I didn't think the U.S. could go any more over the top than it did with the U.S. Embassy in Iraq

i guess i was wrong... take a gander at this complete with moat...


A model of the US Embassy in Battersea, complete with
moat 30m wide and rolling parkland

The United States has unveiled plans for its new $1 billion high-security embassy in London — the most expensive it has ever built.

[...]

A moat 30 metres (100ft) wide and rolling parkland will separate the building from the main road, protecting it from would-be bombers and removing the need for ... blast barriers... .

The State Department sought to play down the cost of security measures, noting the expense of London building work. But the price puts the London embassy above the US’s most fortified missions, including the Baghdad embassy, which cost $600 million (£390 million) but required a further $100 million of work on air conditioning, and the Islamabad embassy, still under construction, which has cost more than $850 million.

kinda makes me nostalgic for the mere $600M+ spent to construct the u.s. embassy in iraq...


U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, Iraq

i wasn't aware of it, but there's also a new u.s. embassy under construction in islamabad, pakistan, at the hefty price tag of $850M... is it any wonder people in other countries hate us...?

(thanks to kevin at cryptogon...)

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A dog story from Pakistan

this is the kind of thing that i'd like to see more of... it's human, touching, and brings a compassionate three-dimensionality to what is often seen as sadly one-dimensional, particularly from the perspective of this side of the world...

and, yes, it brought tears to my eyes...


Lost and found: Pamela Constable with Ahu and
some of the Pakistanis who helped her locate the
missing pet. (Courtesy Of The Author)

Ahu & Me: A Dog Is Lost, Hope Is Found In Pakistan

By Pamela Constable
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, July 28, 2009

another take-away from this story (besides warm fuzzies), is that there are good-hearted, wonderful people everywhere, just as there are assholes and idiots everywhere...

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What just happened in Islamabad does not bode well

with george already having signed a secret order allowing u.s. forces in afghanistan to conduct operations inside pakistan, the last thing we need is something like this to provide a reason to escalate...


A view of destruction caused by a bomb explosion at the Marriott
Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday, Sept 20, 2008.

Police say at least 40 people have died in a massive explosion that destroyed the luxury Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital.

Senior police official Asghar Raza Gardaizi said he fears there are dozens more dead inside.

He said that the Saturday blast, which reverberated throughout Islamabad, was caused by more than a ton of explosives.

The blast left a crater some 30 feet deep in front of the main building.

this will be the major story of the weekend...

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