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8. november 2002
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Instant Justice
"A 22-year-old Chiweshe man died instantly after a 50-year-old woman he attempted to rape overpowered him when she tugged at his genitals." (Zimbabwe's Herald)
11:40:35 PM 
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McProfit Warning
A good week on Wall Street came to an end today after a profit warning from McDonald's. A combination of bad news from some key sectors, some second thoughts about the UN Iraq resolution, and possibly concerns over the Republican election sweep, sent the stocks moderately down.
11:21:26 PM
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Freethought Limericks
When the godless heathens over at The Secular Web is not busy plotting the destruction of morality and eating xtian babies for lunch, they actually find time for some fun, too. Richard Bamford has written some atheist limericks, and I have to give you one example:
We well know, they insist on Sundays
that God hates sex, abortion and gays!
but when you ask them why
so many innocents die,
they mutter "Who are we to know His ways?"
I have to remember that argument, if not necessarily in verse form.
9:26:13 PM
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Bib for Girlfriend 
Check out this perfect gift for sloppy girls who have everything, perhaps except the ability to suppress the gag reflex.
*cough* Sorry.
Anyway, you have to see this. Believe me.
7:48:01 PM
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Quoth the Art Critic...
 One of my favourite bloggers, The Raven, is on a roll. Today he writes about the fact that the world of fine arts is so embroided in an us vs them mentality that art critics don't dare to, well, criticize art. Thereby, art critics not only marginalise themselves, but perhaps they contribute to marginalising art, too.
Yesterday, The Raven wrote a hilarious deconstructionist / postmodernist book review of, well, The Raven. Not himself, mind you, but Poe's famous poem. Like some of the commentators, I wonder how many students fail to get the joke and actually hand in something like this. What is worse, I fear many English teachers don't get the joke.
It could not fail to remind me about the 1992 Sokal incident.
The book report blog craze is something that as far as I know started in Rayne's excellent blog, and it's spreading fast. If you got here by googling for a book report: gotcha!
7:22:19 PM
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Usages of the Word 'Fuck'
An old, classic Monty Python sound clip, now in a flash animation you just can't miss! You're at work? Oh, well, fuck it.
Yeah, I stole this from George.
5:07:41 PM
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UN Passes Iraq Resolution
 The Security Council today unanimously passed a resolution ordering Iraq to disarm, or else.
Only one surprise: The pundits were wrong in assuming Syria would abstain from the vote.
4:58:09 PM
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Funny Headline of the Day
You just can't beat the British in making catchy newspaper headlines. This from The Guardian:
Can Blix nix Iraq's tricks?
It is actually an interesting article about the tricks Saddam has been using in the past to sabotage the UN arms inspection teams. Expect him to have developed a few new methods in the last years. This time, of course, he will have to realise he shouldn't push it too far. An unfavourable report from Blix to the Security Council can easily give Bush the excuse he may (or may not) want to wage war on Iraq.
3:37:52 PM
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Misleading Headline of the Day
 BBC News today gives us this chilling, but not really surprising message:
Bin Laden is alive - Interpol
From this headline alone, and a number of other sources, one could be excused for concluding that Interpol has put some new evidence on the table, supporting the conclusion that he is alive. Not so. The article goes on to quote Ronald Noble (picture), the head of the police organisation: ''As long as I have no proof to the contrary, I will consider Bin Laden a fugitive well and truly alive.''
So there we have it. And that is nothing new. Unless there is very strong evidence he is dead, law enforcement will have to assume he is alive, and hunt for him. It is a pretty self-evident fact. And neither is it news that Al Quada is still a severe threat. Especially after Bali, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes' powers of deduction to realise they are not going out of business anytime soon.
It is a slow news day.
3:25:43 PM
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Dungeon Barbie in the Clear
 U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain states in her findings that dressing a Barbie doll up in bondage gear does not violate Mattel's copyright. This is obviously a parody, the judge said, but considering that the word 'parody' is not in the vocuabulary of Mattel lawyers, she might have to elaborate.
3:07:38 PM
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Iraq Resolution Likely to Pass UN Security Council
Some minor changes in the draft for a new Iraq resolution seems to have satisifed France and Russia, and most observers expect it to be passed Friday (with all aye, except Syria abstaining).
The US has backed down on a wording that allows for an automatic military response if Iraq fails to comply, sending the case back to the Council, but American diplomats insist that it does not "tie the hands" of Bush as it appears to do.
1:54:41 PM
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Chinese Communist Party Welcomes Capitalists
China's Communist Party's Congress is starting in Beijing now, and on the agenda of what may be a watershed event is to allow capitalists - private enterpeneurs - to join the Communist party.
In a statement that is amazingly Orwellian, the Congress spokesman tries to explain how this will not really change the nature of the Party:
"Instead of affecting the nature and purpose of the Communist Party of China, [enrolling capitalists] will increase the influence and cohesion of the Communist Party throughout society."
2:01:57 AM
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Timeline of Art History
 The Met's webpages are one of my favourite online art resources. Not only is their collection impressive, the presentation is very informative and easy to navigate.
Check out the timeline, giving a chronological and geographical overview of the epochs in art history. You'll see references to artworks ranging from the Chauvet cave paintings (picture) in Southern France, more than 30,000 years back in time, to the impressive artistic developments in Central Europe during the Renaissance.
12:29:00 AM
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© Copyright 2002 Jan Haugland.
Last update: 01.12.02; 02:50:46.
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