Tuesday, April 16, 2002

Flood disaster threatens Himalayas. More than 40 glacial lakes could burst at any time and swamp communities downstream, a UN study reveals [New Scientist] Here’s yet another report from the “What Global Warming?” file. But if you listen to our smirking chimp, maybe we should put it in the “What, Me Worry?” file.   Cheers,   Dusty 4:20:18 PM

Start-up shrinks PC to palm size. A Seattle-based company called OQO plans to show a handheld at the WinHEC confab this week that is capable of full-sized PC functions. [CNET News.com: Personal Technology] 256MB RAM, 10GB HDD and an 800 MHz processor running XP, all in a palm and priced around a grand? Sign me up, if it's not vaporware, anyway.   Cheers,   Dusty 3:43:11 PM

Arthur Miller. "Everybody likes a kidder, but nobody lends him money." [Quotes of the Day] 6:19:07 AM

Woody Allen. "If it turns out that there is a God, I don't think that he's evil. But the worst that you can say about him is that basically he's an underachiever." [Quotes of the Day] 6:18:58 AM

Ant supercolony dominates Europe. Billions of Argentine ants, forming the biggest co-operative unit ever seen, take over southern Europe. [BBC News: sci/tech] OK, here’s a story that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Bush administration. Really.   Cheers,   Dusty 6:12:51 AM

US hawk 'tried to sully Iraq arms inspector'. World latest: Pentagon No 2 Paul Wolfowitz ordered the CIA to investigate the chief United Nations weapons inspector in an apparent attempt to boost the case for an attack on Iraq. [Guardian Unlimited] I know I’ve been harping on the Bush administration a bit much lately. And it’s wrong. It’s just not right to keep going after such pitifully easy targets.   The fact is the past few weeks have been filled with revelation after revelation of Bush administration lies and dirty tricks and a procession of abysmal policy failures. Now a UK paper is reporting they tried to blacken the reputation of a respected UN arms expert to further their “crusade” – yes, the simple minded chimp actually used the word “crusade” - against Iraq.   Cheers,   Dusty 3:36:15 AM

Tricky Dick's guide to drinking and toking. In newly released transcripts, Richard Nixon and Art Linkletter struggle to fathom the differences between demon rum and dope. [Salon.com] This one article is almost worth the $30/year cost for a Salon Premium subscription. This is truly funny stuff. No way could you make this kind of stuff up.   Cheers,   Dusty 3:31:20 AM

Gusmao Leads East Timor Vote. Former guerrilla leader Xanana Gusmao was headed for a resounding victory in East Timor's first presidential elections, according to initial results released Tuesday. [AP World News] You know, this may seem a long way away from everything, but this is really exciting stuff. It was only a few years ago that Bush pal Jim Bob Moffet and his Freeport-MacMoran mining operation were financing Suharto’s goon squads in a desperate attempt to wipe out any glimmer of independence in East Timor.   Today the guerilla leader who refused to stop fighting for his country stands on the cusp of being declared the first democratically elected president of East Timor. So, you think Bush will help plan a military overthrow like he did in Venezuela when a guy he didn’t like won?   East Timor is an apple dumpling in the eye of his extraction industry buddies, you know, just like Venezuela. And the American people as a whole pay very little attention to events in East Timor, just like Venezuela, at least until this week. Maybe we’d all better keep an eye out.   Cheers,   Dusty 3:14:31 AM

Bush Sends Aide to Speak at Rally to Quell a Growing Furor. In an attempt to mollify the conservatives, the president dispatched Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz to speak at a rally in support of Israel. By Elisabeth Bumiller. [New York Times: Politics] Uh oh, another problem for Bush. How does he mollify the ultra-right whack jobs that put him in the White House while still toadying to his petrochemical master’s whims? Poor guy. It’s lonely at the top.   Cheers,   Dusty 3:03:35 AM

Powell Presses His Quest for a Hint of Progress. Scratching for any opening in the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate, the secretary of state on Monday suggested a peace conference without Yasir Arafat. By Todd S. Purdum. [New York Times: Politics] When does Powell get to go home? Is it his fault his idiot boss ignored his recommendations for 15 months and now the rest of the world is ignoring him? What does the poor guy have to do to be allowed to come home? Cheney failed miserably just a month ago, but he got to come back home and hide.   I sincerely hope Powell achieves some progress, but to expect him to be able to stop the bloodshed is ridiculous. As ridiculous as Bush thinking his “order” to Sharon would mean diddly. The time has come to spend political capitol, something the Bush administration is likely find in shorter and shorter supply.   Cheers,   Dusty 3:00:16 AM

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