11. januar 2003

Iran wants OPEC to support Venezuela's Chavez A commentator on a state-run Iranian radio station encouraged OPEC to help Chavez against his opponents. He criticised the US for the present oil supply troubles, both for mounting pressure on Iraq and for giving "indirect support" to the Venezuelan opposition. As always, the latest news from Venezuela can be found on Miguel's The Devil's Excrement. I suspect this may not be the kind of help that benefits Chavez politically. And how wise is it for OPEC to back Chavez, considering that he may well be ousted from office? 9:10:11 PM    comment []

Words on words: Diablogue Rayne adds some very interesting thoughts to our discussion about words, language and acronyms. Earlier entries from Rob at Emphasis Added, Raven, and myself. 8:31:21 PM    comment []

Judge orders pay-cut for United machinists A judge has ruled that 35,000 United Airlines workers represented by the International Association of Machinists will have to accept a 13 per cent short term pay cut awaiting further negotiations. Some has argued the order may worsen the relationship between Unitied and the unions, but others seems to believe the relationship really can't get any worse. The union says United has not come up with a viable long-term business plan to justify the cost cuts. 7:45:11 PM    comment []

Is Norway really the greatest place on Earth? Half-sarcastically, half-serious, Paul Vallely of the Independent asked if a country where a pint of beer and a sandwich costs £14 ($23) can really be the best place on Earth, as the United Nations quality of life index showed last year. He set out to investigate the natives, and this is what he found. This article is from August last year, but was recently brought to my attention again. Let me hasten to add that he must have been eating and drinking at an extremely expensive place, even for Norway. Deduct by half, and you have it. Bad enough. Picture is from Prekestolen (lit. the pulpit) in western Norway. 4:16:05 PM    comment []

Protest! It's good for you Dr John Drury, Lecturer in Social Psychology at Sussex, argues that participation in protest marches not only can help you change the world for the better, but also improve your mental health. After interviewing nearly 40 activists from a wide range of areas, Dr Drury noted that collective action contributed to a sense of empowerment, and the participants remembered the occasions with a sense of joy. Psychologists have lately become more aware of the important role positive experiences and occasions have not only in making people feel good, but also in promoting both their mental and physical health. 4:06:23 PM    comment []

British carrier HMS Ark Royal heading for Gulf The Royal Navy is gathering its largest amphibious task force since the Falklands war, and it is heading for the Gulf. Navy officials insist the deployment is part of an exercise that has been planned for a long time, but admits the force has been adapted to the possibility of war with Iraq. The carrier HMS Ark Royal (picture) has been cleared of fixed wing aircraft to make room for more troops and helicopters. And there goes a warning to Saddam Hussein, as the junta in Argentina were warned before the 1982 Falklands war: this is a country that has fought in almost all the major wars the last centuries, and not lost any war since 1783. 2:28:57 PM    comment []

Words, words, words Raven just posted a followup on the entry where he complained about the abbreviation LOTR (Lord of the Rings), which spawned a little debate, a humorous entry from me, comments here and there, and it inspired me to write something about how language evolves. 2:30:49 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.02.03; 00:36:43.