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Saturday, May 17, 2003
The Iraqis can rule themselves . . . after we take their oilIn an abrupt reversal, the United States and Britain have indefinitely put off their plan to allow Iraqi opposition forces to form a national assembly and an interim government by the end of the month. From this New York Times article. If this comes as a shock to you, please e-mail me so I can sell you some property.
posted by Walter Reade at 6:16 PM
Judo Tournament My daughter and I competed in the 2003 Fox Valley Judo Championships today. I took second in my division, she took fourth. Judo is a fantastic sport that is very physical yet very subtle. The Judo Information Site will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Judo.
posted by Walter Reade at 5:52 PM
Friday, May 16, 2003
Mormon Name Generator My Mormon name is Valista Valliere Adelvade! What's yours? (I have no idea how it works.)
posted by Walter Reade at 9:28 PM
Phoebe Eng and Cultural Fluency I had the privilege of hearing Phoebe Eng speak at an Asian-American diversity conference. Phoebe is an extremely talented and insightful individual who speaks on issues of diversity and cultural fluency. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book Warrior Lessons: An Asian American Woman's Journey into Power.
The month of May has been designated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution declaring the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Week as May 4-10, 1979. Then in 1990, President George Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long. Finally, Public Law 102-450 approved in October 23, 1992, designated May of each year Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Some Asian-American links can be found here.
posted by Walter Reade at 7:20 PM
Maybe He Doesn't Get Out MuchThe new civilian administrator for Iraq, L. Paul Bremer III, said yesterday, "[Iraq] is not a country in anarchy. People are going about their business, they are going about their lives."
Mr. Bremer may want to read the xymphora blog, which has done a nice job of documenting the continued lawlessness and anarchy in Iraq. Bremer is either lying or he doesn't actually get out much.
posted by Walter Reade at 6:09 PM
Valuable Tips for Air Travelers The Cracked Planet provides some Relaxation Tips for Those Frightened by Flight.
For example:Tip #1: Lean back into your comfortable seat, allowing your head to rest snugly against the soft woven fabric. Screen from your mind any concerns about the other heads that have been in contact with that same piece of fabric during the past 48 hours - the time that adult head lice can survive without a human host. Chances are that none of the recent passengers had a serious infestation of head lice. Even if one or two did, it's by no means certain that head lice were left in the fabric that now contacts the back of your head. And even if a few lice are there, waiting for a warm human head to offer a new meal of blood, the lice may not include any pregnant females ready to lay dozens of eggs ("nits") in your hair. And even if you experience your own infestation, it can probably be eliminated with as few as two treatments of pesticidal shampoo. Remember, the odds are entirely in your favor. Relax!
posted by Walter Reade at 5:42 AM
Thursday, May 15, 2003
Department of Homeland Security Used to Track Texas DemocratsFrom the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:One federal agency that became involved early on was the Air and Marine Interdiction and Coordination Center, based in Riverside, Calif. -- which now falls under the auspices of the Homeland Security Department. (Article) I wouldn't be surprised to see "representatives" from the Department of Homeland Security at the 2004 presidential elections . . . to protect us from the terrorists, of course. Update: The Bush administration says the use of the DHS was inadvertent, referring, of course, to the fact that they got caught doing it.
posted by Walter Reade at 10:50 PM
Terror-o-meter "The Terror-o-meter is a small, wall-hung device that displays hourly readings of the world's current state of terror. It contains a small TCP/IP enabled microcontroller which continually analyzes the current state of terror based on the keyword parsing of world event news feeds."
posted by Walter Reade at 10:15 PM
Great QuoteApparently, Bush administration intelligence is to intelligence as Fox news is to news. from Enron-Like Unreality. (Via skippy the bush kangaroo)
posted by Walter Reade at 9:44 PM
John Ashcroft knows . . .The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just round the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means, it is an end. (George Orwell, 1984).
posted by Walter Reade at 9:31 PM
On April 16th, the Bush administration lowered the national terrorism "threat level" from Orange (high) to Yellow (elevated).... Down-shifting the alert level signaled that our military conquest of Baghdad had reduced the terrorist danger to Americans. Or had it? On April 21st, the State Department issued a warning to Americans overseas that the conclusion of the war in Iraq "may increase the potential threat to U.S. citizens and interest abroad including by terrorist groups.... U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness."
Given that the military conquest of Iraq increased the terrorist danger to Americans, how can it be viewed as a victory in the "war on terrorism"? (And this was published before the terrorist attack in Riyadh.) Meanwhile, we continue to search for Sadam's chemical and biological weapons. Update: Read New York Times opinion Paths of Glory. "The Iraq war, in particular, did nothing to make America safer — in fact, it did the terrorists a favor."
posted by Walter Reade at 9:21 PM
Will we have better success in Iraq?Nearly 18 months after American-backed forces ousted the Taliban from power, Afghanistan languishes in a strange limbo between war and peace. Though Washington's efforts have brought a measure of freedom and democracy, many of America's promises about rebuilding Afghanistan have yet to be realized. The Bush administration . . . seriously underestimated the amount of aid it would take to pay for both relief and reconstruction needs. (Article)
posted by Walter Reade at 9:01 PM
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Haven't we killed enough of them?Evidently not.United States military forces in Iraq will have the authority to shoot looters on sight. 'They are going to start shooting a few looters so that the word gets around' that assaults on property, the hijacking of automobiles and violent crimes will be dealt with using deadly force. (article) I wonder if the "shoot-a-few-looters" policy extends to U.S. soldiers and journalists who have stolen property or U.N. workers who loot their cafeteria. I've got a hunch it will only apply to "liberated" Iraqis. What a great message we are sending about how democracy works. Don't arrest them. Don't give them a trial. Shoot them on the spot.
Update: Read Bob Herbert's New York Times opinion Shooting to Kill.
posted by Walter Reade at 7:15 AM
More on media biasIt's an easy argument to follow. Media corporations want to maximize profits. Government regulations can severely impact these profits. Therefore, media corporations will act in a way as to please the current government administration. Paul Krugman writes in this New York Times column:Through its policy decisions — especially, though not only, decisions involving media regulation — the U.S. government can reward media companies that please it, punish those that don't. This gives private networks an incentive to curry favor with those in power. Yet because the networks aren't government-owned, they aren't subject to the kind of scrutiny faced by the BBC, which must take care not to seem like a tool of the ruling party. So we shouldn't be surprised if America's "independent" television is far more deferential to those in power than the state-run systems in Britain or — for another example — Israel. Bottom line: If you want the truth, you will need to look outside major U.S. news media.
posted by Walter Reade at 6:27 AM
Monday, May 12, 2003
Exposure to farm chemicals may increase risk of prostate cancerThe May 10, 2003 issue of Science News reports a study from the American Journal of Epidemiology which links on-the-job exposure to certain agricultural chemicals with a 14% increase in the risk of prostate cancer. Additional details can be found in this article. My Take: While the results are shown to be statistically significant, a 14% increase does not seem like a big deal . . . unless you are an environmentalists with an agenda or a tort lawyer.
posted by Walter Reade at 6:12 PM
Iraq: The Land of Liberated LootersFrom New York Times article, New U.S. Official Arrives in Iraq to Try to Curb Violence:
The situation in Baghdad and much of Iraq is tumultuous. "Unless we do something in the near future, it is likely to blow up in our face," one American official said. Baghdad is once again becoming a city of almost hourly eruptions of gunfire.
...
On Sunday black smoke billowed over Baghdad's skyline as looters set fire to the city's former telephone communications center, apparently as a distraction for others who tried to steal cars nearby. On the other side of the city, hundreds of looters, who now range through the city every day, poured into a former palace of Saddam Hussein after American military units decided to vacate it. Criminals are shooting at other criminals, officials said. Families are settling scores, and some Iraqis are just taking potshots at American forces.
...
From the outset, the task of quickly re-establishing order and civil administration in Iraq was far more daunting that American officials had planned for, they now acknowledge. I don't see any real incentive for the U.S. to restore order in Iraq. The longer the country is in chaos, the longer we can occupy and control their oil.
posted by Walter Reade at 6:39 AM
Betrayed by the United NationsWe moved to our new position and were ready to occupy it at the appointed time. Up until then, we had no idea where we were or who we were replacing. At 10 o'clock, we began the exchange and suddenly searchlights illuminated our new position and American music blared over loud speakers. Then a voice called out a special "welcome" in English. The speaker identified our division, regiments, and battalions by number and all of our leaders by name. Read a soldier's account of the Korean War here.
posted by Walter Reade at 6:33 AM
Sunday, May 11, 2003
Good Luck Yesterday, my daughter found a four leaf clover. This is something I have never been able to do. Here is a site dedicated to four leaf clovers.
posted by Walter Reade at 7:56 AM
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