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Saturday, May 11, 2002
posted by gbarto at 7:50 PM:
And Den Beste on the end of the Nativity siege. My own thoughts tomorrow night.* * *
posted by gbarto at 7:49 PM:
Den Beste notes that President Chirac is playing games with the Israel issue. Like the Norwegians halting Israeli goods, this poses the greatest threat to those who think they're in a position of strength. The French people aren't blind, and those French most apt to notice first that synagogues were being burned and second that this was not merely bad or a fire hazard but downright horrifying are the ones who voted for Chirac to stifle Le Pen (an idiotic act since Le Pen, not withstanding the "details" comment, supported Israel's right to be Israel, if only to assert France's right to be France). These voices for tolerance will turn just as quickly against Chirac, if given the chance. The French president, like too much of the French political establishment, went to one of a small number of schools that produce politicians, had it reinforced for him that his beliefs didn't matter, only his adherence to managerial patterns, and has come away with the sense, therefore, that the masses could be perfectly governed if only they could be better controlled. Like the Communists who considered crop reports false when they failed to conform to the five-year plan, the French politicians see defects in the people, not their programs, when things go awry. The problem for such thinking is that the people occasionally manage to make their voices heard in spite of the technocratic efforts to stifle them. M. Jospin has already found this out. Will Chirac be next?* * *
posted by gbarto at 7:35 PM:
I don't know how many others have picked up on this, but A Dog's Life has the perfect answer to what to do with the site where Flight 93 crashed.* * *
posted by gbarto at 7:30 PM:
And the Libé lead:Proche-Orient
A Bethléem, accord et confusion
Le siège de la Nativité est levé. Le sort de treize Palestiniens accusés de terrorisme et déportés à Chypre n'est pas réglé.
At Bethlehem, agreement and confusion. The siege of the Nativity Church is lifted. The departure of thirteen Palestinians accused of terrorism and deported to Cyprus hasn't been resolved.
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posted by gbarto at 7:28 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 6:24 PM:
Momentary computer access achieved, so a little French news and thoughts on the Middle East as time permits.Le Monde:
Jean-Pierre Raffarin affiche sa méthode
Le premier ministre a réuni son gouvernement, samedi 11 mai à Matignon, pour un séminaire de travail sur la mise en pratique des orientations définies par le président Jacques Chirac, vendredi, lors du premier conseil des ministres. M. Raffarin a insisté sur la méthode de travail de son équipe qui doit reposer sur "la règle des trois tiers : un tiers d'écoute et de terrain, un tiers de travail législatif et un tiers d'initiatives urgentes". / The prime minister brought together his government Saturday, May 11, at Matignon (the p.m.'s official residence) for the first council of ministers. M. Raffarin insisted on the plan of action for his team, which rest on the three "thirds": one third listening and getting the lay of the land, one third putting together a legislative program, one third attending to urgent measures.
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Thursday, May 09, 2002
posted by gbarto at 7:17 AM:
And I'm off on family business. Will update if I run across a computer. If not, back Sunday.* * *
posted by gbarto at 7:15 AM:
Blast kills 29 in Russian townKASPIISK, Russia — A remote-controlled mine exploded along the main street of a southern Russian town near Chechnya on Thursday, killing at least 29 people and injuring about 150 during celebrations marking the Allied victory over the Nazis.
Yikes! First Karachi, now this. Though this was apparently remote controlled. If, as the article at least hints, Chechens were involved, this would indicate at least one Muslim society at least recognizes the difference between suicide and battle.
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posted by gbarto at 7:08 AM:
Israelis enraged by video game.I think they ought to be all in favor of it and steering everybody to it as an example of the barbarism they face. Would they really be that upset to see Arafat's claims reduced to cartoon violence crap? I think it's an excellent depiction.
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posted by gbarto at 7:06 AM:
Israel Plans RevengeCabinet expected to wage military strike in Gaza Strip; Palestinians arrest 16 Hamas members
It's kind of funny how the Palestinians have suddenly discovered the need to arrest these folks again. Maybe because of Instapundit's warning that Arafat's end is near. The question is how long they'll stay arrested.
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posted by gbarto at 12:43 AM:
All about crappy jobs, over at Natalie Solent's blog.* * *
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
posted by gbarto at 11:58 PM:
Go read Thursday's bleat (it's about the UN and its latest resolution condemning Israel, hit "previous" if the one you get isn't). Lileks ends with a list of those standing against Israel versus those with it or abstaining and poses the question, "which set of countries would you want your kid to grow up in?" Of the lists, I would note that the Russian Federation went against Israel (so did Turkey, a major disappointment), but the non-Muslim lands that lived under Russian domination pretty much stood with Israel or on the sidelines, notably Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Germany. Skimming the list, the only non-Muslim victim of Soviet domination to stand against Israel that I noticed was Armenia (standing for once with Azerbaijan). I'll leave it to others to decide what, if anything, this means.* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:37 PM:
Libé:Libé and Figaro agree on one thing: Yesterday's bombing was all about the French. Even Le Monde played at the game, noting only in article summaries that 14 (including the bomber) perished; the emphasis was on the 11 French. Let's look at Libé's take:
At least 11 French killed in a bombing at Karachi
Au moins onze Français tués dans un attentat à Karachi
Au moins onze membres de la direction des chantiers navals ont péri dans un attentat à la voiture piégée • Michèle Alliot-Marie se rendra jeudi au Pakistan • La piste d'Al-Qaeda a été évoquée mais non établie. / At least 11 French killed in bombing at Karachi At least 11 shipyard engineers [Fox says they were working on a submarine] perished in a car bombing - Michelle Aliot-Marie will travel to Pakistan Thursday - Al Quaeda links have been evoked but not established.
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posted by gbarto at 11:20 PM:
Figaro:Le Figaro takes things personally with the screaming headline: Anti-French bombing in Karachi
Attentat antifrançais à Karachi
Un kamikaze a jeté sa voiture piégée contre un autobus, faisant quatorze morts dont au moins onze Français, hier matin à Karachi, le grand port du sud du Pakistan. Les autorités ont immédiatement annoncé l'ouverture d'une enquête sur une « possible implication » du réseau terroriste Al Qaida / Anti-French bombing in Karachi Yesterday morning at Karachi, a large southern port in Pakistan, a kamikaze rammed his booby-trapped car against a bus, making for 14 deaths, at least 11 of them French. The authorities immediately announced the opening of an investigation into the "possible involvement" of the terrorist network, Al Quaeda.
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posted by gbarto at 11:13 PM:
Le Monde's daily wrap-up:Le gouvernement décrypté
A l'issue de longues tractations, le premier ministre a achevé de composer, mardi, son gouvernement. Dominé par les chiraquiens, il compte quelques signes d'ouverture vers la société civile grâce à la nomination du philosophe Luc Ferry à l'éducation et de l'arrivée, à Bercy, de Francis Mer. La première journée d'activité du gouvernement a été marquée par un attentat qui a fait 11 victimes françaises au Pakistan. / The government decrypted At the conclusion of lengthy negotiations, the Prime Minister succeeded Tuesday in putting together his government. Dominated by Chiraquiens, it includes some signs of opening up to civil society thanks to the nomination of the philosopher, Luc Ferry, for Education and from the arrival, at Bercy, of Francis Mer. The first full day of work for the new government was marked by a bombing with 11 French victims in Pakistan. [note the express mention of French casualties without acknowledgment of the others; normally it is assumed that only the US could take such a nativist approach]
And here's the headline for subhead 1: Attentat à Karachi : 11 Français tués / Bombing at Karachi: 11 French dead
The article summary below this acknowledges that there were a total of 13 fatalities.
The other two big stories: Bombing Shatters Peace Process and A leftist majority in June? - the article says fear about the rise of the FN may cause more leftists to vote and discourage others from supporting Chirac's party as they try to balance off France's tilt to the right.
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posted by gbarto at 10:49 PM:
The TurkeyBlog will be out of town for a few days for family business; posting will probably be intermittent at best until Sunday.* * *
posted by gbarto at 6:21 PM:
This has got to be a joke.* * *
posted by gbarto at 6:16 PM:
From Quark Soup:56% of participants in a National Geographic poll do not want to buy food with genetically modified content. (Of almost 6,700 votes as of today; scroll halfway down the page -- the poll is on the right.) 15% don't care.(found at Instapundit)
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posted by gbarto at 6:01 PM:
Bush Affirms Arms RightWhite House: Constitution says person may possess guns
Just to tag along with all the other right wing libertarian bloggers, amen. The point of the Second Amendment wasn't just to defend the country as a whole; it was to permit the individual to protect himself. And while the Amendment doesn't say it explicitly, the Declaration of Independence makes it quite clear that the citizenry even have the right to defend themselves from the government, which would make the "only militias" argument especially idiotic.
So here's my question for every left-leaning individual: What if Matthew Shephard had been armed?
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posted by gbarto at 5:55 PM:
What Mr. Arafat has chosen as a key instrument of liberation, says Mr. Friedman, "threatens all civilization because if suicide bombing is allowed to work in Israel, then like hijacking and airplane bombing, it will be copied and will eventually lead to a bomber strapped with a nuclear device threatening entire nations. That is why the whole world must see this Palestinian suicide strategy defeated." - Nat Hentoff, quoting Tom Friedman in the Washington TimesI can't find the original article, but seeing the below, I immediately thought of it:
Suicide Bomber Blows Up Bus in Pakistan, Killing 13Earlier today I heard on the news that Bush had given Sharon the greenlight to do what he felt he needed to do in the wake of a bombing attack that just happened to coincide with Bush and Sharon discussing the possibility of peace in the Middle East. Let's hope so, or Friedman may be proved right. This tactic - regardless of the device - must be eliminated, even if it requires taking apart piece by piece every culture that would sanction it.
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posted by gbarto at 5:28 PM:
Glad to see Blogger Pro seems to be working again; earlier I tried to update and it would not go through for anything, this time telling me that the server wasn't set right. Strange since when I uploaded a file, it went through just fine. Not a bad service, but there are times when it gets a bit frustrating.* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:33 PM:
Attention Andrew Sullivan:The following appeared in a UPI write-up I found at Instapundit:
The result was a collapse of the left and election of the flamboyant conservative Silvio Berlusconi at prime minister. [my emphasis]Just to note that the "flamboyant" in "flamboyant conservative" has nothing to do with orientation; it actually refers to the left-wing belief that for conservatives to be successful, there must be something flashy or unusual, since their substance obviously couldn't be the reason.
The article, incidentally, is solid in substance, explaining well how petulance on the far-left across the continent is turning away ordinary voters and preventing logical alliances from forming. However, the article - as I indicated with the flamboyance comment - assumes that if the left could get it together, the right wouldn't be so resurgent. Actually, what's happening in Europe is like a very weak, toned down version of Reagan's rise to power in 1980: After years of rule by leftists and alleged rightists offering leftism lite (as Nixon), a new political mentality is needed because the old guard has too much invested in the status quo to acknowledge its failings and take corrective action against what ails society.
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posted by gbarto at 9:18 AM:
What's up with the markets? As Joe Kernen notes on CNBC, Cisco's all the rage today, but it's still under $16. In the meantime, Merril Lynch discussions moving brokerage stocks. But are these really proxies for the market? Or just shorthand for journalists looking for an easy way to slap a headline on a more complicated trading story? CNBC seems to be asking the right questions. Not that it's affecting their coverage any.* * *
Tuesday, May 07, 2002
posted by gbarto at 11:41 PM:
Le fossé se creuse entre Bush et Sharon / The Split deepens between Bush and SharonThe White House persists in sulking about Arafat, but the shadow of the old Palestinian chief weighs heavy on the Oval Office. Should one negotiate peace with him or not? And with a new terrorist attack in the mix, the question hung in the air during the fifth Bush-Sharon meeting.
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posted by gbarto at 9:19 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 9:02 PM:
A beautiful post which reminds that it is not tax harmonization but tax competition that is best for consumers.* * *
posted by gbarto at 8:55 PM:
Den Beste on the attacks. An excellent analysis.* * *
posted by gbarto at 8:40 PM:
Sharon is angry and upset - and rightly - at the way things have unfolded. Plainly fingering Arafat, he announced his intention to make to "cease to exist" those who would kill Israelis indiscriminately. I'm afraid he may have no choice; what we learned today is that either the Chairman's intentions are malevolent or meaningless; the only thing that slows down terror against the Israelis is having their enemies on the run. We wish the elected Prime Minister well in his efforts to bring peace and security to his people, acknowledging the need for the second to come first.* * *
posted by gbarto at 6:01 PM:
How goes the peace process? Not so well, by all accounts. This afternoon, Pres. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon were meeting to discuss ways of effecting peace in the Middle East, including ways to give the Palestinians a better life, better education, better jobs, et cetera, so they could find a higher purpose in life than killing Israelis. Of course there are some who don't want the Palestinians to know such a life, who fear that Islam has already been too corrupted by people having decent lives and that the Palestinians should struggle unto martyrdom or the death of the Jewish state, whichever comes first. To that end, a Palestinian apparently associated with Hamas detonated himself in a snooker club in a city just south of Tel Aviv. The last I heard, we had 16 dead, some 60 injured, 7 critically, and no word on how many might have been trapped when the three story building began collapsing into itself.We therefore have Bush played for the fool: Just last week he was pressuring Congress not to pass a pro-Israel resolution because the Palestinian viewpoint needed consideration and the resolutions on the table didn't go far enough in acknowledging this. In the mean time, he has been taking flak from the right for discouraging Israel from pursuing a war on terror (that today claimed another 16 lives at least) whilst we pursue our own. He has been repaid with Palestinian extremism on the one hand, Palestinian incompetence on the other. Hamas will not renounce killing, and for all his protestation against Israeli intervention, Arafat is incapable of restraining them - or he is complicit in murder, take your pick.
So, how goes the peace process? Perhaps dead. Sharon will soon be back in Israel to succor his country's wounds, his hopeful talk of working something out with the Palestinians this morning turned to anger and frustration this afternoon. After a couple hours, the PA finally released a statement condemning the bombing, though one feels that it should not take a special meeting for the Chairman to issue a condemnation - one that should have come after 15 minutes, not 2 hours and 15 minutes. And after 24 days of relative quiet - only 15 or 20 killed between the two sides in 24 days, as opposed to 24 seconds. Off to see Sharon's speech on Fox News. Back soon.
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posted by gbarto at 4:17 PM:
Post-homicide-bombing rants here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:02 PM:
Andersen and Enron are on the mind of the USS Clueless, as is the plight of the 13 Palestinian deportees who may or may not be accepted by the Italian government. Den Beste has an excellent solution.* * *
posted by gbarto at 7:43 AM:
Pipe Bomber Likely 1 PersonAs promising leads are found, another bomb is found in a Midwest mailbox.
The Washington Post says it's one bomber; I think there's probably at least a few copycats here. But what do I know? (When it comes to criminology? nada)
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posted by gbarto at 7:40 AM:
Palestinian Dreams DashedIn battered Ramallah, hopes for future swamped by sea of destruction.
As opposed to Israel where everything's hunky dory, people don't mourn the dead, and the fear of getting on a friggin' bus has no effect on one's way of life. Right?
Looks like the WaPo is again lapsing into that leftish belief that third-world feelings have more meaning than first-world feelings. But if the Palestinians want a hopeful future where Israelis stop driving tanks through town, it's going to require a little action from these people - like giving up on the idea that it's either acceptable or feasible to drive Israel into the sea. Even if leftish ideology holds that these are simple animals responding to poorly conceived behaviorist models, their every action driven by the lessons of their training from the west. Kind of strange, thinking about that behaviorist model - the monkeys figure out how to avoid the shocks and get the bananas, yet when the West acts, full-fledged human beings from the third world are considered too driven by emotion, frustration and powerlessness to use reason in conceiving of a better response than incoherent violence when they think things should be different. I give the Palestinians more credit as logical human beings, but I guess that means I place more responsibility in their hands too, a no-no when it comes to keeping your ideology about third-world victimology pure.
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posted by gbarto at 7:30 AM:
13 baddies getting exiled from Israel/Palestine. Since Rome seems to know so much more about what Israel should be doing than Israel, it's good that they get to look after these 13 (forgive the sarcasm).* * *
posted by gbarto at 7:27 AM:
Still more pipe bombs, now in Colorado and Texas. So the question is, are we talking about copycats or something organized? The notes with the first ones seem to imply the government controls us and the bombs are a wake-up call. Where do these idiots get the idea that getting your hand blown off is going to make you wake up and realize the government is too intrusive? Or do they know they're reinforcing the conviction we need more government?* * *
Monday, May 06, 2002
posted by gbarto at 11:39 PM:
The Arafat files. Found at LGF, of course.* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:32 PM:
I know I recommend Den Beste all the time, but this has to be seen. Steve has been fiddling with the "mice" images from the Hubble telescope to get his own sense of what's going on with the stars in there and the results are both fascinating and beautiful. Go take a look.* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:05 PM:
Excellent thought at the top of this post from Natalie Solent.* * *
posted by gbarto at 9:28 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 9:15 PM:
All about Verisign.I'm with somebody else but had my own encounter with Verisign not too long ago. They tried to tell me my domain was expiring and I needed to renew right away - with them for twice what my service costs! The form inside tried to play down the fact that it involved changing registrars and no, they didn't really know much about your domain, but the front of the envelope simply stated that I needed to renew my domain immediately or I might lose it. Guess the danger would be greater if I registered with them.
Here's my link, and why I wouldn't register with Verisign anyway.
Update: The short scoop about Verisign is here.
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posted by gbarto at 9:06 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 9:02 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 8:54 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 8:41 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 5:19 PM:
An excellent essay on part of what being an American is all about over at Welch's place.* * *
posted by gbarto at 5:10 PM:
Instapundit notes of the Fortuyn assassination:Meanwhile immigrants from North Africa are reported to be celebrating.Just like the Palestinians on 9/11. But not to worry, we in the West will indulge and protect them anyway, because - and I'll say it again - while we have our own cranks and haters, Western society writ large is better than that.
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posted by gbarto at 4:54 PM:
By the way, be sure to visit Mr. Sullivan's page for more on this.* * *
posted by gbarto at 4:53 PM:
Dutch Politician Shot DeadRight-wing candidate Fortuyn was shot six times leaving an interview.
It's curious the headlines aren't mentioning this:
Fortuyn, who was bidding to become the first openly gay Dutch prime minister, was riding high in opinion polls which predicted he could grab around 15 percent of the vote in a general election on May 15.This is Europe's unthinking self-hatred and obsession with third-world viewpoints coming back to bite them on the ass. A homosexual has been killed for thinking that you should, er, not think homosexuals should be killed or pilloried, before you get full rights in an apparently too tolerant society. Now let's be clear; the killer was a white Dutchman. But the controversy surrounding Fortuyn is of the same nature that gripped France a few years back when they supported a military government in Algeria in opposition to an elected Islamic theocracy: What do you do when the conviction that an ignorant third-world can therefore do no wrong comes in conflict with the idea that women, homosexuals, Jews and others deserve protection from hatred and intolerance? I guess that as we've seen in Israel's case, the left's answer is to take the most troubled group of the moment, elevate them, and demonize the other.
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posted by gbarto at 4:34 PM:
Uh, captain? I think we have a problem:Murderer on Loose in Nashville
Correction officers mistakenly take convict to bus stop
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posted by gbarto at 4:32 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 4:28 PM:
Does Fidel have biological weapons? Is he handing them out to other people we're not fond of? FoxNews says yea. Wouldn't be a big surprise, but let's hope not. And let's actually do something about it if he does.* * *
posted by gbarto at 4:25 PM:
Bethlehem BreakthroughDetails still being worked out
• Sharon to Meet With Bush
Rice said that it is not Washington's role to dictate to Palestinians who should lead them. "The White House position is that we're not going to try to choose the leadership for the Palestinian people," she said.The problem is, we already have. Arafat may have been the loudest voice when we sought someone to represent the Palestinians in peace talks a decade ago, but he hasn't faced a serious election ever and he called off an election four or five years ago rather than letting the Palestinian people affirm his leadership. If a free election were held - in which opponents were allowed to speak and serious sanctions were levied against anyone intimidating voters or candidates - and Arafat were still confirmed as leader, that would be fine. But right now, it is known that force, not legitimacy, is behind Arafat's rule, and as such he is unable to act for peace without putting himself in the sights of other militants vying for the right to lead the destroy-Israel movement.
As for Bethlehem, I hope it is resolved soon, because anything ugly will inevitably be blamed on Israel first. Let's hope the Palestinians don't provoke something with this in mind. And let's hope the Israelis don't do anything stupid since they'll get the blame anyway.
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posted by gbarto at 4:11 PM:
From the Fox main page:More Pipe Bombs Found
Another device discovered in Nebraska, bringing total in that state to eight, 16 overall; Colorado mailbox being searched
Related Stories
• Timeline in Mailbox Pipe Bomb Incidents
• Rural Residents Stunned by Explosives
• Profiler: Note Writer May Have Mental Problems
• Full Text of Note Left With Mail Bombs
Thank God for the experts; there are some things we'd never figure out on our own!
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posted by gbarto at 1:33 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:17 PM:
In France, they use the vote.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:02 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:37 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 9:38 AM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:55 AM:
Excellent thought on words from Everything Burns.* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:26 AM:
Final French election map update for the evening; click the map link at the top of the page to go there.* * *
Sunday, May 05, 2002
posted by gbarto at 11:56 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:16 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 8:54 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 8:52 PM:
Le Pen percentages
(various sources, home colored)
A note on methods: The figures were rounded to the nearest whole number, so 24.55% for example would be 25% for the chart. For completely arbitrary reasons, I chose to make 20% and up for Le Pen the red zone, with the deeper reds indicating greater support. I left Chirac with blue, good enough for a Republican, though white may have better befitted his manner. Finally, for those areas where Le Pen had his average support - the 15-20% range - I picked purple, i.e. red and blue mixed. My basic aim was to see whether Le Pen was widely supported or had his support clustered in small areas. The answer is effectively, both. I've given a red outline to what I take, fairly or unfairly, as the bastions of Lepénisme. Anti-Le Pen inhabitants of these regions should know I share my sympathy.
While a good portion of the country shied away from Le Pen, the breadth of support both in the south and in the northeast surprised me; perhaps because either those areas are still in the mood to protest or I didn't accept the sincerity with which Le Pen was supported in the first round. Marseille, I expected; I didn't think he'd break twenty percent across the entirety of the Riviera, though. Meanwhile, I am pleased to see Bretagne in the lower ranges, with Rennes giving Le Pen less than 8%.
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posted by gbarto at 6:20 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 5:47 PM:
A Herrington catalog came to the house the other day - it's sort of like sharper image meets land's end, I guess. Anyway, one of the items they were hawking was a "World Traveler Radio" so that if you don't trust the biased cable networks you can get the news from where it's happening. Sounds pretty good. But then they advised that the strongest, easiest to tune signals were usually from state-run services, among them Radio Cairo. Never has CNN sounded like such a reliable news source.* * *
posted by gbarto at 4:32 PM:
Bjørn Stærk asks, with the surge in right-wing populism, does the European right have what it takes to move from collecting protest votes to providing a genuine alternative governing philosophy?* * *
posted by gbarto at 4:13 PM:
Strong spot for Le Pen: Chirac got his home of Paris 90-10, but Le Pen's strongholds are in the south and France's second largest city, Marseille, gave him 27% support (still 73% for Chirac, but if your premise is that Le Pen is a little Hitler, those vote totals may shock).* * *
posted by gbarto at 4:10 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 4:07 PM:
90% in Paris proper, where Chirac was mayor for nearly forever.* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:58 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:02 PM:
What with the focus on France, I hadn't got around to mentioning this:Church Standoff to End
Israel, Palestinians agree to end siege on Bethelehem church, Palestinian officials say.
And how nice for the Catholic church, shielding molesters and murderers. Still, if it gets the job done, we'll take it.
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posted by gbarto at 2:59 PM:
Sharon Headed to U.S.: Heading off opposition expected from the Israeli PM, Bush advisers express U.S. commitment to Palestinian state with Yasser Arafat its likely leaderI think the second part of this is a mistake; the US should be pushing for "a Palestinian with popular support"; if Arafat wins a free vote, fine, but he does not after all he's done deserve to be held in the same esteem as Ariel Sharon, who holds power on the basis of a mandate earned in a free and democratic election in which the opposition did not need fear for his life and the well-being of friends and family.
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posted by gbarto at 2:55 PM:
Back in US, pipe bomb problems continue.Have to wonder whether this is legitimately anti-government or stupid kids playing games. Either way, it's an ugly thing. And if the bastards doing it seriously think they're going to do anything but push up support for the government they're nuts.
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posted by gbarto at 1:55 PM:
Commentary on the Second Round of the French Presidential Elections and their aftermath here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:36 PM:
Ipsos poll says 49% of French trust Chirac to be able to address problems, 48% don't. The landslide will look great in the history books; the reality is a little rougher. But this shows how much Le Pen is distrusted. The poll is written up here.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:33 PM:
If you go to the Le Monde home page and click the purple box that says "Résultats en direct," it brings up a list of cities and provinces that have called in their votes to the Minister of the Interior" for the latest official vote totals. One thing I don't like; it doesn't show how any of the individual results go into the national total. I know people object to the US horse race, where we note who's ahead when only Maine has reported - proving exactly nothing - but some sort of indication as to where the numbers in stand would be nice to see.* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:13 AM:
SOFRES: Chirac: 82.5%, Le Pen: 17.5%, absentions: 19.8%* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:09 AM:
Le Monde:main polls give Chirac 80-83%, Le Pen 17-18%.
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posted by gbarto at 9:07 AM:
130 dead in that Nigerian crash; Fox news indicating 76 on board (not 105 - which may be the maximum size of passengers and crew - as indicated last night; looks like they already had 30 casualties on the ground but didn't have the numbers broken down; that number has gone up).* * *
posted by gbarto at 9:01 AM:
Le Monde: Heavy participation in the second round. 68% turnout as of 5 o'clock (11 o'clock EDT); it was 59% at this time in the first round. First results at 8 Paris time, i.e. 2pm EDT.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:11 AM:
Yahoo France's results map here; right now it obviously only has the first round; not sure when they'll start posting the second round.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:51 AM:
La Ligue communiste révolutionnaire appelle à manifester "une fois Chirac élu" (AP)samedi 4 mai 2002, 19h01 / Revolutionary communist league calls for demonstrations "once Chirac is elected".
Wasn't it their divisive antics that set up a Chirac-Le Pen runoff in the first place? (I mean the far left, generally speaking)
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posted by gbarto at 1:44 AM:
A new direction for the Palestinians? Here's the statement from their main council:All the Palestinian forces must respect the "orientations" of the Palestinian leadership and abstain from any action that could serve the occupiers in covering over their crimes against our people. (translated from this AFP dispatch)
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posted by gbarto at 12:32 AM:
We'll add our amen to this quote that davidmsc has put up, reminding that life is about joy, not suffering.* * *
French Elections, 1st round
Second round special page
Second Round Results Map
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