30. august 2003

No farting please, we're Swedish "There is no more farting amongst the staff in the Swedish national bank. "We do not have a specific fart ban, but we have ethical guidelines and naturally, farting is simply not done here", said Staffan Folke at the bank's work environment office." (Nettavisen English) That stinks, however you put it. Read the whole story, including the story behind the recent crackdown on farting. It's one of the best Swedish jokes ever, and that says a lot. 7:40:34 PM    comment []  trackback []

Four arrested over Najaf bombing Four people have been arrested by Iraqi police in connection to the deadly Najaf bombing which left up to 107 people, among them Iraq's most senior Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim. Two of them are reported to be Saudis, the other two were Iraqis. Authorities said the suspects have known ties to the Al Qaeda terror network and that they have also boasted of further plans to damage vital installations in the area, such as power plants, water supplies and oil pipelines. The Shiite population in Najaf has already demonstrated against both Saddam loyalists and the coalition force for failing to bring security to the area, perhaps forgetting for a time that they last month insisted on the coalition troops leaving the holy city. Update: Later reports suggest the two foreigners were Pakistanis, not Saudis. It doesn't exactly weaken the link to al-Qaeda. 4:46:09 PM    comment []  trackback []

Nuclear-powered sub sinks in Barents Sea A Russian nuclear-powered submarine designated K-159 has sunk under towing to a scrap yard. Two of the crew are found dead, one rescued and nine are missing presumed dead. The nuclear reactor has either been removed or deactivated, depending on which report we are to believe. The 40 year old attack submarine had been stricken a long time ago and had no weapons on board. Three years ago the nuclear sub "Kursk" sank in the Barents Sea, taking with it 118 lives. 3:40:47 PM    comment []  trackback []

Happy blogiversary Rob! Rob at Emphasis Added, one of my favourite bloggers here on Salon blogs, has been writing his rants and raves for a whole year. 10:40:11 AM    comment []  trackback []

Quack Watch Here's another one who wants to earn a buck from people's gullibility: Philip Stein Teslar has developed a watch that allegedly contains a chip that creates "a frequency that neutralizes the electromagnetic fields emanating from devices like cell phones, computers and radios " Again, according to the company, electromagnetic fields has been linked with a number of "health problems like headache, fatigue and memory loss,"  conveniently vague ailments that affect everyone sooner or later. This nonsense product may stick out from the crowd thanks to some clever marketing. A number of celebrities like Madonna, Sharon Osbourne and several players on the Oakland Raiders American football club are wearing the watch and of course they all feel so "energized." Electromagnetic fields' effect on humans has been studied for many years, and there is no evidence of any harm, said John Farley, professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "As long as you're not inside a microwave oven, you'll be fine," Farley said. Kudos to Wired for a very fitting headline: A Watch Powered by Snake Oil. Not to forget some clever marketing powered by the endless supply of gullible celebrities. 10:21:51 AM    comment []  trackback []

Yahoo wants blogs There are rumours that Yahoo! is about to buy a blog service, not unlike what Google did when it acquired Blogger. 8:06:41 AM    comment []  trackback []

— Iraqi WMDs in Lebanon This article says US intelligence suspects that Iraqi WMDs and missiles were transported out of Iraq in January, and that they presently are stored in the heavily fortified Bakaa valley in Lebanon, under Syrian control. There has been many claims earlier that Syria had received Saddam Hussein's arsenal of chemical weapons, but the areas are clearly off-limits to the US and its allies. DebkaFile has earlier made similar claims, based on Israeli intelligence. Then again, it has also said they are in underground tunnels in Samarra in Iraq. 7:59:28 AM    comment []  trackback []

New species found in Venezuela Scientists have discovered ten previously unknown species of fish, and one shrimp, in the Caura River Basin in the jungles of Venezuela. Among the species is a catfish with a spiky head the scientists dubbed "punk", and a piranha that also eats fruit. Conservationists are now working to have the Venezuelan government designate the area a wildlife reserve. 4:41:30 AM    comment []  trackback []

Campbell quits Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's top aide and the man credited with Labour's until recently impressive press liason, has resigned. He was expected to leave the job later this year, but it was a big surprise that he quit amid the Hutton inquiry, while his boss is in his most troubled time ever. Perhaps he realised that his job was untenable now that he had become the story, a rather uncomfortable position for a man who spins all the other stories. His successor is named as David Hill, a public relations expert who is reportedly known for plain speaking. Campbell becomes the David Kelly row's most high-profile casualty. 3:09:58 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.09.2003; 14:11:00.