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23. desember 2003
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How Libya deal brused France's ego
Steven Den Beste points out that France was excluded from the entire Libyan diplomatic circuit. With its close relationship to northern Africa, this omission could be considered an important sign that France is really out of the loop, and that the exclusion is pretty permanent. At any rate, the bruised egos in Paris were rather obvious. I think, however, they will have to get used to it in the future.
Counterpoint: everybody appears to have been left out, as these were trilateral negotiations between Libya, the US and Britain only. Italy could have been natural partners too, but were not in on these talks either. And Italy is certainly on Bush's good side.
11:31:59 PM 
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Google-bashing
When a service or company is in such a dominant role as Google is now, there just has got to be naysayers around telling it is really bad for us. BBC Technology analyst Bill Thompson is a typical example of Google bashers. His article doesn't really contain any serious argument for Google being bad for anyone (maybe except its competitors), but it contains a lot of what I will call implied arguments.
First, he compares frequent use with substance addiction. You can do this selectively (say, with using the net, but nobody sane would compare eating or drinking water to an addiction). He has not explained exactly how frequent Google use is bad or unfortunate in any way. His argument merely rests on an implicit association of the word "addiction" with negative consequences, without telling us which they are.
Second, the "golden age is over" argument. Google was pure in the past, but now it is evil and corrupted, in a fallen state. Why? Because it now uses advertising and is making money. Does the BBC pay him to be a clueless "technology analyst"? Woe onto him!
Third, elitism. It must be bad because it is popular. Google, he argues, is the McDonald's or Coke of search engines. The comparison to McDonald's is especially potent as the horror example of cheap, crappy and bad for your health. However, the comparison falls down because search engines are free to use. If both McDonald's and three-star restaurants were free, I doubt many people would eat a Big Mac.
On the Net, everybody can use the best site. The fact is Google is the best overall search engine, an argument underlined by the fact that Bill Thompson himself uses it, and the absense of any mention of competing search engines that are supposedly better. There are none.
9:38:53 PM
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Saddam Claus
Yes, that Saddam looked like Santa is the joke of the season. Apparently his daughter Rana has not realised that, as she is now telling the world what a wonderful father the dictator was, and how he was always Santa Claus for the kids (very cosmopolitan for a Muslim!).
And, yes, this cute story about the mass murdering ex-dictator is the top news item in the Norwegian Nettavisen right now!
11:27:43 AM
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The RepubliCard
Since the US President has been having such a great prelude to Christmas, cosmic balance requires a bit of Bush-bashing here. The above credit card is a funny gimmic from one of Howard Dean's countless campaign blogs.
And, yes, if Howard Dean is to have any chance to become President, the budget deficit is a much better topic than the Iraq war. Borrowing from future taxpayers may be necessary in times of recession, but there should be a plan to recover the money when the good times are back.
7:50:31 AM
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Travel restrictions in Palestinian territories harm healthcare
Because of the travel restrictions and security roadblocks set up by the Israeli army in the occupied territories, Palestinians have increasing difficulties getting to hospitals. Two Israeli human rights groups say that more than half of all Palestinian mothers now give birth at home. Before the latest intifada, 95% of all births were in hospitals.
The report found that in 70 percent of calls to the Red Crescent, the local health care organization responsible for transporting most of the sick, ambulances are unable to reach the patient in need.
It's hardly the thug in Ramallah that suffers from the increased security and the roadblocks. Anyone really thinks Arafat cares, except by using such tragic facts as propaganda ammunition?
5:52:05 AM
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More on DVD Jon
Obviously, you can't say that "DVD Jon"'s lawyer has not been doing a good job when he's been facing the heaviest legal artillery from the US movie industry and yet defeated them decisively - twice - but there is something odd about this case still: Apparently, the lawyer was surprised by the timing of the December 22 ruling, thinking nothing would happen before January:
"We weren't prepared that the verdict would come down so early," said lawyer Halvor Manshaus, defense attorney for the 20-year-old computer expert who helped crack the code that protects DVD content.
Norwegian media has been saying the same thing. But in fact international newsmedia has for a week reported that a ruling was due precisely yesterday:
The Oslo Court of Appeals heard closing arguments Wednesday and Thursday in the trial of Jon Lech Johansen, also known as "DVD Jon." A verdict is expected on Dec. 22.
See also The Register and InfoWorld, writing about the upcoming decision.
Obviously, the international computer press has known about this for some time. The Norwegian press hasn't, and neither has Johansen's own lawyer, who apparently had a hard time getting hold of the "hacker" celebrity to tell him the big news.
The ruling itself has been available in the Norwegian press (e.g. VG), but the commentary is exceptionally sparse and nothing interesting has been said by anyone.
Not a single journalist have come up with the idea of calling a legal expert to ask what precisely are the option for the prosecution of they are to appeal to the Surpeme Court. Once someone has been aqcuitted twice, including the appeals court (Lagmansrett) it is rather limited what the Supreme Court can do, unless I am much mistaken.
I am certainly no legal expert, and this is a rather complex case, yet it surrpises me that not a single news source has bothered to check out the fundamentals.
Actually, that was a lie. Knowing the Norwegian journalists, it doesn't surprise me at all that they do nothing except write the obvious.
2:30:45 AM
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Russia slashes Iraqi debt
Russia has offered to cut Iraq's $8bn debt by 65% in exchange for access to the Iraqi market for Russian companies.
Was Wolfowitz' Pentagon memo excluding the anti-war countries from bidding on Iraqi contracts really bad timing, or actually deliberate tough bargaining?
12:31:50 AM
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© Copyright 2004 Jan Haugland.
Last update: 01.01.2004; 02:47:04.
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This is my blogchalk:
Norway, Bergen, Norwegian, English, Jan, Male, 31-35.
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