Friday, February 18, 2005


There Must be a Moral There ... Somewhere

According to Jim Wallis, Howard Dean has to be authentic when it comes to his religious faith.

"'Dean talks about community and that's a value,' Wallis says to reassure the crowd that the new Democratic leader can hold his own. 'So let's hope for the best with Howard Dean'."

So Dean's mention of something called 'community' makes him authentic, and proves the existence of a value. Cause for celebration, I think.
The Madness of King Bill

HBO TV host Bill Maher claims that "Christians and others who are religious suffer from a neurological disorder that 'stops people from thinking'."
Taxing Garage Sales

In Oakland, "officials are considering several regulations, including limiting garage sales to two a year, requiring application and permit fees and restricting the placement of garage sale signs."

Some people have no shame.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Public Relations (is) Offensive

So Kofi Annan a few days ago kicked off a "major public relations offensive" in response to increasing criticism of the UN, and has hired Mr Mark Malloch Brown as chief of staff, to help with the publicity. It's so typical of the man that his response to criticism is to beef up the publicity department.

Now we find out that, doing its part to fight corruption and get the message out, the UN will not allow its officials to testify before the US Congress".
Alternative US Government Started in Seattle

The president (and the senate) may have rejected the Kyoto treaty but Seattle mayor Greg Nickels is planning to lead a nationwide "effort to implement" its provisions.

Meanwhile Andrew Bolt exposes the irrational arguments used by The Age newspaper to panic its readers about global warming.

Monday, January 31, 2005

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia...

"A retired brigadier general from Bisha set a perfect example :when he demanded as little as SR1,000 as dowry for four of his daughters, Okaz daily reported. The father did not want prospective grooms to face difficulties by seeking heavy dowries as is the practice in Saudi society. He said he will do the same when it come to the marriage of his five other daughters. The retired general also said he would think seriously about marrying another wife after all his daughters are married. But he didn’t say what dowry he would offer."
Concern for Truth?

The front page of The Age suggests that John Howard ought to withdraw troops from Iraq because of the death of an Australian: "The prime minister says there's no sense in timetabling the withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq, despite concern following the death of an Australian." The story itself contains no reference at all or any evidence for such "concern", at least as it relates to Australian troops. But here's the kicker: the Australian who died was not serving as member of the Australian Armed Forces. He was in the (British) Royal Air Force.

Friday, January 28, 2005

Oh Cuisine

Back on Jan 5th, as noted by Diplomadic, the "number one concern" of the UN in Aceh, "even before phones, fax and copy machines? Arranging for the hotel to provide 24hr catering service." By comparison, the Aussie soldiers working there have just had their first hot meal after three weeks. It was worth the wait:
"Fantastic," said Lieutenant Michael Eyb, 30, of Wattlegrove, before he tucked into penne pasta with meat sauce, mashed potatoes, diced carrots and beans. "What I want is meat, lots of meat."

But why did they wait?


Fresh food for the troops had been sacrificed to make way for medical supplies, and hospital and field equipment. "The relief operation was our top priority, and the troops had no complaint about that," said Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Cumming.