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Saturday, August 09, 2003
posted by gbarto at 4:05 AM:
French news headlines: Heat and HypeLibé: Coolly yours. Says Libé, the heat has messed up everybody and everything, and looks at just how.
Ouest-France: Heat Persists and Devastates Crops.
Le Figaro: Does France Still Have A Temperate Climate?
Le Monde: Sole paper not to focus on heat. It leads with George W. Bush Still Optimistic On Iraq. Headline 2: José Bové Calls for battle against WTO.
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Friday, August 08, 2003
posted by gbarto at 1:20 AM:
It's German name parsing night at Dr. Weevil's!* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:11 AM:
Here's Cicero with his usual shots at NeoCons by way of considering whether Howard Dean is a radical or just a typical left-wing Democrat. Notes Cicero, though:Anti-war in the Democrat fashion, that is. He isn't isolationist, or (as we say these days) non-interventionist. He's just the ordinary multi-lateralist, UN, NWO type of guy.Wiser people have surely had this thought, but he hasn't read it anywhere yet so he's going to throw it out there.
- Those opposed to Bush's conduct in Iraq tend to be multilateralists who oppose the go-it-alone attitude more often than flat-out isolationists.
- The people most opposed to Bush seized on the question of whether we knew Saddam had looked for uranium in Africa.
- We said we weren't sure but Britain said it was.
- War critics said that wasn't good enough.
The simultaneous insistence that we should trust France with our battle plans but should not trust Great Britain with its intelligence recommendations shows that these so-called anti-war multilateralists are none of the above. The only postulate in their political philosophy is that George W. Bush is always wrong; everything else is just blather designed to draw attention away from their simplisme.
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posted by gbarto at 12:30 AM:
French news headlines:We start with Ouest France: Baghdad: The Bombing that Defies the Americans - or rather the order they've tried to impose. The TurkeyBlog would note that their mighty gesture killed mostly Iraqis, which is as close as you can come to a living metaphor for Saddam's cause and its ultimate effects.
Note also a reference to the would-be "Gouvernator" - the bad puns aren't solely the province of Americans.
Le Monde: Iraq: Bombing of Jordanian Embassy. Also, we have the first death sentence in the Bali bombings of last year.
Libé: Larzac: Contestation at Plateau. Anti-globos meet Sunday at Larzac. The question: why did the protest movements of 30 years ago accomplish so much while today's go nowhere.
Le Figaro: Anti-American Hostility on Rise in Baghdad.
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Thursday, August 07, 2003
posted by gbarto at 4:13 AM:
Random Jottings has a good post on Krugman's imbecility about government programs and figures. He (Krugman) is shocked - shocked! - that a SecTreas would push the President's agenda.Incidentally, you want to be sure to get to the page so as to see Natalie Solent's puppy!
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posted by gbarto at 4:03 AM:
Here's Fox News on the car bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad:Car Bomb Rocks Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad
Massive explosion outside of compound kills at least 7, wounds 28; blast planted in minibus thought to be triggered remotely
Incidentally, after the explosion, Iraqis attacked and looted the embassy. Ostensibly, there is hostility toward Jordan because it didn't support Iraq in the last two wars. This seems almost certainly to be the reason for the attack but it's not clear how widespread the feeling about the whole thing is.
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posted by gbarto at 3:57 AM:
French news headlines - and there are lots of interest tonight! -Le Monde: Charles Taylor Before Liberian Congress - on Thursday, to say he's leaving. After imposing more conditions for so doing, starting with getting assurances he won't face war crimes tribunal for actions in war with Sierra Leone.
Bombing of Jordanian Embassy at Baghdad. Missiles were fired at a car, causing it to blow. Seven killed, forty plus injured.
Le Figaro: Bombing Targets Jordanian Embassy At Baghdad.
Libération: Shadow of Bin Laden over Jakarta. Libé tying the bombing to Al Qaeda.
Schwarznegger In Role of Gubernatorial Candidate.
Lethal Explosion In Front Of Jordanian Embassy At Baghdad.
Ouest-France: State Gives Oxygen to Alstom. Corporate bailout.
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Wednesday, August 06, 2003
posted by gbarto at 3:51 AM:
Fox New's latest on the bombing:Police Find Jakarta Attack Plans
Evidence reveals plot for terror bombing that killed up to 14, hurt 150
Here's the Jakarta Post's write-up:
Terrorists strike again
The terrorists once again struck at the heart of the nation's capital on Tuesday, with no warning as always, this time claiming 14 innocent lives and putting the government's antiterrorism drive seriously to the test.
And this is the latest newsflash from them:
Key Bali bomb suspect hails Jakarta hotel blast
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posted by gbarto at 3:41 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Jakarta Struck By Islamist Terrorism. I'm quite sure no one will fall out of their chair in astonishment that Jemaah Islamiyah's name has come up in the attack, for which the death toll now stands at 14.
Le Figaro: The State Becomes Lead Shareholder in Alstom. So the government will be working to bail out the conglomerate.
Libération: From Bali To Jakarta, Resemblances. Libé compares the attack to the one launched in Bali last year that took 202 lives.
Ouest-France: Mineral Water Flows Fast. Ouest-France points out one group that's really benefiting from the heat wave.
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Tuesday, August 05, 2003
posted by gbarto at 3:02 AM:
Violence and Turmoil in Indonesia
The place to watch for the moment is again Indonesia. We've got a second big bombing there. 10 dead and more than 100 injured according to recent reports. And for those who don't know it, Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world. In fact, it's the fourth largest country in the world and better than 80% Muslim, with a silent majority of tolerant practicioners and a vocal fundamentalist minority who are the problem. There's also a decent sized Christian population and smaller Buddhist and Hindu populations. Incidentally, in rural areas, a dash of animism may exist on its own or mixed in with one of these. A hell of a country ripe for explosion if it can't either fit into the melting pot model or maintain the necessary distance between ethnic and religious groups to prevent excessive friction.It looks like that friction point has been reached again. Those with short memories should be reminded that just a few months ago Bali, the second most populous island, was the site of the largest terrorist incident since 9/11 and one of the worst in history, in fact. It looks again like Muslim terrorism. Here's the latest from the Jakarta Post:
Hotel blast 'caused by suicide bomber'
That's a suicide car-bomb; the blast took out windows up to the 20th floor.But here's the earlier cover for the day - not related to the bombing:
STUDENT DEMONSTRATION: Hundreds of students from a number of universities in Jakarta attempt to pull down the main gate of the House of Representatives and the People's Consultative Assembly building as water canons beat them back. They demanded on Monday that the government cancel the current Annual Session, saying it was a waste of time and public money...
This isn't just about Islam. We're looking at a society in turmoil and the question is who's going to get to these kids first - the mullahs or the democrats.
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Incidentally, if casualty counts varied for the French news, it's no surprise. A quick run through Indonesian media is showing a fair amount of confusion at this point. While my Indonesian isn't much, it's not too hard to pick out 7/64, 9/100, etc. and none of the newspapers are agreeing as yet on anything except that it was a Marriot hotel and a car bomb. (The Java Post - Jawa Pos isn't even showing the story yet!). Meanwhile, the PosKota (City Post) has the first images, including this, which I thought did a good job of capturing the blast without the gore:
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posted by gbarto at 1:18 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: The State may come to the rescue of Alstom. The group (with which the TurkeyBlog is not familiar) is massively in the red and may give the government a 30% stake in return for a bail-out.
Le Figaro: The Hottest Summer Since 1949. And Europe is having a rough time of it. The worst of it: 40C (104 F) at Bordeaux and Toulouse and 36C (97) at Paris. Bear in mind, these are not places where these conditions normally occur, hence they lack the heat-adaptation infrastructure (notably air conditioners and the generating capacity to power them) that we take for granted.
Also, we've got a Hotel Bombing In Jakarta with 10 dead so far.
Libération: Adoption: Regulatory Failures - regarding 13 Central-African children whose cases were outright ignored when irregularities surfaced.
Libé says 8 dead in the Jakarta bombing.
Ouest-France: Why Ozone Poisons Our Cities. An attempt to explain what ozone alerts, etc, are all about.
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posted by gbarto at 12:49 AM:
Exceptionally cool site being added to side links. It's called Luciferous Logolepsy. No, that's not the chappy who found himself...how fallen and how changed(Milton's Lucifer; please forgive, it's one of my favorite quotes). It's a site designed to bring light upon obsession with words and give those most taken with old and odd coinages a new resource. A must see for all you logodaedalists out there!
From him who, in the happy realms of light
Clothed with transcendent brightness, didst outshine
Myriads, though bright!
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Monday, August 04, 2003
posted by gbarto at 1:56 AM:
Marcus takes a look at the brouhaha over Mel Gibson's Passion, about the life and death of Jesus Christ.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:52 AM:
Natalie Solent, from the sounds of it, has a puppy. Awwwww. The TurkeyBlog, too, is a cat person. But his fiancée is allergic to cats, which means that he has come to dote upon Pascal (The Best Dog in the Whole World) just as surely as he has family cats past. In my experience, the advantage to dogs is they are much more sociable and much more eager to spend time with you. The disadvantage, likewise.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:39 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Corsica: Nationalists Preach Unity At Corte. Specifically, the leader of Corsican Nationalists called for the nationalist parties to unite before the 2004 elections, this at an international conference.
Le Figaro: is down
Libération: When water starts to lack. 54 departments are having trouble coming up with water for farmers, etc, but measures to encourage conservation aren't really going into effect.
Ouest-France: The Canicule Sets In. About a month ago we did this word. It means Dog Days. It even hit 38C (i.e. 100 F) in Bordeaux. Even in San Jose that's respectably hot. Though Nantes' 33 C (91 F) doesn't sound quite so shocking till you remember that it's Nantes (!) - much further north - you're talking about.
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posted by gbarto at 1:19 AM:
U.S. Raids Net Dozens of Saddam Supporters
Twenty-four regime loyalists, including 'targeted leader,' rounded up in Iraq's 'Sunni Triangle,' Central Command says; no fatal attacks on American troops for two daysTwo dozens, in fact, as the subhead indicates. So why not, "U.S. Raids Net Two Dozen Saddam Supporters"? Perhaps because the second headline is less effective at indicating the presence of hordes of Saddam supporters on the warpath. Incidentally, is this good news because 24 are off the street or bad news because there were 24? My answer is that it is good. The TurkeyBlog would encourage the reading of Jimmy Rogers' new book, Adventure Capitalist, for those who wish to know about foreign affairs, etc. One thing they would learn is that a tremendous amount of what was Russia is in the hands of former communists because they knew where the keys were, how the things worked, etc. A totalitarian state does not exist for 30 years without people taking some ownership of the thing, getting a stake they don't want to give up. As in Iraq. So, some people are defending that stake. And we will have to root them out. Unfortunate, certainly. Dangerous, no question. But surprising or indicative of a general dislike for all things America? Only for those who manage ignorance of basic human nature.
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posted by gbarto at 12:52 AM:
Curious... The AOL headline of the moment reads, "If Bush Wins, No Colin Powell." Makes it sound like it's Bush or him. Wonder who we'd have to elect to keep Powell. The better headline would have been, "After 2004 No Colin Powell," which would have been accurate and would not have tied up his boss' reelection in the matter, that reelection being, in this case, an irrelevancy.The subhead notes that Powell simply doesn't plan on doing another term, unsurprising given that his tenure - like that of many the cabinet officer - was not as distinguished or as according to plan as he would have liked. The official reason cited, incidentally, is that Alma Powell would like her husband back, thank you. Which may well be true, providing for the one time in twenty when a big shot leaving office for family reasons really is.
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Sunday, August 03, 2003
posted by gbarto at 5:12 PM:
A fix for the Blogger Archive Bug? Not exactly. It's probably been recommended elsewhere but just in case it hasn't, here's what the TurkeyBlog did. Posting the French news last night (pretty sparse, I know), I reset the posting time to Saturday. I still haven't figured out, however, at what time the dreaded bug stops keeping Sunday posts from showing up on archive pages.* * *
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.
