Thursday, 26 January 2006
From the Dept. of Irony
"President Bush, in an Oval Office interview, declared that he isn't ready yet to deal with the radical Palestinian Islamist group Hamas no matter how well it does in Wednesday's Palestinian elections. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal as Palestinians were electing a new parliament, Bush lauded the Middle Eastern trend toward democracy that produced Palestinian elections, but he said that Hamas isn't a suitable partner for diplomacy until it renounces its position calling for the destruction of Israel. 'A political party, in order to be viable, is one that professes peace, in my judgment, in order that it will keep the peace,' the president said.
Posted by flow Frazao on January 26, 2006 at 06:03 PM in Current Affairs, Scary Bush, World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
U.N. Lends Backing to the $100 Laptop
The sub-$100 laptop - yet another great invention from the nerds at MIT. Of course, my own personal opinion is that before we get started on the One Laptop Per Child program we might want to finish up the whole One Meal Per Child Per Day initiative, but what do I know:
The United Nations on Thursday lent its support to a project which aims to ship inexpensive, hand-cranked laptops to school-aged children worldwide.
Kemal Dervis, head of the U.N. Development Program, will sign a memorandum of understanding Saturday with Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of One Laptop per Child, on the $100 laptop project, at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.
The program aims to ship 1 million units by the end of next year to sell to governments at cost for distribution to school children and teachers.
UNDP will work with Negroponte's organization to deliver "technology and resources to targeted schools in the least developed countries," the U.N. agency said in a statement.
Negroponte wants to start shipping the cheap laptop, which is to have wireless network access and a hand-crank to provide electricity, later this year. The aim is to have governments or donors buy them and give full ownership to the children.
Negroponte, who is also chairman of the MIT Media Lab, has said he expects to sell 1 million of them to Brazil, Thailand, Egypt and Nigeria.
The laptop is expected to run on an open-source operating system, such as Linux.
The devices will be lime green in color, with a yellow hand crank, to make them appealing to children and, so the thinking goes, to fend off potential thieves.
Posted by flow Frazao on January 26, 2006 at 11:10 AM in Cool Stuff, Microfinancing, Web/Tech, World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tuesday, 22 March 2005
Yahoo! News - Teen Arrested for Taking Acropolis Marble
I didn't know you could get arrested for this:
I wonder how many zillions of people have taken tiny pieces of the Acropolis with them when they left. I'm not proud of it, but I couldn't resist the temptation. I'm usually pretty conscientious about that sort of thing, but there's something about that place that causes the urge to be especially strong.
It sucks to be made an example of, and I'm no Oracle but I predict that girl is going to have one shitty vacation.
Posted by flow Frazao on March 22, 2005 at 02:13 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Monday, 28 February 2005
Borat's Guide to the USA
Matt sent me this link for the Unofficial Borat Homepage. Borat, in case you're unaware, is a news correspondent from Kazakhstan who pulls no punches in his hardhitting interviews.
This clip of Borat's interview of a Republican Congressman James Broadwater is definitely worth watching.
You may have read about this report recently in American newspapers:
At the rodeo in Roanoke, Southwest Virginia, USA, Borat was given permission to sing the national anthem. He started well introducing himself and saying that he supported the war against terrorism. He then was reported as saying,
"I hope you kill every man, woman and child in Iraq, down to the lizards"
and then,
"May George W. Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq"
Borat then got the words of the national anthem wrong finishing with...
"your home in a grave".
The organisers of the event realised that the crowd were angry and they rushed him away fearing violence.
"Had we not gotten them out of there, there would have been a riot," rodeo producer Bobby Rowe told the Roanoke Times. "I told him you done the wrong thing at the wrong place!".
This is the kind of news we need in America. Give me BoratMedia, or give me death.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 28, 2005 at 09:54 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wednesday, 09 February 2005
Now THAT'S A Real Fan
What a psycho:
Geoff Huish, 26, was so convinced England would win Saturday's match he told fellow drinkers at a social club, "If Wales win I'll cut my balls off," the paper said.
Friends at the club in Caerphilly, south Wales, thought he was joking.
But after the game Huish went home, severed his testicles with a knife, and walked 200 yards back to the bar with the testicles to show the shocked drinkers what he had done.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 9, 2005 at 11:51 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tuesday, 18 January 2005
Who Cares What A Billion Foreigners Do?
The day the tsunami hit started out as a day of celebration in Australia. One of the biggest rivalries in sports was being played out in the Aussie vs. Pakistan cricket match. By the time the game was over, word of the disaster had spread, and the entrie Australian team had already pledged to donate their proceeds to relief efforts.
A few days later, a charity match between Asia and the Rest of the World was held at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. The game was played in front of a crowd of 80,000, and it was broadcast to an audience of an estimated one billion viewers in 122 countries.
And what happened? Well, the Rest of the World promptly kicked Asia's ass. In a friendly, "Beers are on us and here's a few million bucks" kind of way.
Obviously, this was big news all over Australia and, I imagine, the rest of the planet. However, I haven't heard a single mention of it in any of the US media. Nothing in the Washington Post, NYT, CNN, not even those liberals at the Communist Broadcasting Service seem to have covered it. Maybe I missed something, but I couldn't even find a single word.
For what it's worth, here's a little anecdote I picked up about the match:
So how did the kid respond under genuinely insane pressure, against some of the best bowlers in the history of the game? By batting all afternoon, scoring over 100 runs all by himself. When he was done, 60,000 Australians gave him a standing ovation. And I'm sure more than a few fires back in Pakistan were happily snuffed out.
Posted by flow Frazao on January 18, 2005 at 06:41 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, 02 January 2005
Even The Tsunami Has A Bright Side
Much has been written about the Tsunami and it's aftermath, but one thing that I haven't heard anything about in Australia is that Pakistan has offered aid to it's old enemy India:
Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan said Pakistan opened the negotiations between their foreign secretaries in Islamabad by extending sympathy for the "massive destruction in southern India caused by earthquake and tidal waves."
"Pakistan offered assistance in relief and rescue," Khan told a press conference after the first day of talks, which reviewed progress on a year-long peace process aimed at ending 57 years of hostility between the neighbouring countries.
Three years ago these guys were pointing nuclear weapons at each other as they teetered on the brink of war. It just goes to show that even the worst disaster brings with it the potential for enlightened reaction.
Posted by flow Frazao on January 2, 2005 at 07:21 AM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, 28 November 2004
Bad Sushi?
You've probably heard about the recent election in Ukraine. There's a lot of infighting right now regarding the legitimacy of the vote, but that's not the only thing going on:
Mr Yushchenko has accused the Ukrainian authorities of poisoning him. His detractors suggested he had eaten bad sushi. Adding to the intrigue, the Austrian doctors who treated him have asked foreign experts to help determine if his symptoms may have been caused by toxins found in biological weapons.
Medical experts say they may never know what befell Mr Yushchenko. But the condition has dramatically changed his appearance since he entered Vienna's private Rudolfinerhaus clinic on September 10.
Mr Yushchenko was known for his ruggedly handsome, almost movie-star looks. Now his complexion is pockmarked and a sickly green. His face is haggard, swollen and partially paralysed. One eye often tears up.
"It's becoming a puzzle," said Dr Marc Siegel, an associate professor at New York University's School of Medicine who has studied the case. "The longer it goes on, the less I think of food poisoning."
[...]
John Henry, a toxicologist at Imperial College London, said photographs indicate Mr Yushchenko may have a condition known as chloracne - a type of adult acne caused by exposure to toxic chemicals.
"There aren't really very many other explanations. You don't just get this horrible acne-like illness out of the blue in a middle-aged man," Dr Henry said.
Steroid treatment or mercury poisoning could cause similar- looking acne, he said, but the greenish tinge of Mr Yushchenko's face is more suggestive of dioxin poisoning.
Take a look at the before and after:
This is the same guy. The photo on the left was taken at the beginning of September, and the one on the right is from a few days ago. Scary.
Posted by flow Frazao on November 28, 2004 at 01:35 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, 21 October 2004
Fidel Fall Down Go "Boom!"
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Cuba's President Fidel Castro, right, trips after a speech at a graduation ceremony in Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2004, in this image made from television. An Associated Press photographer at the scene said Castro tripped on a concrete step after he finished walking down the stairs from the stage, then fell onto the ground on his right side, first hitting his knee and hip, and then his elbow and arm. Speaking live on state television less than a minute after his fall, Castro told television viewers across the island of 11.2 million people that he thought he had broken his knee 'and maybe an arm ... but I am all in one piece.'
Posted by flow Frazao on October 21, 2004 at 03:26 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Saturday, 09 October 2004
Nepal Current Events and Historical Background
I'm reprinting this entire post from Metafilter because it's fucking amazing:
'What happened to us happens to the people of Bajura every day, and they get it from both sides ' Some stories of the disappeared. From the consistently high quality Nepali Times, along with articles about Maoist radio and the human rights of the Kumari 'living goddess'.
Some background : Who are the Nepalese Maoists? (Q & A); the royal massacre of 2001; historical background to Nepal's democracy - the democratic revolution of 1989-91 and subsequent events; the kings of Nepal (note that dates are given using the local calendar); a potted history of Nepal referring to the role of the Rana family of hereditary ministers, who acted as a conservative 'shadow monarchy' over successive weak kings, from the Kot Massacre of 1846 which eliminated all rival claimants, until about 1950 (when King Tribhuvan famously famously took refuge in the Indian embassy - by a twist of fate, his infant grandson briefly crowned king by the Ranas - Gyanendra was again crowned king after his brother was killed in the 2001 royal massacre); a Nepal timeline; how ethnicity and caste fit into Nepalese society (discrimination in Nepal); Bhutanese refugees in Nepal; the Indian Naxalites and the Maoists.
There goes my Saturday afternoon. By the way, there's even more dynamically updated Metafilter goodness on the right side of the page. Enjoy.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 9, 2004 at 12:58 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Afghanistan Is The New Florida
Looks like today's vote in Afghanistan didn't go quite as smoothly as planned:
All 15 of President Hamid Karzai's rivals said they were withdrawing from the election because systems to prevent illegal multiple voting had gone awry. The move effectively left Karzai as the only candidate in the fray.
[...]
Fears of sabotage by Taliban militants who had vowed to disrupt the polls were overtaken halfway through the voting day when it became clear some workers were using the wrong pen to mark people's fingers after they voted.
This meant the ink could just be washed off and the voter could potentially cast a ballot again.
During the campaign, some candidates expressed surprise that as many as 10.5 million out of the country's 28 million people had registered to vote, and said they believed many people had received multiple voter cards. The indelible ink was aimed at preventing them from voting more than once.
The decision by Karzai's rivals to boycott the poll was made at an emergency meeting. Eighteen candidates are on the ballot but two withdrew this week in favor of Karzai.
Later all but one of the 15 demanded fresh polls and said they would not recognize any government elected on Saturday.
"We want the elections to be re-held as soon as possible in a fair, transparent manner and without interference," said Abdul Satar Serat, one of the candidates.
"Any government that comes to power as a result of today's election has no credibility, no validity and is illegitimate for us."
Personally, I still feel like it's worthwhile. Keep in mind, this is the first election EVER HELD in Afghanistan. After over 25 years of war I think a bit of confusion is understandable.
And just so I'm not accused of "cherry-picking" information, the same article goes on to say:
"This is one of the happiest days of my life," said Sayed Aminullah as he cast he vote at Eid Gah Mosque in the capital.
"I don't care about the result. All I care is that we are having an election. This is a sign that things are improving for Afghanistan."
In Kandahar city, the former headquarters of the Taliban and still the source of much of its support, large crowds of men pushed to get into a voting site near the blue-tiled Kherqi Sharif mosque.
On the other side of the street, only a trickle of women covered in burqa veils entered a school to vote, as many in the deeply conservative region have said they would not allow their wives and daughters to participate.
"We came here to vote for peace and stability and freedom for women," said Raihana, a 37-year-old mother of eight who lived in exile in Iran for 14 years to flee war.
Again, while today's vote may not have been perfect, it was a first step on the road to a free and open democracy.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 9, 2004 at 12:17 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Thursday, 12 August 2004
Newsflash: Oil Prices NOT at Record High
Practically every American news outlet has been flipping out over prices in oil trading. Everywhere you turn someone's spouting off about "record levels"
At around noon ET, U.S. light crude for September delivery rose 58 cents to $45.38 on the New York Mercantile Exchange after setting an all-time record of $45.50 a barrel minutes before. The price stands well above the record high for New York crude futures of $45.04 struck Tuesday.
Anyhow, I was sitting around watching Headline News with my dad when one of the pundits started in on the party line, and my Dad said it was total bullshit. He said that oil prices were WAY higher than they are now during the Iran/Iraq war.
I was skeptical, but I figured it couldn't hurt to Google it. Wouldn't you know it, he's right:
(click to enlarge)
According to WTRG Economics, the price of oil in 1981-82 was over $50 a barrel without taking inflation into account.
As anyone with half a braincell will recall, the Bush Administration has been accused of striking a deal with the Saudis to drop oil prices just before the election:
It wouldn’t be the first time Saudi Arabia has used oil as a political or diplomatic weapon, most notably during the embargoes of the 1970s that brought gasoline rationing in the U.S. More recently, the Saudis increased production to ease oil prices at the start of the Gulf War in 1990 to support the first Bush administration in its effort to turn back Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.
When the prices DO drop, W will get credit for easing the price of oil down from the so-called record highs.
Posted by flow Frazao on August 12, 2004 at 01:04 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, 15 July 2004
So This Is What A Real Leader Looks Like
Somebody give this man a big microphone:
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"When human lives are in jeopardy, there should be outrage," said Rangel, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, who was cuffed and led away by Capitol Police after standing defiantly in the doorway of the embassy, The Associated Press reported.
[...]
The protest, reportedly organized by Rangel and several others, was part of an effort to bring attention to what many are calling genocide in East Africa. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) estimated that between 10,000 and 30,000 already have died over the last five months, and nearly 2 million have been left homeless.
The agency also said that more than 56,000 homes had been burned to the ground, estimating that 350,000 will die if aid fails to reach those displaced, AP reported."
Something tells me that unlike Colin Powell, Representative Rangel won't be prancing around singing YMCA the day after addressing the crisis in Sudan.
Rangel's phone number is (202) 225-4365 in DC and (212) 663-3900 in New York. Give him a call or shoot him an email and tell him you support his efforts to bring attention to the East African genocide.
Posted by SmooveJ Zao on July 15, 2004 at 11:52 AM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tuesday, 06 July 2004
Beijing Brainwashes Sars Hero
This is certainly one way to deal with whistleblowers:
Jiang Yanyong is being interrogated about his letter denouncing the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, said sources quoted by the Washington Post.
[...]
Mr Jiang - a doctor in China's People's Liberation Army - is being held under 24-hour supervision at an undisclosed location, the Washington Post said.
The authorities have threatened to keep him in custody until he "raises his level of understanding" about the crackdown on the student-led rallies for democracy on the Tiananmen Square, it said, quoting one of the sources familiar with the situation.
In response to the Washington Post questions, the Chinese government said in a statement: "Jiang Yanyong, as a soldier, recently violated the relevant discipline of the military."
"Based on relevant regulations, the military has been helping and educating him," the statement added.
Mr Jiang's family said they had not heard from him in more than a month, apart from a single handwritten note, the UK's Times newspaper reported.
"We are very concerned and have no idea when or if he will come back," a family member told the newspaper.
Posted by SmooveJ Zao on July 6, 2004 at 05:53 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack