Welcome to Boston. I've been looking forward to catching you speaking. Unfortunately, the damn library wants my dissertation by Friday. Cheers, though.

Off topic....

LA Times (via Huffpost) suggesting that the Syria reactor photos were Photoshopped. No way! Our gov't must have a more sophisticated computer program than Photoshop to produce propaganda!

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi
Khyal Zaman Afridi, president of Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) Khyber Agency was fined heavily by a rigid religious group in Bara Khyber Agency.Syed Akbar Khan a supporter of the rigid religious group in Bara had lodged complaint with the Council of the local based religious group in Bara Qamber Khel against Khyal Zaman Afridi, correspondent of the Urdu Daily Aaj saying that he had published a baseless story against him (Syed Akbar Khan) due to which he could not get released on bail the next day.Syed Akbar had also said in his complaint that he lost a huge amount of 4 lakhs in the mean time he was in jail.
While Khyal Zaman Afridi, correspondent of the Daily Aaj and president of TUJ Khyber Agency said that some eight months back the local political administration had arrested some people including Syed Akbar in Bara.He told that after their detention the authorities on phone told that Syed Akbar had been arrested on some charges as he was wanted to the administration. So he released that news story to his Daily, which was published, but he was not guilty as it was not possible for him to have contacted Syed Akbar in jail in the late hours of night for his comments, said Khyal Zaman Afridi.Khyal Zaman Afridi also told that there were two Syed Akbar in Bara which had also puzzled him.
The Council of the religious group made a unilateral decision against Khyal Zaman Afridi, the tribal senior journalist by asking him to vacate his village in Bara Qamber Khel or to pay Rs/one Lakh rupees to Syed Akbar.Syed Akbar had been vilified in the area, told the Council of the group. On the requests of the Jirgas of the local elders and Journalists separately, the Council of the religious group agreed to minimize the amount from 4 lakhs to one lakh Pakistani. The members of the Council also bewared the journalists to be very careful in reporting stories regarding their activities; otherwise they will have to face the consequences. Thus the president of TUJ Khyber Agency and the senior FATA journalist paid one lakh to Syed Akbar to comply with the strict orders of the council of the religious group on 16 April 2008.

Welcome to CAMBRIDGE -- you are technically NOT in Boston if you're over on the main Harvard campus my friend!

If you do happen to cross over the Charles to the REAL Boston -- perhaps for one of your famous coffee/blog stops, be sure and let us know.

I'm at a downtown law office (near South Station) and would love to meet you face to face but cannot get myself over to Harvard today. I'm a longtime WN reader. There's several coffee places with wifi in this vicinity.

Thanks for great war story about John Bolton confirmation hearings. Your take on role of blogs in taking on battles traditional media avoid is revealing. Professors Walt and Baum, who understand this better that I, might have asked you about odds that blogs, and new media in general, can move foreign policy opinion needle on major issues. Bill Moyers has chronicled the story of mainstream media being stampeded in 2003 to support Iraq invasion. Do blogs and on-line publications have credibility and reach in 2008 to mount serious challenge to decisions to go to war? Baum apparently has research underway in this sphere. Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, where I work on ONI project, is looking at influence of bloggers in Iran and Russia. Has anyone at NAF studied foreign policy weight of American blogs? If not, could be interesting project for someone.

Glad you're enjoying our City on a Hill, Steve. It wouldn't be Boston if it were not cold and rainy, so, for a visitor from Sunny D.C., I find this appropriate.

Best of luck with the wicked smaht kids from over the Chahles.