Friday briefs

Yes, because placating Iran is the way to go: The IAEA refused to publish a report that would have revealed Iranian deception in the nuclear negotiations by proving that Iran is working towards a nuclear bomb. Because negotiations! Because Iran would have gotten mad at having the truth revealed. I know I’m only a simple blogger and not one of those international mediators, so I just don’t understand why proving to Iran that they’re fucking with the world is not a good thing. I suppose I’ll have to leave that up to my betters in the EU and the Obama administration. The ones who will be announcing eventually that yes, Iran has nuclear weapons, but don’t worry, they’re not going to use them or anything. They’ll be more like North Korea. Oh. Wait.

All aboard the Obama Express: Oh, goody. Our president, fresh from his successes in Libya and Syria, is moving full speed ahead trying to forge a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement. The fact that the Palestinians keep rejecting anything other than getting everything they want, or extending negotiations? Irrelevant, because Obama can threaten Netanyahu and get it done. Or so he thinks.

This is why I don’t have a webcam, and why I don’t video chat: The NSA, in cooperation with whatever the hell the U.K.’s GHCQ is, captured millions of webcam chats over Yahoo and stored them in a database. So, that little video sex thing you had with your partner? Yeah, it’s in someone’s database. That boring chat with your friend overseas? Ditto. Do I think Edward Snowden is a spy and a traitor? Yes. Do I think his exposure of things like this is a good thing? Yes.

I don’t even have a category for this item. I never thought of “SPYING ON THE WORLD”.

If you can get past the snark and condescension, it’s worth a read: Slate has a short history of Israel’s discovery of natural gas and its possible effects on the country.