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, June 07, 2003
posted by gbarto at 12:30 AM:
You've been reading in the French news about the strikes over there and how loopy things have got. A citoyen who would like to drive his car across town and other such things is, alas, not in as good a position to roll his eyes and wonder if the French protest culture will ever get over itself. So he's filed a human rights complaint because his - and other people's - freedoms for speech and movement are being violated. You can see if at Den Beste's site. (found at that Instaguy)* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:16 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Social Tensions Remain High over retirement and education reform.
Libé: Bush and Blair Accused of Manipulations of the data used to make the case for war in Iraq.
Ouest-France: Strikes: What to Retain from Salaries. With some educators out on strike for weeks now, Ouest-France wants to know, When this is all done, do we have to pay them for striking? Since it's the land of bureaucracy, there are, of course, procedures. If you don't teach, you don't get paid. If you don't teach because you're on strike, 30% is held out but you have to follow strike procedures to get the other 70%. That's for teachers. It's different for other categories, which is why playground aides, for example, are using different strategies. More unusual, it's already being announced that the usual goodwill gesture of waiving the withholding and repaying teachers for lost wages to get negotiations going is not likely to happen this time, further indicating the resolve Chirac and Raffarin (not to mention Fillon) have to get France on a different path. We shall see if they can pull it off.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:01 AM:
Hmm... when AOL's top headline was Sammy Sosa, I hoped that meant nothing too dramatic was up. But...Deadly Bus Bombing in Kabul
At least five dead, 11 injured as blast rocks German peacekeepers' vehicle
And, in news of the freakish variety:
Small Plane Hits L.A. Apartments
At least two killed after aircraft nose-dives into building, causes huge blaze
The first is obviously terrorism; the second is likely bad luck.
* * *
Friday, June 06, 2003
posted by gbarto at 3:14 AM:
We note below the shift at the NYT; Instapundit also has alot, including this, on the Guardian's retraction of a prejudicial/flat-out-wrong quotation of Paul Wolfowitz.* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:03 AM:
Natalie Solent says the Congo is our next disaster site and the usual suspects are already fiddling as another third-world nation they claim they'll be helping starts to burn.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:57 AM:
Iraq Nuke Plant SurpriseU.S.: More materials than expected
Evidence for WMDs? For something else? For nothing in particular? Depends on who's splitting the hairs.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:54 AM:
Times Higher-Ups Succumb to Blair ScandalTop New York Times editors Howell Raines and Gerald Boyd resign after being criticized for their handling of fraudulent reporter
Heh. I wish I could say how sorry I am to see it have come to this. But I'm snickering.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:51 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Retirement: The Movement tends to radicalize. Yesterday's supporters are tomorrow's over the top activists. Whither France, then?
Libé: The Base Reinforces. On the same story, the protesters' numbers are dwindling but their actions getting more extreme.
Le Figaro: The ultras radicalize; Raffarin holds well.
Ouest-France: Bad Drivers Further Sanctioned. Tougher penalties for violent motorists, probationary periods for young drivers. But they held off on fines for "involuntary interruption of pregnancy."
* * *
Thursday, June 05, 2003
posted by gbarto at 12:39 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Akaba: Sharon and Abbas Come Together for Peace.
Libé: Return to the Rocky Road to Peace.
Ouest-France: The Fragile Promises of Akaba.
So there you have it; the Middle East is the top story but how to react to it remains in question.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:08 AM:
Bush: 'Important Progress' MadeAbbas denounces terrorism, Sharon says settlements to be dismantled
There is some incredibly big stuff going on here and while I don't agree with it all (does anyone?) it sure would be nice to see them actually get somewhere near what's under discussion becoming reality. That said, I remain deeply pessimistic for the long term; Abbas (the Palestinian PM) is going to have to quite firmly thump anyone anywhere associated with anti-Israeli terror in order to send a message that this is no longer a way to make policy, and that requires 1) that he's truly and fully committed to this and, alas, 2) that he's committed to the extent he'll risk a bullet to see the vision become reality. As for Sharon, he truly is doing the "Nixon goes to China" number. If he pulls this off, he'll be a modern day Moses. But... first he has to pull it off.
For those who are wondering about the settlements, I think he is unquestionably doing the right, indeed the only thing, for in getting Israelis out of Palestinian territory, he is disrupting his own citizens and thus making it much more plausible to ask Palestinians to tell their citizens that right of return isn't going to happen.
* * *
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
posted by gbarto at 11:52 PM:
Homicide Bomber Kills at Least 15 Air Force Personnel in Russia Bus BlastOnce again, the TurkeyBlog condemns Chechen terrorism. But he wonders when Putin and friends will get fully on board in the war on terror and likewise condemn unequivocally such attacks on Israelis.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:44 AM:
Excellent point made by Daniel Pipes. Having found no WMDs, we assume they never existed. Having found no sign of Saddam, we assume... we haven't found him and might not. What's the difference? (via Common Sense and Wonder)* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:35 AM:
French news headlines:At the top of Le Monde, the story is "Road Map" At Heart of Akaba Summit. In second position, we have Retirement: The Government Reaffirms Its Determination. For those who've missed, France has been having general strikes, lots of protests, etc. of education and retirement reform. But so far they're sticking to their guns at Elysee and Matignon, which may be the best hope the two systems have, protests notwithstanding.
Libé: Government-Unions: The Impossible Retreat/Retirement. Retirement and retreat are the same word in French - retraite(s) - and Libé's headline writers take their opportunity for the pun.
Ouest-France: Retirement: The Street Insists, the Government Resists.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:00 AM:
Neil Cavuto's Common Sense: Service Without a Smile - Neil hits the nail on the head in this little rant about lousy customer service. I'm glad to say that most of the places I routinely shop they're very friendly and helpful. But that's because when I get lousy service I don't go back. I wonder if the managers every realize why there's no business or the employees think about what they might have done so they wouldn't be being laid off. Naaah. But the successful places know.* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:54 AM:
'A Moment of Promise' for PeacePresident gets support from Arab leaders on Mideast pleace plan ahead of meetings with Sharon, Abbas, and an anticipated three-way summit with both leaders
I can't help but be extremely skeptical, but would it not be a wonder for the ages if they pulled this off? But I'm dubious.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:51 AM:
Sammy Sosa Ejected for Corked BatCubs slugger calls incident a 'mistake,' says altered bat is for practice
Wonder if this means Pres. Bush will stop joking that if he had it to do over he wouldn't have traded Sosa.
* * *
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
posted by gbarto at 3:28 AM:
Marcus says "I told you so" regarding excessive reliance on WMDs as justification for attacking Iraq. I agree that they relied too much on WMD, but am less troubled than others by any cynicism in the gambit; I think WMDs were more for European consumption than anything because, as we already know, Europe can't get excited about much of anything other than bureaucracies being ignored.* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:18 AM:
O'Reilly, Franken Face OffFNC host spars with comedian on Los Angeles book show panel
A battle of wits between Bill O'Reilly and Al Franken? With the energy from that exchange, I'll bet you could power a Christmas bulb for 2-3 seconds!
* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:14 AM:
Bush Arrives in Egypt to Talk PeacePresident departs early from G-8 meetings to jump-start Middle East peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians
Bush had been trying to forge a reasonable understanding with France but quickly gave in, turning to the more realistic goal of bringing a lasting peace in the Middle East.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:10 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Retirement Reform Tested By Strikes. It is expected that not only transportation and education, but even medical care, will be affected by calls for a general strike against the government.
Le Figaro: Test Day for the Unions. Le Figaro focuses on whether the unions will break the government or the government will outlast the unions.
Libé: Confrontation on Public Grounds. Also about the general strike for Tuesday.
Ouest-France: Chirac Pushes Bush to Mid-East.
* * *
Monday, June 02, 2003
posted by gbarto at 1:49 AM:
Good Leonard Pitts column on the "hazing" mess in Chicago last week (remember that?). Says Pitts, it wasn't hazing, it was assault, and appropriate punishment is in order lest the sort of kids who were screwed up enough to do this become so screwed up as to think there's not even a consequence for so doing.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:39 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: G8 signs of rapprochement. Bush and Putin have already made nice; Bush to meet with Chirac today.
Le Figaro: Evian: France Forces the South (i.e. the Third World) on Bush. Which is to say that they got 'em on the agenda. But Bush left early, so we'll see where things wind up.
Libé: Alègre enters the picture and revives the scandal. The criminal, from Toulouse, names guilty parties in the murder of two prostitutes; other information emerging in trial suggests existence of prostitution network.
Ouest-France: Desolation at Storm-Struck Trouvilles. Also at the more coastal Deaville. (You'll find Trouville marked by a +-sign and circle on this map; Deaville is just south of Havre on the arc of the circle.)
* * *
Sunday, June 01, 2003
posted by gbarto at 1:26 PM:
Den Beste is talking about what happens to blogs now that the war is over. He notes that he isn't posting as much and has had to force himself to churn out a post now and then, just so there will be something new. I think we in the blogworld can be glad we're not full-fledged journalist. I can - and have - typed words to the effect of "Well, it doesn't look like anything worth talking about today happened so I'm going to drone on about one of my pet causes." The news media can't... Well, I guess some of them do, but the newspapers don't sell. I suppose blog readership and site stickiness drops too, so the hell with everything I just said. You can meditate on it, and if it rings true for you, keep it. If it doesn't, don't. The facts probably don't matter in this case any more than the discovery or failure to discover will lead to Saddam's return to power.A more fundamental question is, why do we write these things? I write to force myself to keep up to date on what's happening in the world and to keep myself comfortable putting my thoughts on (forgive the anachronism) paper. That's why I started the French news, in fact; so that every day I'd have at least one post that I knew I could - and by the logic of the thing, had to - write. But most of all I write because it's neat to hit the button and watch my thoughts be instantly out there, hopefully for someone to read. Readers will note that how much is here varies - it's not instapundit - but I like to think my site always has something new enough that if later in the day a visitor is asked, "What's up?" he or she will have a response at ready.
So - what's up? Well, Bush is at the summit, the all important photograph has been taken and there have no fist fights between Bush and Chirac. Now you know. Back later.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:06 PM:
From the Fox line-up:FNS w/ Tony Snow
Sun. 5 pm ET
Bush's Road Map — Ambassador Dennis Ross has insight into whether the President can successfully broker a Mideast peace.
Do you still get your speaker's fee if you walk in, sit down, say "no" and leave?
* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:28 AM:
Ugh. And on the heels of the mess in Santa Clara yesterday:Dad Kills Three Kids, Hangs Himself
Alabama father apparently upset over marital problems
The Santa Clara mess was all over this morning's Merc, starting with questions as to whether the father (who in that case killed his two sons) had jumped off an oceanside cliff - the police dog led them from the car to the top of the cliff, looked out over the water and (I like to imagine) told his human colleagues, "The rest is up to you, fellas."
In the Alabama case, divorce had been discussed. The wife came home, thought her children were sleeping but discovered something far worse when she doublechecked after finding him hanged. Police are pointedly refusing to discuss how the children were killed, though the story - and apparently the sheriff - doesn't make it clear if this is because it's children in question or because of the method of killing.
* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:18 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde leads with The Diplomatic Offensive of George W. Bush, covering the President's trip overseas, starting with Warsaw and St. Petersburg. In the AFP breaking news box, meanwhile, we learn that Aung San Suu Kyi is under arrest. The Burmese government phrases it differently, saying she is "under the protection of local authorities" after four died in fights between supporters of the ruling junta and partisans of her movement. Kyi's house arrest - also described as "under government protection" - had been lifted after she won the Nobel Peace Prize in May, 2002. Burmese authorities are keeping mum on what they have planned this time, but won't rule out forcible extraction back to Rangoun where it would be easier for the government to keep an eye on her and keep her away from her supporters.
Ouest-France has an editorial up top, An Ever More Human Globalization. The writer asserts the importance of globalisation but also the need for the developed world to help the third world. Interesting fact or factoid - no idea if it's true or hyperbole: The average third worlder lives on a euro a day; the average cow in the EU gets two. The editorial closes with a call for anti-globalists to be alter-globalists, renouncing violence and working peacefully to create a better world for all.
* * *
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.
