Inspired by Kristogar's thread in the sports forum, I'm starting this to post my thoughts: just consider me to be a homeless man talking to himself on a street corner.
So. Topical stuff: corporate governance is taking a hammering as details of Cheney's dodginess as CEO of Haliburton Oil come out. Is Cheney compromised as V-P, especially in this current business environment? He certainly seems to be keeping his head down low. Bushie in the meantime is copping a little flak, but I think most people accept that the SEC investigation of him years ago proved nothing. Besides, he's popular - he's kicking ass in the deserts of Afghanistan. Or at least his troops are.
Bushie is thinking long and hard about finishing his dad's job in Iraq, and as someone critical of the Bush government and US foreign policy generally, I have 4 words for Dubya:
"Its about fucking time."
Saddam has kicked out UN wepoans inspectors after playing cat and mouse with them for years. He used nerve gas on Shi'ites in the south and Kurds in the north, and lets his people starve because he won't abide by UN sanctions. String the bastard up, I say, and I'm not a fan of capital punishment. Or rather, extradite him to the Hague like our good buddy Slobodan Milosevic. It'd make Iran happy: they'd be the regional power, and depiste the fact the US government doesn't like them, they're the closest thing to a democracy in the region.
On the other hand, I see John Walker, American Taliban, has done a deal with the US government, whereby he will be pumped for information before being sent off to do two consecutive ten year terms in prison and being pumped by every fellow inmate. Personally, I don't see what he did wrong - he joined a militant crazy Islamic sect, but never raised arms against Americans himself. Still he'll be a rich man when he finishes his autobiography, I'm sure.
The Euro has overtaken the US dollar in terms of equivalent worth, which I think surprised the shit out of more Europeans than Americans. Maybe the English will start seriously thinkng about it when Blair calls his anticipated referendum on joining the Euro next year. Too bad the tabloids in London think its an impingement on UK sovereignty - the story is in between the page three girl and the football results, honest.
Finally for today, we have the Blair government talking up decriminalisation of marijuana. Big nights in Essex.
Today, we've got trouble in Turkey. The Turkish prime minister is sick, and unfortunately he's the only sensible bloke in the country, aside from the Harvard grad he appointed economics minister, who has been doing too good a job of making things accountable, transparent and business-friendly. NATO and the EU are worried that an Islamic party will come to power at the next elections. Historically, Turkey was the centre of the last Islamic empire, the Ottomans: currently, it serves as a moderating influence on other nutters in the region, and has friendly relations with Israel. Turkey became a secular country under a guy called Ataturk post WW1. If it becomes an Islamic country (which has laways been the EU's fear, and the reason why the Turks have not been allowed in the EU - oh, and that human rights problem they have), then that's trouble for Europe, as their friendly buffer will go.
America has joined the international war crimes tribunal, thanks to all thats holy, with a proviso that its troops get a temporary amnesty. I'm wondering if that has anything to do with the stories of summary executions of al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners that have been trickling out of Afghanistan. To be fair, the US has always been funny about joining such treaties: George Washington's words echo down the centuries.
A recent meeting between the US, the EU and Russia to talk about Israel and Palestine quickly broke down, because of US insistence that Arafat must go. Arafat has called for elections, in a smart move: while the Israelis and the Americans are pushing for him to go, the Palestinians will give them the finger by voting for him to stay.
Finally, in my part of the world, a big fire in an internet cafe which caused multiple deaths, one of hundreds of illegal (unlicensed) cafes in Beijing, resulted in a crackdown on them. Some have now been allowed to open, subject to strict controls. Makes me wonder who started the fire.
The war-crimes tribunal thing is a tricky one. On the one hand, it seems like a good idea to have some basic playground rules, even if (or perhaps especially if) they inevitably give an advantage to the guys that can afford to play by those rules (the cost-effectiveness of biological weapons versus nuclear weapons is pretty crazy -- biologicals are about 400 times as effective, dollars to deaths).
On the other hand, I'm not really crazy about the idea of Americans being subject to any laws that were not arrived at via a democratic process that they aren't represented in.
It's like globalization. I'm in favor of the philosophy, but the practice has so far really sucked for the little guy (and pretty much everybody is a little guy on this scale). And so when the WTO comes along and tells us Americans that we have to change our own laws -- laws that were determined by democratically elected representatives of the people -- I feel morally obligated to protest. It's a loss on two fronts.
The war-crimes tribunal seems like a loss on one front. I'm still not decided on how the other front is going. My instinct tells me that it might be a win, so I just don't know.
quote:Originally posted by Jack, the Little Death: The war-crimes tribunal thing is a tricky one. On the one hand, it seems like a good idea to have some basic playground rules, even if (or perhaps especially if) they inevitably give an advantage to the guys that can afford to play by those rules (the cost-effectiveness of biological weapons versus nuclear weapons is pretty crazy -- biologicals are about 400 times as effective, dollars to deaths).
On the other hand, I'm not really crazy about the idea of Americans being subject to any laws that were not arrived at via a democratic process that they aren't represented in.
It's like globalization. I'm in favor of the philosophy, but the practice has so far really sucked for the little guy (and pretty much everybody is a little guy on this scale). And so when the WTO comes along and tells us Americans that we have to change our own laws -- laws that were determined by democratically elected representatives of the people -- I feel morally obligated to protest. It's a loss on two fronts.
The war-crimes tribunal seems like a loss on one front. I'm still not decided on how the other front is going. My instinct tells me that it might be a win, so I just don't know.
Three things:
1. Americans are subject to all sorts of things that they had no democratic say in, so what's the big deal with a war crimes tribunal that would only affect their soldiers' behaviour on a battlefield?
2. The US is already a party to the Geneva Conventions on War. This just enforces its breach. My way of thinking is that either you join into the spirit of the thing, and be prepared to face its teeth, or don't bother.
3.Also, on that point, its a fairly fundamental rule of law, to not do anything war crime-ish or genocidal in combat. Its not like its asking soldiers not to litter or double park.
Funny that you are opposed to the WTO, since it opens up incredible markets to the world's largest exporter. I'm sitting on the door step of 1.2 billion people: all of them want Nike shoes, Mickey Mouse pillow cases, and Visacards, and you're complaining?
Yes, Americans are subject to laws that were not arrived at democratically, but I'm against that, too. :)
And like I said about the WTO, the theory sounds good but so far the practice just doesn't seem to be working out. Maybe if the same thing had happened prior to the Big Merger trend, it would've gone down better.
Right now, though, corporate America is a house of cards and it's crumbling. I'd rather see it fall, if that's what it takes to build a solid foundation, than to spread that same disease all over the world.
Jack, Jack, we've got Enron and Worldcom fallen over: Merck has been doing dodgy things with tis books. There is one other....can't remember. 4 in total, but to be fair, lets say...50.
Now, go and have a look at how many companies are listed on the NYSE.
Then go to the FTSE in London, the Hang Seng here in HK, the Tokyo index, Frankfurt, even the little ASX in Sydney.
What you are describing is not endemic. You invest in a company, you take a commercial risk, not only on its profitability, but on the honesty of its executives, and the competence of its auditors.
In any event, the WTO doesn't spread corporatisation. It lowers barriers to entry for the sale of goods and services. Adam Smith's free trade.
Look at Bono. He thinks the WTO is the best thing since sliced bread. He isn't notable for singing the praises of corporate profits. How did he become poster boy for the WTO?
Because barriers to entry prevent poor countries for exporting their cheap products to rich countries. So, the poor countries have to pay up on tariffs. Remove the barriers. The prices lower (consumers in rich countries get happy). They buy more. The cash goes back to poor countries. Their quality of life improves, because their governments have enough tax dollars to build schools and hospitals: people start saving money and can live in decent housing.
Classic example is tulips. Tulips are pretty flowers. Holland grows lots of them. So do some African countries. Holland imposes tariffs to protect tulip farmers. Now, we're not talking some little old lady with a patch of tulips in her backyard here - we're talking agribusiness, large scale companies with vast acres of land, growing tulips. They want protection from their government, and the people pay for that protection through increased - inflated - prices.
Remove the protection. African business become competitive. Rejoice, for they are released from the poverty trap, and all because you bought some African tulips for your girlfriend at a cheaper price, and lobbied in favour of the WTO.
Now, people complain that this means job losses, for when tariffs are removed, jobs will no longer be protected. Steel workers complain they'll lose their jobs. That sucks, surely. How would tariffs help them? Impose steel tariffs on imported steel. Price goes up, so things made of steel like cars beome more expensive. Car workers complain that Japanese cars are too cheap. So, put some tariffs on Japanese cars. Price goes up again. So, you're paying a huge percentage more for your car than you would otherwise.
Welcome to corporate welfare. Its a welfare state system, like Soviet Russia. Its anti-competitive, and its designed to artificially keep people in jobs.
It can't work in the long run, because technology would make those car workers and steel workers redundant anyway. In the meantime, steel companies and car companies executives have become very rich because they've had their bonuses paid for by tariff-protected extra income from moms and dads who needed a new station wagon.
And while those big bosses are chuffing on cigars, its meant that a bunch of people in African countries, or wherever, haven't got jobs in the steel industry for that period of time, and resort to subsistance agriculture to survive. But that doesn't matter, because they're not voters, right?
On that topic, anyway, I just received this by e-mail:
quote:
Apparently, if you had bought $1000.00 worth of Nortel stock one year
ago, it would now be worth $49.00.
With Enron, you would have $16.50 of the original $ 1,000.00.
With Worldcom, you would have less than $5.00 left.
If you had bought $1,000.00 worth of Stella (the beer, not the stock) one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the bottles for a 5c deposit, you would have $107.00.
Based on the above, current investment advice is to drink heavily
A big conference was held on AIDS in Barcelona. It was on the whole positive: the shift seems to be in the direction of treatment, rather than prevention. Prevention has its problems: some people who are already infected don't give a damn about prevention, especially in Afica. Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's President, seems to now have acknowledged that AIDS is spread through sex, and not anything else: probably brought on by the fact that one of his cabinet members, who denied that AIDS was a problem, recently died of AIDS himself. South Africa has the highest percentage of AIDS in the world per capita, so its good he's woken up and smelled the coffee. Its anticipated that India and China will be the next countries with a big AIDS problem.
The conference was interrupted by protestors against the US Secretary of Health, who spoke at the conference but was drowned out by people with loud-speakers. They were protesting that the US wasn't contributing its fair share towards AIDS research. This is a bit unfair, as the US contributes more than the EU, and more than any other country. Deep pockets, big target.
Jacques Chirac, newly re-elected president of France, survived an assassination attempt by a right-wing student. Chirac is currently involved in investigations into his shady financial dealings, which have been suspended as a result of his re-election as president.
Hollywood's lobbyists are readying a new legislative push on Capitol Hill. A lawyer for the Motion Picture Association of America said to expect new bills soon to assail illicit peer-to-peer file trading and curtail the piracy of digital TV broadcasts. Its Napster Part 2: the MPAA are worried that we'll be file exchanging Lord of the Rings on-line. The trouble with this sort of law is that it discourages technological advancements in the area. On the other hand, film companies invest large amounts of money in film for high risk returns, and deserve to own and be able to commercially exploit the end product.
Finally, in Greece, the coppers finally busted November 17, the Greece terrorists who occasionally bomb US diplomats and Greek politicians, and have done so for about 10 years. The group call themselves November 17 after the date of the Greek military coup in the 70s, supported by the seriously deranged Dean Acheson and the US government. The lucky break came when one fo the terrorists accidently exploded a bomb at his house. One of the ringleaders is allegedly a university professor. He has denied involvement. Its good news, with the Athens Olympics scheduled for 2004.
Investors must have been listening to Jack for overnight markets have tumbled in value by up to 3%. Most markets had been successfully resisting Wall Street's losses, spurred on by a governmental enquiry into Enron in whcih two big financial houses, including powerhouse JP Morgan, were accused of assiting to cover up Enron's financial mess. Confidence in the US markets has been severely dented, and now the other world markets, which initially benefitted from the plunge as investors sought to put their money into business outside the US. As shares in the US continued to take a pounding, investors in other markets have become nervous and started to sell.
A financial meltdown may be looming on Wall Street, but more serious problems are expected for 1 February 2019. A big mother of an asetroid is expected to hit the Earth on that date. Another asteroid the size of a football field missed the Earth a month or so ago by the third of the distance to the moon. Rummy suddenly has a new and more valid reason for a missile defence program.
Here in Hong Kong, the government is complaining that Mickey and Donald are screwing it over. Disney has an agreement with the HK Government to build a new Disneyland on Lantau Island (I can see construction from my house), which involves a massive construction effort to flatten part of the island and reclaim part of sea. Trouble is, Disney are now planning another Disneyland, in HK's rival city Shanghai. HK is already facing long term irrelevancy because of the increasing capitalism in China, and the plans for a Disneyland in Shanghai make the future look even bleaker.
Finally, in Israel, Shimon Peres has been on TV saying that the big bomb which killed the head of Hamas' military wing this week was regrettable, since it also killed 7 children and a bunch of civilians. Hamas is an extremist Palestinian group. Peres said various plans to kill the Hamas general had previosuly been called off because of the likelihood of civilian deaths: a bomb had to be used, rather than a helicopter gunship missile in orer to ensure the house collapsed and maximise the probablility of the man's death. One Israeli official has called the action "not wise". Timing of the attack was certainly not prudent: the spiritual head of Hamas had been calling for an end to the intifada uprising on certain pre-condtions. It remains to be seen whether this action by Israel will stiffen Hamas resolve - certainly, it has prompted gun battles in the West Bank.
Today, markets recovered (except for Germany) across the globe, while the US markets contiue to fall, spurred by allegations of fraud against AOL Time Warner and their book-keeping. Watching CNN last night was hilarious, because AOLTW is their parent, and they were carefult o keep the word "fraud" out of their reports (BBC World tossed the word about freely). Bank of China listed on the Hang Seng, and was tossed about by speculators. Welcome to the free market, fellas.
At the Hague, Milosovic, deposed strongman of Yugoslavia, is on trial for genocide but it has been revealed that he has a heart condition. Milosevic refuses to accept legal counsel on the baiss that the court has no jurisdiction over him, and the judges are concerned that the strain of work in defending himself will affect his health. The prosecution are pointing to Rwandan war crimes trials where defence counsel were imposed upon accused, as a precedent that Milo should have the same done to him.
The British Commonwealth Games started in Manchester last night. Go Aussies. The city has built new stadiums and a velodrome for the event, some consolation for being looked over for the Olympics two times in a row.
In the UN, Israel faced heavy criticism over the accidental killing of 14 civilians including 7 kids. The US said it would veto a formal censure by the Security Council. The US itself in the meantime is copping flak for trying to bump a treaty on torture back to the negotiation stage, because of fears this would allow international observers into Guatemalo Bay to check out the Al Qaeda prisoners. The US claims the treaty is incompatible with the US constitution, and privately say it infringes upon states' rights.
Finally, India has sworn in its third Muslim president. Sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims is one of the causes of tension between predominantly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. Don't get your hopes up that a Muslim Indian president will help things - the guy is known as "Mr Missile" because he is the father of India's missile program.
Today, Tommy Suharto got 15 years gaoltime for murder and corruption, in Indonesia, a country not a stranger to either, especially during the reign of Tommy's dad. I've wanted that creep to go to gaol ever since the phots of him being arrested, and the cop had his arm around his shoulder. Naturally, he's appealed.
Gunmen in Israel killed 4 Israeli settlers in a drive-by shooting. A section of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement has claimed responsibility. There is speculation of course that this is payback for the bombing by an Israeli jet which left 9 children dead.
Fidel Casto said "I told you so" to the US today, in the context of Wall Street's ongoing woes, as part of the failure of globalisation. People in glass shitholes shouldn't throw stones, I say. Castro also gave his thanks to the House of Reps for passing a bill designed to ease travel resitrictions to Cuba by US citizens. The bill will surely be scuttled by Bush by veto, but Castro hailed it as a symbolic gesture nonetheless.
An horrific airshow accident in Lviv in the Ukraine has left 80 people dead. I don't know if you've seen the footage, but it was ghastly seeing that jet plough through crowds, and film of the dead lying on the tarmac like bundles of cloth. Dreadful.
Jenny Shipley, New Zealand's prime minister, was returned to power in a coalition government with a reduced minority. New Zealand is an interesting country - its obviosuly Western, but so insignificant that it does things and no one cares. It refuses to allow US nuclear warships into its ports, and allows parallel importing to the horror of the US Trade Represetative. Shipley allowed NZ to take on the immigrants from the Tampa, which Australia refused to take. NZ acts according to its conscience, and good luck to them.
An enormous humanitarian disaster is happening across central Africa, with 12 million people, 7 million of them children, facing starvation due to drought. Angola, Malawi, Lethoso, and Zimbabawe are amongst the worst affected. Part of the problem is caused by the Hitler-moustache fuckwit Robert Mugabe, who has ordered farms in Zimbabwe shut down because they are owned by whites. The white owned farms are the most productive in the country, and as a result, black Zimbabweans and people in surrounding countries are starving. Zimbabwe used to be the regions breadbasket, able to feed itself and its neighbours. Good thinking, Robert.
Still in Africa, the president of Uganda hosted a meeting between the head of the Sudanese rebel army and the head of the Sudanese government. The two men shook hands and were all smiles. Sudan's civil war has been going on for 15 years, a result of violence between Muslims in the north and Christians (the rebels) in the south. Asked whether he would be able to live under the rule of the Sudanese government, the rebel leader smiled and said,"Of course, when we are the government." Something tells me peace is still a while off.
The Gepper, Dick Gephardt, is poised to become House speaker in the forthcoming november US elections. Since the guy is an opponent of free trade, who enjoyed Japan-bashing back when it was trendy, voted against the Gulf war, and fought tooth and nail aginst NAFTA, one hopes his ambitions end there and he is nowhere near the White House in days to come.
Speaking of free trade, North Korea has quietly introduced the market economy. What the hey? There were no announcements. One day there was a control economy, the next, free for all. Kim Jong Il is a weird guy though - he firmly believed that the world would flock to North Korea for tourism (to see 100,000 children dance) and thinks ostriches are the meat of the future. Too bad he has the world's third largest army at his disposal.
Back in the US, Jim Traficant got booted out of Congress. He is just as weird as Kim Jong Il, with his references to Star Trek quotes during speeches, and his defence against corruption charges in which he referred to himself as "my client". He has previously avoided gaoltime for taking $100,000 from the mob by convincing the jury that he was involved in a one man sting operation. Heh.
In China, Jiang Zemin, current president, is in the process of juggling power in the face of the forthcoming congress which will vote on his successor. Jiang currently holds three positions - head of government, head of the communist party, and head of the armed forces. The current generation of power holders in China have introduced market economy reforms, but are fearful of allowing a Chinese Gorbachev into power, with the consequence that China will beome a democracy. Jiang's annointed successor, Hu, is a younger man in his 50s, and his position on many things is not clear. Jiang must give up being head of government, but is trying to jockey for retention of the posts of head of the party and head of the military. Pundits think he'll not keep the job as head of the party, but will still be head of the army. The Chinese government is concerned to maintain stability in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympics. I'm hoping that a younger set of leaders might introduce democracy to the world's most populace country, but I'm not optimistic.
quote:Originally posted by Dave: Back in the US, Jim Traficant got booted out of Congress. He is just as weird as Kim Jong Il, with his references to Star Trek quotes during speeches, and his defence against corruption charges in which he referred to himself as "my client". He has previously avoided gaoltime for taking $100,000 from the mob by convincing the jury that he was involved in a one man sting operation. Heh.
.....am i the only one who does not find this man odd?
Today, camels in Australia. When Australia was first settled, a lot of Afghan immigrants brought their camels, and these were released into the wild when it became apprent that cars and trucks were cheaper and more efficient. There are 800,000 wild camels now roaming the deserts of Australia, which is more wild camels than what you'll find in the Middle East. They are causing some havoc to some local plants species, and there is talk about a cull: other people have played up the benefits of camel milk which is low fat but high protein. Australia also exports camel meat and live animals to the Middle East. If I can get hold of some camel cheese next time I go home, I'll let you know what it tastes like.
A survey of Israeli immigrants living in settlements on the West Bank indicates that up to two-thirds of them would move if told to do so by the Israeli government. Reasons for living there include religion (the West Bank is the heart of biblical Israel), cheap prices, and wide open spaces. The survey was carried out by the Israeli left wing Peace Now organisation, and has been attacked as unmethodological and unscientific by the right wing settlers organisation. The fact that settlers might be inclined to move is an important factor in the establishment of any Palestinian state.
China is very mad about two reports published by two US committees, which indicate that China is a strategic threat (a no-brainer if you ask me - the reaosn why, in a moment). Chinese officials are not pleased with the new line being taken by the Bush administration, which is quite different from the Clinton administration's rapproachment policy. They overlook that the first Congreesional committee is bipartisan, and in fact led by a Democrat. One of the key concerns which comes out of the report is China's increasing ability to launch a strike on Taiwan. I personally see three things which indicates a likelihood of Chinese adventurism in the future: first, the purchase of a Ukrainian air craft carier by a Macau company to be used as a casino, of all things. The carrier is a rusting hulk, but would provide a blueprint of how to build such things. Currently China only has a littoral navy, which prevents it from sending troops across the Taiwan Strait. There have been some clear indications that the carrier will not in fact be used as a casino (eg. who is paying for the two expensive tugboats which are hauling it to China?), something which the Japanese recognised some time ago, and exerted pressure on the Turkish government not to let the hulk go through the Bosporus. Second, China has an increasing male popualtion - extremely disproportionate in some areas, and studies have suggested that this might led them to militarism. Third, the old guard don't look that willing to move out, and that bothers me - Jiang Zemin was a key player in the Tiannamen Square massacre.
Finally, a US study has shot holes in the French paradox. People have been wondering for abut a deacde how the French eat some much fat and yet have an extremely low number of heart related diseases amongst its population. the theory was that there were anti-oxydents in red wine which reduce cholestrol. The next theory was that in fact it was the money, not the wine - affluent French people can afford to go to the doctor more often. The latest study indicates that people who drink wine tend to have better eating and exercise habits, compared to those who drink beer, spirits, or nothing. This study was held in the States, though, and it would be interesting to see if it converts across to pate-swilling croissant-munching France.
Today, the Hong Kong government is in hot water with investors and some companies on the HK Stock Exchange after stupid comments from the Treasury Department indicating that they would seek to de-list any company which traded at less than 50 cents for more than 30 consecutive days. Share prices of small listed companies tumbled, proving that people in government should stay out of business.
The main opposition party in Iran came under attack as a number of politicians were gaoled for various reasons, mostly to do with criticising the government. The news is disheartening given the recent push for reform in that country. The US and Israel is also eyeing the completion of a nuclear power plant in Iran, which has the potential to manufacture weapons grade radioactive material. A strike is entirely possible: hopefully it won't damaga the reform movement even further, but that's probably wishful thinking.
Across the border in Iraq, Saddam has been stirring the public into bracing itself for a war with the US. The common (mis)conception there is that Saddam stopped Bush Senior from taking Iraq in a Western invasion. Plans from Washington reveal that a US attack would secure Baghdad first, and then branch outwards into the rest of the country. It seems to me the only thing which has prevented an invasion so far is Israel's conduct in Gaza and the West Bank.
South Koreans have been complaining about the belittling treatment they get in the hands of the Chinese media, especially in the World Cup. SK did better than the PRC, and Chinese TV have been playing up the story that SK only made it as far as they did because of luck. Comments that the Dalai Lama's receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize denigrated its value have infuriated the South Koreans, since their president received it in 2000. South Korea imposed a huge tariff on Chinese garlic recently in an effort to support Korean farmers, and were pounded by enormous retaliatory tariffs from the PRC. SK had to drop the garlic tariffs.
In Isareal, Sharon has decided to let a third of the budget for Palestine get distributed, cash which was desperately needed since its distribution was suspended during the recent incursions into Palestinian territory by Israeli troops. Israel currently has all tax collected from Palestinians for the past year sitting its its coffers, amounting to approximately US$540 million.
I said before that the guys in southern Sudan were Christians - apparently they are actually pagan worshippers. Eh, small difference.
Finally, the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne has caused controversy at the Pope's big bash in Canada by saying that abortion was worse than child molestation. Some messed up reasoning there: even as an opponent of abortion, it takes some screwball logic to try and draw a comparison btween the two. Sounds suspiciously to me like some post-rationalisation of child abuse by priests of the Church - the same guy was found to have paid money to a family in Melbourne to shut them up about child abuse by a priest. The Pope in the meantime has spoken out for the first time in public against priests who are child abusers - he has asked the Catholic faithful not to lose faith in their church because of the conduct of some of the priests. Too little, too late, IMHO.
First, viagra sales are booming in Kashmir, because men who are either shell-shocked and emotionally distraught, or alternatively have been tortured through electrocution or fire to their genitals, have been unable to maintain erections. Viagra is illegal in Pakistan, but it hasn't stopped chemists (drug stores) there from doing a roaring trade. Too bad Pfizer's patent runs out soon.
Probably the world's most famous Russian surname belongs to the guy who invented the AK-47, Mr Kalishnikov. He has been attending an exhibition in Germany of AK-47s. As a servant of the Soviet Union, he has not made a kopek out of sales of the weapon. Kalishnikov said he was inspired to invent the weapon when Soviet troops in WW2 complained that the Germans had automatic weapons but they didn't. He says he wishes instead he'd invented a better lawnmower.
On a much more serious, and sickening, note....In my hometown of Perth in Australia, an Aboriginal man who had been smoking marijuana and drinking whiskey in a park all day was found guilty of raping an 8 month baby. Medical examinations of the baby indicate she will never bear children and always have incontinence problems. Query: what kind of sick bastard would ever do such a thing, but also how my country has let its indigeneous inhabitants reach a point that some of them - or at least one of them - could think that such a thing was acceptable. The man was sentenced for 18 years. I'm guessing he'll die in gaol.
Speaking of prisons, Amnesty International published a report on Laos gaols. Torture is systematic, and one man was reported to have been detained for 18 years without knowing what he was charged with. Another man described how guards stood on his feet for 5 hours and now he can't walk, and that every time he showers they knock him around the head with steel bars. I had planned to go to Laos at some stage to check it out, but its now off my holiday list.
The Congo war looks set to be concluded. Since 1998, no less than 7 nations armies have been fighting each other in the jungles of the Congo, a long-lasting after shock from the Rwandan genocide. Many Hutus who were involved in the genocide are in the jungle, supplied by two of the armies, and hunted by the other two. A peace deal was signed in South Africa, brokered by Thabo Mbeki (South Africa's president) and Kofi Annan. Whether it will hold up remains to be seen. no one really seems to be capable of restraint in the Congo, especially since many of the foreign armies are getting rich from exploiting the locals and stripping the natural resources of the country.
Finally, the annual conference of ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) is going on in the sultanate of Brunei. ASEAN has always had a policy of not interefering in each other's domestic issues. Despite this, terrorism is the hot topic at the conference. The two other significant things are that North Korea has told observer the US that it is willing to resume talks over weapons of mass destruction, and that Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand will resume relations despite thier armies engaging in a proxy war through guerillas on the Thai-Burmese border. For those who don't know, Burma is run by a military government (it used to be called SLORC, but it changed its name, if I recall correctly, when a New York media consultancy told the government it sounded too James Bond villain-esque), who have held power despite Nobel prize winner Suu Kyi winning power in the late 80s. Since the US has done some good in the world by getting rid of the Taliban in Afghanistan and is going to attack Iraq, they might think about liberating the people of Burma next.
I made another mistake above, talking about the Iranian reactor becoming on-line - its due for completion in 2-3 years. It is located at Bushehr.
Today, Tommy Suharto decides not to appeal his sentence for murdering the Supreme Court judge who convicted him for corruption. Poor Tommy thinks that there is a political climate in Indonesia at the moment which will render an appeal nugatory. I guess that climate is called "due process and rule of law."
President Bush has told the King of Jordan that Palestinian bombers from Hamas who killed 7 (?) people at Hebrew University in Israel have made him"very mad".
Richard Butler, the Australian former head of the UN weapons inspection in Iraq, has testified before a Congressional committee that Saddam Hussein has since the inspections were terminated is probably very close to developing a nuclear device. More reason for an attack on Iraq, since I personally do not want to see Tel Aviv reduced to cinders and glass.
North Korea and South Korea, at the ASEAN summit, are talking about joint representation athe the forthcoming Asia Games. The last time they did this was at the Sydney Olympics.
Scott Sullivan, former CFO of WorldCom, and David Myers, former controller, were arrested in Manhattan by the FBIfor their part in the company's bankruptcy. Some nice photos fo the two gentlemen being led away by agents appeared on the front cover of this morning's South China Morning Post. It seems to me that its not only the US which wants to get milage out of publicly humiliating these two as a deterrant to other execs.
Finally, Jiang Zemin, leader of the PRC, has been invited to go to GWB's ranch in Crawford, Texas, before the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Forum in Mexico in October this year. I think we can expect Jiang to do a Deng Ziao-peng and wear a cowboy hat
since Dave has been backing me as President I started to read his posts here!
No really I have,
I dont always have much to add but as a recovering Catholic I feel a need to respond to the Pope comments. First off...how can this senile fool be an actuall head of anything? I mean the guy barely knows what he just had for lunch and billions all over the world hang on whatever he says! This whole Pedder ass scandal is a load of crap! Everyone acting SHOCKED, please people and NOT just the priests knew this kinda crap has been happeneing for years before I was even born! And the Church just wants to kinda sweep it under the carpet as isolated incidents! The Cardinal in chicago had a press confrence and said the following "We have to look at this on a case by case basis, I mean if a priest had a few drinks and has consensual sex with a 16 or 17 year old [YES HE REALLY SAID THIS!] it might be ok!" Oddly enough that was only broadcast once.....hmmmmm talk about conspiracies..... To compare molestation to abortion is apples and oranges and gets the fanatics in the Church back to focusing on the Abortion clinics shooting them instead of ringing the Bell of the Chicago Cardnials home and saying "the angel of death is coming for you!" [yes that happened too!]
Enough seriousness back to your regualrly scheduled BOOBIES!
quote:Originally posted by britneyspearsatemyshorts: dave wouldja mond doing a short one or two word, or at least sentence recap at the end of each post for the nature boys?
No worries. "Pope fucks up", "Bush cross", and "Sucked in Tommy."
quote:Originally posted by THE Franta: I have a confession to make....
since Dave has been backing me as President I started to read his posts here!
No really I have,
I dont always have much to add but as a recovering Catholic I feel a need to respond to the Pope comments. First off...how can this senile fool be an actuall head of anything? I mean the guy barely knows what he just had for lunch and billions all over the world hang on whatever he says!
He's actually an incredibly smart guy but....
quote: This whole Pedder ass scandal is a load of crap! Everyone acting SHOCKED, please people and NOT just the priests knew this kinda crap has been happeneing for years before I was even born! And the Church just wants to kinda sweep it under the carpet as isolated incidents! The Cardinal in chicago had a press confrence and said the following "We have to look at this on a case by case basis, I mean if a priest had a few drinks and has consensual sex with a 16 or 17 year old [YES HE REALLY SAID THIS!] it might be ok!" Oddly enough that was only broadcast once.....hmmmmm talk about conspiracies.....
...but you're right, he has seriously messed this up. Not only was it a public relations disaster for the Church, he tried to smooth it over by talking about doing something to stop it, and then doing nothing.
Part of the Church's problem is that it still thinks itself above secular laws. This means that the priests of the Church shouldn'tbe subject to criminal laws concerning child molestation or whatever, and that's plain wrong. If the Church wanted to impress people with a solid clean up campaign, it would adopt a zero tolerance attitude towards such conduct. And frankly why would anyone expect anything less? Child molestation is a crime, and a benevolent organisation like the Church should have no place for it whatsoever.
And covering it up just makes it worse, because people start to think there is a conspiracy (thinking about that, there actually is one). It just goes to show how out of touch the senior hierarchy of the Church is with popular sentiment.
I don't like to bash the Catholic Church as I think it does some good things in the world, but this is plain wrong.
quote: To compare molestation to abortion is apples and oranges and gets the fanatics in the Church back to focusing on the Abortion clinics shooting them instead of ringing the Bell of the Chicago Cardnials home and saying "the angel of death is coming for you!" [yes that happened too!]
Enough seriousness back to your regualrly scheduled BOOBIES![/QB]
Whatever your view on abortion, you have to acknowledge that there are good intellectual arguments either way (abortion is killing unborn children vs. laws against abortion is government regulation of/interference in a woman's reproductive system). Child molestation is another thing entirely - there is no justification for it. The dipshit Australian Cardinal who said this needs to wake up.
quote:Originally posted by britneyspearsatemyshorts: franta ive never been so disapointed in my life!
please
please forgive me....
Leave it to the pope to spin the molestation on to abortion....Im on the fence on this issue...but pundits seem to love to use the abortion issue to avoid other problems!!!!
Over here, a priest said in a press conference that they didn't turn pedophiles to the police cause "God knew they were sinners when He chose them"! I laughed my ass off and everyone in the room looked at me like saying "Dude, 8 year olds..."
quote:Originally posted by Dave: Inspired by Kristogar's thread in the sports forum, I'm starting this to post my thoughts: just consider me to be a homeless man talking to himself on a street corner.
Wow, I seem to be inspiring a lot of threads recently...why? Most people treat me like a homeless man talking to himself on a street corner...
I can't keep up with all the stuff in this thread, though. The qualifications for my age demographic(11 and under) prevent me from doing any deep thinking about any subject sans sports and sex. And the decriminalization of marijuana, that's all good, too.
quote:Originally posted by britneyspearsatemyshorts: franta ive never been so disapointed in my life!
please
please forgive me....
Leave it to the pope to spin the molestation on to abortion....Im on the fence on this issue...but pundits seem to love to use the abortion issue to avoid other problems!!!!
Oh, yeah. Its the Church's whipping boy.
Kristogar, I will try and accomodate your marijuana legalisation issue. I have heard that in my home state of Western Australia there is some talk about legalising it. I will investigate further. Plans to legalise it in the UK have recently run into resistance from a bunch of people, mostly to do with the fact that possession now gets you a warning, but dealing will get you a severe sentence. Its a political trade-off, but pro-hemp groups complain that it will mean folks will have to buy their mull from serious criminal types.
Other news - Taiwan's president has affirmed his country should be independent. This will cause teeth to be bared in Beijing. China regards Taiwan as a rogue province, and refuses to renounce armed intervention to get it back. Taiwan refuses to join the PRC while it is communist, but has always made an official claim to be the real government of China (it still calls itself the Republic of China, and uses the old pre-communist revolution flag of China). Taiwan is a democracy, and so the US backs it with military aid. Its come at an embarrassing time, as Jiang Zemin, China's leader, prepares for a trip to the US. Maybe he won't get to wear that cowboy hat after all.
Argentina's currency crisis is spreading to Ururguay and possibly even Brazil. Brazil has less overseas debt, so its less susceptible. Still, if South America's biggest economy was to go tits up it would not be pretty.
The Economist reported this week that the PLO had agreed to unconditionally stop suicide bombings, and the document announcing this was due to be released the same day that Israel dropped its bomb on the residential area. Israel had been goven a draft, which had been prpared in co-ordination with the Europeans. This was in addition to Hamas's offer to stop suicide bombings, on certain (difficult) conditions.
Two things come out of this:
1. Sharon's hardline policy almost got results. This surprises me, but it seems to have worked.
2. Despite this, either there was a terrible blunder in dropping that bomb, or Sharon did it calculating that it would spoil prospects for peace.
The operators of the world's five largest Internet domains asked the U.S. Commerce department to scale back the powers of the body that manages the Internet's global addressing system. The three companies that manage dot-com, dot-net, dot-org, dot-de and dot-uk told Commerce department Undersecretary Nancy Victory that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and numbers should be reined in. ICANN isn't exactly the most transparent organisation in the world - sounds to me like some sort of boys club, where they do as they lease. Certainly the introduction of dot-biz was a stupid idea, which was always going to encourage cyber-squatters.
Finally, Tony Blair, UK PM is on holiday in France. He's a happy man - things are going well for his government, and even if they weren't he'd always be able to count on the Torys (conservative opposition) to fuck things right up for themselves. He has two big tasks upon his return - preparing to help the US invade Iraq, and convincing the English that they should join the Euro in a referendum planned for next year. Enjoy the sun, Big T.
Nearly 3,000 Zimbabwean white farmers face eviction at midnight tonight, the government's deadline for them to leave their properties, as a 12-year land seizure battle reaches its crescendo. Many of the farmers affected remained on their land yesterday, despite the threat of a two-year prison sentence for defying the eviction order. Nothing like instituionalised racism, is there?
Yasser Arafat and the rest of the Palestinian cabinet gave cautious approval yesterday to an Israeli proposal for its troops to withdraw gradually from Palestinian areas, beginning in the Gaza strip, in exchange for a Palestinian crackdown on militants. How they intend to crack down with most of their adminstration destroyed remians a mystery to me.
Saudi Arabia, the main launch pad for the 1991 war against Iraq, has made clear to Washington, publicly and privately, that it will not allow US forces to use its territory in any way for a new attack, the foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, said yesterday. The Sauds run a regime almost as oppressive as the Taleban, the difference being that they are allies of the West, and have lots of oil. The Saudi people are very critical of the West, and the Saudi government has every right to be concerned if there was a backlash against their government if Saddam was kicked out. So much for GWB's "you're either with us or you're against us."
![[wink]](images/icons/wink.gif){kind=icon}
