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, November 02, 2002
posted by gbarto at 11:51 PM:
Kuwaiti Police Search for ShootersAuthorities seek four who fired guns near U.S. military training area
It would be better if the US Army happened somehow to catch them.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:50 PM:
Report: Iran Detained Bin Laden's SonMan said to be handed over to either Saudi Arabia or Pakistan
Let's hope it's Pakistan. He should, after all, be given to one of our allies.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:44 AM:
Great Lileks bleat on Mondale. Most interesting note: Our corporate lawyer sits on the board of Northwest, a firm whose actions run completely contrary to his campaign rhetoric.Minnesotans: Just remember that if it's a wealthy corporate suit you want, pull the lever for Mondale.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:26 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with "The US Army approaches Iraq," about our gradual movement of troops into the area.
Le Figaro carries the frightening headline, "Turkey: Islamists at the doors to power." Mind you, Muslims are no big deal; Islamists are another story of course. At issue, Turkey's (no relation) Constitutional Court said the two leading Islamist parties cannot be banned as threats to democracy. Let's hope this turns out to make sense because they aren't threats to democracy. The irony, in any case, is that on the one hand it's just this sort of thing that makes the EU uneasy about welcoming Turkey but on the other hand the same EU would doubtless have worried about diversity concerns if Turkey had banned the parties.
Le Figaro's lead is "Hospitals: the sick on waiting lists." It notes that "the best system in the world" is having problems.
* * *
Friday, November 01, 2002
posted by gbarto at 3:25 PM:
Sen. Feinstein blames Sierra Club for blocking wildfire billNot only do they deserve blame for the bill's blocking; they deserve blame for a lot of the fire damage done of late. The idea that you should just let nature take its course is real cute unless you live near a forest fire. Being at the moment in that position, I'm particularly irked with the species of environmentalist who views the burning of a few houses as a small price to pay for seeing the beauty of nature taking its course.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:21 PM:
25% still undecided in governor voteWith just five days left before the election, one of every four California voters remains uncommitted to either Democratic Gov. Gary Davis or Republican Bill Simon in the governor's race, according to a new Field Poll.
Of course anyone who could get enthusiastic about either of these guys probably needs to be committed.
The only choice is between the crook and the idiot. We here at the TurkeyBlog are rooting for the idiot though we haven't put together a formal endorsement.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:16 PM:
Judge OKs most Microsoft provisionsA federal judge approved most of the provisions of an antitrust settlement between Microsoft Corp. and the Justice Department, largely setting aside concerns by some states that the sanctions were too light on the software giant.
In other words, they wanted a shot at bigger settlements.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 9:39 AM:
Grass fire continues to burns near Lexington ReservoirThere's our fun, grammar errors and all (courtesy of the indispensable Mercury News people), at TurkeyBlog headquarters.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:08 AM:
Hurray, hurray for the US government. They've been damaging the environment to save it with their ethanol schemes. Remember this for the Iowa caucases. A Dog's Life has the story.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:06 AM:
gbarto.com/turkey back up; it went down about an hour (apparently with the rest of our host, itxdesign). FYI, for those who just can't wait for the French news, when this site isn't working you might check turkeyblog.blogspot.com.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:05 AM:
French news update:Le Monde says "Chechnya: Moscow rules out all dialogue."
Le Figaro worries about "All Saints' Day weekend: Dangerous Roads." One hundred people died in traffic accidents during the five-day weekend last year; the weekend traditionally serves as the last chance to take a long vacation before the weather goes to hell, it would seem.
On a particularly morbid note for us Americans worrying about creatures crawling out of their graves this night - wooooooo - Libé is fronting the fear that there's not enough room in Paris cemeteries: "Cemeteries: Overflowing." Says the tag line: "The mayor's office calls into question the permanent sale of certain grounds."
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:05 AM:
Arafat Warns Against Iraq StrikeCautions U.S. on consequences
He didn't say whether it would be as catastrophic as homicide bombings are for the Palestinian people, however.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:03 AM:
Following up from this morning:22, Mainly Kids, Die in Italian Quake
Nursery school roof collapses in village near Naples during Halloween party
* * *
Thursday, October 31, 2002
posted by gbarto at 12:33 PM:
Israeli Government Holds On, for NowSharon scrambles to keep coalition together after Labor pullout
So Sharon has bought some more time. He has to figure out what to do with it. And playing games with Arafat isn't going to be enough, I don't think. Let's hope for a crackdown on the real threats, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Aqsa and Islamic Jihad. However, the push for more settlements is a bad idea - in the push to take a few more inches, it may get all of Israel lost. The focus should be on protecting what is clearly, plainly where Israelis by and large live while sending the message that any infringement will have dire consequences.
At the same time, what is unfolding offers a tough lesson for Arafat and the Palestinians. Sharon is courting hardliners because the moderates are deserting him. Which makes the Palestinian use of bombs to try to make inroads into Israel as counterproductive as Israeli settlements: their effort to weaken Israeli resolve is going to increase their hardships. Sharon has been faulted for not doing more to work with the Palestinians, but in the wake of the suicide bombings it is the Palestinians' responsibility to make Israel's political climate safe for peacemaking. So long as the terrorists run their ops, Israel's hardline will always have justification for its actions. Palestinian moderates will have to learn that in the current climate blowing up Israelis isn't going to soften the Israelis at the negotiating table; it's going to render them irrelevant.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:22 PM:
FYI:Run DMC's Jam Master Jay Slain
DJ, 37, shot at studio; killer still at large
Five Kids Die in Italian Quake
Nursery school roof collapses in village 50 miles from Naples, trapping 20
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:20 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde leads with "Life for Bensaid and Belkacem," charged in three bombings in Paris in '95.
A little further down, Le Monde notes "A holiday celebrated by 26% of the French," which children like and merchants love. The holiday, of course, is Halloween, imported from the US about 10 years ago.
Across the top, Le Figaro tells us "How to Save France Telecom." That's the project facing Thierry Breton, new CEO, who has until the start of November to share his plans with the company's largest shareholder, the government of France as represented by PM Raffarin and Econ/Finance Minister Francis Mer.
Libé, meanwhile, tells us that "The Labourites are reclaiming their freedom," said Labourites being part of the coalition government in Israel. Budget talks broke down over the question of West Bank settlements and the group walked, which means Ariel Sharon can either get a new coalition put together fast or see his government fall. Some are already writing the government's obit, though I haven't yet seen any official declaration the government has fallen.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:00 AM:
Powell Says U.N. Can't 'Handcuff' U.S.Secretary of state says Bush retains authority to use force against Iraq
Translation: I spent a lot of my credibility on the UN and diplomacy; screw me over and I'm turning Bush loose.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:58 AM:
'Greetings From the Dead'Arizona school killer sent 22-page suicide note to newspaper
1) It's a shame they didn't get this sooner; they might have been able to do something.
2) Didn't he know they always edit down letters to the editor?
* * *
Wednesday, October 30, 2002
posted by gbarto at 9:47 AM:
Sharon's Government Facing CollapseLabor head quits coalition
Let's hope the way can be cleared for a Netanyahu run.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 9:46 AM:
Ventura May Appoint Independent to Hold Wellstone's SeatST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, upset by what he felt was a partisan tone of a memorial service to honor the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, said he will try to appoint an independent instead of a Democrat to fill Wellstone's seat until a new candidate is certified.Good for Jesse. Using funerals for partisan rallies has always struck me as rather tacky and I'm glad to see Dems getting their comeuppance. One has to wonder how Mr. Daschle is feeling about the possibility he won't be majority leader the last few months of his term - because his cohorts acted in such a tasteless manner.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:25 AM:
A Dog's Life has the lowdown on the lowest of the low - those using Paul Wellstone's corpse as a campaign prop. Makes you wonder, though, looking at the post below this one... Wellstone was in a tight race and the Dems already know the sympathy factor over a plane crash can give a small margin in tight races...Of course this is B.S. As much as I dislike Teddy Kennedy, Tom Daschle and the whole crew, I don't think I could stoop to seriously making this charge.
Guess I'm just not the man that Ted Rall is.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:14 AM:
They said it couldn't be done. They said money couldn't be made on the internet. And certainly not with blogs.Then Mickey Kaus, Andrew Sullivan and Instapundit proved them wrong.
But that's old news.
Now you can help prove that even second and third tier bloggers can turn a profit!
Why not visit our Amazon bookshop, the links at left or the donation box? Or get yourself some genuine TurkeyBlog merchandise? That's right, there's a store for that too!
Of course the TurkeyBlog remains a free service, and worth every penny (as Instapundit would say) and we're glad just to have you stop and see what we have to say. But if you're shopping online anyway, we'd love it if you helped out by shopping through the gbarto.com stores.
End of pitch
* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:06 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde warns of "Winds of Franco-Britannic discord," a highfalutin way of saying that the two are very ornery about their opposing positions on Iraq, an orneriness in evidence the last time Blair and Chirac met face to face. Now there are questions as to when the next summit between the two will take place. Apparently not at the previously scheduled time.
Le Figaro's headline on the same subject is "The quarrel between London and Paris gets worse." Le Figaro has the EU ag policy as the key dispute, not Iraq.
Libé goes its own way. It's lead is "Chechen leader captured in Copenhagen." Says Libé, Danish authorities picked up the Chechen spokesman at Russia's request. He was attending a Chechen world congress that Russia had been angling to get cancelled. Which makes it very difficult to know who is more worrisome - Chechens allied with terrorists or Russians who have moved from hauling off problem people in the dark of night to using foreign governments to cart them away in broad daylight.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:47 AM:
Hee hee. Nothing like finding the shoe on the other foot...Jackson, Sharpton Slapped With Suit
Barbers, beauticians: Activists' remarks on movie drove away customers
* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:46 AM:
More Than 200 Haitians Run to ShoreIllegal immigrants rush to land near Miami, after their 50-foot wooden freighter runs aground
But why, oh why, would they want to come to this awful country? Especially after Bill Clinton restored Haiti to an earthly paradise?
May we suggest that the next person to explain how awful the US is have a talk with one of these folks? They might learn something.
* * *
Tuesday, October 29, 2002
posted by gbarto at 11:49 AM:
Bush Says Saddam Makes United Nations 'Look Foolish'And idiotic. And hypocritical. And useless. And ineffectual.
Maybe the UN doesn't just look foolish. Maybe it is. How much stock can you put in an organization whose only actions seem to be to 1) bash the US and 2) act as a p.r. shield for U.S. military action?
* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:43 AM:
Arizona Shooter Was 'Angry'Gulf War vet, 41, shot three of his nursing professors, himself
Why, oh why, don't any of these shooters have a sunny disposition?
* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:41 AM:
Two Killed as Storms Hammer Gulf StatesHeard from the mother of TurkeyBlog's fiancée that the weather was pretty hellish and the power's out in parts of central Louisiana. And Fox has this story. Curiously, the weather channel and CNN both seem to think the big weather story is the coldfront in the Northeast and upper Midwest. Score one for Fox? Or are they just hyping "routine" tornadoes, overturned trailers, etc.?
* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:51 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde tells us "Europe sets itself to creating a European Constitution." Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is the one pushing the measure. And apparently it's getting good reviews. The big sticking point: Would the Constitution create a European superstate or a confederation of European states. Tony Blair and other "federalists" are delighted to see that it looks like the second. But will it be enough? The United States of America had one advantage in putting together their union - they were all willing to throw in their lot with one another if they could thereby keep the old Europe the hell away. Will fears of Japan, Inc. and American Century, the sequel, be enough to make Europeans come together and work together well? Libé, by the way, leads with the same story under the headline, "EU: Giscard unveils his skeleton."
Le Figaro leads with "Police and Gendarmes toward a new organization" about efforts to alleviate paperwork and get the two sets of security enforcement into a setup that works better for all concerned in terms of keeping the streets safe.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:39 AM:
Court Papers Name Davis in Fund-Raising CaseMr. Sleaze says the claims are baseless, but why is he so hot to keep the papers under wraps, and why is he sending threatening letters to tv and radio stations telling them they'd better not run any political ads that mention the papers? Perhaps because even the mindboggling incompetence of Bill Simon might just look better than the amazing corruption of the Grayster if it were to come fully to light. To rephrase the CFR people, it's not that Gray's doing anything illegal; it's just criminal (hyperbolically speaking) that it isn't illegal. And one suspects that Mr. Davis would rather anything in the world than to let people get too clear an understanding of the creative ways that he's been selling California government decisions to the highest bidder - though barely within the law.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:31 AM:
Four Die in U. of Arizona ShootingsStudent opens fire at nursing school, killing three professors before himself
We mentioned this in the morning; apparently the student shot three professors, not two. As to the student and the bomb threats, the TurkeyBlog's sister, who goes to U of A, says the nursing school was evacuated but - as of 10 a.m. the rest of campus was functioning though police were encouraging people to stay away from the end of campus where the nursing school was found.
One of the more troubling issues here is that an instructor had done exactly the right thing last year: filed a report when the student looked to be a potential problem. As is so often the case, it's unclear if any follow-up was done. Universities find themselves in a bind in cases like this because on the one hand they're expected to provide a protective environment and on the other hand they don't really have many more tools than any other organization. Worst of all, because there's a paper trail, they might be held liable even though they didn't know enough to actually do anything about the student without violating his rights.
Many moons ago - not long after John Hinkley, Jr.'s insanity plea held - there was a shooting at Ferris State University. The joke made the rounds that he had made the same insanity plea as Hinkley, had spent some time in an institution and was already back at Ferris. The punchline: I understand he's making straight A's.
I liked that joke a lot better before I first took the podium to teach at a university. But I imagine it wasn't any more more fun to be a mail carrier in the era of "going postal" and we've had these problems in other places. The cold, hard bottom line is that something should be done about these people who pose a threat, but not much can be. The cure would be worse than the disease as every malcontent in the country wound up behind bars as a potential threat. So on this night, we offer prayers for the victims and their families and the hope that somewhere out there, the sort of doofus who thinks this is the way to handle things will see how stupidly misguided it is.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:12 AM:
Hugo Pages update. Three new poems from The Contemplations up tonight; a fourth is coming soon.* * *
Monday, October 28, 2002
posted by gbarto at 9:34 AM:
Big headlines for the morning:American Diplomat Killed in Jordan
Laurence Foley, 60, worked for U.S. Agency for International Development; doctors find eight bullets in head, chest, abdomen
Two Professors Shot at Arizona Nursing School
It was the school at the University of Arizona. No word yet on why or what this was all about.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:15 AM:
By the way, while we've been talking about Moscow, we'll note that some of the "Chechen" kidnappers were probably Saudis and Yemenis. Joanne Jacobs has the link.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:02 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde's big news is "Brazil: Lula wins the presidential election" - with 60%+ of the vote. Lula is the first leftist candidate to win such an election.
Le Monde also has write-ups on the fact most Moscow hostages died from gas inhalation and on the deaths of 25(!) in Europe due to accidents caused by violent winds.
Le Figaro and Libé both lead with Moscow but their headlines are... two sides of the same coin? Whatever the expressions, here are the headlines: Le Figaro says "Putin saves his strong man image." Libé leads with "The hard manner of Putin sacrifices hostages."
Le Figaro also offers a pretty stinging editorial by Yves Thréard titled "Putin gained nothing." The editorial argues that it is for now impossible to tell if Mr. Putin really put down the Chechens or merely started the next wave of radicalization among young Muslims. Says the editorialist, the one thing we can know for sure is that from Afghanistan to Chechnya Russian marxists have had a hefty role to play in setting the stage for Islamic totalitarianism and that Russia must finally recognize that its actions in the past have put it in a position where it must stand with the Occident.
* * *
Sunday, October 27, 2002
posted by gbarto at 12:46 PM:
Other news:Four Die in West Bank Bombing
Attacker detonates explosives at gas station near Jewish settlement
But not to worry, he's just an activist, not like those Chechen terrorists.
Mondale to Replace Wellstone
Former vice president to take place of late Democratic senator on Minn. ballot
Well, he carried the state in '84...
Shooting Rampage Leaves Two Dead
Oklahoma teen apparently upset by complaints about his driving
Where do kids get these ideas? Better ban video games... (Well, we know they don't watch the news!)
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:42 PM:
Doctor: Gas Killed HostagesPhysician says 116 captives died from knockout gas poured into theater by Russian special forces during rescue raid
Which is not to say that they did the wrong thing. Just that it was pretty ugly.
In truth, the Russians needed to do something on the order of the operation they undertook, in order to assure that no one got the idea that this was the way to "negotiate" with Russia. Natalie Solent has thoughts about that.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:36 PM:
Here's an "Explainer" on just how far off the profilers were in guessing who was doing the sniping. But was their failure to suspect it was a Muslim at all connected to political correctness? The answer is important.Much has been made of the fact that the duo were not in a white van and that this incorrect detail could have kept potential witnesses from looking where they needed to when a shooting occurred - which could increase the time required to catch them and the number of murders committed before they were caught. We also know that their car got stopped several times and no one said boo. If police had had a better picture of who the suspects were, might they have pursued one of the stops a little further? We'll never know now, but it's just possible that had P.C. not excluded black Muslims from the profile list, one or more of the snipers' victims might still be with us today.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:25 PM:
Says "Today's Papers," the Washington Post had the scoop of the day, but buried it - twice! :The WP fronts a bio piece on John Muhammad that buries the lead—twice. The piece recounts Muhammad's troubled life, waiting until the 50th paragraph to reveal that, in October 2001, the Rev. Al Archer, who ran a homeless shelter where Muhammad lived in Bellingham, Wash., called the FBI to tell them that he was concerned that Muhammad was a terrorist. Muhammad's frequent air travel, which Archer found odd for a homeless man, raised his suspicions. But that's not all: Forty-five paragraphs later, the WP tells us that in June 2002, yet another acquaintance of Muhammad's, Harjeet Singh, told a local police officer in Bellingham that Muhammad had made statements approving the Sept. 11 attacks and talked about blowing up a gas tanker on the highway. The officer returned with an FBI agent, but Singh says the men didn't believe him.Hmmmm. Now I put no blame on law enforcement. They've doubtless gotten a lot of tips since 9/11, and since the current president is named Bush, not Roosevelt, we can't just round up every Muslim in the country. But I do wonder why WaPo thought so little of the detail. Makes you think the folks currently running it would have fronted an exposé on the problems of leaking when the Pentagon Papers emerged.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:45 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde's lead: "Denouement in Moscow; Putin asks forgiveness" ... for not being able to save more, that is. This puts Chechnya back on Putin's front burner and tonight he delivered a televised address on all that has transpired.
Le Monde's number two story is on the apparently certain victory of Lulu in the second round of Brazil's presidential elections.
* * *
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.
