23. april 2003

Should I stay or should I go? Interesting article about the ongoing debate in the US administration: should the US military presence in Iraq be ended as soon as possible, or should it make sure to do the job of rebuilding the country properly even if it means staying longer (and costing more)? 8:34:17 PM    comment []

Don't go there! As Sars remains out of control, the World Health Organisation issues an international travel warning against visiting Toronto, Beijing and the Shanxi province in China, in addition to Hong Kong and the Guangdong province. On a technical note: I have decided to follow BBC's standard and start spelling SARS like a word, ie Sars. Yes, it is an acronym, so it should be capitalised, but four capital letters just looks ugly. So there! 7:25:06 PM    comment []

Fox Reality show will determine new Iraq ruler "Fox executives Monday unveiled their latest reality-TV venture, Appointed By America, a new series in which contestants vie for the top spot in Iraq's post-war government." (The Onion, of course!) Thanks to Rocketman for this gem. 5:39:59 PM    comment []

No contradictions in Star Trek! Some trekkies love finding errors and contradictions in Star Trek episodes. Of course, true believers can rationalise and "explain" every apparent contradiction, as this site demonstrates. I believe the site is not intended seriously, but is a parody of Christian sites attempting to rationalise the inconsistencies and contradictions of the Bible. The parallells are very amusing. 5:37:08 PM    comment []

US admits children held at Guantanamo The US military has now confirmed that children aged 16 years and younger are detained on the Guantanamo Bay prison camp at Cuba. A spokesperson refused to say their number, only emphasised they were "few." Questions about the age of the youngest prisoner was not answered either. Human rights groups who have already condemned the extra-judicial detention camp are further outraged at the news. 3:17:11 PM    comment []

UK advertising watchdog ruled game poster 'condoning violence' Britain's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that a poster for the game Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance confused real life with a game and was likely to incite children to be violent. The complainers, at any rate, obviously had confused real life with a game. 2:57:31 PM    comment []

Sars virus may have been prematurely identified Canadian health officials say there is some question about whether the cause of Sars really is the corona virus the WHO identified. Some suggest the disease may have more than one cause. Dr Frank Plummer, scientific director of the Canadian National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, says: Only 40 per cent of the people with what we call Sars have the corona virus. We have found no other virus but the connection between Sars and corona is actually very weak. WHO says it is aware of these disturbing findings, and are investigating. 1:47:58 PM    comment []

US soldiers find absurd amount of US currency in Iraq US soldiers searching through a Baghdad army base made an astonishing discovery: boxes containing about $656 million in cash. It is likely to be the greatest find of cash ever in history, and in fact represents a nice chunk of all US currency in circulation anywhere. It is believed to be money stashed away from Saddam Hussein's illegal sale of oil for cash. 10:28:18 AM    comment []

Cannabis may protect your brain There is growing evidence that cannabis protects the brain against the effects of aging. An article in the Independent argues that the 3rd most popular recreational drug may become the 'aspirin of the 21st century.' The negative effects of the drug may be offset (and then some) by helping to prevent diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntingdon's and motor neurone diseases. 9:16:40 AM    comment []

Effective deterrent Just got this one in the mail from Humorshack. 7:56:42 AM    comment []

China from denial to panic on Sars Chinese authorites, embarrassed by exposure that leading officials lied about the disease, are now taking drastic measures to try to stop the spread of Sars. All schools in the world's biggest country will be closed for two weeks. Other countries are also taking serious measures to try to stop the spread. 7:00:48 AM    comment []

Neocons attack Powell Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the US House of Representatives, is launching a scathing attack on the State Department for its failure to win international support for the war on Iraq. It is interpreted as a starting salvo in a war between the neoconservatives and Republican moderates, to transform the State Department in the image of Rumsfeld's Defense Department. According to Mr Gingrich, the culture of the State Department represents "process, politeness, and accommodation" as opposed to the president's approach of "facts, values and outcomes." While Gingrich says he is not attacking Powell personally, it is hard to interpret it differently. The White House officially defends Powell and the State Department, saying it did an "excellent job" with the diplomatic process at the UN. Clever. Using a has-been like Gingrich to launch the attack to avoid an open war inside the administration. Call this a test balloon. Powell is finding himself in a weak position after the diplomatic failures and military successes in Gulf War II. 5:19:35 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.05.2003; 02:59:31.