1. juli 2003

Hong Kong demonstrations A large demonstration is spoiling the Chinese celebration of the sixth anniversary of the communist takeover of Hong Kong. As many as 350,000 is protesting a new repressive law that they fear will erode civil freedoms and give the government excessive powers to strike down all dissent. The Chinese authority insists the "one country, two systems" principle is still in force, but the people in Hong Kong are not convinced. Both the EU and the US has condemned the new laws. I wonder what John Ashcroft thinks about them? 11:39:31 PM    comment []

How to save money "'Fake alcohol' can make you tipsy" (BBC)  10:53:33 PM    comment []

Is Japan seeing the light? The Japanese Tankan survey of business confidence is showing the most optimistic results in two years, the factories are increasing production, the stock market is rising and the Yen is strengthening. Are we finally seeing the Japanese economy rebounding? Maybe, but... 10:12:17 PM    comment []

Cool clock script Here's a simple page that demonstrates a cool JavaScript. It displays a fancy analogue watch that follows the mouse cursor around. Very nice programming. Be warned: Don't be tempted to add this to your blog! 9:21:02 AM    comment []

Bush considers "Marshall plan" for Palestine The Bush administration is considering a massive boost in financial aid for the Palestinian areas, in an effort to marginalise Hames. The terrorist organisation has an extensive school and welfare system that has helped it win support at the cost of the Palestinian Authority. To counter this, the US government may give aid to the Palestinian areas to help improve Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas' standing among the people. 6:19:06 AM    comment []

— God told Bush to attack al-Qaeda and Iraq Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (also called Abu Mazen) makes some statements quoted in the Israeli daily Haaretz, which is sure to raise a few eyebrows: According to Abbas, immediately thereafter Bush said: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them." God told him to do that? Bush really said that? 5:34:13 AM    comment []

Is it broken? If a place, a website, a business or anything else is broken, in your opinion, you can report it on this site. Ironically, the site is located on GoodExperience.com but it's really about bad ones, isn't it? 4:31:12 AM    comment []

US asked to send forces to Liberia Commentators, people in Liberia and even UN Secretary General Kofi Annan are making pleas for the United States to interfere in Liberia to restore law and order and put an end to the devastating civil war. Bush had told president Taylor he has to step down, but stopped short of pleading any military forces on the ground. France has interfered in its former colony the Ivory Coast, the British brought the situation under control in its former colony Sierra Leone, and since Liberia was founded by freed slaves from the US, this is where the fingers are pointing. Bush knows only too well that any armed conflict in Africa is not exactly a vote-winner back home. The US armed forces will remember Mogadishu, as will the public. And, to top it off, the US armed forces are currently spread dangerously thin across the globe with large troops tied up in Iraq and significant special forces hunting al Qaeda in Afghanistan. When some third world country blows up, it is the 'imperialist nations' people turn to for help. The regional powers in Africa appear pretty powerless to bring order to their neighbourhood (as, we will remember, did the European powers when the Balkans threatened to blow up under the weight of Serbian nationalism). 3:00:36 AM    comment []

Frist rants against gay marriage Senator Bill First, like many other right-wingers, is totally devastated by the Supreme Court decision to strike down Texas' sodomy law. Mostly, they are scared that the privacy argument could have some far-reaching consequences. "I have this fear that this zone of privacy that we all want protected in our own homes is gradually — or I'm concerned about the potential for it gradually being encroached upon, where criminal activity within the home would in some way be condoned," Frist told ABC's "This Week." "And I'm thinking of — whether it's prostitution or illegal commercial drug activity in the home — ... to have the courts come in, in this zone of privacy, and begin to define it gives me some concern." This is what is called the slippery slope fallacy in logic. Frist should perhaps read up a bit on logic, but I'm afraid he would run out of arguments quickly if he did. So what exactly is Frist and his fellow bigots afraid of? It is of course gay marriage. To prevent a future Supreme Court from striking down laws set up to prevent it, he supports a constitutional amandment to define marriage as between man and woman only. This is where he loses me. First, a marriage is not private. It is about as public as it gets. It is only relevant to the state to put up marriage laws to the degree it involves others, or it involves money. Second, what exactly is it right wingers like Frist fear about gay marriage? This is where empty rhetoric replaces good arguments. Frist again: "I very much feel that marriage is a sacrament, and that sacrament should extend and can extend to that legal entity of a union between — what is traditionally in our Western values has been defined — as between a man and a woman. So I would support the amendment." Another fallacy, this time argumentum ad antiquitatem, the argument that something is good or true because it is old. Slavery, torture and under-age marriage were also old institutions. That prejudices are old does not justify them. Of course, the bigots do not explain exactly why a gay marriage would somehow be a problem for the traditional heterosexual marriages. Will Frist love his wife less if there exists gay marriages in the same state? Will his marriage give him and his wife less rights and privilegues? No. Will it at all interfere with his life? Not except that his bigoted soul will be in pain knowing that such "sinfull" unions exist and are protected by law. A gay marriage (or, gay partnership as we call it in Norway to avoid offending our local bigots) merely gives some legal protection to an existing relationship: property rights, insurances, heritage, taxes, etc. It is good for the very un-sacred realities of life. Its existence should not at all infringe on the sacredness of those who chose to live in traditional heterosexual unions. They keep their bedrooms to themselves, and others can keep theirs to themselves. 1:40:10 AM    comment []

Oxford professor under fire for refusing to accept Israeli student Professor Andrew Wilkie of Oxford rejected an application from Israeli student Amit Duvshani because of the "gross human rights abuses" the Israeli army has influcted on Palestinians. He sent an email to the student saying: "Thank you for contacting me, but I don't think this would work. I have a huge problem with the way that the Israelis take the moral high ground from their appalling treatment in the Holocaust, and then inflict gross human rights abuses on the Palestinians because they [the Palestinians] wish to live in their own country. I am sure that you are perfectly nice at a personal level, but no way would I take on somebody who had served in the Israeli army. As you may be aware, I am not the only UK scientist with these views but I'm sure you will find another lab if you look around." The email caused an outrage in the press, and Oxford has pressured the professor to apologise and backtrack. As he should. 12:23:55 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.08.2003; 01:51:21.