main page
"To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
|
click here for a bigger sunset
One small voice in the proud tradition of FreeBlogging*
Saturday, August 17, 2002
posted by gbarto at 12:47 AM:
Note to Gray Davis:We understand pollution in the Bay Area has been a problem. And we note that the state budget is in the crapper. So here's an idea: When rush hour traffic is moving at six to ten miles an hour, you don't need to burn state dollars or fill the air with pollutants to run the traffic planes and helicopters your highway patrol seems so fond of. We're not speeding. Honest.
Of course we realize that you might become nervous about your authority being in question if Californians couldn't be sure they were being watched every second they're on the road. But give it a try.
Just a thought.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:42 AM:
GOP Backing Out of Iraq Offensive?Leaders slam brakes on what they fear could be Bush's rush to war
Rush to war? They thought we were taking too long three months ago.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:39 AM:
French news round-up:The floods in Central and Eastern Europe top Le Monde again. The story: "The Elbe flooding over, Dresden underwater."
Le Monde's lead story for France is the attempts by the Socialist Party to rebuild itself.
Libération, meanwhile, leads with a little papal news: "At Krakow, the Pope is received like the Messiah."
Tomorrow being Saturday, Le Figaro hasn't changed much since last night's posting.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:32 AM:
Seen today...Possession
Many moons ago, I started the A.S. Byatt book and read a little ways in. And then I drifted. So if you're an A.S. Byatt fan and would be horrified by the ending being changed, you'll have to read someone else's review because I have no idea whether it was or not. That said, from what I do remember of the book, the movie seems to have taken the best.
Possession, the movie, tells the tale of a young American scholar in training in England. Sent on one of those academic assignments filled mostly with drudgery, he accidentally discovers a letter indicating that a nineteenth century poet famous for his devotion to his wife may have had a liaison with a young poetess. He pockets the letter in the film's first possession of a piece of the untold past. Soon he is joined by a professor specializing in the poetess (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) whose family connections send the two down new avenues of exploration into literary history, revealing that neither one of them had the faintest understanding of their subjects, though they thought they had them down pat. In the process, they discover each other.
This is literary drama at its best, interspersing past and present seamlessly yet without baffling the viewer. Highly recommended.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:10 AM:
Seen a few days ago...Tadpole
If you haven't seen it, better hurry because it'll be gone fast. Which is a shame because as far as comedies about fifteen-year old's in love with their stepmother's - and nearly getting them! - go, this has to be among the best. Seriously, though, this story of an advanced young man trying to be more grown-up than he is contains countless delightful moments and wraps up with a sweet ending in which things come back into harmony. I won't say more except to suggest the secondary title: How I slept with my stepmom's best friend and saved my father's marriage.
* * *
Friday, August 16, 2002
posted by gbarto at 12:00 PM:
Child, Three Adults Shot DeadAdults found in kitchen, toddler found in bed of Pennsylvania home
News is full of horrible things today. Back later.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:59 AM:
Ballplayers Set Aug. 30 Strike DateProposed stoppage would be Major League's ninth since 1972
Kinda seems small when you look at the story below.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:58 AM:
Damn.Nationwide Search on for JenniferHere's the photo. If you see her, contact local authorities... You know how this works.
Nine-year-old Virginia girl missing after parents found shot to death in home
* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:55 AM:
A few comments from Virginia Postrel on this and that before she returns to finishing her book. Read 'em while they're fresh.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:09 AM:
All for tonight. Go visit Bjørn for lots of cool stuff about Norway.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:05 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with "The Vivendi Universal Shipwreck." Le Figaro, for its part, tells us we're seeing "The Market's Ultimatum to Vivendi." Libé offers the succinct headline (again at the top of the page): "The losses of VU."
Lead two in Le Monde is the floods, which are now datelined Germany, not the Czech Republic. Le Monde's headline is roughly, "The Floods coming one after another in the East," the news is that a new highwater mark was set in Dresden, surpassing that of the flood of 1845. Le Figaro has the story third, under the ominous headline: "Floods in Europe: the worst is yet to come."
Figaro's second lead is "Mexico's Anger with the U.S." The story should resonate with Europe: Mexican President Vicente Fox canceled a trip to Texas to register his disapproval of the latest execution there, that of a Mexican. The third graf of the story mentions that he was unquestionably guilty of killing a narcotics officer at the age of 19. Of course in Europe the big news is that somebody else is at odds with US approaches to the death penalty.
Libé's second and third leads are socio-cultural: Looking back on Elvis and noting that despite French interdictions the massive rave, Teknival, was pulled off in the Alps. By the way, Libé did also mention the floods. They stuck at the bottom of the news wrap-up under the heading - we're not kidding here - "Also..."
* * *
Thursday, August 15, 2002
posted by gbarto at 12:59 PM:
Detainee Names Secret for NowJudge rules list can wait for appeal
This is, quite simply, horrible. The other day, Den Beste was writing about the glories of the First Amendment among (many) other things and made the point that as the world changes we are at levels more and more reliant on individuals making individual decisions to meet certain goals, etc. That was the theory behind our democracy. And while it doesn't require that every citizen know everything - in fact localized knowledge has its role to play - it does require that those with a need to know be given relevant information. The idea of going to court to block access to the list of people the US government is holding is repugnant because it denies citizens information that may be of extreme import in deciding a few months hence whether the current government is responsibly prosecuting the war on terror and thus deserves to be restored or whether it is going overboard and needs to see its authority limited - say, by a strengthened or weakened position in Congress depending on the voters' determinations. Though I support the war on terror and the president's efforts, I'm a little nervous at the fact the list is being suppressed without us even receiving info on what specifically necessitates its suppression. I'd like to think the effort could stand up to public scrutiny. If it doesn't, the unnamed detainees should be set free with generous apologies and recompense for lost time. If it does, the government owes us more information so that we can confidently send Bush a Congress he can work with, knowing his authority won't be abused.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:15 AM:
French news round-up:The big story by now is the floods in Central Europe. Le Monde tells us: "The Floods: Hope and Fear." The hope is that when the waters recede the medieval center of Prague will remain more or less as it was; the fear is that the Vltava, which flows through Prague, feeds into the Elbe, putting Dresden, Germany at risk. The story, "Mortal Deluge Across Central Europe" is currently number 3 at Le Figaro. Libération has it as their international lead here. They have pictures here.
Le Monde tells us elsewhere "Why the Apes Don't Speak." Some British scientists have determined they're missing the "language gene."
Le Figaro leads with some business news; we'll translate the headline "Vivendi Universal Opens Its Books"; it's inexact but gives the idea.
* * *
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
posted by gbarto at 12:53 PM:
Common Sense and Wonder points the way to the latest from P.J. (O'Rourke).* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:43 PM:
Judge Irritated Over DetaineeHe skewers U.S. for holding man without access to a lawyer.
And rightly so. There are some saying, "What the hell, it's just a terrorist." But we have a system for determining that, and it doesn't come until after the trial. Which means that even those who seem most clearly guilty have to be given a chance to demonstrate their innocence... according to our rules.
Some say those rules only apply to American citizens. That may be the way the law reads, but we should know better. The Declaration of Independence tells us that we have rights given us by our Creator and that the purpose of government is merely to secure them. If we hold that the protections written into our Constitution only apply to Americans, we're asserting that the Declaration was wrong, that we don't have rights because our humanity entitles us to them but that rights are granted by the governmental system we have - which implies that system could take them away. Let's avoid anything that sanctions that view.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:29 PM:
Finally:Homicide Bombers Lose SupportHere's the nut graf:
More and more Palestinians want the attacks against Israelis to stop
Israel has demolished the family homes of 21 bombers in recent days. Palestinian spokesmen say this only increases the bombers' willingness to attack Israel, but in at least two cases this week, fathers prevented their sons from volunteering.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:24 PM:
We mentioned this last night in the French news round-up; here's the latest:Sunshine and Floods in Prague
Good weather doesn't stop waters; death toll across Europe hits 95
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:22 PM:
Yikes! I've heard of dysfunctional families, but...Calif. Kids Accused of Killing Mom
Woman wouldn't let girl, 12, go to party; brother, 17, also arrested
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:23 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with "Emergency care under pressure." Specifically, not enough beds, not enough personnel, and not enough anything else you'd care to mention. Le Figaro has the same story here, though leading not with the bilan of the situation but the complaints of a leading doctors' association.
Secondary lead on Le Monde: "Barghouthi charged with murder." That is, of course, the head of Fatah, part of Arafat's organization. He's facing life in prison, a fate many of his victims might have welcomed. Incidentally, it's the third story in Libé at this hour.
Le Figaro's second lead, meanwhile, is "Flooding in Central Europe."
Libération, for its part, leads with the "Flooding across Europe." Their secondary lead is the British "cache-Hasch" (hidden hash) about the first London coffee shop to offer marijuana since the reclassification/decriminalization of the drug.
* * *
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
posted by gbarto at 11:47 AM:
Lots of good stuff in Today's Papers over at Slate. Our favorites:The NYT fronts word that immigration officials busted an illegal child-smuggling ring that, for a fee, reunited foreign children with their illegal immigrant parents in the U.S. The smugglers, which charged parents about $5,000 a shot, sneaked hundreds of kids into the U.S. An INS official called the operation a "mean-spirited criminal enterprise driven by greed." The NYT's coverage echoes that opinion, saying that the smugglers "preyed" on illegal immigrants. The LAT, which goes inside with the story, has a similar tone, saying that the smugglers "took advantage" of the immigrants. But isn't there another possible interpretation: The smugglers could have been simply providing a service, albeit an illegal and unregulated one. Just because it's illegal doesn't necessarily make it immoral.Sounds to me like a carefully planned enterprise with a lot of potential hassles and problems. There are easier ways to make money off of illegals. Sounds like a shady but potentially worthy bunch.
The WSJ reports on the latest wonder-drug that lowers your chance of heart disease: beer. According to various studies, beer can, among other good traits, increase your good cholesterol by up to 20 percent. The key is to drink the Duff stuff in moderation. That's means two beers per day for guys and one per day for women.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:31 AM:
Dr. Weevil tells us what a multicultural flag might look like.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:28 AM:
Den Beste writes about US involvement in the world and association with the rest of same.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:18 AM:
Ken Layne's talking about crows! Way cool. I've had my own fascination with such birds since reading Peter Beagle's A Fine and Private Place (you can buy it by clicking on the title!) which has the coolest raven since before or after Poe.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:08 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with "The Hundred Days of Jean-Pierre Raffarin"; this is the usual period after which the French start the first bilan - analysis, usually of positives and negatives - of a new regime, new leader, new whatever. So far, he's getting pretty good marks, all the while mixing definite goals with the sense of improvisation - one works toward goals but doesn't make five-year plans that one may not, after all, be around to see to completion. The big question: Will he be able to bring together Chirac's campaign promises and his budgetary responsabilities?
Le Figaro goes very international: "Bush very alone against Saddam." One senses in many of these pieces - which are showing up all over in the international press - that the writers have the very sad misconception that he might read them with half the attention he gives to his domestic poll numbers. Be it egoism or simply delusions of grandeur, the editors might as well give up on their pretensions to advising the seat of Western power. Tonight I had dinner in Berkeley, California - yes, that Berkeley - and heard people joking about France's importance and effectiveness on the international scene. Not that such people necessarily like Bush, but there is a certain realism about how much influence the vaunted "international community" can really bring to bear on the most powerful nation in the world when it has lost 3,000 in one day, having not really known a foreign invasion in the previous 190+ years.
Libération has an interesting lead: "Piracy has wind in its sails." Let's see if we can get this straight: A North Korean commercial vessel with a Greek owner with six Georgian sailors on board was taken by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Which leaves the question, even if we do catch the baddies, where will we hold the trial?
* * *
Monday, August 12, 2002
posted by gbarto at 1:55 PM:
Waksal Protests InnocenceFormer ImClone CEO pleads not guilty to charges in insider trading probe; faces 30 years if convicted of tipping off family, friends, Martha Stewart
Martha Stuns Congressional Panel
Stupak: Martha Can't Hide
I especially like the last headline. Count on Stupak to go overboard.
I don't blame Waksal for proclaiming his innocence. I also don't blame Martha for not wanting to talk about her role in all this. They may be guilty; they may be innocent. For this we have, repeat after me, Mr. Stupak, "the ju - di - cial branch." On the other hand, the fine folks we have sitting up high in the hearing rooms are once again offering budgets that aren't for an organization that makes IMClone's frittering and fraud look pretty paltry. Which leads me to suggest that while Martha may get the august Bart Stupak on TV yet, I'd be a lot more impressed if he gave up trying to beat Barbara Walters to the interview of the century and set himself to finding a useful set of statutes for letting capitalism be capitalism. Or better, he could work to get the government on a path to being half as carefully and properly managed as the worst frauds he's deriding on the evening news.
But I guess that since government is the art of the possible, and we know the likelihood of actually inflicting responsible thought and action upon our political class, maybe Bart's on the right track.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:10 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with "Spain: Controversy over Batasuna." Batasuna, as I understand it, is to the ETA as Sinn Feinn is to the IRA: a public front for a terrorist organization, in this case extremist Basque separatists. The group, along with the ETA, is banned in Spain. Yesterday, thousands marched in protests against the government's interdictions of the group. Of course, there have been a lot of other protests against the ETA and the extremists in the Basque cause after the latest bloody bombing at a Spanish seaside resort. Which means that while the ETA and Batasuna may have rallied those they claim to represent, they've probably hurt their cause in the long run, because Basque liberation will only come if Spain allows it to happen, and I don't think the terrorists are going to incite enough fear to make the whole Spanish nation resign themselves to the idea. Instead, they're generating exactly the sort of anger that will only seemingly justify even more suppression of the Basque cultural identity.
Le Figaro leads with "Seasonal Work: the new illegal networks." However, the horror stories for migrant workers in France don't sound as bad as for those in the southern US; the big beef is that Polish workers being brought in for the wine harvest will be paid on average 25% less than those recruited in France.
Le Figaro's secondary lead is "The end of the political wing of the ETA," about which see our Le Monde write-up.
Libé is on a completely different page: "The Government Dreams of a State Without Raves." New laws just got passed giving the police new powers for shutting down rave parties and seizing music equipment, etc. Now demonstrations are planned; it's just a question of when and where.
* * *
Sunday, August 11, 2002
posted by gbarto at 1:36 AM:
A Dog's Life has also had his eye on questions of Europe and our foreign policy. Also, some thoughts on car mechanics. In the latter, I hope he's right thatsomeone is going to make zillions of dollars establishing a chain of honest, efficient auto repair shops.One thing that constantly frustrates believers in the capitalist system (like me!) is when people go for the quick buck from market inefficiencies - the "No one else plays square so why should I?" mentality - instead of digesting that in the long run, we're not all dead, but that everyone from Bernie Ebbers to Sam Waksal to Ken Lay who tries to play con games might as well be because if they're not hiding losses from shareholders they're hiding ill-gotten profits from the IRS with their actual status still a muddle at best. Capitalism remains the worst economic system, save all the others, because its nature makes it harder to suppress the truth about what's happening in the world than any other system. But between government regulators (including our lawmakers) and cynical business people there are enough efforts to restrain its capacity for finding the truth that messes persist and then, wouldn't you know it, capitalism gets the blame for letting the world see what other systems have but are better at hiding... at least until they collapse.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:30 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with "Questions about a climate out of control," asking if the flooding here, drought there in odd patterns indicates the return of El Niño and the presence of global warming.
Le Figaro is on the same page, leading with "Weather: The great planetary mess."
Libé differs from the first two; it leads with "Cherbourg closes its port to 'clandestins'," noting that with the center for foreign refugees closing down of lodgings at Sangatte carries the risk of diverting more traffic to England.
* * *
French Elections, 1st round
Second round special page
Second Round Results Map
The TurkeyBlog main page contains only the 20 most recent entries.
To go further back, check the archive in the right hand bar.
