Hero to pols who were left right out | Phillip Adams | The Australian
Phillip Adams has yet another reality challenged column in the Australian today.
He has repeated the theme many times recently: that John Howard's Liberal Party has become solidly right wing, not the "broad church" of old. He also claims that, unlike in the 1960's, there is no cross party co-operation or friendships any more.
Nice theory, but only if you ignore the following examples:
* Howard withdrew his recent migration law changes to avoid the defeat they obviously faced because of the number of Libs (and probably National Barnaby Joyce) would made it clear they would not vote for it.
* Liberal women are not shy of supporting their own legislation for particular "womens' issues" such as the availability of the "abortion drug" and on stem cell research.
* Warren Entsch, of all people, speaks out on gay law reform all the time. (Although it is clear that there is no strong move to support gay marriage type laws in the Liberals.)
* It is clear that there still are cross party friendships, if you watch Sunrise and see the amiable exchanges every week between Kevin Rudd and Joe Hockey. (They also did the Kokoda track together recently.) I get the feeling that Lindsay Tanner might have the respect and (possibly) friendship of a few on the other side as well. It was pretty clear that Christopher Pyne and Mark Latham were friendly enough at a personal level when they used to do their Lateline stuff. I recall Jacki Kelly talking recently of inviting Labor women to some private party of hers.
Actually, I have found it encouraging that polite and friendly personal contact across the parties appears to have been a feature of the current government.
Adams seems not only wrong about this, but quite hypocritical, in that his great political hero Paul Keating gave every appearance of a politician who could in no way tolerate having a personal friendship with someone from the other side. (And who from the Liberals would want to be be close to him, given the highly personal and nasty character of his parliamentary attacks.)
Give it up Phil, this is a stupid argument.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Monday, September 04, 2006
Steve Irwin and the speed of Wiki
Steve Irwin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Steve Irwin's unusual death was reported here (Brisbane) at around 2.30pm. It looks like Reuters and AP reported it after 4 pm. It is now 4.35 pm and his Wikipedia entry is up to date, referring to him in the past tense, and giving some detail about his death.
Looking at the history of his entry, there have been many people checking and posting today following news of his death.
History gets written very quickly these days.
As for his death, everyone's reaction on talkback radio here goes like this: "a stingray can kill you? I mean, I knew they could sting and hurt, but kill you?"
Steve Irwin's unusual death was reported here (Brisbane) at around 2.30pm. It looks like Reuters and AP reported it after 4 pm. It is now 4.35 pm and his Wikipedia entry is up to date, referring to him in the past tense, and giving some detail about his death.
Looking at the history of his entry, there have been many people checking and posting today following news of his death.
History gets written very quickly these days.
As for his death, everyone's reaction on talkback radio here goes like this: "a stingray can kill you? I mean, I knew they could sting and hurt, but kill you?"
Mao's reputation continues its dive
China | Big bad wolf | Economist.com
This is a short review of a new book that continues the revisionism of Mao's reputation (in a downwards direction.) This latest book sounds more scholarly and less obviously partisan than the recent one co-authored by Jung Chang. (Not that I have read it either.)
From the article:
The heart of the book is a detailed chronicle of how Mao cynically twisted ideology and manipulated those around him, setting off hysterical and murderous attacks on everything from Confucian morals and bourgeois culture to intellectuals, “capitalist roaders” and “class enemies”.
Using sources that range from official party and government documents to letters, diaries and interviews with surviving participants and victims, the authors document the orders that went out, the mayhem that resulted and the fear it all struck in the hearts of people across the country. And it is chilling stuff. In August and September of 1966, for example, as thousands were being murdered in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere, Mao put out the word that the police were not to interfere. Faithfully relaying Mao's instructions to the Beijing police force, the public security minister assured them that, “After all, bad persons are bad, so if they're beaten to death it is no big deal.”
This is a short review of a new book that continues the revisionism of Mao's reputation (in a downwards direction.) This latest book sounds more scholarly and less obviously partisan than the recent one co-authored by Jung Chang. (Not that I have read it either.)
From the article:
The heart of the book is a detailed chronicle of how Mao cynically twisted ideology and manipulated those around him, setting off hysterical and murderous attacks on everything from Confucian morals and bourgeois culture to intellectuals, “capitalist roaders” and “class enemies”.
Using sources that range from official party and government documents to letters, diaries and interviews with surviving participants and victims, the authors document the orders that went out, the mayhem that resulted and the fear it all struck in the hearts of people across the country. And it is chilling stuff. In August and September of 1966, for example, as thousands were being murdered in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere, Mao put out the word that the police were not to interfere. Faithfully relaying Mao's instructions to the Beijing police force, the public security minister assured them that, “After all, bad persons are bad, so if they're beaten to death it is no big deal.”
Medical marijuana wars
TCS Daily - The Straight Dope on 'Medical Marijuana'
Also from TCS, an article about the "medical marijuana" wars in the USA.
This tactic (of encouraging a limited legalisation of the drug for medicinal purposes) has not been promoted strongly in any jurisdiction in Australia, as far as I can recall. This article confirms, from a medical point of view, why it is a dubious thing to do.
Also from TCS, an article about the "medical marijuana" wars in the USA.
This tactic (of encouraging a limited legalisation of the drug for medicinal purposes) has not been promoted strongly in any jurisdiction in Australia, as far as I can recall. This article confirms, from a medical point of view, why it is a dubious thing to do.
IEDs in Iraq
TCS Daily - Roadside Bombs: The Hydra Effect
This article at Tech Central goes into technical detail about how roadside bombs in Iraq are made and why it is so hard to stop them. Interesting, even though pessimistic.
This article at Tech Central goes into technical detail about how roadside bombs in Iraq are made and why it is so hard to stop them. Interesting, even though pessimistic.
An odd comparison
Martyrs' widows wait outside doors to paradise - World - theage.com.au
This short story about how Hezbollah looks after the widows of "martyrs" in Lebanon contains this:
The community believes martyrs go directly to heaven and their wives are venerated because of their sacrifice. "The wife of a martyr is like Jennifer Lopez to us," said Mohammed Husseini, spokesman for Hezbollah's Martyrs' Association illustrating how widows are admired.
Well, perhaps "Paris Hilton" would have been a less apt comparison, but only just.
This short story about how Hezbollah looks after the widows of "martyrs" in Lebanon contains this:
The community believes martyrs go directly to heaven and their wives are venerated because of their sacrifice. "The wife of a martyr is like Jennifer Lopez to us," said Mohammed Husseini, spokesman for Hezbollah's Martyrs' Association illustrating how widows are admired.
Well, perhaps "Paris Hilton" would have been a less apt comparison, but only just.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
About Iran and Iraq
Crime boss brokered nuclear-delivery missile sale to Iran - Sunday Times - Times Online
Further to the concerns about Iran:
THE British government was warned more than two years ago that Iran had illegally acquired a missile system capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
It has emerged that a foreign government delivered the warning to Britain in early 2004.
Separately, it has been disclosed that the system was sold to Iran by a former senior member of the Ukrainian security service. The deal was brokered by an organised crime boss and, it is feared, contributed to the Iranian nuclear programme that is now the subject of an international confrontation.
The Times report also notes this:
It has also emerged that in 2004 the Ukrainian government was investigating the transport of weapons from Iraq to Syria and Iran before the war to topple Saddam Hussein.
I still suspect that the complete story of WMD in Iraq is not yet known.
Further to the concerns about Iran:
THE British government was warned more than two years ago that Iran had illegally acquired a missile system capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
It has emerged that a foreign government delivered the warning to Britain in early 2004.
Separately, it has been disclosed that the system was sold to Iran by a former senior member of the Ukrainian security service. The deal was brokered by an organised crime boss and, it is feared, contributed to the Iranian nuclear programme that is now the subject of an international confrontation.
The Times report also notes this:
It has also emerged that in 2004 the Ukrainian government was investigating the transport of weapons from Iraq to Syria and Iran before the war to topple Saddam Hussein.
I still suspect that the complete story of WMD in Iraq is not yet known.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Modern annoyances
Here's a few things I have been saving up to complain about:
* It seems impossible to buy a simple set of plain Lego blocks anymore. (Duplo, yes, but not older kids' basic Lego.) As anyone with children is probably aware, Lego seemingly went totally "themed" many years ago, as if a corporate decision was made that all kids' imaginations must come prepackaged. I'm sure I read somewhere in the last year or two how the Lego company was not doing well. Here's a tip: stop paying for movie tie-in's and overly specialised fiddly pieces and start selling basic sets again. I could live with the little figures (although they do sully the "purity" of the Lego of my childhood,) if basic kits could be found again.
* A pharmacy I was in recently was selling "Hopi ear candles". If I ruled the world, there would be some minimum standard of vague utility for what a pharmacy could sell, and Hopi ear candles would never reach that threshold.
* The twee obsession that ABC Radio National listeners have with fonts irritates me. The Saturday morning show recently did a segment on Microsoft changing the font for (I think) Outlook, and sure enough the following week the host noted how much response that segment received. Oh for God's sake. If you are 95 and live alone on a mountain, maybe an undue interest in default fonts is half justifiable. If you are under 50 and you are worrying about default fonts, you really, really need another interest in life.
* Talking about fonts reminds me: I still occasionally find people who still think Wordperfect stopped at DOS version 5.1. In fact, the Windows based versions are up to X3, which is what they named version 13 in order to avoid the unlucky number. Ironically (if that is the correct use of the word for this example), this latest version lets you run it in DOS 5.1 emulation.
It drives me crazy when I have to sometimes use Word instead of WP. My long held belief that formatting anything in WP is always easier than in Word (which continually tries to guess my intention and 9 times out of 10 gets it wrong) seemed to have been confirmed this week when I showed a Word only user how to do indents and edit codes in WP. He seemed genuinely surprised, and I am sure this could be true of many Word users if only they had exposure to WP.
By the way, I do not own shares in Corel.
* It seems impossible to buy a simple set of plain Lego blocks anymore. (Duplo, yes, but not older kids' basic Lego.) As anyone with children is probably aware, Lego seemingly went totally "themed" many years ago, as if a corporate decision was made that all kids' imaginations must come prepackaged. I'm sure I read somewhere in the last year or two how the Lego company was not doing well. Here's a tip: stop paying for movie tie-in's and overly specialised fiddly pieces and start selling basic sets again. I could live with the little figures (although they do sully the "purity" of the Lego of my childhood,) if basic kits could be found again.
* A pharmacy I was in recently was selling "Hopi ear candles". If I ruled the world, there would be some minimum standard of vague utility for what a pharmacy could sell, and Hopi ear candles would never reach that threshold.
* The twee obsession that ABC Radio National listeners have with fonts irritates me. The Saturday morning show recently did a segment on Microsoft changing the font for (I think) Outlook, and sure enough the following week the host noted how much response that segment received. Oh for God's sake. If you are 95 and live alone on a mountain, maybe an undue interest in default fonts is half justifiable. If you are under 50 and you are worrying about default fonts, you really, really need another interest in life.
* Talking about fonts reminds me: I still occasionally find people who still think Wordperfect stopped at DOS version 5.1. In fact, the Windows based versions are up to X3, which is what they named version 13 in order to avoid the unlucky number. Ironically (if that is the correct use of the word for this example), this latest version lets you run it in DOS 5.1 emulation.
It drives me crazy when I have to sometimes use Word instead of WP. My long held belief that formatting anything in WP is always easier than in Word (which continually tries to guess my intention and 9 times out of 10 gets it wrong) seemed to have been confirmed this week when I showed a Word only user how to do indents and edit codes in WP. He seemed genuinely surprised, and I am sure this could be true of many Word users if only they had exposure to WP.
By the way, I do not own shares in Corel.
Reasons to worry about Iran
Lateline - ABC
The link is to a transcript of an interview on last night's Lateline that was about particular intelligence from 2004 that indicates definite military involvement in Iran's nuclear program. (Iran claims it is a fabrication, but it would seem most European nations think it is genuine.)
Worth reading in full.
The link is to a transcript of an interview on last night's Lateline that was about particular intelligence from 2004 that indicates definite military involvement in Iran's nuclear program. (Iran claims it is a fabrication, but it would seem most European nations think it is genuine.)
Worth reading in full.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Move on, nothing to see here
Former weapons inspector disappointed with handling of concerns. 31/08/2006. ABC News Online
ABC's 7.30 Report and Lateline tonight both featured this story at some length. I see that Marion Wilkinson had the story in The Age this morning.
Former weapons inspector John Gee, who did not look all that well in the interview, resigned from the Iraq Survey Group in 2004 and wrote to the government saying that the search for WMD in Iraq (after the invasion) was not being well run, and that he did not think anything would be found.
Foreign Minister Downer met him at the time and said, "well let's wait and see." Gee says to him "I can assure you they won't find any."
Apparently, a subsequent sense of (relative) vindication by the ISG's report isn't enough for Gee. He now complains that his letter was not distributed outside of Foreign Affairs to the Defence Department.
Scandal!
What is significant about this story? Extremely little, it seems to me.
ABC's 7.30 Report and Lateline tonight both featured this story at some length. I see that Marion Wilkinson had the story in The Age this morning.
Former weapons inspector John Gee, who did not look all that well in the interview, resigned from the Iraq Survey Group in 2004 and wrote to the government saying that the search for WMD in Iraq (after the invasion) was not being well run, and that he did not think anything would be found.
Foreign Minister Downer met him at the time and said, "well let's wait and see." Gee says to him "I can assure you they won't find any."
Apparently, a subsequent sense of (relative) vindication by the ISG's report isn't enough for Gee. He now complains that his letter was not distributed outside of Foreign Affairs to the Defence Department.
Scandal!
What is significant about this story? Extremely little, it seems to me.
Researchers with too much time on their hands
ScienceDaily: Brain Scan Of Nuns Finds No Single 'God Spot' In The Brain, Study Finds
I'm sure I've commented before about the highly dubious priorities that neuroscience seems to have now, at least with regard to what they do with MRI scanners. This one for example:
Fifteen cloistered Carmelite nuns ranging from 23 to 64-years-old were subjected to an fMRI brain scan while asked to relive a mystical experience rather than actually try to achieve one. "I was obliged to do it this way seeing as the nuns are unable to call upon God at will," said Beauregard. This method was justified seeing as previous studies with actors asked to enter a particular emotional state activated the same brain regions as people actually living those emotions.
This study demonstrated that a dozen different regions of the brain are activated during a mystical experience. This type of research became very popular in the United States in the late 1990s. Some researchers went as far as suggesting the possibility of a specific brain region designed for communication with God. This latest research discredits such theories.
I find it hard to imagine that anyone would think that the essential nature of a mystical experience would be capable of being explained by watching such scans.
Psychologist Jerome Kagan was interviewed on ABC radio recently and made the point:
Well the brain is the foundation of all mental phenomenon but the vocabulary we use for the brain - neurons, circuits, transmitters - that's not the language of thought or feeling. And so mind got put in the background under the assumption that if - an assumption I disagree with - that if and when scientists can understand exactly what's going on in the brain then they'll be able to predict and know exactly what your thoughts, feelings and intentions are.
The rest of his interview, which covers quite a few areas of psychology, is interesting too.
I'm sure I've commented before about the highly dubious priorities that neuroscience seems to have now, at least with regard to what they do with MRI scanners. This one for example:
Fifteen cloistered Carmelite nuns ranging from 23 to 64-years-old were subjected to an fMRI brain scan while asked to relive a mystical experience rather than actually try to achieve one. "I was obliged to do it this way seeing as the nuns are unable to call upon God at will," said Beauregard. This method was justified seeing as previous studies with actors asked to enter a particular emotional state activated the same brain regions as people actually living those emotions.
This study demonstrated that a dozen different regions of the brain are activated during a mystical experience. This type of research became very popular in the United States in the late 1990s. Some researchers went as far as suggesting the possibility of a specific brain region designed for communication with God. This latest research discredits such theories.
I find it hard to imagine that anyone would think that the essential nature of a mystical experience would be capable of being explained by watching such scans.
Psychologist Jerome Kagan was interviewed on ABC radio recently and made the point:
Well the brain is the foundation of all mental phenomenon but the vocabulary we use for the brain - neurons, circuits, transmitters - that's not the language of thought or feeling. And so mind got put in the background under the assumption that if - an assumption I disagree with - that if and when scientists can understand exactly what's going on in the brain then they'll be able to predict and know exactly what your thoughts, feelings and intentions are.
The rest of his interview, which covers quite a few areas of psychology, is interesting too.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
A bad sign for Democrats
The Democrats and religious voters. By Amy Sullivan - Slate Magazine
Just recently I posted about how the Catholic vote for Bush in 2004 was higher than I expected. (Well, the white Catholic vote, anyway.)
Further along these lines is the above interesting article on how, despite attempts by the Democrats to paint a friendlier image to the religious, they have lost substantial ground in this over the last couple of years:
The Pew Research Center's annual poll on religion and politics, released last week, shows that while 85 percent of voters say religion is important to them, only 26 percent of Americans think the Democratic Party is "friendly" to religion. That's down from 40 percent in the summer of 2004 and 42 percent the year before that—in other words, a 16-point plunge over three years. The decline is especially troubling because it cuts across the political and religious spectra, encompassing liberals and conservatives, white and black evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Catholics, and Jews.
That seems a very bad sign indeed for the Democrats. Isn't it odd how, despite all the liberal fights in churches getting so much publicity, there still don't seem to be many (or enough) liberal churchgoers who can sway these figures more in favour of the Dems.
Just recently I posted about how the Catholic vote for Bush in 2004 was higher than I expected. (Well, the white Catholic vote, anyway.)
Further along these lines is the above interesting article on how, despite attempts by the Democrats to paint a friendlier image to the religious, they have lost substantial ground in this over the last couple of years:
The Pew Research Center's annual poll on religion and politics, released last week, shows that while 85 percent of voters say religion is important to them, only 26 percent of Americans think the Democratic Party is "friendly" to religion. That's down from 40 percent in the summer of 2004 and 42 percent the year before that—in other words, a 16-point plunge over three years. The decline is especially troubling because it cuts across the political and religious spectra, encompassing liberals and conservatives, white and black evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Catholics, and Jews.
That seems a very bad sign indeed for the Democrats. Isn't it odd how, despite all the liberal fights in churches getting so much publicity, there still don't seem to be many (or enough) liberal churchgoers who can sway these figures more in favour of the Dems.
Newsweek on the new childlessness
Why More Married Couples Are Going Childless - Newsweek: International Editions - MSNBC.com
Maybe it doesn't add much to what Mark Steyn's readers already knew, but it's interesting to see the topic being covered widely.
Maybe it doesn't add much to what Mark Steyn's readers already knew, but it's interesting to see the topic being covered widely.
So that's why we elect people to parliament
MP attacked on suicide speech | Herald Sun
It's obvious, isn't it. We elect politicians so they can promote methods of suicide from Parliament.
From the above story:
AUSTRALIAN Democrats MP Sandra Kanck's use of parliamentary privilege today to detail ways of committing suicide, has been widely attacked as provocative and a stunt.
Ms Kanck detailed ways to commit suicide in a speech to South Australian parliament this evening aimed at provoking a clash with the federal government.
In an hour-long address, Ms Kanck, a supporter of voluntary euthanasia, used the protection of parliamentary privilege to catalogue ways in which people could take their own lives.
Ms Kanck, who earlier this year sparked controversy by telling parliament there was no evidence the drug ecstasy was dangerous, said she wanted her speech to highlight "odious" federal laws.
What a class act: a politician who not only promotes a drug that is widely believed to lead to depression, but is also happy to advise on preferred methods of suicide. Well thought out, Sandra.
It's obvious, isn't it. We elect politicians so they can promote methods of suicide from Parliament.
From the above story:
AUSTRALIAN Democrats MP Sandra Kanck's use of parliamentary privilege today to detail ways of committing suicide, has been widely attacked as provocative and a stunt.
Ms Kanck detailed ways to commit suicide in a speech to South Australian parliament this evening aimed at provoking a clash with the federal government.
In an hour-long address, Ms Kanck, a supporter of voluntary euthanasia, used the protection of parliamentary privilege to catalogue ways in which people could take their own lives.
Ms Kanck, who earlier this year sparked controversy by telling parliament there was no evidence the drug ecstasy was dangerous, said she wanted her speech to highlight "odious" federal laws.
What a class act: a politician who not only promotes a drug that is widely believed to lead to depression, but is also happy to advise on preferred methods of suicide. Well thought out, Sandra.
Communist monk victory
The Japan Times Online - Monk with JCP fliers ruled not trespassing
This story highlights some odd things about Japan:
* Buddhist monks can be politically active (for the communist party)
* going into a condo complex to put flyers in letterboxes could be much more trouble than it is worth. (This monk was detained for 23 days for this, presumably after his arrest.)
* the lesson (especially for foreigners): try to avoid being arrested for anything in Japan!
This story highlights some odd things about Japan:
* Buddhist monks can be politically active (for the communist party)
* going into a condo complex to put flyers in letterboxes could be much more trouble than it is worth. (This monk was detained for 23 days for this, presumably after his arrest.)
* the lesson (especially for foreigners): try to avoid being arrested for anything in Japan!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Japan needs babies
Rural Japan | Where have all the young men gone? | Economist.com
For more on the almost certain demographic decline of Japan, have a read of the above article.
An extract:
Over the next half century, demographers expect Japan's population to fall to from 128m to 100m. The process began last year, the first peacetime fall in population since records were kept. Yet in the countryside numbers have been falling for decades—and rural Japan will bear a disproportionate share of the future reduction in population. Already, more than two out of five people living in rural communities are 65 or over.
The only good thing I can see out of this is that maybe Japan has a built in way of reducing green house gas emissions over the next 50 years!
For more on the almost certain demographic decline of Japan, have a read of the above article.
An extract:
Over the next half century, demographers expect Japan's population to fall to from 128m to 100m. The process began last year, the first peacetime fall in population since records were kept. Yet in the countryside numbers have been falling for decades—and rural Japan will bear a disproportionate share of the future reduction in population. Already, more than two out of five people living in rural communities are 65 or over.
The only good thing I can see out of this is that maybe Japan has a built in way of reducing green house gas emissions over the next 50 years!
Ghosts in the Salon
Ghost world | Salon Books
Its politics are always predictable, but some of the reviews and cultural articles in Salon can be OK.
This article, a review of a book about the founders of the Society for Psychical Research (in England in the late 19th Century), is a good one.
Years ago, I read some other accounts of the Society and its early investigations, and have always felt that it is a story that could make good movie material. The founders of the society were well intentioned scientists and academics, and it was really the first attempt to take science to the issue.
The results were ambiguous, but I admire the open mindedness displayed. As for at least one Salon reader, his reaction to the review was:
What a crock of shit.
And that's just Laura Miller's writing. The SPR's particular brand of excrement deserves its own scatalogical label.
Please stop publishing intelligent interviews with people such as Michael Shermer if all you're going to do a few days later is "balance" fact with this pathetic fiction.
As a local sidenote: Many people know that Arthur Conan Doyle became a (rather loopy) believer in spiritualism and all things mystical. In fact, there is a spiritualist church in Brisbane that was opened by ACD during a visit here. This is recorded on a plaque on the church. (Perhaps he just laid the foundation stone, I can't remember for sure, and Google has come up a blank.)
Its politics are always predictable, but some of the reviews and cultural articles in Salon can be OK.
This article, a review of a book about the founders of the Society for Psychical Research (in England in the late 19th Century), is a good one.
Years ago, I read some other accounts of the Society and its early investigations, and have always felt that it is a story that could make good movie material. The founders of the society were well intentioned scientists and academics, and it was really the first attempt to take science to the issue.
The results were ambiguous, but I admire the open mindedness displayed. As for at least one Salon reader, his reaction to the review was:
What a crock of shit.
And that's just Laura Miller's writing. The SPR's particular brand of excrement deserves its own scatalogical label.
Please stop publishing intelligent interviews with people such as Michael Shermer if all you're going to do a few days later is "balance" fact with this pathetic fiction.
As a local sidenote: Many people know that Arthur Conan Doyle became a (rather loopy) believer in spiritualism and all things mystical. In fact, there is a spiritualist church in Brisbane that was opened by ACD during a visit here. This is recorded on a plaque on the church. (Perhaps he just laid the foundation stone, I can't remember for sure, and Google has come up a blank.)
Nuttiest theory ever?
CIA behind Bali attack: Bashir | NEWS.com.au
Indonesian Muslim cleric Bashir comes up with his very own theory as to what exactly blew up the Bali night club (and 202 people):
In an interview tonight on ABC television's Foreign Correspondent, Bashir claims the device that killed most people in the Bali attack was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) "micro-nuclear" bomb.
"The micro-nuclear bomb that did so much damage was a CIA bomb, not Amrozi's bomb," Bashir told the ABC.
"The Bali bombing was actually masterminded by America. Well, not masterminded, but hijacked. They planned it, but their plan was hijacked by America."
Just nuts.
By the way: I just saw the Foreign Correspondent episode. This program is consistently interesting and enjoyable. Tonight's episode is typical of its eclectic mix of topics: the problems of Indonesian maid abuse in Malaysia; Star Trek fans who makes their own Star Trek shows, and then the nutty Bashir interview.
The Indonesian maid story was good. (A transcript and video of it will be up later.) Malaysia has 300,000 odd Indonesian maids. Filipino ones are protected by Filipino laws which mean that Malaysia must ensure that they are paid a basic wage and have one day off a week. Indonesia does not have such laws, and says they won't be coming soon, because there are too many maids already there, and it would cause too much trouble to force their salary up. Not only that, maids don't deserve a day off (said one Indonesia government figure.) Then there is the physical abuse many suffer.
What a life they have. And the big question is: Malaysia, what's to stop you making your own laws to improve the lot of your fellow Muslim maids?
Indonesian Muslim cleric Bashir comes up with his very own theory as to what exactly blew up the Bali night club (and 202 people):
In an interview tonight on ABC television's Foreign Correspondent, Bashir claims the device that killed most people in the Bali attack was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) "micro-nuclear" bomb.
"The micro-nuclear bomb that did so much damage was a CIA bomb, not Amrozi's bomb," Bashir told the ABC.
"The Bali bombing was actually masterminded by America. Well, not masterminded, but hijacked. They planned it, but their plan was hijacked by America."
Just nuts.
By the way: I just saw the Foreign Correspondent episode. This program is consistently interesting and enjoyable. Tonight's episode is typical of its eclectic mix of topics: the problems of Indonesian maid abuse in Malaysia; Star Trek fans who makes their own Star Trek shows, and then the nutty Bashir interview.
The Indonesian maid story was good. (A transcript and video of it will be up later.) Malaysia has 300,000 odd Indonesian maids. Filipino ones are protected by Filipino laws which mean that Malaysia must ensure that they are paid a basic wage and have one day off a week. Indonesia does not have such laws, and says they won't be coming soon, because there are too many maids already there, and it would cause too much trouble to force their salary up. Not only that, maids don't deserve a day off (said one Indonesia government figure.) Then there is the physical abuse many suffer.
What a life they have. And the big question is: Malaysia, what's to stop you making your own laws to improve the lot of your fellow Muslim maids?
About Lindzen
Seed: The Contrarian
An interesting story on Richard Lindzen, the global warming skeptic. (Although to what degree this remains a fair title remains a little unclear when you read the article.)
An interesting story on Richard Lindzen, the global warming skeptic. (Although to what degree this remains a fair title remains a little unclear when you read the article.)
Cars for the future
The Race to 100 MPG - Popular Science
See the article above for a few ideas about how to make cars that can do 100 miles per gallon (to go back to Imperial for the moment.)
Interestingly, the X Prize people are going to get involved in this too:
The race should heat up further when the X Prize Foundation—the group that kick-started the space-tourism industry with its $10-million competition to produce a reusable private spacecraft—announces in the next few months a competition for the first car to break 100 miles per gallon and sell a yet-to-be-decided number of units. The prize money hadn'’t been finalized at press time, but X Prize officials are discussing figures in the $25-million range as an appropriate incentive. They hope the prize will urge people to completely reconsider what a car should look like and how it should function. '“We need a paradigm shift,'” says Mark Goodstein, the executive director for the automotive X Prize. '“We need to change the way people think about automobiles.'”
The photo of a prototype super lightweight and aerodynamic car at the top of the article gives an idea of how odd such a vehicle may look. One thing that crosses my mind as soon as I see that picture is how it looks like it could double as a pizza oven if it was parked in the Brisbane summer sun for more than 5 minutes. Look at that big oblique windscreen that seems designed to let as much heat as possible.
Don't forget such obvious practicalities, bug car designers...
See the article above for a few ideas about how to make cars that can do 100 miles per gallon (to go back to Imperial for the moment.)
Interestingly, the X Prize people are going to get involved in this too:
The race should heat up further when the X Prize Foundation—the group that kick-started the space-tourism industry with its $10-million competition to produce a reusable private spacecraft—announces in the next few months a competition for the first car to break 100 miles per gallon and sell a yet-to-be-decided number of units. The prize money hadn'’t been finalized at press time, but X Prize officials are discussing figures in the $25-million range as an appropriate incentive. They hope the prize will urge people to completely reconsider what a car should look like and how it should function. '“We need a paradigm shift,'” says Mark Goodstein, the executive director for the automotive X Prize. '“We need to change the way people think about automobiles.'”
The photo of a prototype super lightweight and aerodynamic car at the top of the article gives an idea of how odd such a vehicle may look. One thing that crosses my mind as soon as I see that picture is how it looks like it could double as a pizza oven if it was parked in the Brisbane summer sun for more than 5 minutes. Look at that big oblique windscreen that seems designed to let as much heat as possible.
Don't forget such obvious practicalities, bug car designers...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)