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Saturday, August 30, 2003
posted by gbarto at 7:16 PM:
It sounds to me like City Desk just blew it with a pretty enthusiastic booster. Steve Den Beste just dumped the new version and went back to the old.It seems that in their new version, City Desk is more focused on XHTML compliance than fidelity to what the web site author is actually writing.
The article, incidentally, also gives a great peek into what tools should be: invisible -because they just do their work. I know that here on Blogger, my edit window looks like hell whenever I'm doing headlines or blockquotes because I've got it set to automatically insert line breaks and this necessitates goofy formatting to keep it from adding them when their are special tags that make this unnecessary or undesirable. (Don't write; I know that you can set it to not do this but I'm too lazy to put in my own line breaks or paragraph marks just to avoid this problem.) Still, Blogger doesn't cost what City Desk costs. The customer service e-mail Steve runs shows that for a lot of money you can get a really nice note about how the City Desk team conceives of the next generation content generator and what you can do to get along with it if you want to stay on board. Which means that a big booster of City Desk may soon have to advise his readers on where to get V 1.0 instead of the upgrade. I'm not a marketing specialist, but still, this looks like some pretty bad word of mouth.
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posted by gbarto at 6:35 PM:
Cicero is dead on with his commentary about an 85 year old stabbed to death defending his own home in Britain.Gun control kills.
Cicero also has some decent commentary on the draft and why it's a bad idea.
Bottom line, if we can't raise a volunteer army in our free society, we've got bigger problems than a lack of troops at ready, namely a republic whose citizens feel it isn't worth defending or whose military policies have come to be at odds with the purposes of its citizens. Neo-Cons may want an army - and hell, I'm one of them and think we should have one - but there's no reason not to expect them to then make the case to the people who will be putting themselves in harm's way as to why it's worth it and give up if they can't convince them. As for liberals trying to build anti-war sentiment with conscription, it just proves that you don't have to go nearly as far as one would hope to get from Stalin to the Democratic party's old left - both view human life as readily expendable to achieve their political ends. [Is that different from the Neo-Cons? -nagging voice Shut up, it's Sunday and I don't want to think that hard.]
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posted by gbarto at 6:21 PM:
Najaf Detainees Could Be Linked to Al QaedaPolice have arrested 19 men in car bombing that killed scores at Shiite shrine in Iraq, and all of them are connected to bin Laden's terror network, Iraqi investigator says
Well I'm just astonished!
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posted by gbarto at 1:41 AM:
Important thoughts from Natalie Solent on what the Race Wars, Racism Wars and black on black violence are doing to civilized discourse and even civilization.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:34 AM:
Marcus diagnoses the some of what ails Iraq most succinctly. And he's right. Which makes you wonder where all the folks who were anti-war for the sake of Iraqi culture are. No doubt hoisting a few to celebrate an American defeat, indifferent to what the latest means for the Iraqi people.Our commendation to Marcus, incidentally. While the TurkeyBlog disagrees with him on most of the issues, he has demonstrated an internally coherent and consistent philosophical approach to the war that does credit to the anti-war, anti-occupation cause. While leftists have tacked from bashing Bush to bashing America to beating retreat when the going got rough, Marcus has been enumerating the same basic ideas day in and day out about why an old-line conservative ought be in the opposition. Sad to say for the left that hoped to get energized by all this, the only place I've seen credible opposition to the war is at a place whose URL refers to the Conservative Observer.
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posted by gbarto at 1:13 AM:
French news headlines:Toll Of Summer Heat: French government powerless to undo past mistakes
(You'll understand when you read below...)
Le Monde: Radicalization in Irak, American Powerlessness. Says Le Monde:
The most murderous violence - at least 75 dead - since the official end of hostilities in Irak, the bombing perpetrated Friday against the mosque of the tomb of Ali of Nadjaf, a holy site for the Shia, shows again the powerlessness of the Americans to guarantee security in the country. As was the case 10 days ago, when the UN headquarters were targeted and the special representative of the UN killed, it's another moderate person who has been eliminated, this time in the person of the Ayatollah Mohamed Bakr Al-Hakim.What they mean is that America is powerless to keep towelheaded fascists from murdering Muslims in the name of Islam to the cheers of a Europe that would more forthrightly declare it's opinion that the best Muslim is a dead one (witness their support for Palestinian suicide bombings and their opposition to Turkey joining the EU) were it not for the growing Muslim populations roaming their streets. It seems to me that it was not so long ago that Paris was powerless to keep Islamobigots from torching synagogues in France. Curiously, this did not produce headlines about French powerlessness, but maybe that's because the French were less committed to protecting their own citizens of Jewish extraction than the Americans are about guarding religious freedom for people half a world away, hence a difference in expectations about security.
Le Figaro seems to be down.
Libération: Dog Days: The Toll Grows Ever Heavier. Let's try something:
The most murderous heat - at least 11,400 dead - since the coming of the heat of August, shows clearly the powerlessness of the French to guarantee safe living conditions in their country. As was the case two weeks ago, when the first death tolls were announced, it's ever more shocking figures being released in the latest report from the Ministry of health.That's me, not Libé, of course. But it's striking to note that all things being equal, it's a lot more dangerous to be an old person living in France's summer heat than an Iraqi caught between the American/British occupying force, the Muslim extremists and an Iraqi population gradually getting back on its feet. Perhaps Le Monde's somber tone is especially somber because it would rather decry American military efforts than admit the impuissance of French government when it comes to weightier tasks than creating new forms for its vassals to fill out and new lines for them to wait in.
Incidentally, the Libé sub notes Raffarin is "wounded" by these developments, but he doesn't look to be in half as bad a shape as the folks in the morgue shot Ouest-France (see headline below) is running.
Ouest-France: 11, 435 dead during Dog Days.
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Friday, August 29, 2003
posted by gbarto at 6:02 AM:
Here's Fox News:Car Bomb Kills Up to 20 Outside Iraqi Mosque
Attack during Friday prayers outside holiest shrine for Shiites; Shiite leader Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim severly injured
Le Monde (see French news below) is reporting he's dead. Not sure if they're going too fast or FNC is behind the curve.
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posted by gbarto at 5:57 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Deadly Bombing At Holy City of Nadjaf. Seventeen dead, including the leader of the Supreme Assembly of Islamic Revolution. With a title like that, I'm not sure whether we're completely distressed by the news, or only upset that order wasn't maintained.
Le Figaro: Between Right and Extreme Left, The Socialist Party Seeks A Voice. Much to their dismay, they've found the far left isn't an inconvenient partner but a new enemy.
Libération: Dog Days: 11,500 dead in two weeks. So saith the latest findings as this mess gets investigated.
Ouest-France: The latest story doesn't have it's own link. The headline is: Dog Days: 11 435 dead between 1 and 15 August according to the Ministry of Health. Here's the link for the running story.
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Thursday, August 28, 2003
posted by gbarto at 4:41 AM:
French news headlines:Ouest-France: Retirement Homes: The Stress of the Personnel. The heat wave merely confirmed what everyone already knew - retirement home workers lacked enough time or means to properly care for all of their patients.
Le Monde: Tollé Against Idea of Suppressing Vacation Day. If you're saying, Huh?, it goes like this - to save money the government wants to get rid of one vacation day to reduce vacation pay, increase the number of unpaid vacation days and avoid inefficiencies related to missed work. The money was to be used to improve programs for the elderly.
Le Figaro: The Elderly: Matignon Launches Its Effort. See above.
Libé: Old Age: Raffarin Invents the Day Off for Charity. Libé's not impressed.
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Wednesday, August 27, 2003
posted by gbarto at 3:02 PM:
Priest Was Killed to Avenge ChildrenLawyer: Geoghan's accused murderer was upset about molested kids
Druce, 37, was serving a life sentence for the 1988 murder of a gay man. Authorities have said that he hates homosexuals, Jews, blacks and other minorities.Hmm. Well, this guy sounds like a winner to me. Perfect poster boy for the "Save the Children" campaign, eh? But his lawyer strained credulity when he said that Druce actually only committed murder in the first place so he'd be in place to take vengeance upon pedophile priests and should get a good conduct medal for compassion for the helpless...
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posted by gbarto at 2:55 PM:
Seven Killed in Warehouse ShootingChicago gunman, who was on verge of losing job, among the dead
Gee. That fixed the problem, didn't it.
Condolences to the families of the victims and to those still mourning the passing of perspective and common sense.
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posted by gbarto at 2:52 PM:
16 Hurt in School Bus AccidentVehicle carrying 20 veers off rural road, overturns in steep ravine in Illinois
You know, it seems to me an awful lot of kids get hurt on school buses. And to what end? So they can go to mediocre schools where they aren't learning to read anyway? And if you read the papers, you'll discover that almost every day somebody dies in a car accident. I'll bet a lot of those people are just going to dead end jobs. Is that worth dying for? I think it's high time we realized that whatever the merits of the automobile, on the whole it's just getting us involved in things we don't really have any business being involved in anyway. Let's get rid of them and... establish a UN task force to go to work and school!
I've been taking logic classes from the "Leave Iraq Now" risk-reward assessment people. How am I doing, folks?
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posted by gbarto at 2:40 PM:
The next 70 lines of Melancholia are up at The Hugo Pages (www.theHugoPages.com). That makes for 257 of 336.* * *
posted by gbarto at 5:40 AM:
Deadly Stampede in IndiaAt least 39 reportedly killed during Hindu religious festival
Just lots of great news from India lately...
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posted by gbarto at 5:38 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: NASA Severely Implicated in Columbia Drama.
Le Figaro: Selliere: France Understands That It Must Change, said the business leader.
Libération: Nuclear Korea: Smiles and Fists in Air at Beginning of Talks.
Ouest-France: The Elderly: "Reform Imposed."
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Tuesday, August 26, 2003
posted by gbarto at 1:42 AM:
Here's A Dog's Life on shameful efforts to hide the evils of communism.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:37 AM:
Here FNC on Bombay. They're reporting 46 dead; Le Monde is reporting 50.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:34 AM:
We all know about Bombay, but Marcus has another terrorist act - this one in Columbia. Thugs everywhere, folks.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:30 AM:
French news round-up:Le Monde: Toll of Bombay Bombings Grows Heavier. It's now 50 dead.
Le Figaro: Dog Days: Judgment of the French on the Crisis. The latest polls indicate that while people don't hold the government accountable for the whole disaster, they do think some blame needs to be assigned for government inaction and misdirected action.
Libération: Protections for the Elderly Near the End. All about the government plans for helping and the people's doubts it will be fully implemented and work.
Ouest-France: Anticipated Return To School In Orne. Local interest story on the return to school, which happens all over France all at once.
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Monday, August 25, 2003
posted by gbarto at 2:50 AM:
Den Beste is pushing Spirited Away with an enthusiastic review that isn't a review that tells you about the film without telling you about the film. His approach is right. As is his encouragement. If you haven't seen this one, pick it up. It's an absolutely wild and wonderful film.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:42 AM:
It's fun with literary hunchbacks at the newly employed Dr. Weevil's site.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:36 AM:
Cicero worries that I advocate assassinating Arafat. No need to worry. If there's one man I don't want to make a martyr, he's it. But effecting his permanent retirement to a resort on the Riviera, for example, would suit me just fine, with the use of any inducements necessary to move him from the "embattled leaders" column to the "retired dictators living better than their people" column being in order to take the wind out of his ideological sales.It may seem extreme, but I've seen proposals to relocate the entire Jewish nation this week; relocating Arafat doesn't seem so extreme in that context.
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posted by gbarto at 2:26 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Israel will continue its liquidation operations - against Hamas. Hamas has called for vengeance; the PA has forbidden action against Israel so long as Palestinian civilians are unharmed.
Also: A Series of Explosions Cause Several Deaths in Bombay. Six deaths, in fact, so far.
Le Figaro: Raffarin Confronted With Explosive Results of Debt - as the summer's fires and firefighters put France in a bind where it will need EU waivers to expand debt to pay for cleanup, etc.
Libé: Lower Taxes Cost and Cost... Says Libé, lower tax policies will cause a general breakdown making the lives of the French more, not less, fiscally constrained. This is true insofar as France's economy runs a) on subsidies and b) on the presumption that it must meet EU targets for fiscal probity that are intended to satisfy bureaucratic fetishes, not good economic sense. But, we'll assert, if Paris hadn't made so many bad decisions about economic sovereignty, Libé's contentions would be nonsense and bad economics by even the standards of Keynes - who valued tax cuts in bad times, just for the wrong reasons.
Ouest-France: Stress overtakes many schoolchildren, so saith a new study. And given the importance of academic achievement for moving in the closed educational system of France, it's no wonder. I remember watching a fourteen-year-old in the house who was just coming to terms with the ideas of his African identity, the existence of girls, etc., when the principal at his school said he could pull up his math marks or go to tv repair school the following year - permanently off the college track at the age of 14! Yikes.
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Sunday, August 24, 2003
posted by gbarto at 12:23 PM:
Arafat Reluctant to Cede ControlInt'l mediators want Palestinian leader to relinquish control of security
I don't blame Arafat. With clerics, UN hot shots and soldier galore getting shot at, bombed at, blown up and more, why would you let your security force waste its time protecting the people and promoting internal stability and security for all. You're likely to wind up dead if your security force is really arresting and holding Hamas players when it could be helping you slip them out the backdoor once the international community sees the show arrests.
Which brings me back to a point I've been making a long time. Arafat has to go. Not to a reduced role. Not to a figurehead position. He has to be gone. Arafat used his sway to convince Palestinians of the glories of dying to kill Israelis, he built his career by maneuvering into a position as the slightly moderate leader of these radicals. When he says peace, he defiles the life of every Palestinian who has died doing his bidding in Intifadah, etc. When he says war, he defiles every peace conference he's attended and every world leader who took him on good faith. Where Arafat goes, there is going to be betrayal, going to be defilement and ultimately going to be violence. The only question is their nature. Palestine needs a fresh start and that means getting Arafat gone.
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posted by gbarto at 12:14 PM:
Great Neil Cavuto column on why Arnold may not be such a bad choice for California. Wonders Cavuto, if experience in government is such an asset, why have the career politicians made such a mess of things?* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:11 PM:
Cute Dennis Miller piece on Arianna Huffington, money and celebrity at FoxNews.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:07 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Reply On The Number Of Dead In Heatwave. They got a Red Cross bigwig to give an interpretation that favored oh so slightly the government's version.
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posted by gbarto at 1:00 AM:
Ex-Priest Killed in PrisonJohn Geoghan, accused of molestation by more than 130 people, was apparently strangled to death by another prisoner who was serving life sentence for murder, district attorney says
Here we have our failed system - a system of laws, of rules, designed to ensure that order and reason, not blind passions, rule our lives. And yet, in prison, this notion has been suspended time and again. Like here, where - as too often happens - convicted murderers see themselves fit to pronounce their sentences upon others and guards shrink back, snigger, etc. When we can send a priest to prison for such crimes as Geoghan's and know that his ordeal will be his sentence, we'll have made some progress.
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