14. juli 2003

Scary!! I just found out I have the same birthday as the controversial Italian prime minister and business tycoon Silvio Berlusconi. He is, however, a bit richer and a bit older than me. 11:42:17 PM    comment []

Study: Only a minority of Palestinians want to return The "right to return" to Israel for Palestinians is going to be a controversial part of the future peace talks, if they ever come that far. Today Dr Kahil Shikaki, a Palestinian political scientist, landed himself in serious trouble when he presented a comprehensive study, where pollsters had asked 4,500 refugee families in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Jordan about whether they would like to return to Israel. While an overwhelming majority, 95 %, supported the principle of return, only 10 % of those polled demanded permanent residency in Israel and more than half would be happy with compensation homes in the Wet Bank and Gaza. The presentation caused an uproar among Palestinian activists. About 200 Palestinian refugee activists stormed his Ramallah office on Sunday, smashing furniture, throwing eggs and assaulting Dr Shikaki and some other members of staff. "We are here to announce that our right of return is a sacred right," said a leaflet distributed by the protesters. "We will resist any attempt to sabotage our right of return." The hysterical reaction doesn't bode well for future negotiations, but if the study conclusion is sound, it seems the Palestinians are far less fanatical on these questions than their leaders. 11:21:15 PM    comment []

Bastille Day France today celebrates Bastille Day, a national holiday that can be compared to the 4th of July in the US and 17th of May in Norway. When I was young, I actually managed to be in Paris on July 14th twice. What I remember the best was that the day was marked with large military parades through the capital. 8:32:35 PM    comment []

Salads drive McDonald's sales boost The world is definately not what it used to be. McDonald's reported that June sales (excepting new restaurants) increased 2.1 per cent, driven by, among other producs, its new line of salads. Well, we live in a time when the best rapper is white, the best golfer is black, Germany refuses to go to war and all that, so I guess we should see this coming. 6:24:45 PM    comment []

I thought this was a joke at first... BabyInk Tattoo is what it sounds like, a tattoo parlour for toddlers and children, in San Diego, CA. They say they believe that it's never to [sic!] early to start expressing your unique personality through professional, high quality body art. The problem is: whose taste and personality is expressed in the body art? The toddler's? Hardly! I am all for tattoos, but I think it's a decision that should be taken by the person having to wear the art, and only when old enough to make that decision for themselves. PS: Would you choose a tattoo parlour who has a misspelling/grammar error on its web site? Update: The site is a hoax. 3:28:34 PM    comment []

Some of us have known that for a long time "If you really want to get to know someone, try rummaging through their CD collection. An study has proved that when it comes to judging a person's character, their favourite music is one of the most valuable clues." (The Age) A group of Texan psychologists have supposedly tested this and reported their findings. The problem is, of course, that some of us have a heck of a lot of music, and we've outgrown most of what is in our collections. 3:23:28 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.08.2003; 01:51:50.