Reports of the death and devastation centered in northeastern Pakistan and Kashmir, but coming from India to Afghanistan, are breathtaking. There are no reliable numbers, but the press is reporting 20,000 to 30,000 deaths and over 40,000 injuries. Our colleague, Manan Ahmed, has been in touch with family in Pakistan and reports that they are safe, but that the destruction both in remote areas and in major cities, like Islamabad, is terrifying. Manan is establishing a paypal account that will allow you to be confident that contributions will reach some of those in need. Stay tuned to Chapati Mystery for more details.

The most recent ancient/medieval edition of is up at Alun's Archaeoastronomy. Alun is a terrific host. This one features both a crossword puzzle and Halloween delights. Go and enjoy!

When the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago denied tenure to Daniel Drezner on Friday, it stunned many of us who know and admire his work very much. That's true across a pretty wide ideological spectrum on the net. See, for example: Kieran Healy at Crooked Timber, Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit, and Juan Non-Volokh at The Volokh Conspiracy. This is an assistant professor with two books published (one by Cambridge University Press), two more in process, and a thirteen page cv (pdf). Daniel Drezner will undoubtedly survive, probably in academe, but the numbers of bad decisions in major departments over the years is really disturbing. This one ranks right up there with Garry Wills' denial in Classics at Johns Hopkins and Alan Brinkley's denial in History at Harvard.