Plaid Avenger Plaidcast

Cool Calderón Bags a Barbie (part 1)

the Avenger... — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:53:46 -0400

Holy hot tamales my amigos! Mexico is on fire, and I’m not talking about jalapeños either! President Felipe Calderón and the Mexican government’s war against drug cartels has ramped up in violence and death count in a very big way in the last 4 years, impacting all levels of society both within Mexico but also neighboring countries/regions. Instead of delving in the dirty details of the daily violence, the Plaid Avenger explains the “Why here?” and “Why now?” behind the rise of these cartels in northern Mexico here in the 21st century.

Related Plaidcasts:
Mexico Madness: Cartels Crashing the Country

Keywords: Mexico, drug cartels, Felipe Calderón, US, Central America, Colombia, NAFTA

Yuan 元 Trumps Yen ¥

the Avenger... — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:45:54 -0400

Move over Godzilla; the Dragon has risen! It is now official for the Plaid Avenger: China has just surpassed Japan to become the 2nd largest economy on the planet, with a GDP in excess of $5 trillion/year. They still have a ways to go to catch the $14 trillion US economy, but the writing is on the wall! Listen as the Avenger explains why it is obvious that the Chinese economy will continue to explode, and why there is no hope that Japan will ever regain its #2 position…its all about the consumers, baby! Bye-bye Japan….buy, buy, buy for China!

Keywords: China, Japan, GDP, economy, Yuan, Yen

Nuke Group Review: part 2

the Avenger... — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 10:22:06 -0400

Synopsis: On April 12th and 13th, US President Barack Obama hosted the first-ever ‘Nuclear Security Summit’ which was attended by leaders from 47 states plus a handful of international organizations. This summit mostly focused on getting a handle on loose nuclear material around the world in order to eliminate the threat of possible ‘nuclear terrorism.’ However, in the bigger picture this move is just a warm-up to a revamping of the all important NPT, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is coming up soon. In Part 2 of this plaidcast, the Avenger does a roll call of important cats at the convention (as well as those not invited), and what the hell they actually agreed on to limit those loose nukes.

Keywords: US, Obama, Russia, Medvedev, Sarkozy, Hu, Gordon Brown, P5, P5 +1, Merkel, Germany, Singh, India, Netanyahu, Israel, Calderon, Lula, Harper, Kirchner, Zuma, Erdogan, Yakunovich, Hatoyama, Lee Myung-Bak, Ban Ki Moon, UN, Yukio Amano, IAEA, Iran, North Korea

Nuke Group Review: part 1

the Avenger... — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:15:49 -0400

Synopsis: On April 12th and 13th, US President Barack Obama hosted the first-ever ‘Nuclear Security Summit’ which was attended by leaders from 47 states plus a handful of international organizations. This summit mostly focused on getting a handle on loose nuclear material around the world in order to eliminate the threat of possible ‘nuclear terrorism.’ However, in the bigger picture this move is just a warm-up to a revamping of the all important NPT, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is coming up soon. In Part 1 of this plaidcast, the Avenger chats about what the hell this NPT thing is all about, how it came about, and how its working out…..so check check check it out!

Keywords: US, Obama, Russia, Medvedev, NPT, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Kyrg Corruption Chaos Causes Concern for US

the Avenger... — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:29:06 -0400

Synopsis: Holy Kyrgyzstani coup crap cakes! All hell broke loose in Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday April 7, as protestors demanding the resignation of their crooked-ass President took to the streets of the capital Bishkek….and then were gunned down by riot police! The protestors/mob then went apeshit and attacked the cops and pretty much burned the whole freakin’ place down. This uprising is based almost solely on the absolute disastrous rule of President Bakiyev (soon to be ex-President) of Kyrgyzstan, who robbed the place blind and then tried to double the taxes on the peeps to make even more money. But wait! Even though this sounds like a totally internal affair, there is much interest in this place from both Russia, who considers it a sphere of their influence, and the United States, who has a critical air base there. The Avenger explains all about this crazy, corrupt, chaotic Kyrg mess!

Keywords: Kyrgyzstan, Bakiyev, Russia, Putin, US, Manas, Tulip Revolution, Afghanistan, Central Asia

Russian Rage at Black Widow Bombing

the Avenger... — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 21:47:42 -0400

Synopsis: Holy Russian rage! Not only did two female suicide bombers (Black Widows) bomb the Moscow Metro on Monday March 29, but now there have been 5 separate terrorist attacks in the 5 days since…the rest occurring in ethnic provinces in Russia’s North Caucuses region. In this plaid-cast, the Avenger describes the likely Russian response of fury, but more importantly tackles the thorny issue of why these attacks are occurring, and are likely to continue: The volatile region in question is home to a bunch of non-Russian ethnic groups who don’t wan to be part of Russia (mostly Chechan and Dagestani), alongside a growing Islamic insurgency movement which is trying to make this so! Its getting raucous in the Caucus, and after watching this, you will know why!

Keywords: Russian, Medvedev, Putin, North Caucuses, Caucuses Mountains, Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Moscow Metro bombing, Islamic insurgency, First Chechen War, Second Chechen War, Beslan School Siege, Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis

Germany’s Shady Solution for Greek Shenanigans

the Avenger... — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:57:44 -0400

Synopsis: Greece is broke, and in debt up to their Ouzo-sipping eyeballs….which is seriously pissing off Germany. Say what? Why would that be? The Avenger explains how these countries (and 14 others) are now tied together economically via their common currency of the Euro, and how this is currently impacting both the Eurozone and the entire world as Greece looks likely to completely default on their debts. Germany’s solution to bring in the IMF (International Monetary Fund) has also rankled many other EU leaders as well, and ‘austerity measures’ in Greece have people rioting on the streets! All that and more is in store for the internationally intrigued viewer who watches this plaid-cast! Party on!

Keywords: Germany, Greece, Merkel, EU, Euro, Eurozone, IMF, debt default, austerity measures

Mad Dog Muammar Suggests Nigerian Split

the Avenger... — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:02:17 -0400

Synopsis: ‘Mad Dog’ Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, announced this week that he thinks Nigeria should split itself into two different countries based upon religious lines. What the hell is this dude spouting about? He is basing his opinion on Muslim/Chrisitan violence which recently claimed the lives of several hundred Nigerians in and around the city of Jos, and has been an endemic problem for Nigeria for decades. The Plaid Avenger describes the situation and gives you some interesting insight into Nigeria, the Islamic legal code of Sharia, and even deeper insight into why this violence cannot be simply explained away as a difference of religious beliefs.

Keywords: Nigeria, Jos, Shaira, Muammar Gaddafi, Muslim, Christian, religious violence

Turkey Tantrum Over US Genocide Vote

the Avenger... — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:57:36 -0500

Synopsis: A US House subcommittee narrowly passed a resolution (23 yay to 22 nay) to recognize something called the Armenian Genocide of 1915. This has infuriated Turkey, a strong US and NATO ally, and caused them to recall their ambassador. Say what? Why would a 95 year old historic event still cause such Turkish tantrums in today’s world…and why the hell would the US Congress be voting on it anyway? The Avenger details the event itself, the Turkish vs Armenian angles on it, and how this vote is impacting current (and even future) events between the Turks and the Americans.

Other Plaidcasts mentioned:
Sledgehammer Tenderizes Turkey

Keywords: Turkey, US, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Erdogan, Gul, Obama, Bush, 1915 Armenian Genocide

Sledgehammer Tenderizes Turkey

the Avenger... — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:31:34 -0500

Synopsis: An uncovered military coup plot nicknamed ‘Operation Sledgehammer’ has seriously rattled the military and political foundation of Turkey. This military maneuver has its roots in the formation of the modern state of Turkey itself, and has serious repercussions for the the future direction of the Turks’ secular democracy. The Avenger does his best to explain the background leading up to this event, and discusses why some elements of the powerful Turkish military would be greatly concerned about the rise of the Islamist-base AK Party…which is the most popular political party in the country right now. Let’s talk Turkey!

Keywords: Turkey, Gul, Erdogan, Kemal, Ataturk, military, AK Party, Abdullah Gul, Recep Erdogan, Mustafa Kemal, NATO