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Saturday, December 20, 2003
posted by gbarto at 7:13 AM:
In French news headlines, Why We're In Iraq:Le Monde:
Libya Sacrifices Its Destructive Arsenal
After nine months of secret negotiations with Washington and London, they've agreed to end any and all programs for nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and have apparently begun dismantling their stockpiles.It is worth noting that these negotiations were with the US and UK - the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing - and not the UN, IAEA, EU or the French or Germans. Does one think that if a certain individual were still standing athwart the international community as the UN defended him from the consequences of his belligerence and the Coalition of the Willing had proved diffident, we'd be seeing this moment? Or would Kaddafi too be biding his time in a world run by Kofi Annan? We know the answer, though we shall now be denied the chance to know definitively. But, saith the TurkeyBlog, this moment has come because having experienced America with her dander up and seeing her on the move with her friends, the Libyan leader did a calculation that would not obtain in a world irresolute about these matters and realized the odds were now against him.
Libé: Portable PCs Carried By Low Prices. With some laptops down to 1000 Euros, the portable PC is catching up to the desktop in sales in France.
Ouest-France has a big write-up on the situation in the Middle East. The lead story is There Was No Pedagogy of Peace. There are several other articles on the situation. Francophones have a look.
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Friday, December 19, 2003
posted by gbarto at 1:48 AM:
French news headlinesLe Monde: Sharon Threatens "A Unilateral Plan of Separation," saying that in some months he could just shut out the Palestinians. Not getting rave reviews.
Libé: Raffarin has big vision for his works - 50 big projects for his government, but no real timetable.
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Thursday, December 18, 2003
posted by gbarto at 11:21 PM:
According to Fox News:Fish Swim!
No, wait. Here's the headline:Lawmakers Take Credit Even When It's Not Due
I knew it was something earth shattering.* * *
posted by gbarto at 11:08 PM:
Dean, Kerry Call On ClintonDem hopefuls say they'd tap former president to broker Mideast peace
On hearing the idea, the former president was heard to exclaim, "Sonofabitch! Why didn't I think of that during the eight years I was president? That would really have capped off my administration!"
If Clinton couldn't bring Mideast peace prior to 9/11 at a time when he was leader of the free world, why would he be able to do so now?
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posted by gbarto at 10:38 PM:
Cicero hits the nail on the head in this post about our new governor cutting the car tax, then promising to make up the funds a different way. For those wondering why the city governments couldn't find anything else to cut, the answer is that they don't perceive themselves as serving us, but rather themselves. Which means they have no shame about blackmailing us. This is, in a way, our fault. We have too long pretended that government is a monster on tax day, Santa Claus the rest of the time, and never ever ever connected to this society of normal folks we live in. If we took responsibility for our government by, for example, not joining politicians in the charade that they gave us stuff, as opposed to, at best, spending our money for collective purposes in a way we could not singly, this nonsense wouldn't be going on because we'd know that it wasn't about Arnold giving and taking away but about how we, by the leaders we choose, elect to divide up a portion of the proceeds of our labor for the sake of the common good.* * *
posted by gbarto at 10:26 PM:
Topics Entertainment produces pretty good cassette series for learning languages with the "Euro" method. Those cassette packs have always had the note that with the "Euro" method there was no book because you didn't need one. Nonetheless, they've gone into the workbook business. Maybe they should have stuck to their original philosophy. Here's the back cover of the Italian version (as photographed in the Milpitas Borders):
For those who don't speak Italian, that's like writing "As easy as One, Tow, Three" - they misspelled the word for two!
The TurkeyBlog has made mistakes in his time, and some have been howlers. But it makes you wonder how much you can learn from what's inside if they couldn't get the cover art right. (Incidentally, in the book accented letters have following apostrophes instead of proper accents and there are several phrases even in the opening pages that are at best questionable.)
While we're on the subject of "Things that make you go 'huh?'" I thought I'd offer this sign. There's no mistake, per se, but the TurkeyBlog wonders what kind of thought process creates something like this:
Next Burger King will put up signs saying, "Now serving: Burgers!" if this sort of thing isn't nipped in the bud.
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posted by gbarto at 7:15 AM:
Libé's up to the minute reports that Iran has agreed to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty. No word on whether they intend to follow it.* * *
posted by gbarto at 7:13 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde reports on an Inquiry Into Al-Qaeda's Kamikazes In Iraq. It says they're mostly Syrian and Saudi and have been sneaking in through Syria. Big surprises there.
Libé has The Old Timers of Lyonnais Charged by American Justice System. That is, all the folks caught up in the Credit Lyonnais debacle a decade ago are now in trouble with the U.S. for a spin-off scandal involving Executive Life. And France and the EU have agreed to let them be charged.
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Tuesday, December 16, 2003
posted by gbarto at 11:49 PM:
French news headlines:Libé: Chirac Preaches The Secular Word - with plans to announce a law against the Islamic veil in public school, etc.
Le Monde: Brussels Imposes Its Views on Government - of France, vis-à-vis Eléctricité de France, with an order for the firm to pay out 1.2B Euros over questionable practices.
Ouest-France: Franco-American Détente Over Iraq Debt. On the heels of being shut out of reconstruction contracts, France is working with the U.S. with respect to debts run up by Saddam Hussein.
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posted by gbarto at 11:37 PM:
News worth mentioning:France, Germany May Forgive Some Iraq Debt
You bet they will. There's no chance they'll be welcome in Iraq's reconstruction contracts, etc., if they don't.
Truck Bomb in Baghdad Kills 22
Five injured; another blast reported
Not a surprise. They'll probably be pretty violent for a little bit, trying to show it's not over. But the restoration of Saddam's regime is not going to happen and with the pictures we've seen of the former leader, Baath's credibility as an invulnerable force to be feared ought have been much damaged.
DA to Charge Jackson This Week
Child molestation counts to be filed by Thursday afternoon or Friday morning
Far be it from me to suddenly become a defender of Jackson, whose actions have given plenty of grounds for worry. But that raises the question: Why is this taking so long? We're guaranteed the right to a speedy trial and yet here prosecutors can't even get around to the indictment, notwithstanding the fact they've locked Jackson up and told the whole world they had him. Prosecutors should have arraigned Jackson a week ago and started laying the groundwork for the trial. That it's taken them this long makes it look like they might have gone on less of a lead than they claimed and are scrambling through Jackson's files and their own dossiers in an effort to make a case they should have been able to make before they started with the press conferences, etc.
Breaux Resignation Hurts Dem Majority Chances
He's the fifth Southern Democrat to drop out for the 2004 campaign. Incidentally, he says the Dems have a chance, but only if they pick someone more centrist than Dean to lead the party.
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posted by gbarto at 12:14 AM:
An Anti-Abortion Party?Cicero wonders if there might not be an anti-abortion party in the works, given that the Dems are pro-choice all the way and the Republicans have been soft-pedaling the issue. Given my own libertarian leanings, I'm not unhappy with the Republican approach. But I've know a certain number of Democrats who became Republicans over the abortion issue, and the Republicans do risk losing them to apathy if not the Democrats or another party unless they figure out a way to deal with the issue. I think Bush is fundamentally right - this will require changing hearts and minds as much as laws. However, Bush has worked some on the laws, particularly in terms of how money gets spent once it's under his control. Will his party follow, or will lesser party members go about whispering, "He's only kidding, don't worry" to any constituency the least bit bothered by a president with a moral compass instead of a weathervane? A lot rides on the answer to this question. It may determine a lot, including whether we finish the job in Baghdad.
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Monday, December 15, 2003
posted by gbarto at 11:58 PM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Saddam's Capture Won't End Violence. But the violence will have to seek a new aim; Saddam isn't retaking the throne.
Libération: Betrayed By A Member Of His Clan.
Ouest-France: Saddam Hussein To Be Judged In Iraq.
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posted by gbarto at 2:43 AM:
French news headlinesLe Monde: The Ancient Chieftain Could Be Tried At Baghdad.
Libé: Hand Lowers On Saddam Hussein.
Ouest-France finally has their story: Saddam Hussein Finally Unable to Pose a Threat.
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Sunday, December 14, 2003
posted by gbarto at 11:06 AM:
New evidence reveals...
Saddam Hussein Is Smarter than Al Gore and Howard Dean
Al Gore and Howard Dean have had a lot to say about America going to hell in a handbasket under Bush, with a quagmire in Iraq being only the worst of the problems brought on by the president. To put it simply, Al Gore and Howard Dean don't believe in America or our armed forces. They believe we have to choose between fighting for justice and growing our economy. They believe we have to be subservient to the UN and other bodies because America can't do it alone - even if alone includes nearly 30 pals. They believe we need higher taxes because we can't spend our money as well as they can.Saddam Hussein may have been stupid once. He doubted our will. But Saddam, unlike Al and Howie, learns from his mistakes. He knew America would triumph. He knew America would be strong. He knew our armed forces could do it and our country would stand by them until they did. The proof? Saddam Hussein was found holed up with $750,000 in US currency (not Euros and certainly not the old Iraqi currency) and when he knew he was caught, he surrendered relatively peacefully to a military he knew would treat him with a decency he never would have shown if the situation were reversed.
Al Gore and Howard Dean don't believe in the greatness of America. Having learned the hard way, Saddam knows better.
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posted by gbarto at 10:34 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde:
Saddam Hussein Captured
Announced Sunday noon, the capture of the fallen Iraqi president took place early in the evening, effected by a force of 600 men in a farm south of Tikrit. According to the American general Sanchez, Saddam Hussein "was cooperative." Iraqis took to the streets to show their joy.
Libération:
"We got him!"
Paul Bremer, American Civil Administrator in Iraq, announced the capture of Saddam Hussein Saturday.
Their news and photos section, incidentally, has a picture of Saddam bearded and looking confused.
Le Figaro:
Saddam Captive, Bush invokes justice.
Le Figaro highlights Bush's assertion that Saddam will be brought to justice. They also have the bearded and bewildered Saddam photo.
Ouest-France: Ouest-France, a smaller regional operation, doesn't have a linked story yet. But at the top of their page, they're running "Iraq: Saddam Hussein Has Been Arrested," followed by a few details and promises for a full story tomorrow.
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posted by gbarto at 10:09 AM:
We got him!
Extremely good news here, though that doesn't mean the problems are over:Car Bomb in Iraq Kills at Least 17
Apparent homicide bombing in Sunni Triangle leaves 33 others wounded
Blast Near Musharraf's Motorcade
Bomb explodes minutes after Pakistani president's vehicle passes; no injuries
Jewish Settlements in Gaza Hit
Palestinian militants fire mortars
There are still a lot of people invested in continuing the violence, starting with former Baath party officials whose crimes have yet to be tried and a Saudi ruling family invested in violence projected outward lest the people notice that one family has been consuming all the country's wealth while the others struggle to take get small bites off a fortune earned not through ingenuity and hard work but through politics.
Still:
Joy in Iraq Over Saddam's Arrest
Iraqis celebrate by firing guns into the air, honking horns, cheering
A little celebration is warranted. One of the bigger louses of our age is finished, now definitively following his statue from a former position of prominence.
A second positive note (from the Fox News report):
Two other unidentified Iraqis were captured along with Saddam and authorities confiscated two Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, a taxi, and $750,000 in U.S. currency at the site. (my italics)Baath and Al-Qaeda leaders may dream of America being brought to its knees, but Saddam was banking - literally - on a strong and enduring America capable of maintaining the safest and most stable reserve currency in the world. I'm trying to find out if there were any details omitted, but it doesn't appear that he was carrying any comparable sum in, say, Euros. Any lessons there?
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posted by gbarto at 9:49 AM:
from FoxNews.com
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