The Future of MMA Video...

... the Ruffo brothers (aged 8 and 9). Must Watch!

"Their [school] grades are really high... They're not bullies. They know the difference when they're at the gym and when they're at school... Education first and then martial arts. That's the priorities we set with them..."

http://sherdogblog.craveonline.com/blog/2010-02-23

Video is 10 minutes. Intriguing.

Imran Khan: It is what I do now that defines me

Whatever your opinion is of Imran Khan and as old as the article is, here's a super inspiring article that I came across. I couldn't decide what to quote – it was all so quotable – so I did the easy thing and picked out the lesson summaries:

"Life Lesson One: Believe in yourself and trust your own judgement, not that of others."

"Life Lesson Two: It says in the Koran: 'Keep the money you need and give the rest away'."

"Life Lesson Three: Do not fear death. Once you do not fear death, you are liberated from all fears and can achieve all your goals."

Source: Article by The Times entitled 'What I do now fulfils me like never before' about Imran Khan and dated August 6th 2006.

Here's a link to another article entitled 'Playing for the biggest stakes of his life' by The Telegraph and dated December 8th 2008, but it doesn't pack as much punch as the first.

Universities and Islam... and Engineers!

"... A forthcoming book by Steffen Hertog, a sociologist, will argue that terrorists include a high number of engineers – not because of their need for bomb-making skills, but perhaps because of a mindset that likes rigidity and binary choices..."

(Source: January 9th 2010 issue of The Economist, article entitled 'Universities and Islam: Hearts, minds and Mecca – The rising profile of Muslim students in the Western world')

Trial/Conviction of Aafia Siddique

"... The case raises more questions than answers. Not least of all, why a Pakistani national is on trial in New York for a crime committed in an Afghan police station."

(Source: Al Jazeera English)

Note that the trial/conviction was not regarding her involvement in terrorism but rather her alleged seizing and firing of an interviewer's gun during interrogation.

Afghanistan / 50 dollars

American Soldier A: "Why did President Obama take so long to announce his plan for Afghanistan? "

American Soldier B: "Maybe because his exit strategy had to be translated from the original Russian."

(Source: KAL's cartoon in the November 26th issue of The Economist, link below)

http://www.economist.com/daily/kallery/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14972922

ps. See Dispatches video in comment...

Iraq / 25 dollars 95 cents

$25.95

"Price of off-the-shelf software used by Iraqi insurgents to intercept live video feeds from US Predator drones."

(Source: Wired, March 2010 issue)