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.