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31 May 2010 11:52

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Politics: Haaretz: This Gaza flotilla incident is Israel’s Vietnam. Ouch

  • Here in Israel, we have still yet to learn the lesson: We are no longer defending Israel. We are now defending the siege. The siege itself is becoming Israel’s Vietnam.
  • Haaretz columnist Bradley Burston • Regarding what this whole mess with Hamas and the humanitarian ship shows. Simply put, Israel is blundering its way into a massive mess. As Burston puts it, “In going to war in Gaza in late 2008, Israeli military and political leaders hoped to teach Hamas a lesson. They succeeded. Hamas learned that the best way to fight Israel is to let Israel do what it has begun to do naturally: bluster, blunder, stonewall, and fume.” Ouch. He also criticizes the country’s toxic political situation that makes things like this happen. This is an Israeli newspaper trashing Israel’s policies unforgivably. That says a lot. source
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30 May 2010 11:54

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Politics: Now both parties have a Senate candidate with spotty army stories

  • Dems Connecticut Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal, who’s running against a woman who’s been attacked by a folding chair before, made it seem like he served in Vietnam when he didn’t.
  • GOP Now, Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk was caught claiming in his official bio that he won the U.S. Navy’s Intelligence Officer of the Year when he didn’t. Ah well, it’s not as bad as Roland Burris serving. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 May 2010 10:24

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Tech: Ho-hum: Another iPhone 4G prototype found in the wild

This one showed up in Vietnam and apparently was further along in the design process than the one lost in the Silicon Valley bar. It uses Apple’s A4 chip. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Mar 2010 10:50

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Tech: Google points out more cyber-suppression, this time in Vietnam

  • The controversy stems from a bauxite mining project backed by China. Late Tuesday night, Google noted a series of cyber-attacks which seem to be targeted at Vietnamese people from around the world. While the attack isn’t as sophisticated as the China attack which led to Google leaving that country last week, it certainly left a mark on what Google calls “an important and emotionally charged issue in the country.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Feb 2010 20:09

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U.S.: John Murtha: A friend of the military, not a friend of the Iraq War

  • Every person who serves in the military has lost an advocate and a good friend.
  • Wisconsin Rep. David Obey • On the death of Rep. John Murtha. Murtha, one of Congress’ most-hard-nosed members, had served Pennsylvania’s 12th district since 1974. He was best-known for his stance on military issues, mainly because he had been there – he was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress. Notably, Murtha was an early critic of the Iraq War, at a time when the war was still popular with the American public. He also had some notable weaknesses, such as being notorious for pushing pork into his own district. Even so, his death was unexpected – doctors accidentally hit his intestine during routine gall bladder surgery, which means a malpractice lawsuit is possibly in the doctors’ future. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

09 Jan 2010 15:11

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Offbeat: In Vietnam, Google’s there when you need it most

For some reason, you can buy Google-brand toilet paper in Vietnam. The virgin pulp paper does the job better than its competitors because it’s well-engineered. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

24 Aug 2009 11:23

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World: Discrimination against AIDS is still alive and well in Vietnam

  • We survived the French bombings and the American bombings … I’d rather be bombed to death than die slowly of AIDS.
  • Nguyen Thi Thuoc • Thuoc, a 70-year-old Vietnamese woman, kept her grandchildren out of school because of 15 new students who were HIV positive. Discrimination against the HIV-positive is widespread in the country; this is just one example. “You can have wonderful policies and wonderful legislation,” notes Vietnam UNICEF representative Jesper Morch, but without a the right education campaigns, “you’ll have trouble enforcing them.” • source
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