Parliamentary elections are scheduled over the weekend in Azerbaijan-- this is a very important case for many reasons, especially given its proximity to major areas of interest (Russia, Iraq, Iran, etc.) and the wave of 'revolutions' sweeping through the republics of the former Soviet Union (Ukraine's Orange Revolution, Georgia's Rose Revolution and Tajikistan's Tulip Revolution). The Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline has only made Azerbaijan more important on the petroleum front-- setting the stakes even higher for the West (especially the United States).

We'll see what happens.

A little-noticed step in the right direction deserves kudos:

VATICAN: FAITHFUL SHOULD LISTEN TO SCIENCE

VATICAN CITY - A Vatican cardinal said Thursday the faithful should listen to what secular modern science has to offer, warning that religion risks turning into "fundamentalism" if it ignores scientific reason.

Click here to read more

Symi and I had a great time hosting a Halloween/Housewarming party on Saturday! I'll be posting more things as soon as we get the photos arranged.

Glad to see all of you who were able to show up!