April 19, 2003

US troops searching a Baghdad neighbourhood have found an estimated $650 million in cash. It is believed the money has hidden by members of the Baath Party's upper echelon, perhaps at the direction of Hussein himself or one of his two sons, Uday or Qusai. Meanwhile US intelligence is beginning to suspect that senior Iraqis left the country or hid as part of a planned escape after they removed evidence of weapons of mass destruction. The LA Times states that one former CIA official suggested that by destroying the weapons of massive destruction Hussein could embarrass the United States. I fear then eventually when the US leaves Iraq he will start planning his return by appealing to Iraqi nationalism and claiming that since no WMDs were found the US invaded Iraq for the oil. 6:01:30 PM

The Leafs offense was MIA again today. 6:00:18 PM

Nazi Scum Now Too Old to Catch - Wiesenthal Retires Ninety-five year Simon Wiesenthal has announced that he is retiring as a Nazi hunter as the left are too old now to be pursued legally. The Globe and Mail has an interesting take on his quest to catch those responsible for Nazi crimes: But his doggedness in the pursuit of those responsible for the "final solution" and the distinction he made between Nazi criminals and collaborators brought criticism from many quarters: Communists who accused him of being a U.S. agent, European politicians who wanted to let sleeping dogs lie, Holocaust deniers and even fellow Jews. Leaders of the World Jewish Congress attacked Mr. Wiesenthal for allegedly covering up the Nazi past of Austrian president Kurt Waldheim's Nazi past. They said Mr. Waldheim should be brought to trial as a war criminal. Mr. Wiesenthal said that while Mr. Waldheim, who at one time was secretary-general of the United Nations, was both a "world-class liar" — he hid his past as a German intelligence officer — and a Nazi collaborator, there was not enough evidence to charge him with war crimes. If people think his actions concerning Waldheim were wrong then they should be examined but if Communists, scared politicians and Holocaust deniers are upset with his work that’s a complement. 6:00:03 PM

The 2003 Hugo nominations released My choices of Klin People for best novel, Minority Report and LOTR: The Two Towers for best long form presentation were nominated and of course was Locus for best professional semiprozine. While an episode of Firefly was nominated, it was the originally shot pilot episode Serenity, rather than my choice of Ariel. Of the nominated choices, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s , Conversations With Dead People looks as the best one. The Hugo Award Ceremony will be held at Torcon III on Saturday, August 30, 2003 in Toronto. 12:28:04 PM

Books to read while your tax return is being done Like other novels by W.E.B. Griffin, nothing actually happens in the book Under Fire until the last few pages. If you are a fan of his books it’s like the others so you know what to expect. If you’re are not a fan, it won’t make you one and it will be a complete waste of your time. 11:54:04 AM