Being Poor

Teacher Arrested At New York’s Kennedy airport today, an individual, later discovered to be a public school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a setsquare, a slide rule, and a calculator. At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He is being charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction. “Al-gebra is a fearsome cult, ”Gonzales said. They desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search…

First hat-tip here. The NYT is not allowing perma-links on the issue. Try to check out their coverage. Tajikistan, the country with which I’m most familiar, has a great deal of potential in terms of human capital. It would be a shame if the corruption of the government kept it from realizing its potential. While the initial blush of post-Soviet headiness in the international community has faded, I believe there is enough aid and interest in Tajikistan that it still has a short window in which it could develop a sustainable economy.

Apologies for absence. Some more immediately personal concerns to deal with: Joe the Plumber is going to cover the conflict in Israel, but apparently not Gaza. Because he is Christian, he will be safe. It is only Jews and Muslims who are unsafe. What of the Palestinian Christians? Are they not true Christians? Or is JtP the truest of Christians and therefore Christ-like? h/t Atrios. Bilal actually interviewed Palestinians as to what they thought of Obama. Although it is from prior to the current crisis, it is still instructive. Bridezilla hints at something that is on my mind. This cannot…