Snacks for thought - April 12, 2009

'Snacks for thought' is a weekly round-up of thought-provoking articles, commentaries and opinions:

1. American Conservative media ridicules Obama's "apology tour" - http://mediamatters.org/items/200904100035
   
2. For all my lady friends who love shopping, you should probably not read this story - http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/04/americas-love-affair-with-malls-ends.html
3. Not that it was ever close to being 'over', but is Iraq slipping again? - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01insurgency.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1238559134-n7UQAPbkBcGA6kqFeSm//w
4. With only 7 companies listed right now, Syria's new securities exchange in Damascus is an interesting real-life lesson of how these things are put together from scratch. Anyone interested should follow its development - http://www.zawya.com/equities/sy/
5. The rise of the 'East' from a Turkish Truck Driver's perspective - http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=172209