1. mars 2003

Al Qaeda mastermind arrested in Pakistan In what is being described as the single biggest victory in the war on terror, Pakistani and US officials have arrested Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (picture) and two others in a house outside Islamabad. Mohammed is believed to be the mastermind behind recruitment and finanical coordination for the terror network. This being true, the arrest will have been a major blow to the al Qaeda organisation. In interviews with the  Al-Jazeera TV network, Mohammed  refered to himself as the head of the al Qaeda military committee, and said he had been present at the meeting when the organisation had decided to attack targets on US soil. Muhammed appears on FBI's list of most wanted terrorists. The agency is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information leading to his capture and conviction. He is likely to be extradicted to the US. 11:20:13 PM    comment []

Turkey's parliament fails to approve US military deployment In a narrow decision, Turkey's parliament has failed to win the neccessary majority to allow the US to delpy troops and warplanes on its territory. Turkish MPs voted 264-250 for the deployment with 19 abstaining, and this fell four votes short of the required majority. Turkish public opinion is 80% opposed to the war, and this may have offset the fact that the ruling party, which negotiated the deal with the US,  has overwhelming majority in the parliament. This is a humiliating defeat for a government that has wanted to avoid offending the US. They now face the choice between scrapping the deal and trying to persuade key MPs for a second vote to win approval. 11:04:11 PM    comment []

Nepotism in ant colonies Worker ants are the very image of egalitarian hard workers, dedicating their lives to the well-being of the whole colony. In colonies where all workers are siblings, this is what should be expected from the selfish-gene view of evolution. However, there are ant colonies that has descended from multiple queen ants. Here, we could expect ants to evolve the ability to detect kin relationships, and favour their relatives over other ants. A study by Liselotte Sundstrom at the University of Helsinki published in Nature reveals that this indeed is the case. Worker ants ruthlessly favour their own relatives over others when caring for larvae and eggs, increasing the chances of their own genes to propagate the colony's gene pool. 10:54:05 PM    comment []

Microsoft targets the net.generation The rapid growth and importance of the Internet took Microsoft, like almost everybody else, with surprise. However, the software giant was able to adapt. Now they are beginning to realise that they are clueless about the next generation of computer users: the net.generation, those growing up to take having permanent connections to the Net for granted, and uses it as a self-evident part of life, like cars and TV sets were for the previous generations. At the core of new technologies being released from Redmond is instant messaging, and creating anti-productivity tools: allowing kids to hang around in online groups with multimedia intergrated in the experience. Threedegrees is about to be released in beta, and its make or break will tell whether Microsoft is successfully adapting to the net.generation. As I read about how the net.generation works, I was thinking: this is supposedly how teenagers think? Heck, this is the way me and my friends have been thinking and doing things online for years. 10:28:43 PM    comment []

Fat chance I have earlier written quite positively about research supporting the Atkins diet (low carb, high fat), but there are certainly reasons to be skeptical to any magic bullet. Michael Fumento argues that the studies supporting the Atkins diet have severe flaws. Among other things, he points to the facts that the Atkins diet is essentially yet another low-calorie diet in disguise the Westman study, widely published in the media in November last year, was paid for by the Atkins Center the same study had a drop-out rate of a whooping 43% among those following the Atkins diet, as compared to 25% of those following a conventional low-fat diet the lowering of cholesterol in the study can be wholly explained by weight loss it monited the subjects over only 6 months The clincher: the Atkins diet is still a diet. And those have a very bad reputation for inducing a sustainable weight loss.There is no replacement for a lasting life-style change: more healthy food, more exercise. 8:27:59 AM    comment []

A US diplomat's scathing letter of resignation Career diplomat John Brady Kiesling's letter of resignation to Colin Powell cannot be described as 'diplomatic.' He chides the Bush administration for dismantling the United States' entire web of international alliances. "[U]ntil this Administration it had been possible to believe that by upholding the policies of my president I was also upholding the interests of the American people and the world. I believe it no longer. The policies we are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American interests." He also blames the administration for abusing the threat from international terrorism for domestic purposes. 6:53:42 AM    comment []

Less stupidity, more pretty girls, says DNA discoverer James Watson, who co-discovered the DNA's structure 50 years ago, has celebrated the anniversary by making public a number of controversial statements. Watson wants a gene cure against stupidity, arguing it is an inhertied gene disorder that should be tackled. He also would think it was "great" if we deviced genetic screening to make "all girls pretty." 6:30:57 AM    comment []

Between a rock and a hard place Interesting piece in the Guardian about the "paralyzing fear" the Arab leadership has about the Iraq conflict, caught as they are between their own people and the US. 5:09:04 AM    comment []

I'm all for some kinds of superstition "More than 450 Australian women are to dance naked to try to make it rain." (Ananova) Rather them than Bill Gates. 3:31:59 AM    comment []

Thanks for the visual. Not! "Microsoft is takin' it all off for China. But before you picture Bill Gates cavorting on the Great Wall in his birthday suit, it's only Windows that's stripping down. (Whew!)" (Motley Fool) 2:11:58 AM    comment []

Ari Fleischer laughed out of press briefing White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, while giving a daily briefing to the press on Feb 25, tried to act offended when foreign press asked if the US was trying to buy votes for the Iraq showdown in the UN Security Council. The result was loud laughter from the entire press corps. 1:18:17 AM    comment []

Court refuses to reconsider "under god" ban "Rebuffing the Bush administration, a federal appeals court Friday refused to reconsider its ruling that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because of the words "under God."" (SignOnSanDiego) On the face of the evidence, and the text of the US Constitution, there is absolutely no doubt that the ruling was correct. The pledge in its christinized form effectively states that non-theists are not Americans. Of course, in a panic-Christian country like the US, no politician dare say that. John Ashcroft, who condemended the ruling, has not stated that he will appeal it. As it is now, it is not the law of all the land. If it is appealed, and the Supreme Court should grow a backbone, it would be. 12:37:17 AM    comment []

"I hate those bastards" The Canadian liberal MP Carolyn Parrish joins the rank of Canadian politicians making derogatory comments about their southern neighbours. After an interview about Canada's peace initiative for Iraq, she remarked off-camera "Damn Americans … I hate those bastards." She has now issued a written statement excusing the remark as being made 'in the heat of the moment in a private conversation' and aplogised You probably remember that the prime minister's communication director Françoise Ducros had to resign after calling President Bush a "moron" last year. I think it's an understatement to say the relationship between the two countries are at an all-time low. 12:12:31 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.04.2003; 01:32:43.