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| "I don't think the report is true, but these crises work for those who want to make fights between people." Kulam Dastagir, 28, a bird seller in Afghanistan
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2003's Ideas: The Most Overrated and Underrated |
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| Topic: Society |
12:15 pm EST, Dec 27, 2003 |
An essential component of beauty is being undermined and will soon be practically eliminated, and that is scarcity. If there is only one right way of doing things, every other way is wrong. Anybody can complain, blog and find fault; the real intellectual might try to solve problems. Capitalism and democracy are sometimes equated, but ... get over that fairy tale. ... There's long been a mostly unrewarded group in the middle: people with great taste in music ... ... email, cell phones, working nights and weekends, "working out" ... What are we trying to prove? The demand for truthful answers to the most essential questions is more and more often dismissed as "partisan" or, worse, "unpatriotic" ... integrity made to seem weak ... what could be more terrifying than the prospect of a society that no longer has the desire, the will, the energy or the ability to distinguish between the truth and the spin that our leaders would prefer us to believe? 2003's Ideas: The Most Overrated and Underrated |
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Santa Needs an Image Expert |
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| Topic: Society |
2:01 pm EST, Dec 26, 2003 |
It appears that Santa's image as a sacred icon of American popular culture and childhood lore is a bit shopworn. One reason, say those who have observed the changing role of Santa in the culture, is that children, exposed to an overwhelming array of consumer goods and products, know at increasingly young ages that presents come not from the North Pole but from the mall or the FedEx guy. Nor do many of them view shopping and the receiving of gifts as a rare experience, or as a reward, but as a ritual practiced almost daily. Child, to Mom: "Toy shopping? Again? Do I have to?" Santa Needs an Image Expert |
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Pakistan Bombing Aimed at Military Ruler Highlights His Role |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
1:56 pm EST, Dec 24, 2003 |
Last Sunday night, a powerful bomb here came within seconds of killing the military ruler of Pakistan, an impoverished, nuclear-armed country that sits near the epicenter of the American-led campaign against terrorism. Who would have succeeded the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, and taken control of the country's dozens of nuclear bombs is unclear. Analysts contend the use of C-4, along with the sophistication of the attack, suggests involvement by Al Qaeda. "[The army is] the most powerful political force. It has really overwhelmed the state and society." Whatever happened, it is widely agreed here that the security breach was alarming. Pakistan Bombing Aimed at Military Ruler Highlights His Role |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
1:56 pm EST, Dec 24, 2003 |
Gaddafi's decision is winning the White House a rare measure of editorial approval ... Others find the new demonstration of American influence worrisome. Pundits in Pakistan worry that the south Asian country will be next. "Baghdad has become symbolical of the pyramid of skulls that were raised by conquerors in the past to terrify nations into submission. Few nations will be willing to defy Washington's edicts and will obsequiously fulfill even the most demeaning tasks." "No amount of cooperation in the so-called War on Terror will prevent the USA, egged on by the Israeli and Indian lobbies in Washington, from its goal of forcing Pakistan to roll back its nuclear programme. The Libyan and Iranian examples should leave no one fooled. If anyone thinks that surrendering national sovereignty in the attempt to curry favour with the USA will even postpone the day of decision, they are mistaken. Indeed, it hastens it. Pakistan therefore must follow its own national interest, and refuse to accept any pressure. In that lies the only chance of safety." Proof of American Power |
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| Topic: Society |
11:07 pm EST, Dec 22, 2003 |
Those who say the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is useless argue that the bad guys either don't sign the treaty, or they do and then cheat. The good guys sign and obey, but the treaty is irrelevant for these countries because they have no intention of becoming nuclear proliferators in the first place. This all-or-nothing argument is wrong. "Formers" of the Clinton and Bush-41 administrations, including Ashton Carter, Arnold Kanter, William Perry, and Brent Scowcroft, wrote this op-ed for the New York Times. Good Nukes, Bad Nukes |
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Lost? Hiding? Your Cellphone Is Keeping Tabs |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
2:29 pm EST, Dec 21, 2003 |
Privacy advocates say the lack of legal clarity about who can gain access to location information poses a serious risk. Cellphones that report your location promote the scrutiny of small decisions -- where to have lunch, when to take a break, how fast to drive -- rather than general accountability. "Your location is going to be known at all times by some electronic device. It's inevitable." There are few answers, but the debate is already taking shape. Critics worry that it will become ubiquitous before legal guidelines are established. Just Say No. Lost? Hiding? Your Cellphone Is Keeping Tabs |
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White House Web Scrubbing |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
6:51 pm EST, Dec 18, 2003 |
It's not quite Soviet-style airbrushing, but the Bush administration has been using cyberspace to make some of its own cosmetic touch-ups to history. Since 9/11, administration Web sites have been scrubbed ... "This smells like an attempt to revise the record, not just to withhold information but to alter the historical record in a self-interested way." She said: "There was going to be a cost. That's why they're not there." He said: "We would not charge for that. We would have no trouble [with that]." White House Web Scrubbing |
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Saddam Hussein Captured Alive; Iraqis Celebrate |
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| Topic: Current Events |
2:59 pm EST, Dec 14, 2003 |
American military officials confirmed today that Saddam Hussein had been captured alive in Tikrit on Saturday night.
They confirmed that it was him based on DNA evidence. Not that I suspect they have the wrong guy, but this IS bullshit. You can't confirm identity using DNA tests. DNA tests can prove that someone is not the same as the person who contributed the sample material, but not the other way around. In Baghdad, huge crowds celebrated in the streets with gunfire. Saddam Hussein Captured Alive; Iraqis Celebrate |
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| Topic: Society |
9:10 am EST, Dec 13, 2003 |
Many of these rules, reflections and quotations came from my role as Chairman of the "transition team" for President Gerald R. Ford and my service as White House Chief of Staff. Others came from experiences as a U.S. Naval Aviator, a Member of Congress, Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Secretary of Defense, Presidential Middle East Envoy, business executive, Chairman of the US Ballistic Missile Threat Commission, and other experiences. These reflections and quotations have been gathered over the past 40 years. There are many good rules here, but here is my personal selection: 1. Learn to say "I dont know." If used when appropriate, it will be often. 2. It is easier to get into something than to get out of it. 3. Dont divide the world into "them" and "us." 4. Keep your sense of humor. 5. If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much. 6. Dont be a bottleneck. 7. Look for what's missing. 8. For every human problem there is a solution that is simple, neat and wrong. 9. Simply because a problem is shown to exist doesnt necessarily follow that there is a solution. 10. If you develop rules, never have more than ten. Rumsfeld's Rules |
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| Topic: Society |
9:08 am EST, Dec 13, 2003 |
Colin Powell kept a set of rules on his desk. Here are a few: Get mad, then get over it. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it. Be careful what you choose. You may get it. Check small things. Share credit. Have a vision. Be demanding. Powell's Rules |
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