IR Hypotheticals: If Biggie Smalls Were to Grade Qaddafi Using the 10 Crack Commandments

I started the post below about 5 years ago but never finished it.  Within the world of International Relations there's always a good amount of discussion on counter-factuals and hypotheticals which can be downright gloomy.  If I have the good fortune to get my doctorate one day, I think this type of comparison below would liven up the classroom atmosphere.

Now I think my motivation level with regard to Q has passed the time has passed with regards to Qaddafi so I offer my incomplete post below just to, you know, get my brilliant ideas out there in the universe (warning some foul language below because, you know, this is a rap song by a drug dealer).

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In honor of Biggie Smalls day, I have decided to grade Qaddafi by the most gangster of grading mechanisms: Notorious' 10 Crack Commandments (video link is at the end of this post).   An interesting fact is that prior to his timely demise, he was a prolific hotelier in Africa.  If you stayed at a hotel on the continent it was likely one that he built and owned.  


1. Never let no one know, how much, dough you hold.  Q has definitely done a bang up job here.  All anyone can do is guess.  CBS News reports on it here.


2. Never let 'em know your next move. Q has been surprising the world for 40 years now.  He's a stalwart disciple in this respect.  Especially when it comes to wardrobe choices:


3. Never trust no-bo-dy.  Woops.


 4. Never get high, on your own supply.  I don't think anyone who has watched his speeches has any doubt about this one.  


5. Never sell no crack where you rest at.  


6. That god damn credit, dead it.


7. Keep your family and business completely separated.  Q fails big time here.  Nepotism is the rule not the exception.  


8. Never keep no weight on you.  Q fails.  Fails. Fails. Fails.

9. If you ain't gettin bags stay the fuck from police.  For the uninitiated, this means don't snitch. 


10. A strong word called consignment.  

You can listen to the 10 Crack Commandments here.

More fun stuff:
The Madmen of Africa

Article to Read Today on Veterans Affairs Blogger or Tupac's Timeless Advice

 I came across the WaPo article today through my RSS feed to the great "Essential Reading for Marines".  The article is entitled, At VA, a blogger criticizes from the inside, and reading it will give veterans hope  that their criticisms of the VA are not falling upon deaf ears.    The blogger is Alex Horton (of Army of Dude notoriety, or fame depending on who you ask) and he is a gifted and talented writer.  He writes with the 4 C's: clarity, conviction, color and coherency; tenets with which most writers struggle. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs took a gamble (but also showed considerable gumption and insight) in hiring one of their most pointed critics--obviously Assistant Secretary Duckworth is a fan of Sun Tzu or perhaps The Godfather, but most likely 2PAC (inside scoop from last summer's interns was she kept the Makaveli- The Don Killuminati 7 Day Theory album on heavy rotation in her office), taking to heart his admonition 35 seconds into his video of his single Blasphemy.  (DISCLAIMER:  While FUUO does enjoy the occassional Tupac jam, it is decidely on team Biggie Smalls)

If you are on twitter (and you all should be), follow Alex here:

 @AlexHortonVA

Links:

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2011/04/chivers-offers-first-hand-account-of.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2011/02/well-written-articles-on-libya-egypt.html

http://www.va.gov/

http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/

http://greatmarinereadingmaterial.blogspot.com/

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Godfather_Part_II

http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/36994.html

http://www.amazon.com/Don-Killuminati-Makaveli/dp/B000001Y16

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08BE1bux9XA 
http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/?p=2919#more-2919

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-va-a-blogger-criticizes-from-the-inside/2011/04/20/AF96tAdG_story.html

Blog of the Week! Mo'dernity Mo'problems

As readers of this blog will note, I am a big fan of Biggie Smalls aka Notorious BIG.  So any Africa blog that references the King of Hip Hop (in it's title no less!) is alright with me!  If you aren't familiar with the track, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twkh0YiInPM

And it turns out the Mo'dernity Mo'problems is a great blog on top of it all.   It's well worth a read for its content and wit, as well as its blogroll.  You can also follow the author on twitter: @grantmgordon.

http://moproblems.wordpress.com/
"I am a humanitarian policy specialist who wears an evaluation and monitoring cape while roaming around field sites in conflict and post-conflict zones.  I’ve worked in Rwanda, Burundi, the Eastern DRC, and Liberia, land of never-ending bushmeat and baking soda. I speak French and Swahili and can whip out a survey from my belt much like a gun. This is a blog about culture, conflict, and causality in Central Africa and beyond."

Diplomat's Daily Quotable- from an Indian Notorious B.I.G.

The first quote reminds me of something Notorious B.I.G. would have said...had he been Indian and alive thousands of years ago.
Reprisal: "If the enemy fights deceitfully he should be paid in his own coin."
-The Mahabharta

The Mahabharata (Sanskrit Mahābhārata  is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, part of the Hindu history.  It has about one hundred thousand verses, about 1.8 million words total, and is roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and Odyssey combined.
     The story itself is about the dynastic struggle for the throne of Hastinapura, the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan. The two branches of the family that participate in the struggle are the Kaurava and the Pandava.  Both branches claim to be first in line to inherit the throne.  And so the struggle begins...sounds like it would make a great movie.

Retreat: "Some battles are won only after retreat to a more advantageous ground."

True on so many levels...also, some battles aren't worth winning in my opinion...