I had lunch yesterday with a young Iranian student. He studies computers at a university here in Kiev. He embodies what many observers of Iran say about the new generation -- he's young, secular, pro-American and couldn't give a fig about the Revolution. He also speaks near-perfect English.
We had a good time discussing the political landscape in Iran these days (for an overview, check here, though the idea that Khatami is anything more than a Tehranian Gorbachev is silly to me.) Then he brought up the inevitable -- the war in Iraq.
I hedged a bit, not wanting to spoil a good lunch. But he turned out to be pretty vehemently pro-war and pro-Bush. I'd heard of pro-American rallies by students in the post-9/11 era, but it was fascinating to actually meet one in the flesh. After fending off attacks about the war all year from our ostensible Ukranian allies, it was a nice twist to find a like mind in such an unlikely place.
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I saw the perfect motto for Postmodernism while I was in Charles de Gaulle Airport. I think it was a Dior ad -- I Sense, Therefore I Am.
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Very belatedly, I want to acknowledge one of my favorite fellow bloggers. You'll notice a newly-minted The Desolation Angels link on my sidebar. Use it. Sarah is my favorite Jones since Alyssa Jones in the New Jersey Chronicles. Anyone who likes Elvis Costello and reads William Gibson and Foucault earns a high place in my pantheon of blogdom.