tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72398762024-03-09T07:25:04.175+11:00Big Green OgresAndjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-31203958067371415572007-12-10T13:13:00.000+11:002007-12-10T14:55:17.498+11:00Xena: Mock Execution Princess?In many episodes of the tv show <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xena:_Warrior_Princess">Xena: Warrior Princess</a>, Xena cut off the flow of blood to the brains of her enemies to interrogate them. From the second she started, the victims had roughly 30 seconds to live.<br /><br />Yet no-one's referred to it as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_execution">mock execution</a> or torture, or said that she shouldn't be doing it.<br /><br />In the show, the techniques are useful, and are done for the "greater good", rather than being done <a href="http://andjam.blogspot.com/2004/08/no-child-left-eyeless-needlessly.html">needlessly</a>. <br /><br />Does this mean that the show promotes torture, or that the viewers are ok with it? Perhaps because it was being done mostly during the Clinton administration?<br /><br />I don't think so. Xena, like many vigilante (anti-)heroes, acts outside of our sense of ethics. As well as blood deprivation, she sometimes killed her enemies when she didn't really need to do so. She did what many of us idly wish would happen to the bad guys. They "have it coming". But when it comes to real life, we realise we can't act in this way. Asking whether terrorists "have it coming" clouds the issue. The right question is whether allowing torture is a good idea, and the answer is no.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-62869613146109926742007-05-06T07:57:00.000+10:002007-05-06T07:59:07.195+10:00The long tail of Crocodile Hunting?In <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crocodile-Hunter-Collision-Course/dp/B00007B4DH">The Crocodile Hunter - Collision Course</a>, one of the funniest parts of the film was when the CIA was doing a background briefing about Irwin. Irwin had been to many political hotspots, including South America during two coups, in Kenya when the USA embassies were bombed, and in East Timor soon after its civil war. He has had access to America's military. The <a href="http://www.australiazoo.com.au/">Australia Zoo</a> is expanding at the cost of tens of millions of dollars. And you don't get that kind of money from cable television. Therefore, he must moonlighting as an enemy agent.<br /><br />Every one of the statements made is true, but the conclusion is absurd. It is a good warning on the perils of bad logic. A similar, but real-life, conspiracy theory can be seen here asking how <a href="http://bannedinamerica.blogspot.com/2006/04/wikipedia-and-cia-how-us-intelligence.html">wikipedia can only operate with 2 full-time employees and a million-dollar budget that mainly pays for equipment</a>, concluding that it must be a CIA front.<br /><br />The flaw in the argument about Irwin is assuming that his only source of revenue is from cable tv. While talking about an ad series promoting Australian quarantine, he said that the A$175,000 he charged was tiny compared to his other fees for commercials - <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2003/s982212.htm">he'd have to add a zero or two</a>. Steve Irwin may be a litle bit into hyperbole, but in this case it sounds plausible.<br /><br />Irwin wasn't in it for the money, though. The more money he raised, the more conservation he did. The more conservation, the more documentaries and attention. The more attention, the more money to play with. <br /><br />What a vicious circle.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1174949439292233412007-03-27T09:41:00.000+10:002007-03-27T09:50:39.306+10:00Take CAIR before making donations for CitizendiumCitizendium, an online encyclopedia project similar to but different from Wikipedia, has just made some of their articles visible to the public. I'd view it as an interesting experiment, but I'm worried about their current (temporary) funding model.<br /><br />They are being funded through the Tides Center. Legally speaking, you give money to the Tides Center, and they say that they'll give the money to Citizendium, minus what Citizendium calls a very reasonable administration fee. But Citizendium makes no promise that that money will be spent on administration, and I do not know that they can make such a promise.<br /><br />The Tides Center funds a variety of groups. One of them is CAIR. The group is involved with a SLAPP lawsuit involving the "Flying Imams" trying to identify John Doe fellow passengers who acted in good faith with what they reasonably perceived was a potential danger.<br /><br />If Citizendium can guarantee that money will go where it should, I'll be glad to hear it. And the sooner it becomes independent of the Tides Center, the sooner I'll be confident that Citizendium can write without a conflict of interest on the Tides Center, the Tides Foundation and those that fund or are funded by them.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1128677995183734512005-10-07T20:25:00.000+11:002006-10-19T22:24:51.896+11:00Washington, DC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0240.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0240.jpg" border="0" alt="Big building" /></a><br />A building I saw during a tour of congress. I'm curious as to what it is.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0232.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0232.jpg" border="0" alt="Eagle, woman and snake" /></a><br />Statues of an eagle, a woman and a snake winding around a column. Surprisingly, the snake seems not to be a baddie - it is representing knowledge.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0231.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0231.jpg" border="0" alt="Woman on chariot" /></a><br /><br />A statue of a woman on a chariot with a clock as the wheel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0223.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0223.jpg" border="0" alt="Congress" /></a><br /><br />I'm not sure what it is. Probably the local mosque.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0221.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0221.jpg" border="0" alt="Wollemi pine" /></a><br /><br />While waiting for a tour of congress, I checked out the nearby glasshouse. In a room dedicated to endangered plants, I saw a Wollemi pine, a plant that doesn't live far from Sydney.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1123486083793246572005-09-10T18:44:00.000+10:002005-09-10T18:44:13.593+10:00Woods Hole and New YorkPhotos from Woods Hole, MA and New York, NY.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/02440005.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/02440005.jpg" border="0" alt="A sinister statue" /></a><br />The statue in this picture <a href="http://www.lecb.ncifcrf.gov/~toms/Leftyear2001.html#DNAman">featured</a> in the Left Handed DNA Hall of Fame in 2001.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/02440005flip.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/02440005flip.jpg" border="0" alt="A righteous statue" /></a><br />Fixed! Now only the number on one of the buildings looks wrong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/02440004.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/02440004.jpg" border="0" alt="Birds on a wire" /></a><br />Birds on a wire. Woods Hole, MA.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/02440003.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/02440003.jpg" border="0" alt="Frozen water" /></a><br />What part of "9.8 metres per second per second" doesn't the water understand? Woods Hole, MA.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0241.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0241.jpg" border="0" alt="Sculpted snow" /></a><br />Snow sculptured by the wind. Woods Hole, MA.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0243.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0243.jpg" border="0" alt="View from bus" /></a><br />Photo taken on bus between Woods Hole and New York.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0244.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0244.jpg" border="0" alt="View from bus" /></a><br />Photo taken on bus between Woods Hole and New York.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0258.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0258.jpg" border="0" alt="Art in NY" /></a><br />Art work in New York central park.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0265.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0265.jpg" border="0" alt="Times New Square" /></a><br />Times New Square<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0266.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0266.jpg" border="0" alt="Narrowway" /></a><br />Narrow-way<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0267.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0267.jpg" border="0" alt="Old dictator, dead terrorist" /></a><br />Fidel Castro, the world's oldest dictator, and Yasser Arafat, the world's oldest terrorist (and dead as well).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0268.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0268.jpg" border="0" alt="Charlie Chaplin and I" /></a><br />A pretty lousy Charlie Chaplin imitation, and the one on the right isn't much better...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0269.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0269.jpg" border="0" alt="Wayne Gretzky and Michelle Kwan" /></a><br />Wayne Gretzky, hockey player, about to check Michelle Kwan, figure skater. I fear for the former...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0270.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0270.jpg" border="0" alt="Bill Gates" /></a><br />Along with Woody Allen, Bill Gates is one of the shyest figures in the museum.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0277.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0277.jpg" border="0" alt="Ex-Meow mix meta-photo" /></a><br />A photo of photos at the former Meow Mix.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0278.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0278.jpg" border="0" alt="Building" /></a><br />This is a building, to use the technical term.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0280.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0280.jpg" border="0" alt="Ex-WTC" /></a><br />The site of the former World Trade Center buildings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0281.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0281.jpg" border="0" alt="Ex-WTC2" /></a><br />What amazed me when I saw the area was that it looked more like a construction site than a place of death and destruction.<br /></span>Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1121228570217845362005-07-13T13:26:00.000+10:002005-07-13T14:22:50.266+10:00London and BergenPhotos from London and Bergen, Norway.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/02440002.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/02440002.jpg" border="0" alt="Trafalgar square" /></a><br />Trafalgar square.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/02440001.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/02440001.jpg" border="0" alt="London symbol" /></a><br />The symbol for London on a gate.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/RTW3pic01.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/RTW3pic01.jpg" border="0" alt="Tower of London" /></a><br />Part of the Tower of London.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/RTW3pic04.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/RTW3pic04.jpg" border="0" alt="Bergen statues" /></a><br />Statues in the city square of Bergen.<br /></span>Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1121136333777742182005-07-12T13:35:00.000+10:002005-07-12T13:34:09.723+10:00Bergen to OsloPhotos from Bergen to Oslo, travelling with "Norway in a Nutshell".<br /><br />Snow, ice, and award-winning fjords. 'Nuff said.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0299.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0299.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0301.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0301.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0303.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0303.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0305.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0305.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0306.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0306.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0308.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0308.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0309.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0309.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0310.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0310.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/RTW3pic06.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/RTW3pic06.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0311.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0311.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0312.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0312.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0314.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0314.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0315.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0315.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0317.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0317.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0318.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0318.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0320.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0320.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0322.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0322.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0323.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0323.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0324.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0324.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway trip photo" /></a><br /></span>Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1120355857533888502005-07-03T15:47:00.000+10:002005-07-03T15:46:18.146+10:00Oslo picturesPictures and notes from the Oslo part of my trip.<br /><br />But you only read this blog for the articles, so you won't be clicking on the hyperlink below, will you?<br /><br /><span class="fullpost">Ok, looks like you did.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0325.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0325.jpg" border="0" alt="Holmenkollen troll" /></a><br />Do not feed the troll. He's not hungry. Holmenkollen ski jump and museum, Oslo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0326.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0326.jpg" border="0" alt="Fur ski and long ski" /></a><br />Just to the left of the blue picture, a pair of skis, one ski short and with fur underneath to provide push, the other ski long for gliding. Holmenkollen ski jump and museum.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0327.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0327.jpg" border="0" alt="Ski poles with utensils" /></a><br />Ski poles featuring weapons or kitchen utensils. Holmenkollen ski jump and museum.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0330.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0330.jpg" border="0" alt="Building" /></a><br />There must be a rational reason for this building being where it is. Photo taken from Holmenkollen ski jump.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0332.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0332.jpg" border="0" alt="Oslo from Holmenkollen ski jump" /></a><br />No, I can't see my house from here. But if I lived in Oslo, I might be able to. Photo taken from Holmenkollen ski jump.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0333.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0333.jpg" border="0" alt="Abseil rope off ski jump" /></a><br />I'd like to say I abseiled down this. A private group did so. Holmenkollen ski jump.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0335.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0335.jpg" border="0" alt="Holmenkollen ski jump" /></a><br />It doesn't look that scary from this angle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0337.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0337.jpg" border="0" alt="Holmenkollen ski jump" /></a><br />Or this angle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0338.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0338.jpg" border="0" alt="Holmenkollen ski jump" /></a><br />Hey, that's nice. It slopes up at the end.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0339.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0339.jpg" border="0" alt="Holmenkollen ski jump" /></a><br />This angle looks benign too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0340.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0340.jpg" border="0" alt="Holmenkollen ski jump" /></a><br />Now this photo gives a good reckoning of the ski jump. Holmenkollen ski jump.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0341.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0341.jpg" border="0" alt="National Theatre Oslo" /></a><br />National Theatre, Oslo. At least I think it is. It's a fancy building near the National Theatre subway station. A google image search for Oslo National Theatre found another photographer of the same opinion.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0343.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0343.jpg" border="0" alt="Clothing" /></a><br />Clothing display, probably within Oslo town hall.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0345.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0345.jpg" border="0" alt="Oslo town hall clock" /></a><br />Oslo town hall clock. As well as being able to tell the time, it can indicate the current zodiac sign and apparently the current phase of the moon. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/DSCF0093.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/DSCF0093.jpg" border="0" alt="Andjam ice skating" /></a><br />Me ice-skating in Oslo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0347.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0347.jpg" border="0" alt="Oslo traffic light" /></a><br />Oslo traffic light. Scandinavians are very law-abiding people, so in order to send out a firm message on jay-walking, they have two red non-walking pedestrian figures. Between Grefsen station and Haraldsheim YHA.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0348.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0348.jpg" border="0" alt="Oslo pedestrian crossing sign" /></a><br />Oslo pedestrian crossing sign. Dig the hat and the walking style, man.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/pict0353.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/pict0353.jpg" border="0" alt="Norway rat" /></a><br />Rattus Norvegicus, I presume? Googling suggests the rat actually originated in Northern China, and also has the name of wharf rat. Maybe it got the name from Norway's history as a shipping nation. Between Grefsen station and Haraldsheim YHA.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/RTW3pic08.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/RTW3pic08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo from Oslo train" /></a><br />Photo taken from train going from Oslo central to the airport.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/RTW3pic09.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/RTW3pic09.jpg" border="0" alt="Oslo flight photo" /></a><br />Photo taken during flight from Oslo to Copenhagen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/1600/RTW3pic11.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8024/435/400/RTW3pic11.jpg" border="0" alt="Another Oslo flight photo" /></a><br />Another photo taken during the flight. Has anyone seen lines in the snow like this? If so, what are they?<br /><br /></span>Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1119935071127222312005-06-28T15:00:00.000+10:002005-06-28T15:07:48.440+10:00Dirty Harry and the detainee from AfghanistanUnderneath the hard copy headline <a href="http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1268&storyid=3348031">"Inmates sent potty"</a>, they had a photo of a man with 200,000 bees on him (a close up of <a href="http://breaking.tcm.ie/2005/06/25/story208746.html">this photo</a>). The photo was not of a detainee being interrogated, but someone trying to set a world record. A bit of poor placement by the Daily Telegraph. <br /><br />More fictitions to follow.<br /><br /><blockquote>GUANTANAMO BAY: US military guards are taking extraordinary new measures to make terror suspect detainees confess at the controversial Camp X-Ray base in Cuba.</blockquote><br /><br />Camp X-Ray was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_X-Ray#Background">closed</a> on July 29 2002.<br /><br />The use of the word "confess" implies that the guards just want the jihadis to confirm what they are saying to them, like a bent cop wanting to wrap up a case. Who knows, maybe they're more interested in gathering new intelligence about the known unknowns and unknown unknowns? No other articles in <a href="http://news.google.com.au/news?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&tab=wn&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=confess+Potter+Guantanamo&btnG=Search+News">google news</a> used the word "confess" with regards to the use of Harry Potter books.<br /><br /><blockquote>Interrogrators at the base where Australian David Hicks is held are spending hours reading Harry Potter books to the inmates in an effort to crack them.</blockquote><br /><br />Is an "interrogrator" an interrogator who uses the technique of g<b>r</b>ating on the detainee?<br /><br />I'd expect to see this level of inaccuracy in broadsheets like the <i>New York Times</i> or the <i>Sydney Morning Herald</i>, but in a tabloid? What is the world coming to?Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1119934827259292262005-06-28T14:58:00.000+10:002005-06-28T15:00:27.260+10:00Poor journalism reigns in ReutersFrom <a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8890840">Reuters</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Friday's vote exposed deep class divisions in the oil-producing nation of 67 million people.<br /><br />Ahmadinejad's humble lifestyle and pledges to tackle corruption and redistribute the country's oil wealth have appealed to the urban and rural religious poor. <br /><br />...<br /><br />In wealthier north Tehran, Rafsanjani voters said they feared Ahmadinejad would reverse modest reforms made under Khatami that allow women to dress in brighter, skimpier clothes and couples to fraternise in public without fear of arrest.</blockquote><br /><br />Yeah. The "conservative" won because of stupid red-staters. Nothing to do with the thousand-odd candidates blocked by the regime.<br /><br />I don't know much about Iranian "politics", but generally the strongest supporters of fundamentalism are rich and university-educated. But the media wouldn't make things up, would they?<br /><br />Don't answer that.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1119934702914589412005-06-28T14:56:00.000+10:002005-06-28T14:58:22.920+10:00Life imitates Clarke and Dawe7:30 report <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1256824.htm">December 2004</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>INTERVIEWER: OK, now we'll just try that again in case you're rolled, Mr Latham, OK?<br /><br />When do you think you'll get into government?<br /><br />MARK LATHAM: Look, Bryan, I mean, the Prime Minister is a low-life little skunk.<br /><br />He doesn't mind misrepresenting the position to the electorate at large and I think if the absolute galahs and dopes who've tipped me out of office are not Prime Minister by Easter, they should bloody well give the game away.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1401273.htm">Reality</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Mr Latham, whose political biography is due out later this week, is said to have written off the Federal Labor Party as a "spent force" ...</blockquote>Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1118752887726490932005-06-14T22:38:00.000+10:002005-06-14T22:41:27.733+10:00What I Did On My HolidaysIn February (plus a few days in January and March), I went around the world.<br /><br /><b>Vancouver</b><br /><br />Steam driven clock<br />Snow-shoeing<br />H R McMillan Space Centre<br />Science World British Columbia<br />Storyeum<br />Harbour Centre Tower<br />Stanley Park (including the "girl in the wetsuit")<br /><br />Notes: The Steam driven clock can "chime", and was built only a few decades ago. I learnt at the Storyeum of the Doukhobors, who bombed and stripped naked for their pacifist ideals. Sounds somewhat familiar. Everyone in the Storyeum photos looked very serious, even the hurdy gurdy girls.<br /><br /><b>Whistler</b><br /><br />Skied and snowboarded<br /><br /><b>Seattle</b><br /><br />Space Needle<br />Seattle Aquarium<br />Seattle Underground Tour<br /><br />Notes: Not all seals form harems, and some species of octopus stop eating after reproducing and look after their offspring until they die. The underground tour is great, though not recommended for those with delicate sensibilities.<br /><br /><b>Calgary</b><br /><br />Canada Olympic Park<br />Calgary Tower<br />Glenbow museum<br /><br />Notes: You can go up one of the ski jumps. As well as magnificent views, they have information on ski jumping. Apparently it's safer than it looks, and for most of the flight you're only a few metres above the ground. Canada Olympic Park saw the Olympic debut of Michael Edwards ("Eddie the Eagle") and the Jamaican bobsled team, and last year it saw the debut of <a href="http://www.olympics.com.au/?pg=owia&spg=skeleton">Australia's women's skeleton team</a>. Skeleton is for those who like going at over 100 kilometres an hour, but think going feet first (like lugers do) is entirely too sensible.<br /><br /><b>Canmore</b><br /><br />Cross country skiing<br /><br />Notes: The cars stop for you if you want to cross the road!<br /><br /><b>Toronto</b><br /><br />Hockey Hall of Fame<br />Whistle Brewery<br />CN Tower<br />Royal Ontario Museum<br />Bata shoe museum<br />Toronto Olympic Spirit Museum<br /><br />Notes: For the Whistle Brewery, instead of paying an admission fee, you have to buy a souveneir. At the Royal Ontario Museum, you can buy replicas of some of the exhibits. I bought a replica of a <a href="http://www.rom.on.ca/egypt/media02.html">painted relief</a> from the tomb of Metjetji (spelling may vary). The Toronto Olympic Spirit Museum had information, photo opportunities and sports practice. <br /><br /><b>Washington, D.C.</b><br /><br />Smithsonian museums<br />Congress<br />United States Botanic Garden<br /><br />Notes: While waiting for a tour of the capitol, I visited the United States Botanic Garden, and saw a Wollemi pine. Not bad, considering that about a decade ago, it only existed undiscovered in a single area a few hours from Sydney.<br /><br /><b>New York</b><br /><br />Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum<br />Katz's Deli<br />The former World Trade Centers 1 & 2<br /><br /><b>London</b><br /><br />The Tower of London<br /><br /><b>Bergen, Norway</b><br /><br />Hanseatic Museum<br />Fishing museum<br />Funicular<br /><br />Notes: I took the "Norway in a Nutshell" trip from Bergen to Oslo. The scenery was amazing.<br /><br /><b>Oslo, Norway</b><br /><br />Hollenstein ski jump and museum<br />Oslo town hall<br />Fram museum<br /><br />Notes: The <i>Fram</i> had gone further north and further south than any other boat. The museum also had an exhibit on Australian Antarctic bases. On the flight I took from Oslo to Copenhagen, the TVs showed the plane's-eye view of the take-off.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1118289507404133152005-06-09T13:33:00.000+10:002005-06-09T13:58:27.416+10:00Bring back the blogWelcome to <i>Bullletin</i> readers, <a href="http://timblair.net/ee/index.php/weblog/comments/do_not_mishandle_this_column/">Tim Blair</a> viewers, and long-suffering souls waiting for my next post.<br /><br />It'll happen real soon now, and it'll be on What I Did On My Holidays.<br /><br />For those who wish to email me, take my 6-letter pseudonym, add on an "at sign" and then geocities.com. If you don't get a reply, it may be because of the anti-spam filter: send it again and give me a shout in the comments section that you've sent an email.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1104577304371526752005-01-01T21:58:00.000+11:002005-01-01T22:01:44.370+11:00TsunamiUgh. The death toll from the tsunami is unbelievable. My thoughts go out for the survivors and for the relatives of the dead.
<br />
<br />Keith Suter <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/Asia-Tsunami/Enemies-exploit-trouble-for-war-aims/2004/12/31/1104344986584.html?oneclick=true">wrote</a> in an opinion piece on aid delivery in war zones:
<br /><blockquote>Meanwhile, the undemocratic Burmese Government is playing down the number of deaths. It is internationally unpopular and the subject of economic sanctions. Its tally of less than 100 victims is probably untrue. But it is a closed country, so it will be difficult to get at the true figure.</blockquote>
<br />I suspect Keith is right here. But what can we do? Threaten to punish Burma's regime unless it allows us to help its people? Maybe satellite photos can be used to show that Burma isn't being entirely honest about the extent of devastation.
<br /><blockquote>The country is a complete "free market": no government, no security, individuals rely on their guns to protect themselves in the clan warfare. One of the world's poorest countries has again suffered another calamity.</blockquote>
<br />A free market, for better or for worse, never meant the absence of government protection against violence and theft. In addition, you could argue that the clans are a form of government.
<br /><blockquote>Here is a checklist of the flashpoints to watch out for in the current crisis:
<br />First, there is a temptation by governments and their opponents to try to exploit a natural disaster for their own political purposes. They may try to restrict relief aid from going to areas controlled by their opponents to help starve them into submission.</blockquote>
<br />This is a real enough risk - this has been reported as happening in Zimbabwe.
<br /><blockquote>Second, relief operations run by the military carry the risk that they become a ruse to conduct military operations under the guise of supposedly providing help. Military personnel are employed to conduct military operations.
<br />They may be deployed temporarily on relief operations, but their prime purpose is warfare and they will not want to miss an opportunity to continue their core business if the targets should appear.</blockquote>
<br />This may vary from government to government, but I'd rather think that military operations are viewed by governments as a means to an end, not an end in themselves.
<br /><blockquote>Third, there is a new danger arising out of the blurring of the traditional distinction between military personnel and relief personnel. Traditionally both groups of personnel were distinct. However, in recent years defence forces have been encouraged to provide their equipment to help transfer relief supplies.
<br />For example, relief convoys in the new warfare state are now targets for warlords and bandits. Some relief organisations have had to resort to armed guards to protect the convoys.
<br />The problem with this new level of co-operation is that warlords have been less careful about their targeting. The experience in Chechnya, for example, showed that relief workers were regarded as targets by warlords. In the previous era of international conventional warfare relief workers may have been killed accidentally but rarely deliberately.</blockquote>
<br />I'd have to disagree with his analysis here.
<br />
<br />First, international warfare wasn't always Geneva-compliant, Marquis de Queensberry-like combat. In many international conflicts, there were simply no relief workers at all. One would have to assume that it wouldn't be safe for a relief worker to be there.
<br />
<br />Secondly, he doesn't seem to explain how the military assisting relief workers would lead to deliberate targeting of relief workers. Perhaps a more plausible explanation for the change of policy is that irregulars are less concerned about negative PR than governments are (even governments that are not concerned about human rights may be concerned about PR).
<br />
<br />Mark Steyn argues in <a href="http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0904/steyn_2004_09_07.php3">Being sad isn't enough</a> that negative PR seems not to be a problem with some "Chechens" even compared to other non-state-actors:
<br />
<br /><blockquote>When your asymmetrical warfare strategy depends on gunning down schoolchildren, you're getting way more asymmetrical than you need to be. The reality is that the IRA and ETA and the ANC and any number of secessionist and nationalist movements all the way back to the American revolutionaries could have seized schoolhouses and shot all the children.
<br />But they didn't. Because, if they had, there would have been widespread revulsion within the perpetrators' own communities. To put it at its most tactful, that doesn't seem to be an issue here.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />Keith also notes a potential problem not discussed much:
<br /><blockquote>Finally, there is the problem of unexploded ordnance. During the Vietnam War three decades ago I noticed that the downpour of monsoonal rains meant that previously "cleared" areas ran the risk of landmines and other unexploded ordnance being moved from one rice field to another. It remains to be seen how the tsunami may have likewise shifted unexploded ordnance. All of the conflicts in the countries affected by the tsunami have experienced the use of landmines. (Australia and Antarctica are the world's only two continents that have no landmines.)</blockquote>
<br />Keith sees some reasons for hope:
<br /><blockquote>Are there any "good" developments to watch out for? One might be the scope for "earthquake diplomacy". In 1999 Greece gave help to its traditional rival Turkey when it suffered from an earthquake. This helped improve relations between them.
<br />There is a hope that opposing sides to an internal conflict may be drawn together to deal with the common problem of the tsunami. Having then seen how much they can gain from co-operation, this may provide an opportunity for political progress. All of the conflicts in the area affected by the tsunami are long term and intractable. The tsunami may provide an opportunity for building peace.</blockquote>
<br />I'll answer with a emphatic "maybe". Food aid given to Afghanistan (both pre and post September 11) didn't lead to Osama's extradition to the USA, and North Korea worked on its nuclear program while the USA has and is giving food aid to it. I doubt the aid we'll be giving Aceh will lead the hard-core Islamists to like us, but it may make the ordinary Acehnese more sympathetic to us, and more likely to volunteer useful information if some of them commit a terrorist attack against Australians.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1102508327558654452004-12-08T23:06:00.000+11:002004-12-17T22:35:29.240+11:00Thoughtlessness a bigger threatSaudi newspaper <i>Arab News</i> has an article proclaiming that
<br /><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=55686&d=7&m=12&y=2004">Global Warming Is Mankind’s Greatest Threat</a>
<br /><blockquote>Yesterday was a black day with an attack on the US Consulate in Jeddah, exacting a terrible toll in human lives and suffering. Yet, as dreadful as these kinds of occurrences are — and nobody can deny that terrorists are, indeed, a global and worsening plague — one wonders whether the Bush administration should concentrate on this to the exclusion of all others, in particular the urgent need to curtail global warming.</blockquote>
<br />At the end, the article notes "Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback.".
<br />
<br />As far as I can tell, she mainly writes for middle eastern media, so it's not a syndication of something written for <i>The Guardian</i> or the like. And yet Saudi Arabia's major (legal) export is not mentioned in the article.
<br />
<br />I may send her feedback. I hope she welcomes it.
<br />
<br /><B>Update</b> Friday December 17: Yes, she does welcome feedback.
<br />
<br />I asked
<br /><blockquote>I read your article “Global Warming Is Mankind’s
<br />Greatest Threat” in Arab News. In the article, you
<br />deplore excessive consumption of oil without
<br />criticising the countries that supply the western
<br />world with as much oil as is asked for. Would you be
<br />able to explain why you didn't criticise those
<br />countries?</blockquote>
<br />and in less than 24 hours I got the following reply:
<br /><blockquote>Dear Andrew,
<br />
<br />When oil producing countries attempt to cut production, prices shoot up and they are blamed for consequent worsening economies. We must also consider politics when it comes to Mid-East oil producers. When supplies were severely cut in response to the 1973 war, this was considered by the West as a hostile act. We should ask ourselves whether Mid-East suppliers, in particular, truly have a free hand and what the consequences would be if they unilaterally decided to severely curtail flows.
<br />
<br />More importantly, the biggest polluters are not oil producing countries but oil importers. If the polluters sought other, environmentally friendly, sources of energy then the producers would eventually lack buyers and prices would substantially decrease benefiting everyone.
<br />
<br />Best regards,
<br />
<br />Linda Heard</blockquote>Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1101873020608108172004-12-01T14:49:00.000+11:002004-12-01T14:50:20.610+11:00Calling all lizardoidsA news service called "Executive Intelligence Review", associated with Lyndon LaRouche, is <a href="http://news.google.com.au/news?q=%22Executive%20Intelligence%20Review%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn">syndicating</a> on Google News. Opinions about Lyndon vary: some think that he's a Jew-hating fascist, while others think he's just plain nuts.
<br />
<br />Meanwhile, Daily "Screw them" Kos has been removed from Google News.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1101001198491020432004-11-21T13:36:00.000+11:002004-11-21T12:39:58.490+11:00I have got a bridge to sell you<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/15/1100384498883.html?from=storylhs&oneclick=true">No, really</a>. It ain't exactly the Brooklyn bridge, but a 10-tonne, 115-year-old bridge isn't something to be sneezed at. I didn't steal it myself though, I'm acting as the, um, fence.
<br />
<br />The way the cops know it wasn't a local job? The thieves were wering industrial boots, whereas locals would wear thongs (as jandals / flip-flops, not as in G-strings).
<br />
<br />Oh, and Atlantis has been <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1243509.htm">found</a>.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1100998602967379712004-11-21T11:44:00.000+11:002004-11-21T11:56:42.966+11:00International crisis centre puts brakes on thoughtI'm a bit late with posting this, but it's just so stupid that I couldn't leave it <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/13/1094927512785.html?from=moreStories&oneclick=true">alone</a>:
<br /><blockquote>Puritanical form of Islam puts brakes on terrorism.</blockquote>
<br /><blockquote>Far from promoting violence, the teaching of fundamentalist Islam in Indonesia may be a barrier to the growth of terrorism.</blockquote>
<br /><blockquote>Just days after the bombing of the Australian Embassy, the International Crisis Centre issued a report arguing that a puritanical form of Islam, known as Salafism, is more likely to act as a brake on terrorist groups and finds organisations like Jemaah Islamiah anathema.</blockquote>
<br />"Salafi" is another word for <a href="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=12284">"Wahhabi"</a>. One prominent Salafi/Wahhabist is Osama Bin Laden.
<br />
<br />What next, arguing that national socialism puts brakes on invading Poland?Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1100995670817008022004-11-21T11:06:00.000+11:002004-11-21T11:07:50.816+11:00Clean smell of successAustralia is making a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Dream-machine/2004/11/01/1099262777469.html?oneclick=true">clean sweep</a> with its soaps:
<br /><blockquote>The world has a serious problem with Australian soaps. It just can't get enough of them. Whether it's the allure of eternal sunshine or fly-screen doors that are never locked, it seems we've cracked the code for serial dramas that hit the cross-cultural spot.</blockquote>
<br />...
<br /><blockquote>Home and Away, now in its 17th year of production, is distributed to more than 48 countries (and can be seen in as many as 120 countries due to the satellite footprint). Subtitled or dubbed (in Lithuania, one person voices all the parts), Home and Away is an international hit, watched by more than 60 million viewers daily. It's loved in Britain, but is just as well received in Botswana, Kenya and Dubai. Neighbours, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next year, is seen in 12 countries and has a worldwide daily audience of 120 million.</blockquote>
<br /><blockquote>British viewers continue to be the biggest consumers of our soaps. In 1988 a peak of 18 million tuned into Scott and Charlene's wedding on Neighbours and both Neighbours and Home and Away still attract daily audiences of more than 6 million viewers. Neighbours consistently rates No. 1 in its daytime slot.</blockquote>
<br />That peak figure of 18 million in 1988 is equivalent to Australia's <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/282e34ea888d4eccca256e7d0000263e?OpenDocument">1995 population</a>.
<br /><blockquote>Dr Mike Minehan, head of communication at Insearch, University of Technology Sydney, says the cross-cultural appeal is not surprising. "There is a sense of freedom and the new world about Australia that the older world looks upon with some envy. They watch our soaps and think that everybody lives in a beautiful home, everybody is young and attractive, everybody goes to the beach, and that it's always sunny. That's what our soaps play on. It's a bit like a dream they would like to live."</blockquote>
<br />So much for people only wanting local voices telling local tales. Free trade is a two-way street. If we want our programs exported to the world, we should accept overseas programs being allowed to screen here.
<br />
<br />Besides, if it weren't for trade in tv programs, <a href="http://www.xenaville.com/articles/stuff.html">Xena</a> wouldn't have screened in Australia. That would have been a <b>bad thing</b>.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1100694183516192012004-11-17T23:20:00.000+11:002004-11-17T23:23:03.516+11:00National ShockerSome regard Hollywood as dominating idotiarianism, but we <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Pitcairn-men-were-following-custom-McCullough/2004/11/15/1100384498568.html?oneclick=true">have our own achievers</a>:
<br />
<br /><blockquote>Pitcairn men were following custom: McCullough</blockquote>
<br />Not to be confused with the favourite excuse of "just following orders".
<br />
<br /><blockquote>The best-selling author Colleen McCullough has joined the debate on the Pitcairn Island rape trials, saying the men convicted of the rapes should have been allowed to follow their "custom" and have sex with young girls.</blockquote>
<br />She joined the debate, and left planet earth.
<br />
<br /><blockquote>"They are as much Polynesian as anything else," she said. "It's Polynesian to break your girls in at 12."</blockquote>
<br />So it'd be UnPolynesian to not "break" "your" girls at 12?
<br />
<br /><blockquote>"The Poms have cracked the whip and it's an absolute disgrace.</blockquote>
<br />Ahh, railing against an evil hedgemon. Very popular with the intelligentsia.
<br />
<br /><blockquote>"It's hypocritical, too," she said. "Does anybody object when Muslims follow their customs? Nobody's afraid of 50 Polynesians, but they are very afraid of a million Muslims."</blockquote>
<br />That's a bit closer to the mark than I'd like to admit, but some have objected when bad things are done under the guise of "customs". Heard of Theo Van Gogh?
<br />
<br /><blockquote>The trial deeply divided the community, with some arguing that sex with young girls was part of the island culture.</blockquote>
<br /><blockquote>But the Pitcairn public prosecutor, Simon Moore, said the trials had sent a strong signal to a society in which men had abused young girls with impunity for decades.</blockquote>
<br />To <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/736142/posts">quote</a> Mark Steyn in "Multiculturalists are the real racists":
<br />
<br /><blockquote>A British district officer, coming upon a scene of suttee, was told by the locals that in Hindu culture it was the custom to cremate a widow on her husband's funeral pyre. He replied that in British culture it was the custom to hang chaps who did that sort of thing.</blockquote>
<br />How terribly judgemental.
<br />
<br /><blockquote>Pitcairn Islanders are descended from HMS Bounty mutineers and Polynesians, and about a third of Norfolk Island's 1800 residents trace their ancestry back to the 194 Pitcairners who settled the abandoned penal colony in 1856.</blockquote>
<br />They make us Aussies look good by comparison.
<br />
<br /><blockquote>McCullough is visiting Melbourne this week to promote her new novel and 16th book ***** ****</blockquote>
<br />Maybe she isn't crazy, but just wants to create controversy. I guess she'd be following in Greer's footsteps in talking about child sex.
<br />
<br />If she's one of the 100 <a href="http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/stories/397.asp">Living National Treasures of Australia</a>, I'm glad I'm not one.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1100521677352501522004-11-15T23:27:00.000+11:002004-11-15T23:27:57.353+11:00Bombs not bongsTerrorists face a sentence reduction of up to <a href="http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11385993%255E663,00.html">six weeks</a> to celebrate Idul Fitri, while alleged Australian marijuana smuggler Schapelle Corby faces <a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11387541%255E2702,00.html">execution</a>.
<br />
<br />Someone once noted that in Iran, adultery is treated as a criminal matter while murder is treated as a civil matter. It seems Indonesia is similarly getting its priorities the wrong way around.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1100520265943879172004-11-15T23:03:00.000+11:002004-11-15T23:04:25.943+11:00Planet Earth calling Mr TradFrom the Sydney Morning Herald: <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Carr-preaches-tolerance-attacks-US-adventurism/2004/11/14/1100384433824.html?oneclick=true">Carr preaches tolerance, attacks US adventurism</a>
<br />
<br /><blockquote>[Carr] also said Australians must bear down on acts of prejudice directed at Islamic people and institutions.</blockquote>
<br />Tolerance is a two-way street, Bob.
<br /><blockquote>A Muslim community leader, Keyser Trad, described John Howard and George Bush as warmongers and said their re-elections were a setback for Australian Muslims during a year of "atrocities against Muslims".</blockquote>
<br /><blockquote>Since September 11, 2001, two schools and four mosques had been set on fire or vandalised and race-based attacks continued against Muslim Australians in an "atmosphere of Islamaphobia and intolerance".</blockquote>
<br />And now for Keyser's attempt to combat intolerance:
<br /><blockquote>Mr Trad said Mr Howard was steering "our great nation away from our ethos of fair-mindedness towards the fearful neo-conservatism and total dependency on America and Israel for direction".</blockquote>
<br />The VP of the Lebanese Muslim Association making claims about the USA controlling Australia wouldn't raise an eyebrow, but titty little country Israel? Half-way around the world? Population less than <a href="http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/is.html#People">7 million</a> (assuming Palestinians aren't conspiring to control Australia)? How would it put pressure on us? Threaten retaliation once it becomes eligible for UN security council membership?
<br /><blockquote>Likening Mr Bush to a modern-day Pharaoh, Mr Trad said he had displayed a reckless disregard for human life in US policies and military campaigns in Iraq and Palestine. "He rules the world with one eye and rampages with one horn, like a rhino amongst a flock of lambs."</blockquote>
<br />Haven't you read your Moir cartoons? Howard's the one with one eye.
<br /><blockquote>The Islamic cleric Sheik Shadi Suleiman, of the United Muslim Association, said Islam had been maligned. "It's a mistake for those who ever think Islam is terrorism. It is a mistake to believe that Islam accepts the killing of innocent women and children."</blockquote>
<br />Islam doesn't kill innocent women and children, people acting in its name do.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1098969324296649052004-10-28T23:17:00.000+11:002004-10-29T00:15:24.296+11:00Excuse? We don't need no stinking excuse...Nemesis <a href="http://www.roadtosurfdom.com/surfdomarchives/002824.php">asked</a> Tim Dunlop why he blogged.
<br />
<br /><blockquote>I have a theory that if you're trying to [change] people's opinions, then blogging is not the medium to do this.</blockquote>
<br />Sometimes blogging can change opinions. Tim Blair sometimes posts on excesses in the anti-smoking movement, and it probably played a role in my feeling that the NSW's proposed ban on smoking in pubs is going too far. So blogging isn't a <i>total</i> waste of time.
<br />
<br />In addition, when blogging you can find out info that can be useful when talking with "undecideds" about an issue.
<br />
<br /><blockquote>In a world where most people and political parties (in the West at least) are moving steadily towards centrist positions, the old Left/Right bollocks just doesn't work anymore - yet blogging still seems to be stuck in this old paradigm. Until it breaks out of this mould it will never realise its true potential, I fear.</blockquote>
<br />Is it an either/or proposition? Either a one-dimensional political spectrum, or no spectrum at all?
<br />
<br /><blockquote>Maybe some other bloggers have a view on this. Would love to hear from them.</blockquote>
<br />The reason I have a blog? I wanted to make a comment at another blog, was told that I had to register or post anonymously, and ended up with this as a bonus.
<br />
<br />Why do I blog? The advantage of blogging over commenting is that you can set the agenda. I don't have to look for some blog mentioning SBS's article on the PKK, or the obscene James Hardie payout.
<br />
<br />Why do I discuss politics online? It allows me to discuss politics while keeping my "real life" friendships intact. Especially as most of my friends were opposed to the invasion of Iraq.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1098622778543786802004-10-24T23:37:00.000+11:002004-10-24T23:59:38.543+11:00Salem, you cheese eating surrender monkeys!French UMP party deputy Jacques Myard told Le Monde: “English is the most-spoken language today, but that won’t last. ... If we must make a language compulsory, it should be Arabic”. This is <i>not</i> a scrappleface article.
<br />
<br />Meanwhile, the abscence of the 50-foot cone of silence for early voters is mourned <a href="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=13271_Early_Voters_Bullied_in_Florida">here</a>.
<br />
<br />On ABC news tonight, they did a piece on women trying herbal medicines to treat menopause because of scares over hormone replacement therapy. Not one of the people interviewed noted that HRT has undergone far more scrutiny than herbal medicine, and therefore the absence of known problems with herbal remedies may well reflect our ignorance. Rumsfeld's talk about knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns comes to mind.
<br />
<br />"Emma Bovary took arsenic; Anna Karenina went under a train, Tess of the D'Urbervilles was hanged." - Adele Horin on adultery. Um, yes, Tess got hanged, but not for adultery.Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239876.post-1098600515275238382004-10-24T17:47:00.000+11:002004-10-24T17:48:35.276+11:00Involuntary embeddingMeanwhile, it has been reported that SBS journalist John Martinkus was kidnapped by <strike>terrorists</strike> <strike>militants</strike> insurgents and was subsequently released.
<br />
<br />My sympathy goes to those who have been kidnapped by terrorists. I am glad he made it back to Australia safely.
<br />
<br />However, I take a dim view of someone who says "There was a reason to kill (British hostage Kenneth) Bigley, there was a reason to kill the (two) Americans (kidnapped with Bigley). There was not a reason to kill me."
<br />
<br />After such a callous comment (though not as bad as comments by Moore or Pilger earlier this year), others saying unkind stuff about why the terrorists let him live seems minor in comparison.
<br />
<br />Sure, you can claim that John wasn't explicitly condoning the murder of Bingley or his associates. But if someone had came back from Nazi Germany saying that "There was a reason to kill Anne Frank", I expect people would regard such a comment as offensive.
<br />
<br />All I can say about John's <a href="http://timblair.spleenville.com/archives/007816.php">account</a> of how he was kidnapped is hmmmmm. 25% more offensive than Tim Blair's one-word-gate! No, actually, I've got more to say. If he was lying, then it was uneccessary. Many people in such a situation would have done what the terrorists had told them.
<br />
<br />And what happend to John's driver and translator? Are they just <a href="http://pweb.jps.net/~mythology/R.html#redshirt">redshirts</a>, extras whose fate we are not supposed to be concerned about?Andjamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112060411447806899noreply@blogger.com1