2. august 2003

France, Germany still wanting to settle scores with the US I guess I wasn't the only one noticing that three countries abstained from the 12-0 UN Security Council resolution authorizing a multinational peacekeeping force to Liberia. The three countries were, unsurprisingly, France and Germany, and slightly more surprising, Mexico. The reason for the three abstaining votes was that the US insisted on a clause excempting the forces from accountability to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Obviously stating their objections in this case was more important to these countries than trying to bring an end to the bloodshed in Liberia. I have in the past been very critical to the US refusal to recognise the ICC. However, when I see how some parties have misused other international fora to "get" the US over political conflicts I am more sympathetic to that decision. The Greek lawyers who are planning to indict Tony Blair and other senior UK ministers over the Iraq war will have reinforced Bush's decision to oppose the ICC. Sadly, because it undermines the authority of the ICC, ultimately an important tool to deal with war criminals all over the world. 2:13:33 PM    comment []  trackback []

Palestinian forces detain militants at Arafat's Ramallah HQ Major development in the Middle East conflict: Palestinian Security forces have stormed Yasser Arafat's Ramallah headquarter and arrested about 20 wanted militants, most likely members of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade. Israeli forces last year besieged the compound for longer periods, and Arafat did not dare to leave, fearing the Israelis would storm the compound to arrest the militants if he was gone. Apparently, this was a direct demand from the US to the PA. The militants will not be handed to the Israelis, but will be held under US supervision in a Jericho prison.  This will be claimed as a major concession from the PA, and evidence that prime minister Abbas is serious about the roadmap (and have some muscle). The Palestinians will no doubt demand corresponding moves from Israel. If the US has managed to pressure the PA into this move, they are no doubt leaning hard on Sharon to accomplish just that. 1:42:44 PM    comment []  trackback []

Wants Mandela embalmed after his death Some chapters of the African National Congress (ANC) are proposing that former South African president Nelson Mandela is embalmed and exhibited in a glass casket after his death. Nelson Mandela, who is definately still alive, has not been asked. But chairman of the Nelson Mandela Foundation Professor Jakes Gerwel calls it a "silly idea". That about sums it up. 10:36:27 AM    comment []  trackback []

Brit men have no clue what "foreplay" is A large study of 10,000 British men and women revealed that 80% of British men didn't even know what "foreplay" is, thinking it might be a computer game or a sport. The men also rated themselves much better at the technical side of things than the women that had experienced them. 70 % of men rated themselves 9/10, while women gave them a 6/10 average. The women obviously had smaller egos than the men, rating themselves at 5/10. PS: You should follow the link, as model Jordan "fronts" the foreplay campaign, a fact not lost on the newspaper. 9:21:17 AM    comment []  trackback []

A fucking hilarious legal document This must be one of the funniest legal documents ever, filed to motion the court to dismiss charges against a Colorado teenager who had cursed at the school principal using the words "fuck", "fucker" and "fucking fag" to quote the legal brief's headline. Defender David S. Kaplan went to a lot of trouble arguing that the word "fuck" isn't that offensive after all, and goes into the history of the word (no, it never meant "fornication under consent of the king," as the urban legend has it), its usage in popular movies like Pulp Fiction, and points out that Google finds "fuck" about 24.9m  times on the net, against e.g. a meager 13.6m hits for "baseball." It's like Monty Python meets the law. Perhaps sadly, the document never had any real significance, as the lawyer cut a plea deal that had the case dismissed if the kid stays out of trouble for four months. 2:04:02 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.09.2003; 14:08:21.