I just finished reading a nice, touching article—just right for a Saturday morning. It is Michael Winship’s “Miley, We Hardly Knew Ye.” The article is about how some of our young celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus, step through their childhood just way too fast. I am sure the words and thoughts struck a different chord within each different reader. The following struck a chord with me: Not that all is lost. This week, I attended the 8th grade graduation of my girlfriend’s niece Lexi in Philadelphia....

We have been writing about those “newly discovered” mineral riches in Afghanistan ad nauseam. We have been asking—and hypothesizing about—how this find will affect Afghanistan, its people, the war… We have been speculating as to whether these newly found riches will enrich the Afghan people, or central government officials, or provincial and tribal leaders, or the Taliban, or foreign countries, or… To be sure, no one knows. However, Kathleen Parker at the Washington Post asks one of...

Numerous commentaries have already appeared on the recent announcement that Afghanistan may have as much as $1 trillion in mineral deposits, including at TMV—here, here, here and here. In my post, I asked the question, “Will the minerals discovery in Afghanistan alter the course of the war?” Of course no one can answer that question with any degree of certainty or accuracy. Even the experts on such matters are being very coy and cautious. Take for example, the comments by Deputy Undersecretary...

Only six Medals of Honor have been awarded to our heroes after almost nine and after more than seven years of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively. All have been awarded posthumously. I have written several articles on this subject and numerous more have been written by people much more knowledgeable of and with much more authority in this area. Some of my articles have dealt with the general dearth of Medal of Honor awards (such as summarized here), while others have dealt with specific...

During every World Cup there are bound to be upsets, surprises, scandals and controversies. They have become so regular and predictable that a small cottage industry has emerged dedicated to predicting, covering and at times exploiting such events. In my “Every Four Years: Viva el Fútbol ,” I summarized a charming article from an “American Way” in-flight magazine—an article that predicted some of the winners, losers, “spoilers,” also-rans and other interesting categories in the ongoing...

In a comment to an Afghanistan post at The Moderate Voice last night, I reported some breaking news published by the New York Times. It dealt with the discovery of nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in war-torn Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and “enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.” My comment also referred to possible changes in strategic objectives and strategy...

As a native of Latin America and after having lived in Europe during my “formative years,” fútbol of course became my favorite team sport. But after many years of having been “brainwashed” in America—especially at Texas A&M when that great university was in its college football heyday in the 1960s—this other fútbol, “fútbol Americano,” became my favorite, except for every four years. That “every-four-years” is here again. The 2010 FIFA (Fédération Internationale...

For those who feel that: 1. Israel is being/should be delegitimized 2. Israel is/is not a democracy 3. Israel is/is not to blame 4. The Palestinians are/are not to blame 5. The Israel lobby is/is not to blame 6. Criticism of Israel is/is not linked to anti-Semitism, “Israel Without Clichés,” by Tony Judt in today’s New York Times is a must-read. Tony Judt is the director of the Remarque Institute at New York University and the author, most recently, of “Ill Fares...

Another source—this time a Colombian newspaper—alleges today that the “Dutch psychopath might have murdered two women in Bogotá.” Yesterday, we reported on a similar story by the Peruvian newspaper, El Comercio. Today, The Colombian newspaper El Espacio reports (translated): Colombian police, via the Judicial Investigations Division, is investigating the disappearance of two beautiful women in the capital, exactly during the days that the Dutch psychopath was passing though the country....

I have been browsing the Peruvian press for breaking news about Joran van der Sloot and, as I have posted here and here, found some interesting bits and pieces. Then, realizing the nationality of van der Sloot, I decided to check the Dutch press and I believe that I hit the mother lode with “Radio Nederland Wereld Omroep (Radio Netherlands Worldwide), or RNW. Radio Netherlands Worldwide, located in Hilversum, the Netherlands, provides news, background and cultural information to millions of people...

Under the headline, “Two women disappeared in Colombia during van der Sloot’s stay in that country,” the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio reports that, before arriving in Lima on May 14, Joran van der Sloot had been in Colombia since May 6. The paper asks, “What did he do in [Colombia]?” and answers, “The same as here. Visiting casinos,” It continues, “Nevertheless, his stay coincided with the disappearance of two young Colombian women, who were also regular visitors of exclusive casinos.” During...

I have been browsing the Peruvian newspaper “El Comercio,” for news about Joran van der Sloot. Of course, the breaking news that van der Sloot has confessed to murdering the young university student Stephany Flores is all over the news here in the U.S. And so is the news that allegedly van der Sloot became enraged when he returned to his hotel room after getting a cup of coffee and found Ms. Flores browsing through his laptop, and that he subsequently, and allegedly, murdered her. According to...

In my recent post, “Israel: Does it Have to Be ‘Love it or Hate it’?” I attempted to explain that “I sincerely and strongly believe that one can support the Israeli people, the Jewish people and, yes, the nation of Israel without cheering on and applauding each and every action or policy undertaken by the Israeli government.” I don’t know how successful I—a staunch Israel supporter and of Jewish descent—was, but that is neither here nor there. However, talking about “hate,”...

Some of the most memorable and idyllic times of my early youth are the days and weeks I spent in the late 1940s with my parents and sister in the “Oriente” in my native Ecuador. The “Oriente” is Ecuador’s name for its beautiful jungle region on the East side of the mighty Andes—the beginning of the Amazon rainforest and one of the most biologically diverse regions on earth. The Oriente provides most of the early tributaries to the mighty Amazon. Rivers such as the great Napo...

When the great nation of Israel takes some action—generally of a military nature—with which many people disagree, those who criticize such actions or the Israeli government are oftentimes accused of being anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, or worse. In the wake of recent Israeli military actions against the “Gaza flotilla,” those accusations have once again been rampant. It reminds me of the “not supporting the troops,” “anti-American,” “unpatriotic” and worse accusations hurled at the...

Note: The following incident took place two months before Memorial Day. I have no doubt as to what the outcome would have been if it had occurred during the recent Memorial Day weekend. Now that Memorial Day is over, let’s continue to remember. …………………………………………………..***…………………………………………………….....

We are approaching the end of a long Memorial Day weekend and of Memorial Day itself. Many will be coming home after a long day that may have included picnics, BBQ’s, parades, and hopefully visits to a cemetery, a church service or some other ceremony honoring our war deaths. We have seen, read and heard numerous eloquent testimonials to our fallen heroes—some may say too many. To those who think the latter, I will be one of the first ones to say “mea culpa,” but turn right around and...

Those who read my original Memorial Day article may notice that this time I have left two words off the title: “and Hoping.” This is because in the “Hoping” part of my original version I made some political and social inferences and judgments that perhaps were not appropriate for such a solemn occasion. On this Memorial Day proper, I have omitted such “implications” as my purpose is to simply “Remember and Honor” all our fallen heroes. If there is any “Hoping,” it is...

As retired military, I naturally like to write about military and national security subjects. Two subjects, or issues, that I have written about–probably ad nauseam—are the dearth of Medals of Honor that have been awarded to our heroes of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the continuing refusal by the Pentagon to reconsider its decision not to award the Medal of Honor to Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta. On the first issue, only six medals of Honor have been awarded for acts of heroism and valor...

In the conclusion to my Memorial Day post—“Memorial Day 2010: Remembering, Honoring and Hoping”—I wrote: I hope, however, when Memorial Day is over, and we go back to debating the politics of war and peace; the pros and cons of “Don’t ask, Don’t tell;” the imagined and real perils of fully integrating women in the armed services; and the cost of the physical and mental health care our returning heroes so badly need, that we will keep in mind that the courage and patriotism of our...

The German torpedo that sank the U.S.S. Dorchester plying the icy waters of the North Atlantic in February 1943 didn’t know or care that among its 672 casualties there would be four U.S. military chaplains (all U.S. Army lieutenants): a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi and two Protestant ministers. After giving their lifejackets away to other soldiers, “the four chaplains” were last seen standing on the deck of the sinking ship, arms linked and praying together. The Japanese torpedoes that...

We are approaching Memorial Day and I probably will not post until then. On Memorial Day we will be remembering all military men and women who have given their lives for our country. An e-mail and a link to a PowerPoint presentation I received from a relative, however, poignantly took my thoughts to others—civilians—who have died as a result of a cruel war that also involved the genocide of innocent men, women and children: World War II and the Holocaust. I just wanted to share with...

Back at Open Salon they are having a contest for shrimp recipes in support of our fishermen along the Gulf Coast who are about to be hit by a horrible catastrophe. I submitted a family recipe. For a change of pace, instead of politics, I thought I’d share that family recipe with TMV readers. But first some background. Several of my relatives in my native country of Ecuador are in the shrimp business, but we don’t call them fishermen, but rather “fish farmers.” You see,...

There have been many valid complaints that there are too many stories of “family values” politicians caught in not-so-family-values situations. The blogosphere is once again filled with another such story today. In the interest of fairness and bipartisanship, this post will be short; it will not disclose the political affiliation of the latest accused, nor mention the word “hypocrisy,” nor divulge the details on the allegations, except to say that the accused, a leading advocate for abstinence...

In his “Top of the Week” editorial a week ago, after a brief history of NEWSWEEK’s ownership and after unemotionally stating that “NEWSWEEK was going to be sold,” editor Jon Meacham turns melodramatic, even effusive: There is a place for NEWSWEEK in some form in a fragmented culture… The moment of focus may be fleeting, but there are fewer and fewer common denominators left in American life, and the conversation is not going to be enriched by having fewer still. We are not the only...