By now, most of my readers know about the attack in the suburbs of Syria’s capital that allegedly saw a rather massive use of chemical weapons. The best report is found here :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23806491
The clear cut thing is that if the attack was done by President Assad’s forces on the population, it was also near the capital where his power lays and indicates a worsening of his situation or additional worrying over it which is contrary to recent gains by the regime’s forces. There are unsubstantiated rumors of US trained rebels coming from Jordan : http://www.euronews.com/2013/08/22/reports-claim-us-trained-and-led-syrian-rebels-are-advancing-on-damascus/ These would indeed be coming from the South-East and thus give an explanation to the Eastern Damascus location of the chemical bombing. One strange thing though is that the rocket seen on the link of the Beeb up there is not up to date quality material judging by the looks of its tail section and might not be the real vector used if the Syrian regular Army is at fault here. More time will allow us a better judgment on these technical aspects.
This is now under intense media scrutiny as people try to make sense of the various reactions by governments and the UN. Let us consider those .
The US of President Obama is pondering the question as we are and thus still not beyond the Red Line from a few months back http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23800031 which is now considered thicker? Whether that means that the said line is closer to being breached or, since thicker, will take more time to breach is not clear. Then again, France is advocating the need for force without contemplating sending troops or planes as in “… the foreign minister said there was “no question” of sending in ground troops, adding “it’s impossible.”… which does not mean much either now, does it? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/world/middleeast/syria.html?_r=0 & http://www.france24.com/en/20130822-france-calls-force-chemical-arms-confirmed-syria And last but not least is the UN which has a group of inspectors in Syria right now although they have not been allowed to visit the site of the alleged transgression by Damascus? http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/22/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE97K0EL20130822 The carefully chosen words of incident and the likes instead of massacre also belies any clear reaction for the time being? Then again, I have to link again to my Post at the end of October 2012 to show that such dallying was easily predicted : https://dlofr.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/mali-and-syria-were-in-a-boat-or-dad-if-we-can-bomb-afghanistan-and-lybia-why-cant-we-bomb-syria/
So Syria is in death throes and the rest of the World ponders mulling or mulls considering pondering? Go guys, don’t exert yourselves? That’s what you get for not having acted last year!
At least, Russia is moving towards a little responsibility in this crisis having called for the inspections to be conducted. Not quite allowing to unseat the Assad ally yet but a small move in the right direction. China has to change its position too, by the way for anything to happen. Strangely though the Russian Army has time and means to attack its own citizens as seen on this video that is now the fad of the Net and TVs worldwide :
Is it the lack of enemies or just practice for crowd control? In any case, the army pretends the beach is theirs and the sunbathers to be tresspassers! 😀
In Egypt, the picture of Hosni Mubarak going out of the same jail where Mohamed Badie, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood was imprisoned a few hours earlier can raise dubious eyebrows.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323665504579028683826409214.html
Is it just that the military is taking good care of its own, as Mubarak came initially from its ranks contrarily to deposed President Morsi or should one guess that prison to be so small that you have to free folks in order to accommodate new ones? I’ll let you be the judge of that.
In Zimbabwe, Mugabe is now beginning his seventh term despite the hooplah over the quality and legality of the last elections and took the opportunity to calm things down in very diplomatic fashion : “Go hang.” to his opponents, “moral turpitude” about western nations and a call against gays to top it off. Such class! 😎
http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-zimbabwe-robert-mugabe-sworn-in-20130822,0,6323586.story
Last, Bradley Manning makes his transgender coming out a couple days after his sentencing on treason charges?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/22/bradley-manning-woman-chelsea-gender-reassignment
I support people leaving the way they want to but really, that guy ( or from now on lady ) has a knack for weird timing. Maybe he expects favor treatment in jail? Tssssk!
This world is a strange place indeed, Tay.
Definitive Lapse of Reason 
Thank you, beautiful Sophie, I aim to please! 😎 Tay.