The Smallfilms Treasury

http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/

Noggin the Nog,Ivor the Engine, Bagpuss, The Clangers, The Pogles, Pingwings

Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin produced some of the most enduring British children’s animation in the 1960s-1970s. On this site you will find The Clangers, Pogles’ Wood, Ivor the Engine, Bagpuss, and Noggin the Nog with my personal favourite character ‘ Nogbad the Bad’.

TomPaine.com – Laughing Dragon, Dancing Bear

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/laughing_dragon_dancing_bear.php

Wayback machine link:

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/laughing_dragon_dancing_bear.php

Laughing Dragon, Dancing Bear
The author, Ray McGovern began his 27-year career with the CIA as the analyst for Soviet relations with China and Southeast Asia.


Developing the significance of Russia and The Peoples Republic of China holding joint miltary exercises on Chinese soil for the first time ever in 2005 McGovern postulates that Russia and the PRC are becoming ever closer along the lines of the dictum ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend’ he writes…


‘The Russians and Chinese look on the quicksand in which U.S. forces are trying to stay afloat in Iraq with mixed feelings: alarm at what they see as unconstrained, unpredictable U.S. behavior, and Schadenfreude at the fiasco brought about by ineptitude on the part of senior civilian defense officials and careerism among the generals, many of whom know better but have not the spine to tell their superiors that the war in Iraq cannot be won.’ Whilst I agree with the general thrust of McGovern’s argument about the consequences of a Russo-Sino military alliance I think he overplays his hand when he says the war cannot be won. Just because America withdrew from South East Asia does not mean the same will happen in Iraq. The argument that America can’t win because it won’t be able to sustain casulaties has been shot to pieces with over 1,300 dead the resolve of the Bush Administration hasn’t weakened. The USA does have the means and more importantly the will to win in Iraq. Whether it will have been worth the deaths of so many is debateable.

TomPaine.com – The Topic Should Be China

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/the_topic_should_be_china.php

Wayback machine:

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/the_topic_should_be_china.php

The author,Robert B. Reich was the secretary of labor in the Clinton administration says…
‘As China’s influence grows, America’s wanes.’
‘With China holding more than a half a trillion dollars of United States debt, it also largely determines what happens to the dollar.’
‘In short, China is now a significant player in the American economy and in American politics–even though few American politicians actually dare admit it.’
Strange then, that China barely merited debate during the recent Presidential Elections.