More random links
- CIA Confirms Role in 1953 Iran Coup
- "Marking the sixtieth anniversary of the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, the National Security Archive is today posting recently declassified CIA documents on the United States' role in the controversial operation. ... today's posting includes what is believed to be the CIA's first formal acknowledgement that the agency helped to plan and execute the coup."
- Is Earth Really a Planet?
- "Isaac Asimov once described our solar system as consisting of 'four planets, plus debris.' ... it does seem a little illogical to call a body 1/6 the size of Earth a 'dwarf planet' while saying that both Earth and a body 11 eleven times larger share the label "planet." Looking objectively at the bodies circling the Sun, Earth and Pluto are far more closer in size (and composition) than are Earth and Jupiter."
- The choice between an authoritarian and a theocrat is a no-brainer
- Food for thought: "there is not one example of theocratic rule morphing into democracy in the Middle East’s 1400-year experience with Islam. A military dictatorship, in contrast, often morphs into democracy – this is what happened throughout Latin America in recent decades and it’s what happened in the Middle East in Turkey, after a military coup overthrew the Caliphate following World War I."
- A much-maligned engine of innovation
- "A brilliant exploration of new ideas in business argues that government is behind the boldest risks and biggest breakthroughs" Reminds me a bit of the Globe and Mail If BlackBerry is sold, Canada faces an innovation vacuum.