More evidence of the decline of religious belief in New England.

Amir Taheri believes that Iran will eventually get nuclear weapons.

In The New York Times, interesting stories about John McCain's 1974 War College thesis, Russians enjoying the opportunity to vacation abroad, what Gaza looks like a year after the Hamas takeover, and Iraqi troops massing for yet another operation to establish control over their country. The McCain story attempts, it seems to me, to classify McCain's thinking as old-fashioned, but the narrative instead affirms his steadfastness and patriotism, at least for those of us who still believe in those things (and agree with McCain's original position concerning collaborators). I find the Russian tourist story interesting because I still have memories of what the world was like during the Cold War. We could never have imagined that the day would come when Russians (no longer Soviets) would behave just like everyone else. The Gaza story is an interesting look inside that potential flash point for conflict, and the story about Iraqi troops massing for another operation is yet another indicator of the progress being made (and seriously under-reported) in that country.