2008

So Kosovo is independent now. The last two lines in this NYT story make no sense to me: European Union officials said Britain, France, and Germany were expected to recognize Kosovo 24 hours after the declaration, to try to stop prevent Moscow and Belgrade from trying to rally opposition to the independence declaration. The recognition of Kosovo by the United States [and] other European Union member states was expected to follow in the coming days. President Bush, speaking Sunday in…

Apparently Kosovo is poised for independence this Sunday. Remember this map, kids: Update: George Kenney points to this recent interview he did with Sir Ivor Roberts, former UK Ambassador to Yugoslavia in the mid-1990s.

By Cyrus Farivar Posted Friday, Feb. 15, 2008, at 12:57 PM ET Last Sunday, an art museum in Zurich, Switzerland, was robbed of four paintings worth $160 million. The crooks managed to overpower the staff at gunpoint shortly before closing time and make off with a Van Gogh, a Monet, a Degas, and a Cézanne, which were easily visible in the trunk of their fleeing car. Similar heists have taken place in other European museums in recent years. Why is…

The Onion: The black-tie affair brought together representatives from warring nations and longtime enemies who sat in the hallowed, oak-walled dining room and patiently awaited their turn to lambaste Ahmadinejad. Some of the evening’s most pressing topics included the Iranian president’s insistence on developing a nuclear program, his possible involvement in the 1989 assassination of an exiled Kurdish leader, and his excessive body hair. “You know, a lot of folks have been criticizing Ahmadinejad for covering up one of the…

Dear Friends, I’ve been informed that my radio piece about a new test for traffic data via GPS will air on Morning Edition tomorrow (Feb. 11)! It will be available on any of these stations (and their Internet streams). New York – 5 am to 9 am Eastern – WNYC – 820 AM – www.wnyc.org Washington, DC – 5 am to 10 am Eastern – WAMU – 88.5 FM – www.wamu.org Los Angeles – 2 am to 9 am Pacific…

Dear Friends, I’ve been informed that my radio piece on “steampunk” will air on NPR’s All Things Considered today! It will be available on any of these stations (and their Internet streams). New York – 4 pm to 6:30 pm Eastern – WNYC – 820 AM – www.wnyc.org Washington, DC – 4 pm to 8 pm Eastern – WAMU – 88.5 FM – www.wamu.org Los Angeles – 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm Pacific – KPCC – 89.3 FM – www.kpcc.opg…

I’m interviewing voters as they come out of the voting booths in Oakland, Piedmont and Lafayette today for the NYT’s online feature “Voices from the Polls”. Check it out here. Update: I had to go all the way out to Danville to find Republicans. Seriously.

I was out doing errands this afternoon and saw Obama supporters staked out at the intersections of Ashby Ave./Claremont Ave., Keith/College Ave. (Rockridge BART), and Broadway and 51st St. They were waving signs and banners at passing cars. Over the last few months, I’ve seen a few Clinton stickers around and two Edwards banners, but for the most part, this neighborhood seems to be Obama country, through and through.

Sarmad Ali writes: Throughout my entire year at Columbia, I was scared of almost all other ethnic food, especially sushi, which I found weird and repulsive. “Eating raw fish?” I would say to a friend in disgust. Just before graduation, a close friend from California said he would like to have me try sushi with him before he went back home. Not wanting to disappoint him, I went with him to a sushi place. He ordered for both of us…