Huge, Huge Story For Those Paying Attention -- ISIS Takes Ramadi -- May 17, 2015

Folks following this story know how big this story has become. This could be ISIS's Battle of the Bulge. CNN reports that ISIS has taken Ramadi. This could be Baghdad's "last stand." The coalition, led by US air support, spared almost no cost to holding Ramadi -- no cost, except no American boots on ground.

Some U.S. officials have tried recently to downplay the significance of Ramadi, saying they are not focused on the city.

But retired Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research, said the situation in Ramadi is a significant sign that forces fighting ISIS need to take a different tack.

"Ramadi's a bad news story, period," he said. "It's not going well. The military units we've trained in the Iraqi army are basically laying down their guns and running."

Perhaps more later but this is a huge story.

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EU Pushing For US Crude Oil Exports

The Wall Street Journal is reporting:

The European Union is increasing pressure on Washington to include an energy chapter in a planned trans-Atlantic trade deal that would allow U.S. exports of natural gas and oil and reduce the bloc’s dependency on Russia.

Fossil-fuel exports from the U.S. have been restricted for decades. Yet growing internal production of oil and gas has eased some of Washington’s concerns over energy independence and the Energy Information Administration believes the U.S. will become a net gas exporter in 2017.

In recent years, the Energy Department has granted long-term gas-export licenses to six U.S. gas projects, which will eventually be able to sell 8.61 billion cubic feet (240 million cubic meters) of gas a day. At the same time, the U.S. oil industry is lobbying to lift the ban on oil exports, hoping that new markets would boost prices.

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I keep looking for the perfect book to help me understand Scotch. I think I finally found it today. Already on my bookshelf:

• Whisky, The Manual, Dave Broom, c. 2014
• Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch, 5th Edition, c. 2004, but in mint condition

Today, I added what may be the best of the three:

• Whisk(e)y Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life, Heather Greene, c. 2014

Michael Jackson's and Dave Broom's are very similar in style. I assume Michael Jackson's is the "bible" of books on Scotch, but I do like Broom's also. But for a nice narrative, not just an encyclopedia of whisky, Heather Greene's is very, very delightful.

I don't know if the woman on the jacket of the book is Heather Greene, but if she is I would listen to whatever she has to say on the subject of whiskey.