8. mai 2003

Sooner or later... An AP press story misrepresented Iraqi protesters, sccording to the Memory Hole. As you can see on the picture above, an English language banner says "sooner or later US killers, we'll kick you out." However, the AP story accompanying the photo puts stronger words on the banner. "Sooner or later US killers we'll kill you," read an angry banner in English unfurled in the faces of GIs on guard in the central city. The difference is certainly not trivial.   The AP story was reported all over the net, mostly not accompanied by the picture that showed the story misrepresented the protesters. A later AP article correcting the error got far less reporting in the press. As always. 11:47:10 PM    comment []

Matrix Reloaded Review The Mirror has what it claims is the first review of Matrix Reloaded. I am just amazed they could let a journalist who neither liked nor understood the first movie review it. Heck, this is one of the most awaited movie sequels of the decade. Picked this off Slashdot. 11:04:30 PM    comment []

Baghdad museum artifacts 'recovered' As I wrote about here earlier, the Baghdad Museum looting stories in the press were way overblown. It is true that the museum was looted, but apparently its staff had done a brilliant job protecting the priceless treasures. many "missing" items were secretly stored in hidden vaults for safety shortly before the war began, the US Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement. A great relief, and a great job from the staff who did this. 9:09:21 PM    comment []

Tripping for controversy John Horgan in Slate is aiming for controversy in an article advocating the legalization of LSD and other psychedelic drugs. He also recollects his own, mostly positive, expeirences with drugs. Is God a hallucinogen? 9:06:13 AM    comment []

Roadblock to peace Abu Mazen, the new premier of the Palestinian Authority, is prepared to move ahead with negotiiations as outlined in the 'roadmap.' Israel's Ariel Sharon, however, has set one precondition: that the Palestinians abandon the demands that refugees are given the right to return to Israel. Abu Mazen insists this point should be subject to the final negotiations. Sharon insists that if this demand is not dropped, Israel will never recognise a Palestinian state. The reason Washington and the other partners behind the roadmap, the EU, UN and Russia, have put their trust in Abu Mazen is that he says he is firmly opposed to violence. He urges militants to put down their arms, saying "we do not want to use weapons in our resistance against Israel now" (am I the only one worried by the qualifier 'now'?). The big question, of course, is what he can do to achieve that objective. One can question whether he even has the power to curtail Fatah, and even more difficult, use the PA powers to crack down on groups like Hamas who reject the peace plan altogether. If the terror attacks against Israel do not stop, the negotiations will not even get beyond the first phase. 7:37:13 AM    comment []

Instant glider - just add light! NASA is planning to explore the surface of Mars with a glider plane. Problem: the Mars atmosphere is only 1% of the Earth's, so it will require a massive wingspan to carry even a small plane. And how do you pack such a large set of wings into a small package that can be sent to Mars? Scientists are planning to exploit the fact that UV radiation is much more intense on Mars. By making inflatable wings in a material that hardens under UV radiation, it should be possible to have a plane with inflatable wings that grow out and hardens under the intense light. 4:57:15 AM    comment []

Captured lorry 'probably' a WMD lab The Pentagon is a bit less cautious than it was earlier, and seems more optimisitic (if that is the right word) about the captured lorry that was captured near Mosul in northern Iraq. Its status as a lab for chemical or biological weapons production has been upgraded from 'possible' to 'probable.' A number of false alarms have inspired caution in everyone, obviously. The lorry had been pointed out by a defector before the war. Pentagon intelligence chief Steve Cambone says more tests are required to know for certain. 2:38:10 AM    comment []

What makes sane people murder strangers? Shirley Lynn Scott has written an interesting article on the ever-fascinating topic of serial killers. Except in bad movies, serial killers do not look insane, and in fact, they aren't. We think we can spot lunacy, that a maniac with uncontrollable urges to kill will be unable to contain himself. On the bus, in the street, it is the mentally ill we avoid, sidestepping the disheveled, unshaven man who rants on over some private outrage. Yet if you intend to avoid the path of a serial killer, your best strategy is to sidestep the charming, the impeccably dressed, polite individual. They blend in, camouflaged in contemporary anonymity. So what makes a human being kill and torture others for killings' own sake? I guess what fascinates and scares us about sociopathic serial killers is their apparent normality. Apart from the killing part, that is. 2:00:22 AM    comment []

Saddam's archive to be used against France and IAEA According to DebkaFile, which has proven reasonably well informed in these matters, the US is planning to make use of the vast archive of Saddam's intelligence agencies made available to them, to strike at two targets. One is French President Jacques Chirac. I don't have to explain why he has earned the special emnity of the Bush administration. Quite interesting, the Baghdad files allegedly show a very intimate relationship between the Chirac family and Saddam Hussein, going far back in time. And their disclosure will, sources say, be very damaging for the French president. We'll see. The second target is the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Dr. Mohammed ElBaradai (picture), who has accumulated enemies in Wahsington by being, as they see it, more an obstruction than an aid to nuclear control. ElBaradai is, the sources say, to be replaced with a more effective leader. PS: DebkaFile also says that the famous "discoveries" of the Daily Telegraph, which has been very helpful for Tony Blair and correspoindingly destructive for his opponents, was really controlled leaks from US intelliegnce. The more I think about that, the more sense it makes. It was a bit suspicious how lucky those journalists were. 12:28:33 AM    comment []

Behold, G. O. Sars Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway last Wednesday christened this maritime research vessel G. O. Sars. Yes, it's named after the same pioneering marine biologist I mentioned earlier. No, for some reason nobody thought it necessary to change the name of this ship, which has been planned for years, just because a dangerous and very hyped disease was given a similar name. I suspect they'll regret that decision. 12:15:38 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.06.2003; 03:29:35.