India
Wage Slaves in Their Natural Habitat
City Tops for Foreign Commercial Real-Estate Investment, Survey Says
The survey was conducted by the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate, based in--of all places--Madison, Wis.
L.A., San Francisco and Seattle round out the top-five.
The full release after the jump. read more »
- John Koblin25 Little Socialites
Giuliani's Foreign Policy Defense
Last week, Newsday took a critical look at Rudy's foreign experience, and John McCain, on "This Week" basically said that while Giuliani was an American hero, he was the one with the credentials. Fred Malek, a key fund-raiser for Mr. Mccain made the same argument to me this week when he paid Giuliani the following back-handed compliment: "Rudy Giuliani has been a very successful mayor of our largest city. John McCain has not only served heroically in the military, but he has been a pivotal force of national security for a dozen years."
But Giuliani's supporters pushed back. Not only has Giuliani toured the world as a businessman, brokering international deals, but he has been vocal on his positions regarding Iraq and the Middle East as a whole.
Patrick Oxford, Giuliani's colleague at the Texas-based law firm Bracewell & Giuliani, told me that in the last few weeks alone, Giuliani has, as a representative of the law firm, met with energy leaders in Argentina, British Columbia and India. Barry Wynn, a fervent Giuliani supporter from South Carolina who acted as finance chair for President Bush's re-election campaign, added that Giuliani has repeatedly conducted business in both Eastern and Western Europe over the last year, and has met with business leaders in Asia at least three times. After the big donor meeting on Nov 15th at the "21" Club, Giuliani took off for India.
OK, fine, Giuliani has a gathered his fair share of frequent flier miles to foreign lands. But what about actual foreign policy?
Fred Siegel, author of Prince of the City, dismissed any suggestion that Giuliani was weak on foreign policy. Siegel pointed out that Giuliani had been stronger than most politicians in arguing that the United States needed to be tougher on Saudi Arabia in getting them to combat terrorism.
Giuliani has yet to dispel the doubts among national political players who are less familiar with him, but that might be more a question of timing than anything else. He has only just begun his roll-out, as with his recent announcement of an energy policy (diversification, with a greater dependence on nuclear energy) at a Manhattan Institute event.
So the "worldly, well traveled businessman" defense against foreign policy experience criticism is probably more of a place-holder until we get a more fully articulated vision as Giuliani's march towards official candidacy continues.
Iraq, anyone?
--Jason HorowitzCollective Punishment in the Old Testament
"In the Jewish tradition, some memories are very long lasting... Some memories, once functional, become dysfunctional. The concluding chapters of the Book of Esther tell of the queen's soliciting permission to slaughter not just the Jews' armed enemies but the enemies' wives and children—with a final death toll of seventy-five thousand. These 'memories' provided gratifying revenge fantasies to the Jews of medieval Europe; in the present era of ecumenism these chapters have simply disappeared from Purim commemoration; most American Jews today are probably unaware that they exist."
I was unaware. I used to wind my noisemaker around everytime the hated name Haman was said, Haman who plotted to kill all the Jews throughout the Persian kingdom, from Ethiopia to India...
From the Book of Esther:
[T]he king granted the Jews who were in every city to gather themselves together, and to defend their life, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women... The other Jews who were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, defended their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them; but they didn't lay their hand on the plunder.
Clintons' Ball: Bill Blocking, Hill Huddles
Clintons’ Ball: Bill Blocking, Hill Huddles
Bush Welcomes India Into the Anglosphere
Bush Welcomes India Into the Anglosphere
Le Corbusier Meets Nehru
Nehru and Le Corbusier.
Organized by Galerie Patrick Seguin, the show traces their modernization project in India, which began shortly after independence.
Nehru wanted Le Corbusier to be "expressive, experimental and not to let himself be confined to tradition."
Did it work? Judge for yourself: The exhibition runs through March 18th. read more »
- Michael CalderoneWhen Good Nukes Turn Bad: What Will Washington Do?
When Good Nukes Turn Bad: What Will Washington Do?
Mr. Zakaria Builds His Own Utopia
