KEEPING UP WITH THE JAMAAT AL-ISLAMIYYA'S Well, they're not exactly the Jones', but rather one of a list of terrorist groups explained on the Council on Foreign Relations' Terrorism Q&A website. A thoughtful, detailed primer on aspects of the world most people never imagined were worth keeping track of before last September.

IVY LEAGUE OR BUST! I've just signed myself up for a series of sculling lessons in attempt to establish the Ivy League credentials that the Fates denied me when my parents turned out not to be Boston Brahmins. Now to find a sporty hat to wear on the water...

SELF-REPRESENTATION Zacarias Moussaoui's efforts to represent himself in federal court would be a great lesson in criminal justice, the legal system and how a courtroom works if more reporters covered it half as well as the NYTimes' Neil Lewis. This piece re-appeared in the International Herald-Tribune yesterday, and gives a good summary of the tete-a-tete between Moussaoui and the judge.

TATTOO YOU The folks at 20things.org (one of the cooler web ideas this millenium) are sponsoring a contest. The artistic types of the world are encouraged to submit their designs for hip-shaking, groovy tattoos, of which the 20 best will be posted on the 20things.org site. After perusing the contest rules, check out the rest of the site. It's clever.

FRENCH KISSING MINNEAPOLIS Kate Sullivan and her rockblog have landed in one of my favorite cities for the summer, and apparently one of hers. She kicks her vacation off with a bit of tease: her newfound (and admittedly late) love affair with Lucinda Williams; how much 'apolis' First Avenue rocks; and how Pavement's dull set there years ago set her up for a bad rebound with an old boyfriend. "I blame Pavement for pretty much everything." Yah. Lots of us do.

HOLY WAR ON HOLD IN BALTIMORE Aukai Collins, aka Abu Mujahid, is killing time in Baltimore these days, after years of killing Russians in Chechnya, training in Osama bin Laden's camps and spooking for the Feds in Arizona. The high-school drop-out and former gang member's story is one of those edgy, almost-crazy tales, which has made it perfect fodder for a book. Or two. He's penned his own account, as has Robert Young Pelton (of "The World's Most Dangerous Places" fame).

OOPS, THEY DID IT AGAIN The Bush girls ponied up to the bar again, this time at DC cheese-spot Stetson's. As the Post's Reliable Souce reports, once someone with a brain in the White House reads this morning's paper, it's likely the girls will be given their own in-house wetbar to keep them off the streets until they turn 21 in November. At least they didn't get nailed table dancing...

CENTRAL ASIA DIARY The Post's Robert kaiser is spending several weeks on the road through Central Asia, reporting on culture and lifestyles, human rights and politics, the economy and more. He spent the past week in Tashkent, and while not as in depth as, say, the Post's exploration of Siberia last year, he pulls together a broad tapestry of the region. The series will continue for several weeks, and the online version includes photo essays and Q&As with readers.

THE PLAY'S THE THING Even in Kenya, theatre troupes struggle. In this case, it's not a struggle for a focus or topic or even an audience. The struggle in Kenya is to secure a venue (and at an affordable price). Sound familiar? With the Kenya National Theatre overbooked, many groups turn to foreign cultural centers attached to embassies for space. But there's just something so wrong about a Kenyan "Faust," isn't there?

MORE LIP SERVICE FOR AFRICA? Charles Cobb of AllAfrica.com delves into the G-8 summit and today's discussions on NEPAD (the New Partnership for Africa's Development), and wonders what questions aren't being addressed. Many inside and outside of Africa see this new partnership as being updated window-dressing for an old approach: to get development money, play by Western rules. It's arguable whether this is or isn't an appropriate way for funds to be released, but there are other important questions that have less to do with charitable responsibility. Questions about the significant role the West plays in arms distribution on the continent, or resource depletion, or propping up inadequate and corrupt governments. Any re-evaluation of the relationship between African nations and the rest of the world needs to discuss the nature of the relationship -- and the role of both sides in shaping it for the future.

ACCOUNTING FOR IDEAS One of the more interesting aspects of the current spate of "Oops Accounting" is the ease with which general investors develop a sense that everyone is cooking the books. From my chair, which sits in the corporate office of an old-fashioned commodities/manufacturing conglomerate, what's even more interesting is how companies who produce physical/tangible goods have a much easier time evaluating the calculating the value of their goods and services than those companies in the idea/information/consulting world. I suspect one of the biggest challenges in the coming years will be to differentiate, via accounting and other practices, the valuation of companies based on what they do, make and sell.

DRIVING TO MULHOLLAND Another in-depth exploration of David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive." Touches a bit on De Palma and Altman, explores Lynch's history as a director, and reminds me that I want to rent "L.A. Confidential" and "The Straight Story."

THE MONROE STORY It's hard to think of a clever name to title a link to an article about a friend's mother who has been in prison for a crime she didn't commit. But this Washington Post article explores that story, as well as the current life of Beverly Monroe, in as balanced a way as possible. And the supporting lead is played by Beverly's grandson, Asher, who really is just an adorable tyke.

GOING IT ALONE (SIGH) Well, it was a nice dream... the one where President Bush visited the Wizard and was given a heart, a brain and courage. And there are countless places where you can read what the Europeans or Israelis or Arabs think about his clouded vision for settling the Israeli-Palestinian debacle. But this editorial in the UK's Independent hits one nail right on the head, which is that Bush's evolving foreign policy mindset breaks every rule in the international playbook. Which, contrary to my normally contrarian views, is not proving to be a good thing. As the Bush team continues to tap on the cermaic globe with its small hammer, look for more cracks to develop among what will increasingly be known as "the rest of the world." Or, as the rest of the world sees it, the other 96% of the global population.

A TALK WITH TRASK Richmond.com splashed an interview with artist-cum-drummer Ed Trask on their site this morning; another local article worth reading. Ed's wife is my yoga guru, and I just bought one of his landscapes this week, so there are really countless reasons to plug his work. The interview doesn't give you much of a glimpse into his work, but you can point yourself toward Ed's site and peruse his online gallery.

LIFE DURING WARTIME Eddie Slipek pulls together a nice batch of recollections from gay Richmonders about their life during World War Two. It's not garish, it's not revealing, it's not a sad set of tales of repressed life in the South. It's simply warm, somewhat amusing, tales from men who learned how to be themselves in a time, in a place, that would just as soon pretend they were someone else. It's rare that Style Weekly simply lets people speak, and it's a refreshing change.

AFRICAN JOURNAL This diary account by a UNC AIDS researcher is well worth reading. It follows several weeks of a recent visit to South Africa and Malawi, where he has begun work with women and children with HIV. He does an exceptional job of describing his journey, his practice and the work and efforts of numerous organizations on the ground.

DIED AND GONE TO FAIRYLAND Michael Lewis married Tabitha Sorenson (rock on, right?) and they have two children. I've been following his parenting chaos on Slate for a while now. Recently, Michael took Tallulah, the toddler, on a camping trip in Oakland's Fairyland. Read on to the bottom, because the post-midnight timeline is pretty damned funny. Unless you're Michael Lewis and you really want to sleep.

HARRUMPH! Canadian Heather Champ's weblog is spare, visual and always interesting. A direct contrast to mine in at least two important ways. Visiting her site each morning is like driving past a field of wildflowers at 90 miles an hour -- a splash of something, then you're past it.

WHO GETS AID FROM AIDS? Last week's announcement that the White House was putting hundreds of millions of dollars aside to help women and children with HIV in Africa and the Caribbean made good headlines. Unfortunately, it was more about good politics and good news for pharmaceutical companies than about doing good for millions of dying people. As this AlterNet piece outlines, Bush sank a more effective bi-partisan bill; made sure his bill put the aid money in reserve until 2004 (bad news for the millions who need it sooner); and ensured that the money would be spent on American-manufactured pharmaceuticals. Looks like the Treasury Department's recent Goodwill Tour of Africa didn't do much to rock Bush's policy world. Sad, but not surprising.

OUR MONGREL HORDES
A few weeks ago, I posted a few tidbits on Richard Florida's book "The Rise of the Creative Class," which argued that cities built on a healthy mix of creativity, culture and commercialism are growing at a faster, more stable, rate than those who focus solely on industry or call centers or downtown malls. Now comes G. Pascal Zachary's treatise, "The Global Me," which looks at creativity, diversity and the power of mongrels in global economies. Zachary argues that diversity is the key, because a diverse culture creates the rich mix of tensions that breeds creativity (as well as the wholesale slaughter of people if the diverse culture exists in an unstable environment). Zachary writes, "Creativity bestows more rewards than ever before. ... Highly creative people don't excel in raw brainpower or test taking. They are misfits on some level. They tend to question accepted views and consider contradictory ones. ... This appreciation for paradox, not coincidentally, defines the mongrel mentality. The mongrel is a bundle of contradictions, metaphorically, and exists at odds with others actually. His heightened sense of difference -- of not fitting into molds -- reminds him that every worthwhile creation is at once an act of love (of difference) and an act of rebellion (against formulas, pat answers, imagined harmony.)" Oh, yeah. Just what they're looking for in the beige cubicles of today's global corporations...

AN EXTREME CONVERGENCE? This Stratfor.com analysis of a possible rationale behind continued Palestinian suicide bombings paints a troubling picture of an accidental, but potentially powerful, convergence of interests. The convergence is between a solid wedge of Palestinian leadership (popular opinion) and al Quaeda. It is built upon separate desires for a Palestinian state (one not influenced by Israeli interests) and for a resurgence of Arab religious nationalism throughout the region. For the Palestinians, bombing attacks ensure short-term retaliation from Israel, which weakens the Israeli position in the Arab world (already pretty non-existent) and strengthens popular Arab opinion in favor of the Palestinians (consistently ignored or scorned in the past). The longer term goal, Stratfor projects, involves the elimination of Israel as a nation. To achieve this end, the Palestinians must continue to promote their role as the oppressed underdog; further align Israeli public opinion against a Palestinian state; and feed any flames of Arab public opinion. Al Quaeda, on the other hand, is only peripherally concerned with the Palestinian issue, but there is some argument that a continued shift in the Arab world that favors Palestine ultimately strengthens the hand of any group interested in pressuring, toppling or destabilizing moderate Arab governments.

SOMETIMES ANARCHY WINS An amusing little thumb to the nose at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, who launched a new brand this week. Unfortunately, they forgot to register the domain in the United Kingdom. The results must be all the talk at the PWC watercoolers this week.

RAIN AND SNOW INDEED Free web-based email is being constricted, and we're all the worse for it. As this Post piece notes, users searching for a free email box have fewer options, and the popular sites like Hotmail and Yahoo are beginning to charge for services. Ah, the brave new world of user friendliness at a cost.

MY KINGDOM FOR YOUR FORTUNE Kevin Phillips has tried to keep his finger on the pulse of things since the 1960s, when he predicted the eventual Republican takeover of the traditionally Democrat-ruled South. In this Nation article, he turns his sights on the emergence of an American political dynasty. More importantly, he turns his attention to the growing inequities in the economy and to a little history lesson about Progressive politics. He concludes: "Still, a century ago, and then again in the early 1930s, the critical impetus for Americans' insistence on reform came from stock-market crashes and deep economic downturns. In 2002, we have had the first but not yet the second--and since 9/11, antiterrorism has been a rallying point, with patriotism offered to the electorate in lieu of economic concern." There's a storm a'brewin', Phillips says... he might once again prove to be right.

HUNGRY FOR NEWS? Want to know what the rest of the world thought about the recently concluded 2002 World Food Summit? (Sure you are!) The State Department provides this concise primer of world news coverage, and I'll narrow it down even more for you lazy browsers: international dismay at the lack of "First World" leaders in attendance; annoyance at the selfish attitude of "well-fed nations"; bio-engineered foods won't solve the hunger problem, but sure will fatten the pockets of some Western corporations. But it's far more interesting to read the news excerpts yourself, so get to it, champ.

FRIENDS ARE NICE FOR FOLLOW-YOUR-SHADOW Jeanne Marie Laskas of the Washington Post comes through once again with a column that straddles the line between amusing and sentimental, as she explores the clumsy art of making friends as an adult. I think it's especially tough for folks who would prefer not to pal around their entire lives with their work friends, or at least would prefer to have a circle that extends beyond the professional realm. Apparently, though, it's all about the scones.

LOCAL FILM GNUS Jerry Williams' site tosses out these entertainment tidbits for the locals: ""FIDEL," the documentary by Estella Bravo, is being shown in a fundraiser to help purchase a school bus to send to Cuba, this Thurs, 6:30 at the Firehouse Theatre (1609 W. Broad St). Donations are accepted on a sliding fee ($5 - 50) with no one turned away for lack of funds" AND "That same nite at 9 pm will be FILM ALCHEMY @ CHOP SUEY (it's somewhere on Cary St. The address wasn't included in the release). This screening of short, experimental films, which includes works by Phil Solomon, Nina Fonoroff and James Hutcheson, will be held outside (weather permitting). "

ANXIETY DRIVEN Andrew Sullivan's piece in the Sunday Times of London comes close to capturing the mood of anxiety that continues to grip the country (the United States, that is) and he doesn't even touch on towns going up in flames in Arizona and Colorado, or the threat of the Northeast commuter corridor in gridlock as Amtrak screeches to a halt, or the continuing cycle of corporations being caught shredding documents or stuffing great wads of cash in their briefcases. No, Sullivan simply talks of the continued threat of terror, and then raises the ghost of Phillip K. Dick (remember "Bladerunner"?) as he wonders aloud what happens to our civil liberties as we race to stop attacks before they occur.

ONE TIME AT A TIME Scroll down to the June 22 post for just one of millions of possible anniversary stories that could be told by someone living in the world with HIV. In this case, it's Andrew Sullivan, who continues to count his blessings as he moves through life.