Two powerful car bombs exploded in downtown Baghdad Sunday, killing at least 38 people in an apparent attempt to target the fragile city’s government offices, Iraqi authorities said. Others say well over 100 were killed.
** OBAMA TODAY – SUNDAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington today.
He has no scheduled public events.
Obama has received his daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
International inspectors have arrived in Iran. They have not yet inspected the recently revealed secret facility.
In Afghanistan, officials are scrambling to mount a November 7th run-off election for president between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
The challenger said today he won’t be part of a coalition with Karzai.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE – SUNDAY. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles today.
He has no scheduled public events.
In his weekly video/radio address, President Barack Obama says small business is the key to recovery.
** OBAMA TODAY – SATURDAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington today.
He has no scheduled public events.
Obama has received his daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
The Iranian crisis has flared anew, with Iran backing away from the deal its negotiators agreed to in Vienna.
We’ll soon see how Sunday’s scheduled inspection of a previously secret Iranian nuclear facility goes.
Iran on Friday did not commit to a draft agreement aimed at reducing global concerns over its nuclear activities. The deal was hammered out a few days ago in Vienna by representatives of Iran, Russia, the US and France. Russia is to do the bulk of the nuclear fuel processing for Iran, with France also playing a significant role.
Iranian representatives agreed in negotiations with the US, France, and Russia to send 75% of its nuclear fuel for further enrichment to Russia. Now the deal has to be ratified in the respective capitals, with Tehran the potential obstacle.
The Russians officially adopted the plan early yesterday, first nation to do so, and called on Iran to do so as well.
The other 25% is deemed insufficient to start a nuclear weapons program. I’m not sure of the status of international inspections in Iran with regard to being sure that it is only 25% of the total, or whether the delayed inspection of the previously secret underground facility will take place this weekend as finally planned. Note that the facility was revealed a month ago and still no inspector has been inside it. Nevertheless, this was a good development.
Friday was the deadline agreed to by all parties, including Iran.
Iran has delayed a decision on its already negotiated nuclear deal till next week. Negotiators denied they’d agreed to the Friday deadline and said they hadn’t even briefed the leadership in Tehran on the plan to which they’d agreed.
But late yesterday, Iran’s negotiators said Friday was not the deadline. And, in any event, they had yet not briefed Iran’s leadership on the deal.
Despite consulting with Tehran throughout the three days in Vienna.
This is all too typical Iranian stall ball.
U.S. and Israeli forces conducted their largest joint air-defense training exercise ever this past week The objective of Operation Juniper Cobra is testing defenses against missile attacks from Iran, Syria and Lebanon.
In Afghanistan, officials are scrambling to mount a November 7th run-off election for president between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. Half the country’s local elections officials have been fired in the wake of findings of massive fraud in what was claimed at first to be a landslide win for Karzai.
The Afghan Taliban said today that they will try to stop the elections.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE – SATURDAY. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles today.
He has no scheduled public events.
He will have private talks, principally on the topic of California’s chronic water crisis.
Schwarzenegger has hopes for legislative action starting next week.
** CHINATOWN’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION AND THE POLANSKI SCANDAL. In one of the great ironies, the 35th anniversary edition of Chinatown came out this month, nearly at the same time that its director, Roman Polanski, was arrested in Switzerland after fleeing Los Angeles over 30 years ago following a guilty plea and brief imprisonment for unlawful sex with a minor.
Chinatown, the tale of a smart, tough detective investigating what he thinks, at first, is a simple case of infidelity in late 1930s Los Angeles, is my favorite film. On the surface, it’s a period detective picture, a big Hollywood movie with the trappings of film noir. Beneath, it’s much more. Armed with an alarmingly intelligent screenplay by Robert Towne, brilliantly cast from stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway down through the extras, the film creates its own mesmerizing world through evocative music, costuming, and production design.
“You may think you know what you’re dealing with, Mr. Gits. But believe me, you don’t.” (Words to always keep in in mind, which I sometimes have not.)
** OBAMA IN THE THICKET OF “AFGHANIRANISTAN.” Considering that he is the most recent winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, President Barack Obama is in a seemingly curious set of positions. He’s spurred major military offensives in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and has been deeply enmeshed in a tense stand-off with Iran.
There are many complex things to be said about each of these situations, which are all interrelated with not only one another, but also US relations with such challenging countries as Israel and Russia. But let’s start with the basic versions. …
Obama is in the thicket of “Afghaniranistan,” a multi-faceted complex of geopolitical crises. He is actively using military force in two of the countries, and has threatened, at the least, tough sanctions in the third. (The Obama Administration also recently accelerated the development of advanced bunker-buster bombs, suitable for use against, say, underground nuclear facilities.)
Which is a seemingly odd place for the most recent Nobel Peace Prize winner to be. … From my October 21st column.
** MAD MEN REVIEW: “THE COLOR BLUE.” … From my October 19th review.
** MAD MEN REVIEW: “WEE SMALL HOURS.” … From my October 12th review.
** WHY OBAMA DOESN’T DESERVE THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, OR THE OLYMPICS RAP. When the Vulcans finally make first contact with the peoples of Spaceship Earth, there’s no doubt who most will choose to represent us. Which is when we may learn that President Barack Obama really is a “Manchurian candidate,” an alien agent, albeit not of the sort featured in even the sweatiest imaginings of the yaposphere.
Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize this morning makes it two surreal Fridays in a row.
Last week, we learned that Chicago would not host the 2016 Olympic Games. Which should have surprised approximately no one, not that you’d know that from the profusions of rage and disappointment — or from the far right, happy rage — that Obama’s trip to Copenhagen came up short. … From my October 9th column.
** ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, JERRY BROWN, BILL CLINTON AND THAT CRAZY CALIFORNIA GOVERNORSHIP. Six years ago last night, Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California in a 17-point landslide. It was the dramatic California recall election, and I spoke with Schwarzenegger in his suite at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles before he went downstairs to deliver his victory speech in the ballroom below.
The sun was setting, in the rather nice view from the presidential suite, into the Pacific and what proved to be more a more than capacity crowd was gathering downstairs. Schwarzenegger, naturally excited even when he’s not all that excited, told me he intended to do big things for California, and end the gridlock that ground state government to a halt less than a year after the re-election of Gray Davis.
Five years earlier, in 1998, I spoke with Gray Davis in his rather less cinematic election night suite at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. He had just won a 20-point landslide election as governor of California.
Davis, a less excitable fellow than Arnold Schwarzenegger, was nevertheless quite pleased at gaining this goal of a lifetime. He told me that he intended to do big things for California, but wanted to avoid spending commitments that the state’s revenue — then flush from the dot-com boom — couldn’t sustain over time.
Despite all the drama, and landslide election victories for governors of two different political parties — who are nonetheless friends now notwithstanding Schwarzenegger ousting Davis in the recall election six years ago — including another 17-point landslide victory for Schwarzenegger in 2006, the state’s budget is a mess, its political gridlock seemingly intractable.
Now California is heading into another gubernatorial election. And according to the brand new Field Poll, and everything else I know, the likely next governor is someone who’s already won a landslide election as governor, albeit 30 years ago. That’s Jerry Brown, who won his latest landslide in 2006 when he was elected California’s attorney general, the state’s top law enforcement officer. Brown is a former two-term governor, two-term mayor of gritty Oakland, and two-time runner-up for the Democratic presidential nomination. … From my October 8th essay.
** MAD MEN REVIEW: “SOUVENIR.” … From my October 5th review.
** IRANIAN CRISIS: PROGRESS, PROBLEMS. … From my October 2nd column.
** IRANIAN CRISIS: RUN-UP TO NEGOTIATION. … From my September 30th column.
** MAD MEN REVIEW: “SEVEN TWENTY THREE.” … From my September 28th review.
** OBAMA’S SUMMITEERING: HIGH ALTITUDE HEADACHES AND RUMORS OF WAR. … From my September 25th column.
** OBAMA: RIDING WITH HISTORY. (NOTE: As Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, this column was the featured column on the top of the front page of the Huffington Post.) … From my January 19th Huffington Post column.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer, bringing you English-language, jargon-free, fast-paced coverage of global and Russian news from the Russia Today channel. You probably already know about CNN International, BBC World, and Al Jazeera. Russia Today, which also features culture, entertainment, and sports, is based in Moscow and is owned and operated by the TV Novosti division of Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti. While it’s quite foolish to expect to see, say, criticism of Vladimir Putin on Russia Today, the channel is very interesting nonetheless. With U.S. cable news chattering away as it does, this sort of respite can be informative. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM AL JAZEERA. With the US entangled in two wars in the region, it’s valuable to keep up with news and perspectives from the leading Middle Eastern-based TV news network. Based in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, Al Jazeera is very influential and more than a bit controversial. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer. The NWN live link to AJ does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** SCHWARZENEGGER’S CALIFORNIA. Here is my series of five columns on the governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Los Angeles Times in debate last fall, prior to the global economic meltdown, with Pulitzer Prize-winning former Times reporter/editor Bill Boyarsky, whose columns are also included. Among them is what I’m sure is the first piece examining Schwarzenegger’s legacy as governor of California. Since he will actually be governor of California until 2011. No technology known to be disruptive to the space/time continuum was used in its preparation. You can listen to my recent video webchat with Schwarzenegger here.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND NATIONAL ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Having crashed over $147 for yet another record on July 11th, 2008, crude oil closed on Friday at $80.50 per barrel.
This is up about $46 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program, reflecting a low point in global economic activity.
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| Comments (28) |
Good speech by the Prez.
The Russian news videos are always useful.
Cal goes again today, with Washington State. I think it’s another big Bears’ W!
SC gets another win today, too, I think.
Barack is pitching toward the smaller biz, not so reliant on the C of C crowd. It’s smart politics.
Jonas Blane says:
October 24, 2009 at 11:30 am
Good speech by the Prez.
They are, often, good. The Russians certainly have an in to Iran.
Jonas Blane says:
October 24, 2009 at 11:34 am
The Russian news videos are always useful.
Pretty wise for a wiseass… Great article on “Chinatown.”
At least it’s not the Eagles.
Indeed.
Thanks!
> Len says:
October 24, 2009 at 12:41 pm (Edit)
Pretty wise for a wiseass… Great article on “Chinatown.”
Yes, they do.
> Capitol Boy says:
October 24, 2009 at 12:01 pm (Edit)
They are, often, good. The Russians certainly have an in to Iran.
Jonas Blane says:
October 24, 2009 at 11:34 am
The Russian news videos are always useful.
Looks like!
> Capitol Boy says:
October 24, 2009 at 11:57 am (Edit)
Cal goes again today, with Washington State. I think it’s another big Bears’ W!
SC gets another win today, too, I think.
That’s why they are here …
>#
Jonas Blane says:
October 24, 2009 at 11:34 am (Edit)
The Russian news videos are always useful.
#
Cal by 32!
The Bears are back in town.
Actually, I think the Russian leadership see it both ways – spheres of “privileged” interests that they hope to influence. And, what country doesn’t? The reality is that influence may not the dominant geopolitical force that it used to be for the ‘superpowers’ of the world. And this, I think, is a good thing.
The Russians may find that their influence is considerably greater, though, if they stop thinking of their interests in terms of being ‘privileged’. Just a thought.
Bill Bradley says:
October 24, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Really? They don’t see it that way.
> Elizabeth Miller says:
October 23, 2009 at 7:53 pm (Edit)
The Russians may need to consider moving on. The notion of ‘spheres of influence’ is yesterday’s concept. The new way of thinking involves ‘spheres of interest’ and that shouldn’t rise to the level of rattling anyone’s cage.
Boy, SC nearly blew another big Q4 lead for the second week in a row. 42-36 over Oregon State. In LA. Troy is great, too Hollywood.
Please, do not dabble with my country.
Elizabeth Miller says:
October 24, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Actually, I think the Russian leadership see it both ways – spheres of “privileged” interests that they hope to influence. And, what country doesn’t? The reality is that influence may not the dominant geopolitical force that it used to be for the ‘superpowers’ of the world. And this, I think, is a good thing.
The Russians may find that their influence is considerably greater, though, if they stop thinking of their interests in terms of being ‘privileged’. Just a thought.
Bill Bradley says:
October 24, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Really? They don’t see it that way.
> Elizabeth Miller says:
October 23, 2009 at 7:53 pm (Edit)
The Russians may need to consider moving on. The notion of ‘spheres of influence’ is yesterday’s concept. The new way of thinking involves ‘spheres of interest’ and that shouldn’t rise to the level of rattling anyone’s cage.
Sorry, sergei, but I can’t seem to help it…guess I’m just a dabbler by nature. More than that, though, it’s fun to rattle your country’s cage, every now and again.
Additional video today?
That is one brilliant piece on “Chinatown.”
Bad news video in Baghdad.
For real.
What new video today?
Afghanistan helos and the President to Israel.
Thanks.
> Jack Aubrey says:
October 25, 2009 at 9:57 am (Edit)
That is one brilliant piece on “Chinatown.”
Yikes!
> Elizabeth Miller says:
October 25, 2009 at 4:26 am (Edit)
Sorry, sergei, but I can’t seem to help it…guess I’m just a dabbler by nature. More than that, though, it’s fun to rattle your country’s cage, every now and again.
I don’t think they see it that way. At all.
> Elizabeth Miller says:
October 24, 2009 at 8:11 pm (Edit)
Actually, I think the Russian leadership see it both ways – spheres of “privileged” interests that they hope to influence. And, what country doesn’t? The reality is that influence may not the dominant geopolitical force that it used to be for the ‘superpowers’ of the world. And this, I think, is a good thing.
The Russians may find that their influence is considerably greater, though, if they stop thinking of their interests in terms of being ‘privileged’. Just a thought.
Looks like … the Holiday Bowl!
> Capitol Boy says:
October 24, 2009 at 7:53 pm (Edit)
Cal by 32!
The Bears are back in town.
Incidentally, NWN passed 89,000 comments sometime in the past week.