Michael Marking

tatanka.com home > Reading > Found on the Web > Found on the Web, May 2017

Found on the Web, May 2017

Dinner Party Download, Episode 383: The 2017 All-Music Episode (podcast)

Description: http://www.dinnerpartydownload.org/episodes/the-2017-all-music-episode/; MP3 file: http://play.publicradio.org/api-2.0.1/o/dinnerpartydownload/2017/05/05/dpd_20170505_128.mp3.

This is an eclectic combination of music, interview fragments, and introductory information. A wide variety of artists. A lot of unexpected sounds and information. Among other things, you'll learn why Groucho Marx was an Alice Cooper fan, and how his bed ended up in the hands of the Beatles. Great music clips! (55 minutes) (Dated 2017.05.05)

The Atomic Bomb Considered As Hungarian High School Science Fair Project

http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/05/26/the-atomic-bomb-considered-as-hungarian-high-school-science-fair-project/

This essay explores the reasons that so many of the scientists who developed the atomic bomb had gone to the same high school in Budapest, Hungary, before coming to the United States. In fact, some had the same science teacher. (Posted 2017.05.26)

A Murderous History of Korea

https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n10/bruce-cumings/a-murderous-history-of-korea

Essay by Bruce Cumings. A little history of Korea since the 1930s, and the involvement of the United States. This is short, but a very good and comprehensive treatment, which is highly relevant to what is happening today. (Dated 2017.05.18)

Inconvenient Truths: The Rise of Daesh in Syria

https://herecomesthetumbleweed.wordpress.com/2016/08/06/the-rise-of-daesh-in-syria-some-inconvenient-truths/

Article by Sam Hamad. This is a history and analysis of the rise of Daesh (a.k.a. ISIS, ISIL, and IS), especially in Syria, but going back to the Islamic scholar and preacher Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab of Najd region, in the 18th Century. Yes, Daesh didn't just come out of nowhere, it has deep roots in Wahhabi fundamentalism, the same religious philosophy which is the official doctrine of Saudi Arabia. Daesh want to restore Islam to what they believe was its state in the beginning, just after Mohammed. This is a lengthy and detailed article, with numerous links to other documents to flesh out and to back up its points. It's quite interesting if you find the topic of interest. In fact, I'd say it is mandatory reading if you want to have an informed opinion on the subject, because I have never before seen so many facts tied together in one place. The author goes into, not only a brief history of Daesh, but also the relationships among Daesh and Saudia Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Sunnis, Shias, and, of course, the U.S. He also explains many of the reasons that the U.S. failed in Iraq, why the U.S. is still involved fourteen years after the invasion. (Many of the reasons are also relevant to the failure in Afghanistan.)

Most outsiders see Syria simplistically, as involving just two or three or maybe even four sides. After reading this article, whether or not you agree with Hamad's conclusions and premises, you will see the extreme complexity of the situation in Syria, and, regardless of which side or sides you take, you are likely to find every other treatment of the situation — even the ones with which you agree — as over-simplified, biased, and perhaps even totally ignorant. It's clear from reading this, no matter what side you take, that the conundrum of Syria, and of the situation in the Middle East generally, won't be solved without a much more nuanced understanding. (Dated 2016.08.06)

Copyright 2018 Michael Marking. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.tatanka.com/reading/found_on_the_web/fotw_201705a.html last modified Monday, 29-May-2017 10:43:06 CEST
Accessed Wednesday, 11-Sep-2024 13:23:23 GMT from 35.171.45.182:40112
Tatanka, Bionic Buffalo, sysjinn, and sysjinni are trademarks of Michael Marking.