In 2009, Yemen was a hotbed of lawlessness, poverty, veiled women, be-daggered men, and a narcotic called qat. In 2010, Yemen is hotbed of lawlessness, poverty, veiled women, be-daggered men, and a narcotic called qat-but now it’s on our minds! To better acquaint ourselves with the small, Arab-peninsular nation, we’ve sifted through our blog rolls and found these helpful links. Read, learn, and enjoy.Writing for the Daily Beast, Bruce Riedel explains how defeating Al Qaeda in Yemen (suddenly one of President Obama’s top priorities) is made all the more difficult on account of the country’s medieval frontier culture (meaning that everyone is armed, most people are poor, and government corruption is rampant). The task is also complicated by Yemen’s strained relationship with America (as well as with neighboring Saudi Arabia) and the country’s floundering police state of a government. Riedel does maintain that Pakistan should be the top Al Qaeda priority for the United States.Tyler Cowen, who visited the country in 1996 or so, likens it to a vision of Baghdad circa 1200 AD in an awesome 13-point reflection of his trip. He celebrates the architecture and fall weather, but can’t shake the fact that, “with the possible exception of the Bolivian altiplano, Yemen is the weirdest country or region I have visited.As Yglesias points out, some people are already calling for pre-emptive military action in Yemen. (Hint: the hawk’s name rhymes with Bro Brieberman.) Yglesias also penned a Yemen column for Daily Beast.Andrew Sullivan thinks Christmas day’s near attack by the Nigerian would-be bomber who studied in Yemen necessitates that Obama fire Janet Napolitano.If you haven’t already, you ought to read Five Lesser-known Countries that Changed the World in 2009, which discusses Yemen, in our Canapés and Kalashnikovs column by the Truman Fellows.Or you could just visit Yemen’s Wikipedia entry-the country pages are great ways to disappear an hour of your workday. Fun facts: in 2005, nearly half the population was 15 years old or younger. Also, Yemen might have been the home of the Queen of Sheba.If anyone has a link that paints a less reductive portrait of the nation, please share it in the comments.Photo: Wikipedia Commons.
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Man’s dog suddenly becomes protective of his wife, Internet clocks the reason right away
The online community came through in a big way.
Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.
“A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”
His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.
Otis knew before they did. Canva Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.
So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”
The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.
Any chance your wife is pregnant?
ZZBC | Reddit
The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!
“The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”
Redditors responded with similar experiences.
Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.
realityisworse | Reddit
So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?
Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”
The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.
This article originally appeared last year.
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These trailblazers redefined what a woman could be.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
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Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories
Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.
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