14. juni 2003

Just what the world needs! Yet another boy band. Actually, you may be more forgiving on hearing that five (of course) young men with dreams of stardom are Iraqis, and have attarcted the attention of a British pop consultant after hearing their single "Hey Girl." The fivesome calls themselves Unknown To No One, and the five trendy Iraqis are from diverse ethnical and religious backgrounds. "We were inspired by boy bands like the Backstreet Boys, Westlife, those guys," said Falluji, who is studying chemistry at university. "They're famous and their music is really cool." Not only is music a universal language, bad taste is universal, too. 10:18:43 PM    comment []

Traitor to the lesbian world Jackie Clune jokingly calls her self a hasbian. She used to be a lesbian. No, she's not born again, and she doesn't object to anyone being gay. But turning from a outspoken lesbian to straight brought unexpected hostility from her former friends. Her amusing reason for turning away from women: In many ways, this is all standard-issue break-up stuff, straight or gay; but I couldn't help feeling my answer lay back on the other side. I longed for my mind back, my own personal head space and the blissful state of basic incomprehension between man and woman which means you don't have to waste years talking about your bloody feelings. At least one woman who can appreciate our total lack of comprehension of them. 9:34:07 PM    comment []

Union Black The above is the new flag of the United Kingdom, as proposed by one Nigel Turner. He wants to add the black to symbolise the multiculturalism of the British society. "If I flew the union jack from a flagpole in my garden, many people would see it as a racist statement," he says. Even though I am not British, I find that statement and new flag offensive, as well as extremely stupid. No doubt his proposal, even if not taken seriously by many, will strengthen the very racist elements Turner opposes. 8:47:11 PM    comment []

Chew it hard Wrigley has filed a patent for making a chewing gum viagra. It has no plans to release such a product, however. Pfizer's Viagra patent will not expire for eight more years, and only then will it open up for copy products. 6:32:11 PM    comment []

Naked man scares shark to death Probably not funny for the poor shark, but it's hard not to laugh at such a crazy story. The comedian Guy Venables jumped naked into a fish tank with a 3 feet (1 meter) shark in Brighton as some weird publicity stunt, and the sensitive shark died. "This variety of shark is susceptible to stress. We are very concerned he died as a result of seeing Mr Venables jumping into the tank," Sea Life Centre's Lisa Handscomb told the Daily Telegraph newspaper on Friday. "The shark is being examined by our biological services team and if it is found that he died from stress, we will prosecute Mr Venables for criminal damage." Why not just throw him into the tank with some less sensitive sharks? 5:13:32 PM    comment []

Homicide vs suicide bombers I noticed again that Fox News, who is normally ridiculing political correctness in language, uses the term "homicide bomber" for someone who blows up themselves and other people. A number of other news sources, prominently Israeli and right wing, has taken up this neologism. The vast majority, however, stick with "suicide bomber." A few does both. The argument seems to be that the goal the terrorists want to accomplish is homicide, killing others, and that the term "suicide bomber" emphasise their own victimhood and not that of their victims. It is a politicasion of language. The argument doesn't hold with me, since any terrorist bomber is attempting homicide. The difference between suicide bombers and others is that the first are willing to kill themselves in the process. This emphasises the fanaticism and dedication of these terrorists. What distinguishes a suicide bomber from another bomber is the disregard for his or her own life, as well as that of others. That is also why it is more difficult to defend against it. Other militants and terrorists are mostly concerned about getting away from the act alive. A suicide bomber is not only willing, but eager, to die in the act. 4:27:30 PM    comment []

Whales as holy animals We can look forward to the ill-named International Whaling Commission (IWC) continuing its tradition as a dysfunctional organ for quarrelling, if we are to judge by a statement recently made by Britain's Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley, complaining about Norway ignoring the moratorium, as is its right since it objected to it in the first place. "We believe the Norwegian whaling is against the spirit of the moratorium. They say it's legal, and it's true they registered an objection when the moratorium was agreed by the commission, so under IWC rules they're allowed to continue hunting. But we think it goes against the spirit of the ban, and certainly their attempts to export the meat are illegal." He really can't have many arguments when he says such a stupid thing. Of course it is against the "spirit" of the moratorium to continue whaling. Norway opposes the moratorium, spirit and words, as does Iceland and Japan. How can he expect someone to abide with a one-sided ban, taken in defiance of scientific facts put forth by the IWCs own scientific committee, that they disagree with? These IWC nations faught long and hard to keep Iceland from joining, even though Iceland is a nation with serious interests in fisheries and whaling, for no other reason than disallowing proponents to voice their opinions. The IWC prefers to keep landlocked countries like Switzerland and tiny San Marino on board, countries with no interest in or knowledge about marine life, simply because these countries allow themselves to take the easy route by giving in to lobbying from extremist groups like Greenpeace. The anti-whaling lobby has been working on the "cuteness" argument alone, contradicting scientific evidence that minke whales are abundant outside our coasts and can be safely hunted like other animals are. 1:17:12 PM    comment []

Have a Pepsi and a smile, and you're fired Rick Bronson, a delivery driver for Coca-Cola, had the wrong drink on job. In uniform, he was spotted drinking a Pepsi, and immediately fired. That, at least, is the explanation the Teamsters Union says the management gave. The union claims he was really fired for promoting the union. 10:05:30 AM    comment []

Cruel summer In the news right now: Demonstrations turned into violent clashes in Tehran, a naval battle off Sri Lanka, clashes in Venezuela, and of course the usual suspects in Iraq and the Middle East. The world is not becoming safer. For some of these conflicts, there has been hope, but there seems to be no feasible master plan for making the world a safer place for its inhabitants. 9:23:18 AM    comment []

Bush stumbles George Bush was photographed struggling with a Segway at the Maine family estate, barely landing on his feet. Very funny reporting at BBC News. 8:06:10 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.07.2003; 00:25:21.