You should read even the UN's UNDP reports on Arab/Persian development. It's pathetic. They at or near the bottom for every parameter of social growth, education, tolerance, human rights, technology. And these are the people who set the agenda in the UN. That's astonishing really. Go check it out for yourself all the UNDP annual report cards on regional development are available on line, or least they were last year. Even East Africa is moving ahead of the Arab /Persian world relatively speaking in terms of education, penetration of the internet, dissemination of information, freedom of the press, human rights, women's rights, human trafficking and health care. Similarly even if you just at the economic output of the entire Maghreb roughly Islamic north Africa and the near Levant, encompassing about 400 million people, the total Gross Product is about equal to that of New York State, or Spain. About 700 billion dollars. Total.

So yeah, build a washing machine. Then come back and tell me about the wondrous creations of the Arab world, at least those in the last 75 years. Oh there's a few scholars and academics and few bright points of light but for the vast majority of ordinary people, they haven't moved on inch in nearly a century.

Are mostly in Mashad, ergo they are called Mashadis (there also a few in Shushan or Purim fame). Why are the 25,000 Jews left in Iran, down from a population of perhaps a half million still there? Probably because they are irrelevant. It's easier to keep a museum open proclaiming you are the harbingers or peace than offend even the people like you. I mean most pogroms leave someone alive to spread the word. But for comparison's sake a few years ago, the Iranian government rounded up 23 Jews at random declared them all spies, convicted them w/o trial and hanged 13 of them. Oooh boy some beauty contest. I you regret having missed that one. Would that we could do that in this country?

The ultimate and best criticism of the Zune for instance, is its sheer existence. Anyone who's had to use a PocketPC based Treo can attest to the nightsweats one would have if Microsoft announced they were delivering their own phone hardware/software. It would be 7 years late, the interface would be unusable, it would be 3/4ths non functional DRM spyware, the hardware would suck, the batteries wouldn't last and it it would have to be patched and fixed endlessly. Then it still would not be all that stable. But because they do a better job of convincing people that regardless of the promise high deliver low failure rate of MS, it's always better to be a lemming.

But I digress. In either case, even if MS did not exist in this equation, which is does not now, the idea that "Apple is more expensive" from a pure lifecycle TOC view is not entirely correct. It's correct if your time is worthless or if the time spent with a non functional doorstop is worthless. But I value my time. If I could I would send a bill to Redmond for all the weaknesses, failures and mistakes that eat up my time. Just like my AT&T CallVantage VoIP which as we speak has stopped working for the 3rd time in 2 days, causing to me call them up for a fix and rebate. If I didn't care if it worked or not then it would absolutely be cheaper than a landline phone.

Last year was something like 0.001% of those in English I'm not that worried. You don't have to like Rushdie and god knows, that post modernist crap is a chore to wade through and precious too much by half but 'Sword of Allah'? What's that, the last good piece of metallurgy that managed to craft in the last 800 years?

Go build a good washing machine first, then come back and tell me you're offended at mere words.

The reflexive 'it's about oil', that's shorthand for something not about oil, isn't it? As opposed to the reality that we actually need oil, I mean.

Humor will not be tolerated here. Only officially blessed forms of Resistance Samizdat will be tolerated. Thank you for your compliance. BTW TTDB is about a week late on this one. It was reported in Fark days before it came noteworthy here at broomupourradicalasses.com. Get with the program, rads.

Uh ok. Thanks for clearing that up, rads. I'm still waiting for Salon to publish "The Antizionist Cookbook", "The Big Book of Non Jewish Methods for Pet Care and "Chickensalad, the Jewish plot to give your kids the bird flu".

c'mon people, you've already lost all reasonable credibility, it's time to pitch headlong into crazytown. Just exhale and take a deep breath of highlighters and paint.

The tone of your insane diatribe is precisely the definition of 'Fringe Liberal Blogger'. But the irony of that zoomed right over your pointed little head.

attack me, call me names and then of course talk about Ronald Reagan. I'm sure that plan will work for you. It's so cogent, so crisp. Remember to throw in a few 'you're a liar' which of course even by your own post, that's not what you mean. Then top it off with a brisk "I can read your inner thoughts" comment.

Carry on, I laugh at you. My dog laughs at you.

Who refuses even to discuss the background on why 59 highly trained Arabic linguists, who are also gay have been fired by the DoD since 2002 - that's saying a lot.

Wow whatta maverick! What a DoJ!!!