Free Republic

The parade was linked to the graduation of 250 freshly trained soldiers, defence ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khwarazmi said. The exercise involved dozens of U.S.-made M117 armoured security vehicles driving slowly up and down a major Kabul road with MI-17 helicopters patrolling overhead. Many soldiers carried American made-M4 assault rifles. Most of the weapons and equipment the Taliban forces are now using are those supplied by Washington to the American-backed government in Kabul in a bid to construct an Afghan national force capable of fighting the Taliban.

Sometimes there is an angel or at least cause for encouragement in the details. I recently had to purchase a number of food grade buckets from a restaurant supply store. I found what I needed and brought them home. Looking at the buckets, they just started to grow on me. Plain, translucent white buckets, but with pleasing proportions, weight, solidity, crisp injection molding and firm tight lids. After a bit I realized what I was looking at was old fashioned quality and that is what was so satisfying about these humble food buckets. Wondering where they came from and with...