26. april 2003

'The world is not moved' It's not uncommon for fundamentalist Christians to insist on a literal reading of the Bible when it comes to evolution. However, the same people who insist in a literal reading of the first verses of Genesis are mostly insisting on a very figurative reading of verses that indicates a flat earth or that the earth is not moving. There are exceptions. The Earth is not moving site is created to combat both evolution and the idea that the Earth is moving around the Sun. To combat the evil heliocentric views the authors cite some Bible verses and argue that mathematics is a Satanic theory building on the Jewish Kabbala. Hey, I struggled with math at school, too, but it never occurred to me that the whole thing is Satanic. 9:17:32 PM    comment []

Cold War II India and China have started a nuclear arms race, and are supplementing it with a space race, Bruce Sterling writes in Wired. It is, he argues, the start of a new cold war. Why is Gandhi's homeland trying to reach the moon when people sleep on the streets in Calcutta and AIDS gnaws the country's flesh? For the same reason the US sloughed off poverty programs to fund Apollo in the 1960s: global prestige. It's anybody's guess who will get the upper hand in this cold war. The Chinese are trying to do what Soviet failed at: combining market economics with a modernised Communism. It's not that clear what India's bold plan is for building the economic muscle it needs to become a big player. 8:44:09 PM    comment []

Blair took secret advise from Clinton According to the Guardian, Tony Blair met in secret with former president Bill Clinton to discuss the Iraq question. The objective was to get a broad alliance for support of war through the UN. They discussed the possibility of having Hans Blix set a deadline for Iraq to fully comply. Of course, when France said it would veto any Security Council resolution that set a deadline, all bets were off. 6:55:37 PM    comment []

In Iraq, democracy delayed is democracy strengthened David Plotz is making some very good points about the future of Iraq in a series of articles in Slate. He makes a good point, refering to experiences from Bosnia and Cambodia, that a fast transition to elections makes for an unstable democracy. For one, early elections tend to put extremist groups in all camps into power. He recommends establishing local democracy first (as in Kosovo), and also to make sure an independent judicial branch is built up and strengthened. Without checks and balances, democracy cannot work. The problem is that delays will fuel tension and discontent, and also increase international criticism of the US. Everything bad happening in Iraq today is blamed on the Americans. The international rivals of the US, in particular France and Russia, will no doubt seize any opportunity to criticise to score cheap international points, and to build the anti-American alliance they want to strengthen. In addition, nothing will please these countries more than a failure in Iraq. This all means it is more important to do it right than to do it soon. 5:21:46 PM    comment []

Kim Jong Il's blog Have a look at the LiveJournal of North Korea's excentric leader Kim Jong Il. Sure, a fake blog of a famous dictator is not a very original joke, but some of the IM (instant messaging) conversations between him and Gerge Bush are just hilarious. 2:42:31 PM    comment []

Santorum: "I have a problem with homosexual acts" If you are one of the few who hasn't done so yet, you should read the full text of the Associated Press interview with Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania). The whole interview reaks with bigotry and hatred. The paragraph that was widely quoted is just the tip of the iceberg of a man who would surely fit in better with the Taliban than even the American Republicans. 11:53:20 AM    comment []

More breastfeeding What is it with Americans and breastfeeding? Deborah Wolfe, a Canadian travelling by plane between Houston and Vancouver, found herself under threat because she was breastfeeding her son and changing his diaper. She claims her "subversive" actions led to her being threatened with detainment, RCMP involvement and legal charges for terrorist action against a U.S. citizen in international airspace while on an American flight during a time of war. I can't help thinking that these people have serious mental issues with women's breasts. 11:37:38 AM    comment []

Munch exhibition in the dark The Stenersen Museum in Oslo, Norway, exhibits a large collection of Edvard Munch paintings in a room with no lighting. The audience enters the completely dark room carrying torches. This isn't an avant garde way to show off Norway's most famous artist, though, but the only solution according to museum officials. Munch printed his works on paper of low quality, and if exposed to normal lighting, it will discolour and fade. Yet, the audience says the darkness and the torches add to the experience. 11:18:17 AM    comment []

Sars death rate revised up The World Health Organisation has estimated that the death rate of Sars may have increased from 4% to 5% or 6%. Some experts suggest an even higher death rate, maybe double that. The New Scientist operates with even more chilling numbers, taken from the hardest hit areas and only taking "resolved cases" into account, that is, cases where the patient fully recovers or dies. In that case, the death rate is between 13 and 19%. It estimates, based on past epidemics, that the final death rate may end up on around 10%. 12:44:03 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.05.2003; 03:01:06.