Spy v. Spy
Is it wrong that I kind of hope there is some skulduggery, or at least more than a simple accident, behind this death in Vienna: death of a diplomat-link? Mayhap I'm just too fond of The Third Man, but to my mind Vienna is such a wonderfully sordid, double-dealing place.

We here at The Secret Base do not yet have a titled, occasional feature wherein we discuss the despicable, depraved mores of 21st century society, an immoral morass that afflicts both Western civilization & Western-influenced Eastern & African civilizations. I doubt I'll add such an occasional feature, as I suspect precious few of you wish to read my old-fashioned moralizing outside of specific instances regarding Holy Mother Church ("Urbi et Orbi") or mine own social & romantic encounters ("Projects MERCATOR" & "PANDORA"). Nonetheless, I shan't overlook an interesting little bit of public moralizing from the besieged island quasi nation of Taiwan: beauty pageant-link.

Proud Europa
All the world knows that Yulia Tymoshenko isn't a saint, but one of the most fundamental principles of liberal democracy is that the government can't lock up the loyal opposition for the "crime" of being the loyal opposition. I'm glad that the heads of state & government of Europe have at least taken notice of the troubling situation in the Ukraine, even if their protests are meek & likely to be, as are so many European protests, ineffectual: political prisoner-link. Even an ineffectual protest is better than silent complicity. The Ukraine is a small country caught betwixt two great powers, a semi-confederated Europe & a semi-authoritarian Russia; let us hope the Ukrainians ultimately turns toward Europe & liberal democracy rather than toward Russia & Asiatic despotism.