Another Microsoft glitch could turn an ordinary jpeg picture into a file that could harm your computer, a feat which was previously thought impossible. They have since released a patch for it, but why not just dump the crappy software for the preview release of Firefox?
The $3 trillion in long-term spending proposed by the Republicans is finally making into the Kerry's campaign talking points after they began to go on the offensive on President Bush's character. This correlates with a now less bouncy bounce for President Bush from the Republican convention. In other Republican convention fallout, a private letter from one Georgian Democrat to another, that being President Jimmy Carter to Senator Zell Miller, has surfaced on the internet. The journal Science has interviewed both Presidential candidates to ask them their opinions on several scientific topics, who's answered differed most greatly over stem cell research, climate change, and new nuclear weapons. The Village Voice is getting into the campaign by coming out with a proposal for a Kerry campaign ad that it claims could beat President Bush. A simple proposal for both campaigns - why not put some money forward so that 3 years after the 9/11 attacks, police and firefighters can talk to each other over the radio in case of an emergency.
Iraq is still a mess, with over fifty people being killed today in bomb attacks and by shooters. Kofi Annan went on record with the BBC today stating that he believed that the war was illegal and violated the charter of the United Nations. Worse yet, according to the Guardian the situation is looking more and more like the beginnings of a civil war.
The World Health Organization has estimated that 10 000 people are dying of violence and disease each month in the refugee camps in Darfur despite the current international aid effort. This comes as talks have collapsed between Justice and Equality Group and the government and the Sudanese government's rejection of the stripped down US draft resolution. Refugees who have fled the country have managed to find protection in neighbouring countries, but find that prospects to rebuild their lives are looking difficult.
Also:
- The next big discovery in extra-solar planets will be to find the existence of a 'super-earth.'
- A new 1.3 metre telescope is being built in Australia to replace one that was destroyed in last year's brush fires.
- Scientists are using ordinary photos to create a set of random numbers used, among other things, to simulate the creation of galaxies.
- Airbus, one of the largest makers of commercial aircraft in the world, have said that by 2006 they will be manufacturing planes in which you can use a cell phone.
- Time to order another round of Harp. Scientists find that beer seems to have the same positive effects previously attributed to only red wine.
- Researchers at the University of South Florida have reported that cannabis appears to slow the spread of certain cancers.
- The new Apple G5 iMac has been released, looking very IPody.
- An interesting story about a woman fired from her job over having a Kerry sticker on her car, and the job she eventually got.
- The Christian Science Monitor looks at the current state of nuclear proliferation in 'rogue states.'
- China's President Hu Jintao has made a speech opposing any attempts to politically reform the totalitarian nation.
- Israel is putting forward a plan to pay settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to leave the areas.
- An article on the uptick in violent crimes committed by females.
- One of the two female bombers who downed two Russian planes reportedly boarded the jet by bribing one of the airport's employees.
- The government of Turkey has backed away from legislation that would have made adultery a crime.
- A woman is running for office in Saudi Arabia in the first elections in 40 years.
- The Adbusters Media Foundation is suing Canadian television networks for refusing to air advertisements that critisize consumerism.
- I can't vouch for its credibility, but here is a picture that claims to show where spam comes from.
- An FBI document on the plethora of concealable weapons. (pdf)
- Foreign Policy magazine in a good article about the rise of anti-Americanism across the globe.
- With the NHL now official in a lockout, Canadians will have to savour their victory at the World Cup of hockey for a while before getting any more action.
- A British survey has found that the market price of the average woman's handbag with all of its contents is over $1300 Canadian.
- I thought I had heard it all, until I read this story about how Deutsche Welle is now offering their news service in Klingon.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money...
For the past couple of months, the Bush campaign has been drilling the Kerry campaign stating that he is promising $2 trillion in long-term spending, a figure that the Kerry campaign disputes as being far too high. However after adding up their own numbers, the Republicans as it turns out are proposing $3 trillion in long-term spending, not counting the ongoing war in Iraq at $6 billion/month which, with a Republican administration in power, is unlikely to decrease since the administration has alienated itself from most Western countries. Now what was that saying about the pot and the kettle? Speaking of Republicans retaining power, they appear to have a brand new strategy for winning -- disobeying judicial rulings -- which is exactly what Florida did when they allowed Ralph Nader to be put on the ballot. Looks like Jeb Bush is coming through for his brother. Of course, if they do win, there is a great deal of speculation about what exactly will happen in the next four years.
Kerry is finally on the attack! Like I hoped, it was over the failure of President Bush to support the continuation of the Brady Bill that prohibited the sale of assault weapons like Uzis and AK-47s. Kerry recently received the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations, where as Bush will probably get the NRA's endorsement. Which organization do you think has your interests more in mind?
In another Republican gun proposal, the House is planning to vote on a Republican bill that will repeal almost all of the gun control legislation the Democrats had previously put in Washington D.C. A few things this bill will do are to end a ban on the sale of handguns, remove a ban on semiautomatic weapons, lift a requirement for owners to register their weapons, and cancel penalties against possessing an unregistered firearm at home or, get this, at work. Now I understand that there are people out there who hunt or just like guns, but you don't need either a handgun or semiautomatic weapon to hunt, beyond the fact that the law is specifically for Washington D.C. which is totally an urban area. It just goes to show -- Democrats give poor black people in urban centers like Washington D.C. programs like Head Start so they can better themselves and their families, whereas Republicans give them the ability to legally purchase semiautomatic weapons that they shoot each other with. Makes for less votes against them, I guess. Every electoral vote counts.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog group, Mohammed El Baradei, has issued a statement on Iran concerning the lack of evidence that they possess a working nuclear weapon program, though he admits that their intentions might not be peaceful. The European countries have had enough of the cat and mouse game, and are currently discussing taking a harder line against Iran with respect to its nuclear program.
Also:
- Tony Blair has come out swinging for the environment stating that time might be "running out" on our ability to solve the problem of climate change.
- File sharing is moving to a new medium -- cell phones.
- Speech recognition might be put on a chip for mobile use in three years.
- Forget China. Brazil is the new epicentre for hackers.
- The government of China is now beating up on (literally) AIDS activists trying to educate the populace and sequester aid for their plight.
- A story on how Afghani women, stuck in a conservative Islamic society, are prefering suicide to living in forced marriages.
- The US State Department has voiced concern over the political changes issued by President Putin after the most recent terrorist attack.
- Amnesty International is accusing government soldiers in Laos of war crimes after they reportedly murdered five teenagers of an ethnic minority group.
- The era of the thong might finally be over.
- If you're ever in Vancouver, make sure to pick up some marijuana sold openly at Da Kine.
- A site showing different avante-garde musical notations.
Kerry is finally on the attack! Like I hoped, it was over the failure of President Bush to support the continuation of the Brady Bill that prohibited the sale of assault weapons like Uzis and AK-47s. Kerry recently received the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations, where as Bush will probably get the NRA's endorsement. Which organization do you think has your interests more in mind?
In another Republican gun proposal, the House is planning to vote on a Republican bill that will repeal almost all of the gun control legislation the Democrats had previously put in Washington D.C. A few things this bill will do are to end a ban on the sale of handguns, remove a ban on semiautomatic weapons, lift a requirement for owners to register their weapons, and cancel penalties against possessing an unregistered firearm at home or, get this, at work. Now I understand that there are people out there who hunt or just like guns, but you don't need either a handgun or semiautomatic weapon to hunt, beyond the fact that the law is specifically for Washington D.C. which is totally an urban area. It just goes to show -- Democrats give poor black people in urban centers like Washington D.C. programs like Head Start so they can better themselves and their families, whereas Republicans give them the ability to legally purchase semiautomatic weapons that they shoot each other with. Makes for less votes against them, I guess. Every electoral vote counts.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog group, Mohammed El Baradei, has issued a statement on Iran concerning the lack of evidence that they possess a working nuclear weapon program, though he admits that their intentions might not be peaceful. The European countries have had enough of the cat and mouse game, and are currently discussing taking a harder line against Iran with respect to its nuclear program.
Also:
- Tony Blair has come out swinging for the environment stating that time might be "running out" on our ability to solve the problem of climate change.
- File sharing is moving to a new medium -- cell phones.
- Speech recognition might be put on a chip for mobile use in three years.
- Forget China. Brazil is the new epicentre for hackers.
- The government of China is now beating up on (literally) AIDS activists trying to educate the populace and sequester aid for their plight.
- A story on how Afghani women, stuck in a conservative Islamic society, are prefering suicide to living in forced marriages.
- The US State Department has voiced concern over the political changes issued by President Putin after the most recent terrorist attack.
- Amnesty International is accusing government soldiers in Laos of war crimes after they reportedly murdered five teenagers of an ethnic minority group.
- The era of the thong might finally be over.
- If you're ever in Vancouver, make sure to pick up some marijuana sold openly at Da Kine.
- A site showing different avante-garde musical notations.
Assault Weapons for Every Man, Woman and Child!
John Kerry might have a new debate point in his favour as a Clintonian bill banning assault weapons from the streets, known commonly as the Brady Bill, is lapsing and needs reapproval from Congress. George Bush endorsed the bill in 2000, but has since remained quiet on the issue because he wants the support of the NRA in November. It could be a good wedge issue in a campaign that desperately needs to get it together with some offence. This all comes as gun retailers and manufacturers have settled a $2 million lawsuit with the families of the Washington DC area sniper attacks. What the Democrats really need to do though is to stop being pussies about attacking the Republicans. There's no reason why the Republicans can have open access to generalized ad hominems (like Kerry is a flip-flopper, for instance) without once actually talking about what they're going to do, or have Bush's cronies give piles of money to blatant lies like the Swift Boat Veterans and then claim that the Republicans are independent of the mud slinging. If Bush continues to lead in the polls, I say implement a scorched earth policy and drag all of them through the mud (like they so rightly deserve). I'm tired of playing nice if the only thing the opposition is going to do is lower the level of debate through these tactics. Fight fire with fire. On another note though, the blogosphere have recently rediscovered an old Onion article, one that I remember reading in 2000 that almost seems prescient now.
The United States Army has come forth with a statement saying that the CIA hid up to 100 Iraqi detainees in military prisons from the Red Cross and other international organizations, in a possible violation of international law. In other violations of international law, a new investigation by The Guardian found that the Bush administration, specifically Donald Rumsfeld, knew about the prisoner abuses in Guantanamo Bay as far back as 2002, but refused to do anything about it. Presently in Iraq the US is holding off major attacks for the time being though 'surgical strikes' continue, but the military situation continues to worsen as the number of daily attacks on American troops have increased to be the most since President Bush declared 'mission accomplished' and there are now many areas of Iraq where the Army just don't go anymore out of fear of attack.
Al-Qaeda spokesperson Ayman al-Zawahri has issued a statement that the defeat of US forces in both Afghanistan and Iran is only a matter of time. On the less fanatical side of the religion, ongoing terrorist attacks such as the recent occupation of a school in Russia are influencing an internal debate within global Islam on whether clerics should take a much harder stance against Muslims who commit such atrocities, while Deutsche Welle interviews the hereditary imam of Shiite Ismaili Muslims about how Islam and democracy should have no conflict. The New York Times ran a story about, how in Chechnya specifically, chronic and abject poverty are leading women to become terrorists for the separatist cause.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has recently called the situation in Darfur a genocide, yet there is still no real preventative actions underway to halt the abuses. The government of Sudan remains adamant that it is an internal issue that they are solving and should not involve the international community and the United States is looking to make some changes to the draft resolution in front of the UN. Colin Powell continues to be my personal hero though, as he first criticizes the system of Vietnam-era draft avoidance for people with connections that President Bush went through, and then a new book by a BBC broadcaster has him calling the neo-conservative strategists in the White House, you know - the ones that brought you the war in Iraq including Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, "fucking crazies" in a conversation with British Cabinet Minister Jack Straw. At least there's someone in the administration who has a sense of proper international policy, despite the evident lack of tact.
Also:
- Astronomers in Chile might have taken the first visual picture of a planet orbiting another star.
- British scientists have discovered at least one and possibly two new moons orbiting Saturn.
- The $700 million Gravity Probe B project might be upstaged by ground observations of binary pulsars.
- Pioneer 10 and 11 are not proceeding along their anticipated trajectories, leading some scientists to speculate whether they are being effected by dark matter.
- The magnetic field on Earth is slowly fading, down 10% from 150 years ago, and will eventually destabilize and reverse.
- There might be hope for the scientific data on the Genesis probe that crashed into the Earth.
- The discovery of methane on Mars might indicate the presence of organisms.
- An atmospheric scientist takes a swing at why lightning is jagged and not straight.
- A trial in Britain has yielded positive results showing cannibis having a long-term benefit in reducing the symptoms of MS.
- Turmeric might be the source of lower childhood lukemia rates in Asian countries.
- Scientists believe that they have found the part of the brain responsible for dreaming.
- A Canadian study has found what history already knows - that attractive women make men irrational.
- Current extinctions may have a domino effect on other species who were previously dependent on the extinct species.
- The city of Toronto is now using a renewable source of air conditioning known as lake-source cooling.
- Wired has a story about how the recycling program in Nova Scotia actually saves the province money.
- Eleven medical journals have come together to call for more openness in the conduction of drug trials by pharmaceuticals, including a motion for drug companies to register their trials at the beginning to ensure that poor results are not hidden.
- Psychologists are studying how some people flourish in high stress environments.
- Binomial nomenclature, invented by Carl Linnaeus, is being attacked by supporters of rival nomenclature systems.
- A study of indigenous peoples around the world show that even though they receive more media attention, they are still generally mired in poverty and persecution.
- A controversial Bush administration amendment changing the nature of overtime pay has been struck down in the House despite threats of veto on the overall bill.
- The coffee sector is finally getting together to draft a new international code that would provide minimum social, ecological and economic standards in the production of coffee in the developing world.
- It has been one year since the tragic loss of Swedish foreign affairs minister Anna Lindh.
- Apparently the mushroom cloud in North Korea was not a nuclear explosion.
- A right-wing film festival in Texas is screening two anti-Michael Moore films, one (quite uncreatively) called 'Michael Moore Hates America' and the other 'Michael and Me.'
- A book on everything you need to know about running a political campaign with uninformed voters.
- Speaking of uninformed, Dick Cheney is still parroting the discredited line about the direct ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda.
- And while we're on messed-up regimes, Robert Mugabe has generated more controversy by preventing aid from reaching homeless people.
- Amnesty International has issued a report critisizing racial profiling in the United States.
- Israelis show that they can be just as reactionary as Hamas, as a new political party aimed at driving all Muslims and Christians from Israel and the occupied territories is created.
- Australia had their first prime ministerial debates, which is important for America because if Labour wins, it will be one less country in the 'coalition of the willing.'
- A program of buying back handguns in Brazil has been a terrific success.
- Hong Kong's voter turnout in recent elections is up considerably as pro-democracy candidates make gains.
- Despite the media attention towards crime in general, the actual rate is still close to a 30-year low.
- In an interesting problem arising from multiculturalism, Canada is now deciding on whether certain domestic issues can be tried under Sharia, or Islamic law, if asked for by the people in question.
- A site that parodies the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth site.
- A Republican attack ad drafted if George Bush ever runs against Jesus.
- Certain investors are claiming that the most adequate amount to put in stocks is 0% of your portfolio.
The United States Army has come forth with a statement saying that the CIA hid up to 100 Iraqi detainees in military prisons from the Red Cross and other international organizations, in a possible violation of international law. In other violations of international law, a new investigation by The Guardian found that the Bush administration, specifically Donald Rumsfeld, knew about the prisoner abuses in Guantanamo Bay as far back as 2002, but refused to do anything about it. Presently in Iraq the US is holding off major attacks for the time being though 'surgical strikes' continue, but the military situation continues to worsen as the number of daily attacks on American troops have increased to be the most since President Bush declared 'mission accomplished' and there are now many areas of Iraq where the Army just don't go anymore out of fear of attack.
Al-Qaeda spokesperson Ayman al-Zawahri has issued a statement that the defeat of US forces in both Afghanistan and Iran is only a matter of time. On the less fanatical side of the religion, ongoing terrorist attacks such as the recent occupation of a school in Russia are influencing an internal debate within global Islam on whether clerics should take a much harder stance against Muslims who commit such atrocities, while Deutsche Welle interviews the hereditary imam of Shiite Ismaili Muslims about how Islam and democracy should have no conflict. The New York Times ran a story about, how in Chechnya specifically, chronic and abject poverty are leading women to become terrorists for the separatist cause.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has recently called the situation in Darfur a genocide, yet there is still no real preventative actions underway to halt the abuses. The government of Sudan remains adamant that it is an internal issue that they are solving and should not involve the international community and the United States is looking to make some changes to the draft resolution in front of the UN. Colin Powell continues to be my personal hero though, as he first criticizes the system of Vietnam-era draft avoidance for people with connections that President Bush went through, and then a new book by a BBC broadcaster has him calling the neo-conservative strategists in the White House, you know - the ones that brought you the war in Iraq including Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, "fucking crazies" in a conversation with British Cabinet Minister Jack Straw. At least there's someone in the administration who has a sense of proper international policy, despite the evident lack of tact.
Also:
- Astronomers in Chile might have taken the first visual picture of a planet orbiting another star.
- British scientists have discovered at least one and possibly two new moons orbiting Saturn.
- The $700 million Gravity Probe B project might be upstaged by ground observations of binary pulsars.
- Pioneer 10 and 11 are not proceeding along their anticipated trajectories, leading some scientists to speculate whether they are being effected by dark matter.
- The magnetic field on Earth is slowly fading, down 10% from 150 years ago, and will eventually destabilize and reverse.
- There might be hope for the scientific data on the Genesis probe that crashed into the Earth.
- The discovery of methane on Mars might indicate the presence of organisms.
- An atmospheric scientist takes a swing at why lightning is jagged and not straight.
- A trial in Britain has yielded positive results showing cannibis having a long-term benefit in reducing the symptoms of MS.
- Turmeric might be the source of lower childhood lukemia rates in Asian countries.
- Scientists believe that they have found the part of the brain responsible for dreaming.
- A Canadian study has found what history already knows - that attractive women make men irrational.
- Current extinctions may have a domino effect on other species who were previously dependent on the extinct species.
- The city of Toronto is now using a renewable source of air conditioning known as lake-source cooling.
- Wired has a story about how the recycling program in Nova Scotia actually saves the province money.
- Eleven medical journals have come together to call for more openness in the conduction of drug trials by pharmaceuticals, including a motion for drug companies to register their trials at the beginning to ensure that poor results are not hidden.
- Psychologists are studying how some people flourish in high stress environments.
- Binomial nomenclature, invented by Carl Linnaeus, is being attacked by supporters of rival nomenclature systems.
- A study of indigenous peoples around the world show that even though they receive more media attention, they are still generally mired in poverty and persecution.
- A controversial Bush administration amendment changing the nature of overtime pay has been struck down in the House despite threats of veto on the overall bill.
- The coffee sector is finally getting together to draft a new international code that would provide minimum social, ecological and economic standards in the production of coffee in the developing world.
- It has been one year since the tragic loss of Swedish foreign affairs minister Anna Lindh.
- Apparently the mushroom cloud in North Korea was not a nuclear explosion.
- A right-wing film festival in Texas is screening two anti-Michael Moore films, one (quite uncreatively) called 'Michael Moore Hates America' and the other 'Michael and Me.'
- A book on everything you need to know about running a political campaign with uninformed voters.
- Speaking of uninformed, Dick Cheney is still parroting the discredited line about the direct ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda.
- And while we're on messed-up regimes, Robert Mugabe has generated more controversy by preventing aid from reaching homeless people.
- Amnesty International has issued a report critisizing racial profiling in the United States.
- Israelis show that they can be just as reactionary as Hamas, as a new political party aimed at driving all Muslims and Christians from Israel and the occupied territories is created.
- Australia had their first prime ministerial debates, which is important for America because if Labour wins, it will be one less country in the 'coalition of the willing.'
- A program of buying back handguns in Brazil has been a terrific success.
- Hong Kong's voter turnout in recent elections is up considerably as pro-democracy candidates make gains.
- Despite the media attention towards crime in general, the actual rate is still close to a 30-year low.
- In an interesting problem arising from multiculturalism, Canada is now deciding on whether certain domestic issues can be tried under Sharia, or Islamic law, if asked for by the people in question.
- A site that parodies the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth site.
- A Republican attack ad drafted if George Bush ever runs against Jesus.
- Certain investors are claiming that the most adequate amount to put in stocks is 0% of your portfolio.
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Back in business
After a small hiatus, I'm organized enough in my new place to get this thing on the road again. Luckily this was a good news week so the blog practically writes itself.
First off, the Republican convention came and went. Since I didn't have internet access until Friday and had no cable, I basically missed the whole thing. However, most media outlets didn't, who took the time to relay Bush's message of a safer world with a Republican administration and their attempts to soften the Republican image. There was also some discussion on whether Bush's domestic policies were (and will be) effective for the current economic malaise, how the there was mixed success on the goals iterated by Bush four years ago, and the disturbing tendency for the Republicans to frame the debate making it 'unpatriotic' to vote against the president. As Zell Miller put it:
While young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrats' manic obsession to bring down our commander in chief.
Yes, that 'manic obsession' is called a Presidential election. I know it would be easier for the Republicans to just do without them, but fortunately every four years the American citizenry gets to chose to change directions if they believe the current course isn't leading them where they want to go. Second prize goes to Vice President Cheney, who stated quite literally that American faces a higher risk of terror attacks with a Democratic ticket in the White House. No mention on how or why, just straight out fear-mongering.
The media has recently picked up on the many errors and omissions in the speeches given at the convention, starting with the claim that he voted against a pile of military machinery that is currently used by the troops. This article shows that most of these cuts came during the end of the Cold War when, given that the Soviet Union disbanded, it might make sense that you don't need as much machinery as in the middle of the Cold War -- not to mention that many Republicans were also calling for the cuts, George Bush's father included. In addition, other weapons systems that Kerry 'voted against' cited in the Republican propaganda first, occurred 14 years ago and second, occurred because of his opposition to a larger defence bill in general, not to the specific systems that were contained. Like this Slate article says, Republicans could have just as easily used this argument to say that by not voting for the defence bill, Kerry actually voted to abolish the armed forces. But that might arise some suspicion as to the veracity of the claim.
Anyway, one would expect that an online magazine like Slate would look into these claims, but the important thing is that mainstream papers like the Washington Post are now actually doing research and finding that many Republican statements at the convention were either misleading or out-right false. The Toronto Star reports that part of Arnold's speech where he talks about 'seeing Soviet tanks' and 'leaving a socialist state' is historically incorrect, first having grown up in a British-occupied sector that the Russians left two years before his birth and second pointing out that all of Austria's chancellors were Conservatives from 1945 to 1970. The Campaign Desk takes aim at the hypothetical Republican accusations about Kerry's Vietnam war record, and in the best part of the article state:
"In four months of service," {US Republican Senator Allan] Simpson said in reference to John Kerry, "it's very difficult for this cowboy to understand how you get three purple hearts. Just mark it down, that's all I'm saying."
It was the equivalent of a Democrat going on the air and saying, "Well, I've heard George Bush used to do a lot of cocaine 30 years ago, and I know it's tough to stop doing drugs, so it's just difficult for this American to understand how it could be that he's not still coked up to the gills every day. Just mark it down, that's all I'm saying."
Even Chris Matthews from MSNBC's Hardball, a very unlikely Kerry supporter, is decrying the Bush campaign's tactics after they did a hatchet-job to his interview with Kerry in order to mislead the public on Kerry's positions. Finally, at least two swift boat veterans has publicly admonished the Republican-backed group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth for using their names without permission.
The Kerry campaign struck back after the week-long 'hate fest' (to use a Republican term), reminding people that it's hypocritical to challenge his war record when neither Bush nor Cheney actually served in Vietnam and refocusing the debate on the poor economy and the lack of progress in Iraq. In fact, Bush's military record is the focus of a new ad (Quicktime movie) paralleling the SBVFT ad, where an air guardsman who served in Bush's unit claims that he never saw him there, and challenges anyone in the unit who claims to have seen him to come forward. No takers so far. Since this issue gets confusing, I found this graphic that shows a timeline of Bush's reported military service.
Despite all of this, President Bush did get a bounce out of the convention with some polls showing him beating John Kerry in the popular vote, though with the 1000th military personnel killed in Iraq, an overall increase in the rate of fatalities, and the budget deficit coming in much worse than expected, Kerry still has issues on which he can capitalize. Interestingly enough, though not really surprising, an international poll of 35 countries of the world showed that only 5 would re-elect Bush if they could vote in the election. Canadians supported Kerry at a 61% level while Bush was dwindling at 16%. It just goes to show the level of dislike of this current administration internationally -- a dislike that can only dampen efforts for international cooperation that America now desperately needs if Bush is re-elected. The chances for the American people to be exposed to both candidates in the same room has recently decreased though, as reports have President Bush backing out of one of the three proposed debates. On a lighter convention note, the New York Press lists its 1001 things to hate about the convention.
In Sudan, the UN is considering armed intervention to halt the ongoing humanitarian crisis as thousands continue to flee new episodes of violence. Former Canadian general Romeo Dallaire who was in charge of UN troops when the Rwandan genocide was underway lashed out against the current measures, calling them lame and obtuse. Swedish Foreign Minister Liala Freivalds echoed similar feelings, accusing the UN of dragging its feet on the issue. Oxfam, in order to raise money for relief working Darfur, has released a CD with artists like REM, Jet and David Gray volunteering their songs.
Also:
- A piece in the New Scientist explains why its likely that an alien civilization will send us a message on a physical body instead of by radio or other means.
- Two new rocky planets have been discovered outside of our solar system.
- Cassini has found a new ring around Saturn.
- A European probe will examine the dark side of the moon.
- You can now bet on whether scientists will figure out major problems and theories by a certain time.
- The progress towards the hydrogen economy is taking some steps forward.
- Oceans currently act as big CO2 sinks that slow global warming, but at the risk of killing marine life.
- Apparently some scientists are studying whether stress influences cows to become lesbians.
- Low fat diets have been clinically proven to be as effective as Atkins.
- A new procedure could use magnets to pull cancer drugs into tumours.
- Why women live longer on average than men.
- Though not commonly discussed, the WHO issues a report showing the suicide kills more globally than murder and war put together.
- New implantable contact lenses work for people who can't have LASIK.
- An interesting piece on the connections between disgraced media mogul Conrad Black and Republican defence official Richard Pearle.
- Now that the next Olympics is in Beijing, human rights organizations have four years to spotlight the many abuses of the government to put pressure towards reform.
- In one of the more pressing social issues in China, the ratio of boys to girls born is now 117 for every 100 girls, leading social scientists to believe that up to 15% of Chinese men will be unable to find wives in the coming years.
- Sex scenes have recently become more explicit in Hollywood movies.
- David is 500 years old but should not be taken as an example of how you should stand -- a Pilates expert says his poor posture would cause him lower back weakness and pain.
- The Passion of the Christ has beat the one-week DVD and VHS sales record in the United States, replacing Lord of the Rings.
- Bill Clinton underwent a quadruple bypass operation after suffering from chest pains.
- President Bush has some interesting ideas of what OB/GYNs do. (Windows Media file)
- The Log Cabin Republicans are witholding their support from Bush because of his stance on same sex marriage.
- The French headscarf ban went into effect this week.
- A paper on World War IV.
- An interesting article on the new US army uniforms, with a history of previous ones.
- Makeup and perfume markets have been shifting younger and younger in recent years.
- Project Rebirth, a website that will document through a web camera the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site has launched.
- A lefty view of the top 10 big stories that the news media are missing.
- A funny guide to how to acquire and keep a geek guy.
- A site that counts, well, almost everything.
- Three flash photo-essays, one on Brazil, one on Burma, and one on Eastern Europe.
- A site with pictures that will make you think you're on acid.
First off, the Republican convention came and went. Since I didn't have internet access until Friday and had no cable, I basically missed the whole thing. However, most media outlets didn't, who took the time to relay Bush's message of a safer world with a Republican administration and their attempts to soften the Republican image. There was also some discussion on whether Bush's domestic policies were (and will be) effective for the current economic malaise, how the there was mixed success on the goals iterated by Bush four years ago, and the disturbing tendency for the Republicans to frame the debate making it 'unpatriotic' to vote against the president. As Zell Miller put it:
While young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrats' manic obsession to bring down our commander in chief.
Yes, that 'manic obsession' is called a Presidential election. I know it would be easier for the Republicans to just do without them, but fortunately every four years the American citizenry gets to chose to change directions if they believe the current course isn't leading them where they want to go. Second prize goes to Vice President Cheney, who stated quite literally that American faces a higher risk of terror attacks with a Democratic ticket in the White House. No mention on how or why, just straight out fear-mongering.
The media has recently picked up on the many errors and omissions in the speeches given at the convention, starting with the claim that he voted against a pile of military machinery that is currently used by the troops. This article shows that most of these cuts came during the end of the Cold War when, given that the Soviet Union disbanded, it might make sense that you don't need as much machinery as in the middle of the Cold War -- not to mention that many Republicans were also calling for the cuts, George Bush's father included. In addition, other weapons systems that Kerry 'voted against' cited in the Republican propaganda first, occurred 14 years ago and second, occurred because of his opposition to a larger defence bill in general, not to the specific systems that were contained. Like this Slate article says, Republicans could have just as easily used this argument to say that by not voting for the defence bill, Kerry actually voted to abolish the armed forces. But that might arise some suspicion as to the veracity of the claim.
Anyway, one would expect that an online magazine like Slate would look into these claims, but the important thing is that mainstream papers like the Washington Post are now actually doing research and finding that many Republican statements at the convention were either misleading or out-right false. The Toronto Star reports that part of Arnold's speech where he talks about 'seeing Soviet tanks' and 'leaving a socialist state' is historically incorrect, first having grown up in a British-occupied sector that the Russians left two years before his birth and second pointing out that all of Austria's chancellors were Conservatives from 1945 to 1970. The Campaign Desk takes aim at the hypothetical Republican accusations about Kerry's Vietnam war record, and in the best part of the article state:
"In four months of service," {US Republican Senator Allan] Simpson said in reference to John Kerry, "it's very difficult for this cowboy to understand how you get three purple hearts. Just mark it down, that's all I'm saying."
It was the equivalent of a Democrat going on the air and saying, "Well, I've heard George Bush used to do a lot of cocaine 30 years ago, and I know it's tough to stop doing drugs, so it's just difficult for this American to understand how it could be that he's not still coked up to the gills every day. Just mark it down, that's all I'm saying."
Even Chris Matthews from MSNBC's Hardball, a very unlikely Kerry supporter, is decrying the Bush campaign's tactics after they did a hatchet-job to his interview with Kerry in order to mislead the public on Kerry's positions. Finally, at least two swift boat veterans has publicly admonished the Republican-backed group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth for using their names without permission.
The Kerry campaign struck back after the week-long 'hate fest' (to use a Republican term), reminding people that it's hypocritical to challenge his war record when neither Bush nor Cheney actually served in Vietnam and refocusing the debate on the poor economy and the lack of progress in Iraq. In fact, Bush's military record is the focus of a new ad (Quicktime movie) paralleling the SBVFT ad, where an air guardsman who served in Bush's unit claims that he never saw him there, and challenges anyone in the unit who claims to have seen him to come forward. No takers so far. Since this issue gets confusing, I found this graphic that shows a timeline of Bush's reported military service.
Despite all of this, President Bush did get a bounce out of the convention with some polls showing him beating John Kerry in the popular vote, though with the 1000th military personnel killed in Iraq, an overall increase in the rate of fatalities, and the budget deficit coming in much worse than expected, Kerry still has issues on which he can capitalize. Interestingly enough, though not really surprising, an international poll of 35 countries of the world showed that only 5 would re-elect Bush if they could vote in the election. Canadians supported Kerry at a 61% level while Bush was dwindling at 16%. It just goes to show the level of dislike of this current administration internationally -- a dislike that can only dampen efforts for international cooperation that America now desperately needs if Bush is re-elected. The chances for the American people to be exposed to both candidates in the same room has recently decreased though, as reports have President Bush backing out of one of the three proposed debates. On a lighter convention note, the New York Press lists its 1001 things to hate about the convention.
In Sudan, the UN is considering armed intervention to halt the ongoing humanitarian crisis as thousands continue to flee new episodes of violence. Former Canadian general Romeo Dallaire who was in charge of UN troops when the Rwandan genocide was underway lashed out against the current measures, calling them lame and obtuse. Swedish Foreign Minister Liala Freivalds echoed similar feelings, accusing the UN of dragging its feet on the issue. Oxfam, in order to raise money for relief working Darfur, has released a CD with artists like REM, Jet and David Gray volunteering their songs.
Also:
- A piece in the New Scientist explains why its likely that an alien civilization will send us a message on a physical body instead of by radio or other means.
- Two new rocky planets have been discovered outside of our solar system.
- Cassini has found a new ring around Saturn.
- A European probe will examine the dark side of the moon.
- You can now bet on whether scientists will figure out major problems and theories by a certain time.
- The progress towards the hydrogen economy is taking some steps forward.
- Oceans currently act as big CO2 sinks that slow global warming, but at the risk of killing marine life.
- Apparently some scientists are studying whether stress influences cows to become lesbians.
- Low fat diets have been clinically proven to be as effective as Atkins.
- A new procedure could use magnets to pull cancer drugs into tumours.
- Why women live longer on average than men.
- Though not commonly discussed, the WHO issues a report showing the suicide kills more globally than murder and war put together.
- New implantable contact lenses work for people who can't have LASIK.
- An interesting piece on the connections between disgraced media mogul Conrad Black and Republican defence official Richard Pearle.
- Now that the next Olympics is in Beijing, human rights organizations have four years to spotlight the many abuses of the government to put pressure towards reform.
- In one of the more pressing social issues in China, the ratio of boys to girls born is now 117 for every 100 girls, leading social scientists to believe that up to 15% of Chinese men will be unable to find wives in the coming years.
- Sex scenes have recently become more explicit in Hollywood movies.
- David is 500 years old but should not be taken as an example of how you should stand -- a Pilates expert says his poor posture would cause him lower back weakness and pain.
- The Passion of the Christ has beat the one-week DVD and VHS sales record in the United States, replacing Lord of the Rings.
- Bill Clinton underwent a quadruple bypass operation after suffering from chest pains.
- President Bush has some interesting ideas of what OB/GYNs do. (Windows Media file)
- The Log Cabin Republicans are witholding their support from Bush because of his stance on same sex marriage.
- The French headscarf ban went into effect this week.
- A paper on World War IV.
- An interesting article on the new US army uniforms, with a history of previous ones.
- Makeup and perfume markets have been shifting younger and younger in recent years.
- Project Rebirth, a website that will document through a web camera the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site has launched.
- A lefty view of the top 10 big stories that the news media are missing.
- A funny guide to how to acquire and keep a geek guy.
- A site that counts, well, almost everything.
- Three flash photo-essays, one on Brazil, one on Burma, and one on Eastern Europe.
- A site with pictures that will make you think you're on acid.
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