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September 2002 Entries
Here's a scary article. It's written as a letter from Saddam Hussein to the President (Hillary Clinton oddly enough) in the near future.
As you may have gathered by now, the nuclear device exploded over the Nevada desert today came from the mighty arsenal of the Republic of Iraq. We sincerely hope that the device did not injure anyone; its purpose was simply to show that Iraq has acquired a nuclear capability.

In fact, we are proud to say that we have manufactured many such weapons. Nearly a dozen of them are now in place in major American cities. We certainly do not want to have to detonate them, and we see no need to go that far, if you accede to several reasonable requests that essentially amount to a permanent disengagement from the internal affairs of the Middle East...

It's a pretty chilling scenario and one of the better reasons for making sure Saddam never acquire nuclear bombs. This sounds all too plausible.

posted @ Sunday, September 29, 2002 7:52 PM | Feedback (0)
Hmmmmm. There are some TV commercials back online.
posted @ Friday, September 27, 2002 7:49 AM | Feedback (0)
Seems Al Gore has sunk to new lows.
Gore uttered his first big lie in the second paragraph of the speech when he informed the audience that his main concern was with "those who attacked us on Sept. 11, and who have thus far gotten away with it." Who have thus far gotten away with it. The government of Gore's country has led a coalition of nations in war against al Qaeda, "those who attacked us on Sept. 11"; has destroyed al Qaeda's central organization and much of its physical assets; has destroyed the Taliban, which had made Afghanistan a state home for al Qaeda; has bombed the forces of al Qaeda from one end of Afghanistan to the other; has killed at least hundreds of terrorists and their allies; and has imprisoned hundreds more and is hunting down the rest around the world. All this while Gore, apparently, slept.
posted @ Wednesday, September 25, 2002 3:55 PM | Feedback (0)
There's a petition kicking around Harvard to withdraw investments in Israel because of their human rights records. Except that Israel has one of the best human rights records around. Alan Dershowitz has taken up the issue.
As an advocate and practitioner of human rights throughout the world, I can confidently assert that Israel's record on human rights is among the best, especially among nations that have confronted comparable threats. Though far from perfect, Israel has shown extraordinary concern for avoiding civilian casualties in its half-century effort to protect its civilians from terrorism. Jordan killed more Palestinians in a single month than Israel has between 1948 and the present.
posted @ Tuesday, September 24, 2002 7:52 AM | Feedback (0)
This is the Palestinian Authority:
"I thought they were going to tell me that they had discovered who was behind the gutting of my shop. When I arrived, I was surprised to hear that I was being accused of being a spy for Israel."

He said that for the first month, he was tortured almost daily inside his small cell. "They beat me with telephone cables all over my body. For many days my head was covered with a stinking bag. They would also tie me to the ceiling by my arms. On other occasions, they made me stand for several hours on a small cup."

He said his interrogators threatened several times to shoot him if he did not confess. Last April, he added, his interrogators informed him that a decision had been taken "on the highest levels" to kill him.

He was blindfolded, handcuffed, and asked for his final words. He was then taken into the back yard. There, the cover was removed from his eyes, and he saw a firing squad of five masked, uniformed policemen.

"They tied me to an electricity poll and pretended that I was about to be executed," he said. "I shouted out that I'm innocent and that Islam does not permit killing innocent people, but they only looked at me with smiles. Then the policemen aimed their rifles at me and waited for the order.

Seconds later one of the officers shouted: 'Fire.' I could hear them pulling the triggers, but I didn't feel the pain.

"For a moment, I didn't know if I was alive or dead. I heard shots, but there was no pain or blood. I quickly realized that it was a mock execution. It was the worst experience in my life.

These are the "reasonable" people Israel is supposed to negotiate with. These are the people the world wants to run a government. We just don't need one more Egypt, Saudia Arabia or Iraq. You can read the original article. Tawfik Tirawi is mentioned in the article Currently he's one of the people Israel is trying to get Arafat to turn over. Isn't it interesting that Israel is more interested in stopping torture of Palestinians than Arafat is?
posted @ Monday, September 23, 2002 7:15 PM | Feedback (0)
Dave Barry is funny. Especially when he goes after political commentators. From In War On Tobacco, money goes up in smoke ...
Before we get to the latest wacky hijinks, let's review how the War On Tobacco works. The underlying principle, of course, is: Tobacco Is Bad. It kills many people, and it causes many others to smell like ashtrays in a poorly janitored bus station.

So a while ago, politicians from a bunch of states were scratching their heads, trying to figure out what to do about the tobacco problem. One option, of course, was to say: ''Hey, if people want to be stupid, it's none of our business.'' But of course that was out of the question. Politicians believe EVERYTHING is their business, which is why -- to pick one of many examples -- most states have elaborate regulations governing who may, and who may not, give manicures.

Another option was to simply make selling cigarettes illegal, just like other evil activities, such as selling heroin, or giving unlicensed manicures, or operating lotteries (except, of course, for lotteries operated by states). But the politicians immediately saw a major flaw with this approach: It did not provide any way for money to be funneled to politicians.

And so they went with option three, which was to file lawsuits against the tobacco companies. The underlying moral principle of these lawsuits was: ``You are knowingly selling a product that kills tens of thousands of our citizens each year. We want a piece of that action!''

And it only gets worse, er, better. Whichever. A great read and a really sad situation. Good things these "politicians" are doing all this in our name. Because if they were just out for themselves ... d'oh!
posted @ Monday, September 23, 2002 7:00 PM | Feedback (0)
Now here's something that shouldn't suprise anyone. Over the last few years drug companies have been criticized for expensive AIDS drugs. They've been subjected to public pressure to reduce prices and give the drugs away for free to the developing world. And the result ... they are producing fewer HIV drugs.
One of the rare industry executives who would actually discuss the topic, but did not wish to be identified, agreed that although he didn't like to admit it, "we have lost the battle with the activists, and now the market is less profitable. The result is that we are spending less R&D time on anti-retrovirals. Why bother to innovate these products when any advance will not be profitable?" he said.

One hopes this isn't what the activists intended. I can't believe they didn't see this coming. Their sheer stupidity just amazes me. They should be doing everything they can to make it very lucrative to produce HIV medications. Use the free market. Oddly enough I found this article in the Jerusalem Post.

posted @ Friday, September 20, 2002 8:14 AM | Feedback (0)
Remember the "spontaneous" Palestinian intifada that started in September 2000? It appears it wasn't very spontaneous at all. It was actually very well planned by the Palestinian Authority. Why doesn't this suprise me?
Imad Faluji, the PA communications minister, admitted on October 11, 2001, that the violence had been planned in July, far in advance of Sharon's "provocation." He said: "Whoever thinks that the intifada broke out because of the despised Sharon's visit to Al-Aksa Mosque, is wrong, even if this visit was the straw that broke the back of the Palestinian people. This intifada was planned in advance, ever since President Arafat's return from the Camp David negotiations, where he turned the table upside down on President Clinton. [Arafat] remained steadfast and challenged [Clinton]. He rejected the American terms and he did it in the heart of the US."
posted @ Thursday, September 19, 2002 6:45 PM | Feedback (0)
In a chilling development, the CIA announced Monday that it has acquired a videotape showing suspected al-Qaeda operatives engaging in what appears to be telemarketing.

I love The Onion!

posted @ Thursday, September 19, 2002 1:37 PM | Feedback (0)
Well this is just disgusting!
Last night (17 September 2002), in the afternoon, a large explosive device was activated against an IDF force in Han-Yunis. The device was thrown towards the soldiers by a small child, who was one of a group of Palestinian children who gathered together near an IDF Armored Personnel Carrier and threw stones an IDF military installation in the area.
So the Palestinian terrorists have taken to using children to attack the Israelis. And is there any reason why the people that use children as terrorists shouldn't all be rooted out and arrested? This is what the Palestinian leadership allows (or encourages) to happen. So how does Israel defend itself against this? Do they shoot children that get to close to them? Welcome to asymmetrical warfare. The Palestians use their civilians for terror attacks and then complain when their civilians are hurt. What a bunch of hypocrites!
posted @ Thursday, September 19, 2002 11:43 AM | Feedback (0)
Two days after I post a comment about a quiet Israel a bomb goes off in Jerusalem. That's not how it's supposed to work. On a separate note, Joseph Farah has a short article on the history of the Palestinian refugees.
Yasser Arafat may have lost some of his personal political clout of late, but the political movement he began - demanding justice for Palestinian Arabs expelled from their homes in 1948 - remains as strong as ever.

There's just one problem. There's not the slightest historical evidence to suggest Arabs were expelled in significant numbers - certainly not by Jews.

I think this is one piece of history that is glossed over by the mainstream media. These refugees were created when Arab states invaded Israel in May 1948. The Israelis begged these people to stay. The article is mostly quotes from various Arab newspapers at the time that acknowledge this fact.

posted @ Thursday, September 19, 2002 11:33 AM | Feedback (0)
Wired has an article on the technical side of the upcoming America's Cup race.
It took Columbus 10 weeks to reach the New World. By 1905, thanks to better maps and streamlined hulls, the record for crossing the Atlantic stood at 12 days and 4 hours, for an average speed of 10 mph. Over the next 75 years, skippers carved just 2 days off that record. Then something remarkable happened. As the 20th century ended, a surge in data-processing muscle and the advent of carbon fiber gave naval architects the power to craft dramatically lighter hulls with less drag and more efficient sails. At the same time, more accurate weather models told sailors how to exploit optimum wind currents.

In October 2001, millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett's PlayStation put it all together, racing from New York to England in 4 days and 17 hours, shattering the decade-old record by 44 hours. Fossett sailed at an average speed of nearly 26 mph, a pace even most blue-water powerboats can't match. Fossett's secret: He waited for weeks on his 125-foot carbon-fiber catamaran until his weather guru said go, then surfed across the pond on the curl of three powerful low-pressure systems. The forecast was so accurate that, in 2,900 miles, he never tacked once.

posted @ Wednesday, September 18, 2002 8:39 AM | Feedback (0)
Have you noticed the deafening silence is Israel lately? Probably not since they don't make the headlines when there aren't any suicide bombers. It seems that the IDF action against Hamas was largely successful.
Israeli intelligence officials assert that 98 percent of the known members of the Hamas military wing have been arrested or killed over the past five months, leaving the terrorist organization in a state of disarray, Time magazine reported Monday.

The article discusses this further and says that now the leaders are being forced to carry out terrorist attacks. And they don't seem to be suicide attacks. It must be easier to order someone else to give their life than to give their own. I wonder what this will do for the Middle East? Israel has shown that a focused military effort can be successful against terrorists. Maybe the Palestinians will return to the negotiation table. Maybe.

posted @ Monday, September 16, 2002 7:42 PM | Feedback (0)
It's pretty amazing how quickly the world can change. Bush makes a speech to the UN in the face of mounting criticism of the US approach in Iraq. First France (see below), then Saudi Arabia, then Egypt (in another article about Saudi Arabia) and now Jordan. It's amazing what a little moral clarity will do. I wonder if these people just forgot that Hussein was a mass-murderer with a bunch of chemical weapons living next to them?
posted @ Monday, September 16, 2002 7:37 PM | Feedback (0)
The New York Times has an article about the French government's attitude toward Saddam Hussein. Apparently Bush took a pretty shrewd approach at the UN.
He [Chirac] called Mr. Hussein "especially dangerous to his own people," adding that he personally wished for the Iraqi's political demise and would not rule out the use of force against him if it were approved by the United Nations Secrity Council.

It was a striking departure for a French leader, and it hinted at the true dimensions of the diplomatic struggle now being played out over the twin ultimatums President Bush laid down last week -- to Iraq to immediately give up its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and to the United Nations' members to enforce a decade's worth of resolutions intended to make Mr. Hussein do just that.

posted @ Sunday, September 15, 2002 10:27 AM | Feedback (0)
SFGate.com has a list of the Top 10 Things To Do Instead of Watching TV Tonight. I'm going out for BBQ with some friends (which wasn't on their list).
posted @ Wednesday, September 11, 2002 5:51 PM | Feedback (0)
Tomorrow is September 11th. The one year anniverary. I don't have anything to say about it that hasn't already been said 100 times over. Or more.

I think I'll try to get some friends together and have a media free day.

posted @ Tuesday, September 10, 2002 4:19 PM | Feedback (0)
Dave Barry normally writes funny stuff. On hallowed ground isn't so funny. It's a very moving tribute to the people on Flight 93.
You've been on planes. Think how it feels, especially on a morning cross-country flight. You got up early; you're tired; you've been buckled in your seat for a couple of hours, with hours more to go. You're reading, or maybe dozing. You're essentially cargo: There's nowhere you can go, nothing you can do, no role you could possibly play in flying this huge, complex machine. You retreat into your passenger cocoon, passive, trusting your fate to the hands of others, confident that they'll get you down safe, because they always do.

Now imagine what that awful morning was like for the people on Flight 93. Imagine being ripped from your safe little cocoon, discovering that the plane was now controlled by killers, that your life was in their bloody hands. Imagine knowing that there was nobody to help you, except you, and the people, mostly strangers, around you.

posted @ Tuesday, September 10, 2002 4:17 PM | Feedback (0)
Another vacation draws to a close. I finally managed to relax and quit thinking about work and sqlteam. Now I'm ready to get back to it and do something productive. Here's one last photo from vacation. I've decided I've got to get a digital camera before my next trip.

This was taken from the top of Lily Mountain. Dad and I hiked up there on Wednesday. It was one heck of hike. We had to scramble over rocks the last 100 feet to the top. The view was worth it though.

posted @ Friday, September 06, 2002 9:21 PM | Feedback (0)
In case you hadn't noticed that sunset photo was doctored. It was a great sunset but not that great!
posted @ Friday, September 06, 2002 9:11 PM | Feedback (0)

We saw an amazing sunset outside the other night as we ate dinner. This picture was taken facing east away from the sunset.

posted @ Sunday, September 01, 2002 6:28 PM | Feedback (0)
If you're in the market for a remote control you've got to check out the iPAQ H3950 with Nevo software. It's an iPAQ with a beefed up IR port and some specialized software for being a remote control.
posted @ Sunday, September 01, 2002 6:27 PM | Feedback (0)