http://thinkprogress.org/2006/03/01/aq-infiltrated-uae/

Bush really did a heckuva job choosing DPW.

let me be the first with a perverted remark...

Aqoul has had a real dirth of softcore porn MENA romance novel themed posts. I demand romantic orientalization!

also, can't SOMEONE hurry up and cure L's cancer? it's becoming a damn inconvenience having him in the wrong timezone.

finally, any interest in some rambling posts/observations/etc RE: MENA issues as seen from American college campuses? (for instance, a recent overheard conversation of an ROTC cadet "explaining" the sittuation in Iraq (in religious terms) to an equally uninformed protege). most likely they'd be extra light on analysis but provide nice "flashpoints" for further discussions/flame wars.

okay, i lied, not quite finally... but now finally... has anyone ever thought of making a how-to guide for little aqoullettes (baby aqoul'ers) to become true MENA experts and find jobs in appropriate fields?

My dear Marky:

While I am sure we have to pardon your sub-literate idiocy, let me point out that Bush did not choose DPW. Nevermind that the hand-waving accusation by al-Qaeda that it had infiltrated the UAE government is not particularly convincing (never mind it doesn't touch on which part of the UAE Federation).

I second the perverted suggestion above. I feel there should be more posts about hot Lebanese women.

If it's reasonably easy, it would be nice if the blog automatically closed comments on all posts more than a month, or even two weeks, old. The only comments I EVER get on any of mine after that much time are spam. (Which our spamblockers generally do a good job on - I don't see much of it - but every little bit counts).

Well, oddly people do still occasionally comment on old posts. Secret, Lounsbury, Meph and I had a bit of a flamewar on Aqoul's first entry 2 weeks ago.

However, on the whole I think this is a good idea. The spamguard on this new version is not terribly smart and no longer supports the "Turing Test" feature I used earlier. There was a spam attack yesterday that forced me to spend a couple of hours banning IPs and tightening up the keyword filters. Apologies to authors who received spam about credit cards and poker.

more posts about hot Lebanese women

Discrimination! Where are the hot Lebanese (or other MENA-related) men? We spend a lot of time MENA-man-bashing here, which I'm sure is grounded in something, but they must have some redeeming qualities, no?

dear e et al,

is there any way to separate mere posts from actual written articles?

--raf*

Well, my first question is: what is the difference between a "post" and an "article"?

Earlier, I had an "Analysis" category for entries that were not op-ed/frivolous. It got too big, so I deleted it.

I am considering making a series of buttons under the "Featured" section for hot topics (e.g. terrorism, democracy). I'd pick out strong entries from our archives and stick them in these sections with written summaries. A lot of good stuff is buried in the archives.

I never did post that picture of the Walid-bin-Talal-as-Calvin-Klein-model book cover, did I? Oh well.

Tom, I saw it at a bookstore once. Hilarious.

Anyway, there must be plenty of hot Arab men. We should be objectifying them to balance out Abu Aardvark's Haifa/Nancy coverage.

ADDED: No wait, Turks. We need more Turks.

Eerie: But you haven't seen a full display rack of Walid-and-nothing-but-Walid, I bet. Sadly, those racks are down by now.

I'm partial to diaspora Caucasians myself (the original ones), but sadly they are in short supply around here - so I'll take whatever I can get. Hey, I'm nothing if not open-minded. :-)

The spamguard on this new version is not terribly smart and no longer supports the "Turing Test" feature I used earlier.

I've always thought it would be great to have a "logic test" before people could post. Something like:

"All Sunnis are Muslims. Some Muslims like cheese. No Muslims like Daniel Pipes. Therefore,

A)All Sunnis like cheese.
B)No one who likes cheese likes Daniel Pipes.
C)No Sunnis like Daniel Pipes.
D)None of the above."

You could have a bunch of these questions and have one displayed at random.

Not only would this eliminate spam (and particularly stupid posters), it would underscore what Aqoul is supposed to be about. Plus, I find the idea hilarious for some reason.

Hah. That is a deliciously evil idea, but it will certainly result in whiny emails to the editor re discrimination against morons.

Of couse, I never said 'Aqoul was a "democracy".

I just had a highly non-PC thought. Maybe if Andrew Sullivan met a Nice Muslim Boy, it would challenge his worldview.

Hmmmm, how to accomplish that?

That is a deliciously evil idea, but it will certainly result in whiny emails to the editor re discrimination against morons.

You say that like it's a bad thing. Perhaps you could post them all in a special section.

as i'm not one to discriminate, unless it's for my own preverse pleasure, i think that yes, we should include hot arab men right along side veiled vixens.

perhaps aqoul can earn some money on the side with a pay-component full of steamy MENA themed romance novels, photo series, and videos. maybe we could even get blocked in most of the MENA!

Dr. Doug: don't forget the Turks! Or the Persians, for that matter. Very important to keep an open mind about these things. (Besides, if you deprive Ms. Eerie of her own personal Mameluke, she will get grumpy.)

Persians! Oh gawd, those eyes.

if eerie wishes to become the next Mrs. Mameluke i won't stand in her way although i have it on good knowledge that the current Mrs. Mameluke would be none too pleased to have competition!

and i must say... those persian men are rather dashing. the turks... you can have them, Eva. i'm more interested in the balkan muslim types anyway.

Well, what do you think the Balkan Muslim types are, anyway, if not Ottoman imperial sloppy seconds? (And I say that with all due respect - one of my oldest and dearest friends is half-Bosnian Muslim, and I've spent more than half my life at this point listening to his mom rant - in Croatian, which I can barely get the gist of - how the Bosnians are just wannabe Turks who happen to have picked up, and bastardized, a perfectly good Slavic language.)

Oh, can't forget those Central Asians, either - I do love a nice set of Uzbek cheekbones. :-)

most of the MENA seems to be ottoman sloppy seconds!

but you must admit... albanians are HOT.

Well, I don't have terribly warm feelings toward Albanians after the Albanian construction crew ripped out the electrical system in my apartment with no advance notice last summer. But Molvanians: well, there are some post-Ottoman sloppy seconds I can get behind.

i misread and thought you had said Moldova and was going to say some smart retort about Transnistria but it was all for naught!

quite the funny site.

Lutenblag, Molvania: "Where old world charm meets concrete."

That's a classic.

Where's my hot Lebanese women? (or any other Middle Eastern...actually I don't really discriminate based or race...so where's the hot girls?) I am lodging a silent protest against all these calls for ME men to be featured.

all of my gulf-centric friends tell me moroccan women are the best. perhaps we should be looking farther west, showtime?

My dear Doug, while you are correct in reporting a certain Khaliji .... prejudice, let's not repeat khaliji rot.

As for this convo, don't you people have something else to write about? Bloody hell, were I not so busy with my disaster I'd post just to push this empty headed rot down.

Love the idea of the logic test. You could use a whitelist scheme so it wasn't required more than once (since it would probably get stale, quick).

Also I'd love to hear drdougfir, or anyone else, expound on MENA issues as seen from the American campus. The merciless mocking of idiots and knaves is what I enjoy most from you folks.

dear all,

i'm with L here. y'all sound like you got "harem disease". for the guys - just hop on a plane to istanbul/beirut/casablanca & DO IT. for the girls - likewise.

i hope none of our esteemed readership is ever accidentally reading this thread - or else we'll never again be featured in the FT. and you'll have ruined my status as "famous moderate muslim blogger".

the nayyif on all of you! (that's prince nayyif ibn abd al-'aziz. google him if you have to.)

--raf*

Well, this convo is actually just retribution for all the previous convos about Leb Sluts. This is the new millennium, after all, and we feminists demand equal opportunities for everything, including objectification of the preferred gender, dammit. And for that matter, Mr. Lounsbury, you are a fine one to talk, especially given your predilection for discussions of your, ahem, personal grooming habits.

And Raf, I’m also risking my own quite amusing status as a moderate Muslim blogger – which will be much more difficult to regain if anyone is actually paying attention.

Eva Luna, hoping to hop on a plane to Istanbul one of these days in the not too distant future, unless my travel buddies forsake me, dammit! (For the cultural experience, I swear. And hey, cut some slack to those of us who only get 2 weeks off a year and actually need to use some of it to see family. There is only so much harem-hopping that can be accomplished with those kind of time constraints.)

perhaps aqoul could launch a sister site to match up harem seekers outside MENA with harem seekees within the MENA... of course, were it in french, the whole thing would be flooded with sub-saharan types, just like every single other french language dating/harem site... okay so maybe we just need to start the Aqoul pop-tart and mameluke tour company. stopping at only the hottest destinations full of whatever type you like and all very elligible!

and RE: ruining reputations... reputations are overrated anyway. although it would be rather ammusing to find myself quoted in the FT or related publications on a topic such as pop-tarts or veiled vixens or the like.

dear evaluna/drdougfir/showtime/pantom,

you tell me where you are - i tell you where to find the harem-person of your choice. within 2 hours driving distance.

and now for something completely different:

move the drooling over to the aqoul yahoo group. or do it like eerie and go on a gulf date website.

--raf*

Raf, I can't remember whether this was before your time (or whether it was in IM with Eerie rather than on Aqoul), but there was some previous discussion of comparative dating site profiles: one for her, but also a comparable one for me - listing my actual ethnic/religious background. I think it would make an interesting sociological comparison - any thoughts?

P.S. I am in a major Midwestern city - I woudn't need to drive more than 15 minutes to a neighborhood where I might as well be in MENA. (But for the interspersing of Korean and Mexican establishments, anyway. Oh, and the weather.)

P.S. Pantom's wife might not appreciate your offer. :-)

The mexican establishments are a dead giveaway - it's an established fact that there are no even halfway-decent Mexican restaurants anywhere in the Middle East. (At least Mashreq & Misr. No idea about the NA half of the equation).

aqoul has a yahoo group?

and RE: harem, i could simply walk across to the liberal arts side of any university campus or for that matter into the greek zone. the only difficulty comes when their brothers/fathers/uncles/cousins find out... i have a feeling that L can speak to the dangers of such familial relations coming about.

There is a Yahoo group for the authors (so I can berate them in private, etc). Should I start one for regulars? Might be useful to post news, requests, items of interest.

why on earth would i want to pollute myself with yahoo groups? *yahoo snob*

perhaps we could start up a message board on aqoul for such activities. at the very least it'd give Col another place to participate in flame wars. and this time he could do so with absolute impunity! i'd almost be willing to pay to see that!

on an unrelated matter i just noticed for the first time that the image roatates on the main page. how long have we had that???

My Dear Collounsbury,
Are you perfectly satisfied with the selection of DPW for port operations in the US?
Are you satisfied with the selection process?
Are you satisfied that due diligence was done in investigating security risks?
I have read that the Dubai port is a notorious hub for a great deal of illegal arms and drug trade. Is this not correct? I'm certainly open to being corrected.
Are you satisfied with the course of events since Congress has begun to raise questions about the deal? It seems to be the case that the deal will be finalized early next week, regardless of the 45 day investigation. Does process matter to you at all? I have read that you don't care much for US affairs---perhaps you might pay more heed to the manner in which Bush's neglect of proper process in reaching decisions has had repeated, disastrous effects. Paul O'Neill's book is a good place to start.
Are you satisfied that there is no conflict of interest in having Snow involved in the selection of DPW?

Lastly, to help with sub-literacy, look up
"synecdoche".

marky:

what does arms smuggling and drug trafficking in the Port of Dubai have anything to do with DPW and port operations in the USA? i was under the impression that DPW will only be handing admin functions and that security, customs inspections, and the like will fall to various US government agencies as is the case now.

what does synecdoche have to do with anything?

and finally, shouldn't this be in the comment section of a different post?

on an unrelated matter i just noticed for the first time that the image roatates on the main page. how long have we had that???

About a week, DrDoug. I got bored with the original pic, added a few North African ones.

Drdoug,
To your last question: no.
I think the question of smuggling is relevant.
Does DPW turn a blind eye towards smuggling at Dubai? If so, of course it matters.
I don't buy the argument that operations are walled off from security. That is not common sense, and not what I have read from people who have experience working at ports.
I don't try to pretend expertise by googling, but I think the question of port security/operations interface is obviously legitimate, and can't be dismissed by hand-waving.

I never myself bothered to subscribe to the yahoo group. I feel full of shame.

Also, I feel that if one wishes to take on the edifice of international capitalism, one could start in better places than the DPW deal.

On that note, when the hell is V for Vendetta due out in theaters, again?

OK, now this is getting ridiculous. I think this is the longest and most random comment section ever on Aqouul - is there some kind of medal for that?

Another question about DPW.
How many companies could possibly compete for these contracts? Not many, I would guess.
Is DPW particularly well regarded? It's interesting that Bush wants to go to the mat for this deal, when he claims in public that he wasn't even aware of it until a few days ago.
Is there some military reason for his steadfastness?

Are you satisfied with the selection process?

Do you have clue one as to what you are talking about?

Oddly enough, that's a rhetorical question with a definitive answer.

There was no "selection process." DPW bought a British company, Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation. P&O, a company listed on the London exchange, owned a contract to manage some U.S. ports. P&O still owns the contract but DPW now owns the British firm. P&O owns a whole bunch of things, including most of the ferries in the UK.

There has been plenty of stuff posted here about this "controversy." I suggest you read some of it -- it's abundantly clear from your post that you have not.

The current flap is an extremely unpleasant mix of demagoguery and stupidity. All those who are promoting it ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Eerie: See what I mean? If you'd already implemented that new test, I'd have five minutes of my life back.

Anonymous,
Thanks for the correction.
Now, are you satisfied with the review process---the one mandated by law?

Tom: I never myself bothered to subscribe to the yahoo group. I feel full of shame.

I sent you another invite about a week ago. Join or I will revoke your authoring permissions.

Actually, wait...

I have revoked your authoring permissions. Join if you want them back.

Clever Anon: Eerie: See what I mean? If you'd already implemented that new test, I'd have five minutes of my life back.

Ah, well now I feel terrible.

marky: i'm too lazy to look up such laws on my own. do you, by chance, have a link to the original text of the law?

Drdoug,
I guess you're one of the posters on here who is not an expert on the Dubai ports deal.
That would also be me.
The bottom line is that Bush hasn't taken port security seriously, and has actually outsourced it to port operators in some case. Excuse me, I meant "the Bush administration", in case someone reads the previous sentence as implying that Bush is directly involved in anything besides being propped up and de-toxed for his speeches.
Regarding the DPW, Congressman King claims that he was told point blank there was no security review. I find this unacceptable; others are free to disagree. The idea that port operations and security are separate is laughable on its face.
It is interesting to see how this deal has fractured the right wing in the US. The next few weeks should be entertaining.

marky,

glad i'm not the only one here with little clue as to what's really going on. i'm probably one of the few though that doesn't really care all that much.

so i take it that's a "no" on links to laws or other such stuff? also, have a link to congressman King's claims?

it seems to me that port operations (ie: clerical tasks) would be fairly separate from security. well, at least one would think that they'd be. otherwise, why would the US tax payers be paying so much for government run port security? if it were integrated with operations then it would seem to me not all that much government run.

and, don't get me wrong, i like seeing political blocs, both right and left (center too for that mater) fracture all to hell but what's really going on here?

Now that I'm considering it...would people here actually use a message board? It wouldn't be all that hard to implement (clearly I'm an obsessive workaholic who can't just do "nothing" on weekends).

if actual useful things were posted then yes, i would use it.

perhaps we can hold discussions / flame wars over there rather than cluttering posts?

dear all,

i am for:

- immdediate deletion of a comment unrelated to the topic of the post in whose comment thread the comment was written.

- aqoul-ers to use the yahoo group to debate the harem destination of their choice, or even just e-mail each other - you can find them under "authors".

- not installing a message board as we already have a yahoo group AND e-mail addresses.

maybe most of you want to read this again:

The intention behind ‘Aqoul [...] is to create a space for reasoned discussion, debate and blithering on about the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and to a lesser extent other regions associated with Islam. Let us call it "MENA writ large".

The impetus behind this is the fairly low standard of dialogue, debate and commentary that one finds, to use the ugly and pretentious phrase, on the “blogosphere".

in case you're wondering - it's from aqoul's statement of purpose.

i'll get back now to writing an actual article for aqoul.

--raf*

I'm surprised you still have the will to live let alone enough to post something..

The intention behind ‘Aqoul [...] is to create a space for reasoned discussion, debate and blithering on about the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and to a lesser extent other regions associated with Islam. Let us call it "MENA writ large".

clearly, blithering on about harems and the like is perfectly within the scope of aqoul. anyway if we couldn't have a little tongue-in-cheek fun once in a while it'd be much too boring and overly serious around here.

Now that I'm considering it...would people here actually use a message board?

FWIW, I think this would be a bad idea, especially if the content of this thread is any indication. There's a perfectly good reason why you carefully vet authors on this blog and it contributes enormously to the quality. That's why people from the FT, et. al. read here. A message board would both distract regular contributors (all of whom have limited time for such things, anyway) and invite spammers and idiots to "contribhute" to the discussion. People come to Aqoul to find reasoned discussion by intelligent people who have a vague idea what they are talking about, not to hear burbling idiocy from the "common man." There are plenty of other websites for that.

Apropos of which,

Anonymous,
Thanks for the correction.
Now, are you satisfied with the review process---the one mandated by law?

First let's look at what widely-held misconceptions we've already exploded.

Are you perfectly satisfied with the selection of DPW for port operations in the US?

Check. Stupid. There was no selection process.

Are you satisfied that there is no conflict of interest in having Snow involved in the selection of DPW?

Check. Stupider. Once again, there was no "selection" of DPW so the suggestion that the non-existing selection process was "fixed" is nothing but an attempt at partisan slander.

How many companies could possibly compete for these contracts? Not many, I would guess.

Check. You're inadvertently correct. It's true that there aren't that many international port operators. But that's irrelevant since the contract wasn't out for bid.

It seems to be the case that the deal will be finalized early next week, regardless of the 45 day investigation.

Check. We're back to stupid again. As I understand it, there is no requirment for a "45 day investigation." Rather, the government's investigation and decision must occur within 45 days. As will be seen infra, it did not -- nor should it have -- taken the goverment 45 minutes to approve this deal.

Is DPW particularly well regarded?

Fairly well regarded. They operate ports on several continents, not just in Dubai.

So that disposes of most of your more hysterical concerns. All that seems to be left is the question of security.

The idea that port operations and security are separate is laughable on its face.

And yet, true. Your vigorous hand-waiving indicates that you have no idea how this works and, worse, have made no effort find out how this works by perusing some of the information on this very site.

The USG handles security. It defines the security procedures and see that they are carried out. The people who actually load and unload cargo at the ports are unionized American workers. The people who supervise them will be the same people who supervise them now. The people who supervise the people who supervise will also be the same people who supervise them now.

At some point up the organizational hierarchy, the evil Dubains will get involved. They will be doing such critical things as recommending infrastructure investments and promulgating procedures for adopting RF tags for cargo tracking, i.e., high-level management functions. To repeat myself, what are you afraid of, that DPW is going to introduce an ISO 9001 procedure for smuggling WMDs?

In sum, your theory is that, somehow, a handful of very senior executives, who happen to be from Dubai, are going to conspire with a bunch of British executives who are going to conspire with a bunch of American executives who are going to conspire with a bunch of unionized American workers who are going to either conspire with, bribe or evade the U.S. Coast Guard and various homeland security officers to smuggle nuclear weapons into Peoria. Is that about right?

Eerie: We're up to 20 minutes now. Please see what you can do.

My, raf is cantankerous today.

1. I don't delete comments that are allegedly off-topic/stupid/rude, etc. Too subjective and time-consuming.

2. The current Yahoo group is for authors only. A message board might be a useful space for the wider Aqoul community to discuss all sorts of things, but I'm not sure if I want to deal with supporting it.

3. This is an open thread, so any blithering is therefore on-topic.

Anyways, I am going to try to be kinda serious in this post. I guess I have a particular interest in Lebanon, so I would like to see a lot of coverage on that country, especially some really weird, obscure facts that don't really get much play. For example like does anyone know if the Franjiehs are really descended from Crusaders as their name suggests or its just a myth that is kept up. Don't know why, but I have an interest in these types of obscure facts.
Another question. Why the heck is Somalia in the Arab League?

PS: Yeah Moroccan chicks are hot, but am not sure if they're as open to dating non-Moroccans as Lebanese girls are open to dating non-Lebanese...This should be a topic by itself...oh and I promised to be serious... my bad...

Clever Anon: Eerie: We're up to 20 minutes now. Please see what you can do.

Ah, a running tab now. Lounsbury did this to me once, after I sent him some links to a particularly stupid blog. Current balance is 2 hours' worth of drinks at my expense, I believe.

Perhaps I am being charitable, but I think Marky means well. Or something.

3. This is an open thread, so any blithering is therefore on-topic.

victory is won! the harme-ists finally have their day!

don't worry raf, i'm sure things will be back to normal shortly.

dear showtime,

i'll be more than glad to answer your questions:

1. nobody knows. they claim to be. everybody believes it. no way to find out short of d.n.a. tests. which won't happen.

2. i can top that. the comoro islands are also member states. it has to do with ethnicity, not language. somalians think they're of arab descent. so do most arabs. ditto for comoros. if zanzibar ever becomes independent again (which may very well be happening any day now) - they are a candidate for the a.l. as well. oh, i'm sure L has something to say about mauritania!

3. moroccan woman are MUCH MORE open to dating non-locals than leb chicks are to dating non-lebanese. sorry to burst your bubble.

i am all for instituting a "weird facts" box on aqoul. seriously. as i said earlier, i'm for separating "written articles" from "mere 'look what i just saw' posts", and why not an extra category for "weird facts q&a"? i truly wish i could code and it wouldn't all be on eerie's shoulders.

dear drdougfir,

the "reasoned" also extends to "blithering". your blithering on your coital predilections is not reasoned.

dear eerie,

authors can erase comments to their posts. i think they should. d.p.w. has no place in this here thread on a "new month open discussion". and NO, the discussion shouldn't be THAT open.

--raf*

Raf: authors can erase comments to their posts. i think they should...

This thread is open discussion, period. That means if someone wants to talk about DPW, they can. Moreover, unless authors want to discourage traffic and community-building, they shouldn't delete comments based subjective judgements about whether or not they are relevant/stupid/interesting/whatever.

dear
raf:

i am all for instituting a "weird facts" box on aqoul. seriously. as i said earlier, i'm for separating "written articles" from "mere 'look what i just saw' posts", and why not an extra category for "weird facts q&a"?

couldn't agree more.

I feel this...need...to contribute to this melee.
First off, to answer the comments way up there, my wife would indeed have a problem with me running off with some Persian beauty, unless of course we're talking about cats, to which I'm allergic anyway.
On DPW, I saw this at CNN:

The survey found that 45 percent of Americans strongly oppose Dubai Ports World's purchase of Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation, the British-based company that now runs those terminals. Another 21 percent expressed moderate opposition, and 75 percent said they believe the deal would pose a threat to U.S. security.
DP World is a state-run venture of the United Arab Emirates. But the poll found the American public also would oppose the sale if the company were based in China, France (!!!!!) or another Arab country.
However, about 70 percent of the Americans polled had no problem with British companies managing operations at U.S. ports.

Andrew Jackson, dead President and hero of The Battle of New Orleans, a man who hated the British absolutely and totally, must be doing cartwheels in his coffin.
Absurd doesn't begin to do justice to this stuff.

Zeyad's posting again at Healing Iraq. Fairly daily on-the-ground color with some interesting pix. Don't miss Avoiding Iraqi Death Squads for Dummies post in February. healingiraq.blogspot.com

My 2 qirsh. No funny thoughts right now (I've had a hard working week, and the few free hours I stole from my sleeping time were wasted on Wikipedia...).

An aside note though. Matthew Hogan. Whoa again:). Still have your mails old friend.

Landed here by way of Wikipedia (thanks Lounsbury)... So it can't be all that bad. I've been looking for a site like this one for a while. I'll read it on a regular basis for a start. I also might want to contribute entries when I feel inspired. Any form in which I could submit one just in case? If none exists, maybe a registration system with editor approval could be put in place?

I do think that a "quick hits" sidebar would be handy for things like the "Iranian oil bourse" link I posted earlier this week, which I came across (and which wasn't on the aggregator) and thought was in line with Aqoul's general work, but to which I had little to add. So, yeah, I did a 2-minute google and pasted something together, but it really would have been better-suited to be a single-line link somewhere in the sidebar instead. (I'm thinking of something like the "particles" & "sidelights" on Making Light.)

Where is my Yahoo invite, dammit?

Tom and walla: Invites sent, check your spidernet and hotmail accounts (might be put into your Junk folder, careful).

I am looking into this quick hits thing.

pantom: my ancestors who fought at the battle of new orleans are no doubt doing pirouettes in their graves.

all: in case any students happen to read this comment, take a look at http://caorc.org/language/index.html for full scholarships to participate in intensive language study in Arabic, Bangla, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish and Urdu. i'd jump on the yemeni based program were i not already committed to other summertime activities.

Well, I have been and remain madly busy, aside from some time wasting on Wiki.

Some observations first.

A message board would be a bad idea. Period.

Guest authors are fine. Email myself and eerie. Eerie is more important, but she might ask me my opinion anyway.

Regarding Marky's illiteracy, although this has been dealt with I can't help but note a few items:
My Dear Collounsbury,
Are you perfectly satisfied with the selection of DPW for port operations in the US?
No, there is no motherfucking selection you dimwitted little idiot.

Are you satisfied with the selection process?

Translating to "Am I satisfied with P&O getting a good deal from DPW", sure, looks like a good business deal all around although I can't help but suspect DPW overpaid.

Are you satisfied that due diligence was done in investigating security risks?
Yes.

I have read that the Dubai port is a notorious hub for a great deal of illegal arms and drug trade. Is this not correct? I'm certainly open to being corrected.

Dubai's ports have historically been so. That hasn't much to do with DPW as an operator. Operators don't (and in fact are forbidden from) opening up containers. A port operators is a logistics specialist in moving boxes around efficiently.

If Dubai's traditional port (not the mega Free Zones that are run on a modern basis) are a bit on the piratical side, so what? It has fuck all to do with DPW.

Are you satisfied with the course of events since Congress has begun to raise questions about the deal? No, the entire thing is a fiasco of ignorant nativism, anti-Arab racism, pure unadulterated idiocy and just plain stupidity. The "process" you refer to supra is 30 days with an optional 45. There was no "neglect" of a proper process. DPW was well known to most USG actors as a company with which overseas security already dealt with on a positive basis.

Are you satisfied that there is no conflict of interest in having Snow involved in the selection of DPW?
Yes, as (i) there was no motherfucking 'selection' of DPW you sub-literate reading impaired moron, (ii) the actual vetting process was done by professionals at Treasury and from the associated departments.

And yes, North African chicks are much more liberal about partners than Levantines. And generally less hirstute. All it takes is a handsome passport.

By the way - the brilliant anonymous above (of the "Check... check... check..." fame) - could they please identify themselves by some regular handle, and please post more often?

The anon is someone I like to call Seeker. He's shy.