I never knew mud volcanoes existed: one erupted in Azerbaijan on Thursday.

The Ecole Initiative: An encyclopedia of early Christian and Islamic history. [via somewhereIforget]

The unrest in Georgia (No, not that Georgia) and the anti-terror campaign in Central Asia is giving Russia an opportunity to squeeze a bigger chunk of the world oil market.

Two profiles of bin Laden: One from a respected U.S. news source, one from a respected foreign news source. The one glaring difference? BBC's mentions the training and support the U.S. gave to bin Laden and his Afghan resistance during the Russian/Afghanistan war, but CNN's does not. Yes, we have to take this guy out, but if we don't acknowledge our past mistakes we're liable to make them all over again.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell... Why: An essay by Chris Wright originally posted to the allsorts mailing list. [via Undernews]

Privacy is Just So Suspicious: An editorial by Robyn Blummer, originally published in the St. Petersburg Times. [via Undernews]