Month: May 2010
I was first introduced to Glenn Reynolds through his blog Instapundit. If you’ve ever seen the Instapundit stream, then you know Glenn’s posts are like the tide coming in—full and constant waves, arriving all-day long. S.P.: O Blogfather! You were among the very first to really make blogging work. What was your original impetus for jumping into this field? Are you ever surprised at how far it has carried you? G.R.: Well, I teach Internet Law, and because it’s a fast-changing field I try to do hands-on stuff so that I’m teaching from firsthand knowledge, not just out of a…
Read MoreRead Noah Coburn’s Connecting with Kabul. The information contained in this report is invaluable for the practitioner of population-centric COIN looking for insights into the importance of local patronage networks in Afghanistan. While Coburn’s work focuses strictly on Afghanistan, similarities in patterns of social networking behavior can be found in other traditional societies. I personally witnessed many of the same characteristics highlighted by Coburn in the patronage networks of the Anbar tribal awakening movement while serving as the Tribal Advisor to the Multi-National Forces-West in 2005-2007. Coburn explains: Afghan parliamentarians are first and foremost members of local patronage networks, which…
Read More“Interview with a Tribal Chief” is one series that ran on the “It’s the Tribes, Stupid” blog. It featured interviews with Chief Ajmal Khan Zazai. Freerange International has a report up about Chief Zazai being ambushed by Pakistani Taliban this past week.
Read MoreThis is an important post. I say that because this piece addresses (after procrastination, which is the #1 champ), the single greatest excuse/reason/cop-out that prevents aspiring writers, artists and entrepreneurs from taking action to pursue their dreams. That excuse is, “First I have to _____________.” “___________” can be anything from “finish my research” to “pay the rent” to “get rid of my slacker boyfriend.” I’m not saying such excuses can’t be real or serious.
Read MoreA few years ago, I got it into my head that I wanted to run a marathon. The experience turned out to be a life-changer, not so much for the race itself (though that was pretty great too) as for the training that built up to it. I live in Los Angeles. There was a hospital downtown, Orthopaedic Hospital, that was offering a free six-month training program leading up to the L.A. Marathon. Classes met once a week, Sunday morning. Each session was on a different subject—hydration, footwear, “hitting the wall,” etc. Probably 400 runners became regulars. The program helped…
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Start with this War of Art [27-minute] mini-course. It's free. The course's five audio lessons will ground you in the principles and characteristics of the artist's inner battle.