http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ The uniquely askew worldview of an ex-journalist, ex-PR guy, and ex-Afghan military advisor"endearingly macho" -- Mark Steyn"wonderfully detailed analysis" -- John Allemang, Globe and Mail"unusually candid" -- Tom Ricks, Foreignpolicy.com en-us 2016-12-04T20:05:06-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2016_12_04.html Todd in the Shadows is right. Forgotten Years was the superior Midnight Oil song over Beds by most measures, although I preferred Blue Sky Mine. I adored this whole album in my 20s.... 6922@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2016-12-04T20:05:06-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2016_08_15.html I continue to be fascinated by the intersections between high-end simulation and historical recreation. I recently visited the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, Virginia where they are restoring the pieces of USS Monitor and watched their excellent multimedia retelling... 6921@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2016-08-15T19:53:57-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2016_08_15.html From his famous paper on fixing intelligence in Afghanistan (which, I have to admit I came around to having a lot of respect for save one execrable anecdote that I know is false*), ladies and gentlemen, Trump policy advisor and... 6920@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2016-08-15T14:37:04-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2016_08_14.html All props to Movie Bob, who explains well why The Killing Joke didn't work as an animated movie, but here's one addendum I have to make as a fan of the book from way back. The problem isn't that... 6919@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2016-08-14T21:57:30-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2015_02_10.html Yes, this week's TaySway-Trent Reznor mashup is pretty inspired, right up there with Nirvana-Astley. The best of all time, though, is still Aha-Ozzy.... 6918@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2015-02-10T20:35:41-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2015_02_06.html Headline in Globe and Mail tonight: "Man who owned python that killed two boys arrested" Free prediction... the Campbellton python's a patsy, always was. This was obvious to any thinking person from day one. The daily press are bound to... 6917@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2015-02-06T00:43:25-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2014_10_22.html Horrible tragedy in Ottawa. All thoughts and prayers to the family of Cpl. Cirillo. There was a lot of confusion in this case about multiple shooters, and often times that's just panic, but in this case this was perfectly understandable,... 6916@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2014-10-22T21:49:08-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2014_09_26.html Bill O'Reilly thinks the problems of the world can be solved by creating an elite corps of ninjas. Surely I don't have to explain why this is a bad bad idea.... 6915@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2014-09-26T12:19:19-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2014_09_26.html Personal opinion: with a year of fixes now behind it, Total War: Rome II is the best game yet in the Total War computer game series and an absolute pleasure to play. The newly announced Total War: Attila looks very... 6914@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2014-09-26T12:12:30-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2014_09_26.html Leonard Cohen turned 80 on the weekend. Many happy returns to a Canadian and international treasure.... 6913@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2014-09-26T11:55:21-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2014_07_21.html Two interesting additional data points on the MH17 shootdown: 1) As Rachel Maddow has identified, the NATO head's briefing on the area from the end of June specifically referred to vehicle-mounted heavy AA missile systems being on both sides of... 6912@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2014-07-21T07:52:30-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2014_07_17.html There's only one thing you really need to know about the tragic loss of a Malaysian 777 airliner over Ukrainian territory today and that's this. No civilian plane has ever been shot down before at modern day cruising altitudes, other... 6911@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2014-07-17T23:17:50-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2014_05_12.html Globe and Mail today: Graeme Smith and Louise Arbour offer their "won't somebody think of the Afghans" cri de coeur in advance of the ICG's report on Afghan security forces, not yet available online. (I hate it when opinion writers... 6910@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2014-05-12T08:50:12-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2014_04_21.html After Sy Hersh's ludicrous claim in LRB this month that the Turkish government's hitherto unheard-of and probably imaginary chemical weapons program was behind the April gas attack in Damascus, it's worth adding a ways-ago link to some further, actually compelling,... 6909@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2014-04-21T10:52:25-05:00 http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2013_12_10.html There's been a lot of discussion on this, with Sy Hersh weighing in recently, so it's time to revisit. Short story, Syrian government culpability still seems clear from here, but the evidence has taken some twists and turns that are... 6908@http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/ 2013-12-10T19:16:30-05:00