A collection of links worth reading

[annwfyn]

The American Taliban - This is a heartbreaking story and really really worth reading. The story of an American muslim who was captured in 2001 in Afghanistan and is now in prison.

Close up photographs of grains of sand - Taken from nothingtoyou's LJ and these are amazing. Very close up photographs of grains of sand, showing the bits of shell and crystal that make them up. These remind me of snowflakes I've seen photographed.

On why fiction and libraries are good. And why people who say 'reading romantic fiction means you get syphillis' are talking shite. - An awesome article which makes me want to hug the reader. In depressing news, my local village library is now only open 3 afternoons per week. I do not want to think about how much smaller and greyer my childhood would have been had that been the case when I was reading my whole way through it.

Comments

[chopseuy.livejournal.com]

If you had been the American Taliban would you have taken a plea bargain or would you have fought in court to prove your innocence?

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I honestly do not know. I suspect I'd have been a pile of emotionally vulnerable wobble at that point and I tend to be erratic at that kind of time.

I like to think I'd have wanted to fight, but I'm not sure.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

As an interesting aside to your first link, Robert Pelton, the named reporter, wrote an interesting series of books called "The world's most dangerous places", which decribe his travels in places like Afghanistan. One of them has an article in it about his time with Dostum which covers precisely the period in the piece linked to. It's worth a read by way of contrast.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I have not located this article, but I have been reading about Robert Pelton. Have you heard about the holiday company he now runs? It is extraordinary.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

He's an extraordinary man; I have several of his books which I'm happy to lend you.

Worlds most dangerous places is just remarkable - describing how he goes to places like Iraq, Columbia, Chechnya, Afghanistan on holiday, and writes about what he finds. The article just describing him as a CNN reporter does him a massive injustice.