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There has been a lot of talk lately about pulling our troops out of Iraq. Most of the people suggesting as much complain that the cost of staying is simply too high. Not many people talk about the cost of leaving…

This essay is from an online news source called Stratfor Inc.. I’ve been a subscriber for several years and though it is expensive it is one of the best sources of intelligent analysis that exists. They are often referred to as a personal, shadow-CIA. If you want up-to-the minute news bites, then any of the major news sites will be more than adequate and a news aggregator will be more than you could hope for. But if you actually want to understand why a geopolitical even is important, what was the underlying reason for the event or what it means for future international relations then you need something more like this….

Originally published on Stratfor.com

Iraq: Jihadist Perspectives on a U.S. Withdrawal

By Fred Burton

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution to express disapproval of the president’s plan to send more troops to Iraq. Republicans in the Senate prevented a similar resolution from coming to the floor for a vote the next day. The congressional actions come during a period of vigorous debate about U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan — a debate that is being heavily fueled as presidential hopefuls from both parties begin to position themselves for the 2008 election.

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I haven’t been quite as active in the studio as I had hoped to be thus far this calendar year. That is not to say that I haven’t been working at all, though. I think this painting is done, though I may go back in and tone down the reflected lights on the back of the head. It’s a portrait of my friend and co-worker, Casey. I’m working on one of his wife as well, but that painting still has a way to go…

If this were software, I might call it release candidate 1… but, since it’s not a piece of software, that would be silly. Anyhow, here is the painting in a possibly final state. Note that there is a bit of glare at the bottom of the image, which is hard to avoid since the canvas was still wet. I’ll try to get a better image and post that on my portfolio site in the near future.

I’ve also got a portrait drawing that is almost completed, and I’m planning to get out into the studio either tonight or tomorrow to finish it off. Hopefully I’ll have pictures to post this weekend of that one. If only I could work 8 hours a day in the stuio and a couple hours at night programming databases…

– Jeremy

Everyone has guilty pleasures—and if they don’t, then they are missing out. Some people hide chocolate bars in their desk and sneak a bite when nobody is watching. Others might read trashy novels late at night. These sorts of things are empty calorie adventures, but it is generally a healthy form of escapism, as long as taken in moderation.

Julie and I like to watch WWE; yes, professional wrestling. Have for a few years now. Now before you start to pass judgement, think about your own guilty pleasure and how worthwhile it may seem to a third party.

Of course we know that professional wrestling isn’t “real,” if by real you mean that the matches are not scripted and the outcomes pre-ordained. We know many of the truly dangerous stunts are just that. However, if you mean that nobody ever gets hurt or that there isn’t an exceptional level of athleticism required, then you are wrong—as Sly Stallone said after filming a match against Hulk Hogan for Rocky III,you simply cannot fake gravity.

[The 7-foot tall Undertaker choke-slams Shaun Michaels as Randy Orton rolls out of the ring]

Plus, the scripted matches allow the characters to create story lines that are as entertaining as they are outlandish. We like to think of it as an acrobatic soap opera on steroids.

[Randy Orton's signature entrance; Edge on his far side]

Monday night Raw and Friday night Smackdown: 52 weeks a year they put on a live show (not counting the additional PPV events, e.g. Wrestlemania, and other promotional events that happen regularly throughout the year). They travel all over the country and the world. They have even put on a live show for the US Armed Services in Iraq and Afghanistan for the past three years.

[WWE Champion - John Cena]

This week Raw was in Portland for the first time in three years. So Paul, Julie and I plunked down our coin and bought tickets for the event. It was quite a show. Though technically a performance of the Raw brand, four major Smackdown superstars were on hand for the main event match: a 4 on 4 tagteam duel pitting Shaun Michaels, The Undertaker, Batista and John Cena against M.V.P., Mr. Kennedy, Randy Orton and Edge.

[Batista - World Heavyweight Champion on Raw]

Some of the most surprising observations: The squared-circle seems much smaller in person than on camera, though the combatants still seem huge. The traditional pyrotechnics were crazy loud and unexpectedly hot. The commercial break time is partly filled with the losers of the match limping (if they fared well) or being assisted back (if they did not) to the locker room.

[Mr. Kennedy crawls back after a match]

Other highlights included seeing old-school superstars Dusty Rhodes (soon to be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame) and Portland native, Rowdy Roddy Piper. Oh, and “The Donald” was on hand to personally challenge the chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon, to a match at Wrestlemania. Ultimately, it was decided that they would compete via proxies, but the loser would have his head shaved. Lowest common denominator? Maybe. Entertaining enough to make you giggle out loud? You bet.

[Donald Trump vs. Vince McMahon]

The show was well worth the price of admission. By the way—though Raw is usually televised live on Mondays, it just so happens that this week it got bumped on USA for a dog show that USA has been showing annually for many years. The long and short of it is, if you wanted to see that 8 man tag-team match we saw last night, or perhaps watch two self-proclaimed billionaires butt/bet their excessively-groomed hair, it will be on USA this Thursday evening. And if World Wrestling Entertainment happens to become a guilty pleasure of your own… don’t say I didn’t warn you.

– Jeremy

Jeremy’s birthday was this weekend, and it was really great to be able to spend it with him, since he was away in New York for the past two. I’ll let him write a post about his presents himself, once he can take some photos. We started out the day with Jeremy jogging for 50 minutes while I got some ricotta praline pancakes on the griddle for him. Then our good friends Tara and Loren came over, and we went out to lunch at Roadhouse Grill, where they sang to Jeremy and made him wear a coffee filter on his head and a toilet paper cover as a collar in order to receive a bowl of ice cream. After that excitement, we had a quiet afternoon catching up with Tara and Loren, which was really nice.

When our guests left, I got started on Jeremy’s birthday cake: German chocolate, naturally! I got the cake in the oven and discovered that there was less coconut than expected in the cupboard, so I made a quick dash over to Safeway for that, and ended up lugging home a bunch of inordinately heavy stuff: short ribs, sunchokes, potatoes, rice, and so on. Thank goodness we had enough flour and sugar. Good exercise, though, I suppose. Jeremy got in some painting while I was gone… hopefully he’ll post updated photos of what he’s working on before too long.

Anyway, while the frosting finished up (this recipe involved making dulce de leche in the oven, a lengthy process), Jeremy helped me with dinner, which was masaman curry. Jeremy loves curry, but I don’t care for it, so I would probably not have considered making it if it weren’t for Curry Simple. Their Thai tea syrup was recommended on one of the food blogs I read, and when I saw their packets of masaman curry sauce, I knew Jeremy would appreciate it for a special occasion like his birthday. Everything arrived really quickly after I ordered it, and dinner was as easy as sauteeing chicken and then vegetables while I boiled some new potatoes, and mixing everything together with the sauce packet. We served it over jasmine rice with Thai iced tea to drink, and the surprising bit was that I actually thought it was pretty good, not too spicy. I ate a small plateful, Jeremy had two huge helpings, and we still had plenty of leftovers, so I think it was an all-around success. Good thing too, because I ordered some pad thai sauce at the same time. So we’ll probably continue ordering sauces from Curry Simple from time to time.

Once Jeremy had time to digest his dinner, we tried out the cake, and it came out really well also. It was actually the inside-out German chocolate cake from Epicurious, but I don’t have any way of storing layer cakes, so I converted it to a sheet cake and left off the ganache layer because it seemed plenty sweet and rich as it was. It was very tasty, and perhaps even better the second day, after a stint in the fridge.

Looks like 2007 is shaping up to be the Year of the Sock, Part 2, and I finally have pictures to prove it. I got off to a cracking start by finishing up the Conwy Socks I was knitting in December.

As I mentioned previously, these socks are knit from Socks that Rock Lightweight, in the Downpour colorway, perfect for a wet Oregon winter. They came out nicely, and this is definitely a pattern I’ll use again, not least because they needed no adjustment to fit my tiny feet. As for the yarn, I love the colors and the way they striped without too much flashing; the wool is warm and squishy without being too itchy.

Next I whipped out a very quick little pair of anklets from a leftover skein of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Vera. I tried out several different pattens with this yarn and ended up doing a simple checkerboard/basketweave pattern. I think the came out really cute, and will make good spring socks.

While making the anklets, I also started (and finished) a pair of Chain Link Socks. This pattern was from the SixSox Knitalong, and I used my leftover Trekking #67 and some white Lang Jawoll, and didn’t come close to using up either one. A visually interesting pattern, but verrrry simple to knit, and I was shocked to note that the stripes in the Trekking came *this* close to matching up, without any intentions on my part.

Finally, I finished my first pair of Trekking knee socks, to be worn with skirts and/or boots. I used a traveling clock pattern from Folk Knitting in Estonia for some visual interest on the sides, and did them plain otherwise. They were knit toe-up so that I could make the most effective use of the yarn, and I ended up with a tiny bit leftover, so I think I did pretty well.

Over the weekend, I started a new pair of socks for Jeremy, still pending his approval. No pics yet. They are Spey Valley Socks in Trekking XXL #90, which is coming out much more green and gray than brown, oddly. I like how they look, though, and because Jeremy said the last pair, also made from Trekking, felt bumpy under his feet, I’m doing these with a reverse stockinette sole.