Gee, I guess you *shouldn't* have brought it to HQ

In one of those "some days they get just what they deserve" moments, the Russian occupiers of South Ossetia just got hoist upon (somebody's) petard.

Quoted on RFE/RL:

RIA news agency quoted Kulakhmetov as saying that the peacekeepers, which control the region and a swathe of Georgian territory outside it, had detained two cars in the Georgian village of Ditsa.

"There were four people, apparently ethnic Georgians, in the car. Light firearms and two grenades were also found," Kulakhmetov said.

"The cars and the detained people were escorted to [the South Ossetian capital] Tskhinvali," he added. "During the search of one of the cars, an explosive device equivalent to some 20 kilograms went off."

That was good thinking there, guys. Bet your boss is upset.

Oh wait...

Seems you got the boss blown up, too.

You're doing a heck of job there, Ivan. Keep up the good work.

Another Anniversary

15 years.

18 American names, 19 with SFC M. Rierson included; 1 Malaysian name.

Gothic Serpent

...and the job still isn't done.

Choreography

Remember this?

"Bets are there won't be any travel plans, either, until there is something to talk about besides the usual North Korean gamesmanship."

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs C. Hill just spent three days in North Korea. He's back in South Korea now, has briefed the RoK and Japanese representatives there and is bound for China next.

The claim is "The meetings were indeed very lengthy, indeed very substantive."

Here also is the DeptState spokesman's presser on Oct. 2nd (U.S. Eastern Time). Please scroll down part way in that to find the North Korea items.

Anyone see anything that doesn't look like gamesmanship so far?

Me neither.

End-Mid-Week Open

Here is your open thread for the next 7 days.

That which is not a thread topic, goes here. Also, any topic you want to bring back from the dead or any suggestions for a new topic, goes here.

caveat: the usual rules apply. play nice, please.

Why is it, given how this week has gone, I have the vague feeling this is going to be a U.S. politics thread?

((grin))

October 2nd discussion item

Every culture has its scary stories, like the ones told children to keep them from being over-trusting of strangers for example. They mostly trace back to the real need in times before to not wander alone at night and to protect the group from predators (two and four -legged). But here is a continuing reminder that when you have neighbors like North Korea, the scary stories can be all-too-real.

Kyoudou News with the latest on the abductee negotiations

This story got a little play in the world media a couple years back when five of the victims were returned, but the issue is still of burning importance as it is seen as unresolved.

With the usual caveats about Wiki-p (i.e. check all the sources and ignore anything without citation) *here* is a fair summary of the situation regarding Japanese nationals that were kidnapped. There is lots more if one wishes to investigate South Koreans abducted by the North, or to look at the incredible deception that was done back in the late 1950's and 60's to lure large number of Korean-Japanese families to move to North Korea's "Worker's Paradise".

Open Ground: Is this an issue of sufficient merit that it deserves the place it takes beside de-nuclearization in the Six-Nations Negotiations? Or is this something where International interests should trump any moral imperative to resolve this? Is the U.S.A. sidelining this issue (just like it does about the Northern Territories when negotiating with Russia) because getting involved in any measurable way is far more trouble than it is worth? Or maybe you have something else to say about the whole matter...

By all means, begin!

Not much Republic of Georgia news making it to the headines

Ah, how soon we move along to the next crisis.

Here's the latest report on efforts to get the Russian occupiers pulled back from Georgian soil:

EU Observers begin patrols

I stand by my assertion that having turned back (somehow!) certain doom for the Republic of Georgia, the outcome of all this will be a vastly better, more developed, and possibly stronger Georgia.

US$1 billion in Aid (and another US$750 million in World Bank loans) to Georgia vs. Russian offers of near-annexation to the separatists. Any guess who is going to be better off if there is enough time?

I learned a new word today.

It came up in a discussion of the behavior of financiers and so-called investors:

Ovine

hm, it turns out it can be used descriptively as well:

most ovine (re: individual)

and with a bit further investigation, it seems that

wether

might have some application in political discourse as well.

Rather than my more lupine-favoring analogy of record, maybe I had best leave this with...

Where are the Mouflon when we need them?