jack Hitt, a freelancer, suggested that the “truth” was different.

The issues surrounding the article raise two points worth noting, both beyond another reminder to double-check information that seems especially striking. Articles on topics as sensitive as abortion need an extra level of diligence and scrutiny — “bulletproofing,” in newsroom jargon. And this case illustrates how important it is for top editors to carefully assess the complaints they receive. A response drafted by top editors for the use of the office of the publisher in replying to complaints about the Hitt story asserted that there was “no reason to doubt the accuracy of the facts as reported.”

Read the whole thing, especially the response of one of the assistant editors who defended the article. Calame contacted him after the translated court records became available. His response:

After the English translation of the court ruling became available on Dec. 8, I asked Mr. Marzorati if he continued to have “no reason to doubt the accuracy of the facts” in the article. His e-mail response seemed to ignore the ready availability of the court document containing the findings from the trial before the three-judge panel and its sentencing decision. He referred to it as the “third ruling,” since the trial is the third step in the judicial process.

The article was “as accurate as it could have been at the time it was written,” Mr. Marzorati wrote to me. “I also think that if the author and we editors knew of the contents of that third ruling, we would have qualified what we said about Ms. Climaco. Which is NOT to say that I simply accept the third ruling as ‘true’; El Salvador’s judicial system is terribly politicized.”

Yes, mustn't let the facts get in the way of the fundamental truthiness of the story. Remember this story the next time you read lurid claims in a New York Times story. Because the editors appear to have a culture in place that simply does not care if a story is factually true so long as it fits into their cultural belief system. And they will go to the mat to defend their story even if it contains outright falsehoods.

History Disappearing

The New York Times reports on a sad trend: the decline of the "House Museum". Historic houses that have been preserved as museums are struggling to stay open and in some cases are having to be sold to private owners. Even major museums like Colonial Williamsburg are having to sell off some of these houses in the face of declining attendance figures and soaring operating costs.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The old mahogany furniture is shrouded in white dust covers, and the espaliered gardens overlooking the James River have gone to seed. Colonial Williamsburg is selling Carter’s Grove, an imposing 18th-century Georgian mansion and one of the most renowned plantations in Virginia.

Colin Campbell, Williamsburg’s chairman and president, said he had tried to interest other preservation groups in the property, with no luck. And so the 400-acre riverfront residence, closed because of declining attendance and shifting priorities, will be available for private purchase at a price local agents estimate could be well over $20 million. “Perhaps in January,” Mr. Campbell said. “We don’t want to linger.”

Although it will be protected by easements to prohibit subdivision, there will be no requirement that Carter’s Grove be open to the public.

The sale by Williamsburg, the country’s biggest and most prestigious living history museum, has riveted preservationists’ attention on the plight of hundreds of other house museums across the country that have either closed or are struggling to stay open in the face of dwindling interest, diminished staff and lack of endowment dollars.

Robert E. Lee’s boyhood home in Alexandria, Va., once a “must see” in AAA guidebooks, is back in private hands, its stately magnolias and elegant federal rooms visible only by virtual tour. In Odessa, Del., six important buildings owned by Winterthur, the museum of antiques collected by Henry Francis duPont, were mothballed for several years and recently “regifted” to the family that donated them.

In an escalating debate, some preservation experts argue that the best way to save America’s most precarious houses may be to sell them to those who can afford to restore them, or at least keep them up, as private residences.

It is happening all across the country as the article goes on to describe. Many of these houses have either been shuttered or sold off already. There isn't enough money and in a lot of cases, not enough volunteers to keep the places operating any longer. Many organizations will no longer accept the gift of a historic house unless it comes with a substantial amount of trust money to maintain it. My wife and I go out of our way to visit places like this when we travel. It sounds as if there are going to be fewer and fewer of these in the future. That's sad.

Two personal favorites from New York State: Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion in Canandaigua, New York. When I look at their website, though, it appears they have discontinued some of the events that I remember like the Festival of Lights. They are still decorating the inside of the Mansion for the holidays, though. There is also the Genesee Country Village and Museum. There they have brought historic houses to the site and assembled them into sections that represent various eras in America's history. That is a great place to spend a day. We have a picture of my two oldest kids whitewashing a fence there after they were enticed into it by a boy playing Tom Sawyer.