Category: Books
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11:15 06-Dec-04
The next-to-last time I saw Mohamed—11:15, Dec 6, 2004—a blast-resistant window separated me from the Afghan businessman with good English, admiration for the U.S., and a carpet enterprise in Virginia. The last applicant of the morning at our visa counter in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Mohamed was alone in the waiting room when the high-low alarm began…
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Gud Guy w/ a Gun
The NRA and its lackeys are fond of telling us the only thing that can stop a ‘bad guy with a gun’ is a ‘good guy with a gun.’ I have no problem with responsible gun ownership. But I reject the assumption that ‘…with a gun’ is the natural order of things. The above canard…
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Free Gift for Joining NRA. Or Not.
The crazies at NRA can’t, but I can do better than a black and yellow duffel bag. Club Patchworks—free paperback with every subscription!
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Accessorize Against the NRA
If you aren’t following The Nib you’re missing out! Yesterday they featured a slate by cartoonist Jeremy Nguyen featuring new defenses against flying bullets. Because, you know, our elected officials certainly won’t help. Check it out.
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The Annapolis Bookstore
A short block from Maryland’s historic State House, down a white brick street narrow with specialty shops, The Annapolis Bookstore is exactly what a bookstore ought to be: jammed with literature, old and new, on shelves that climb from creaking wood floor to high plaster ceiling. Close with the antiquated must of well-turned pages, yet…
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Buckle Up!
I watched in suspended horror and fascination as the single-engine Socata bobbed and wobbled just 50 yards from our windshield on the way out to Annapolis tonight. We had a good 15 seconds to watch it fly just above oncoming traffic to our left — put it at 40 or 50 feet over those cars…
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Mental Deviants & Gun Nuts
A dozen years ago when I worked in Saudi Arabia, the government had a habit of referring to domestic terrorists as ‘deranged’ and calling them ‘mental deviants.’ We mocked the Saudis mercilessly for it. The Royals were denying reality. They failed to acknowledge and confront the extremist forces at loose in the Kingdom, extremist views…
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Walden in Africa & Other Diplomatic Readings
Among the 53 titles compiled in this Month’s Foreign Service Journal is Dan Whitman’s Answer Coming Soon. Whatever else it provides to those who read it, Answer undeniably will provide this: a reflection on the power of books. The power is especially profound for those who spend their lives in places where electricity can be spotty…
Ben East Books 