May 22, 2003

Israel Intercepts Boat Carrying Instructions for Homicide Bombers FOX News - Israel said Thursday it intercepted a boat carrying rocket detonators and instructions for homicide bombers, while the Palestinian prime minister held his first talks with Hamas to try to persuade the militant group to halt attacks. The "charity group" Hezbollah  had a representative onboard.  MSNBC's correspondent Ashleigh Banfield will tell you "If you live in the Arab world, Hezbollah means Shriner. Hezbollah means charity, Hezbollah means hospitals, Hezbollah means welfare and jobs."  Ashleigh , I don't ever remember a Shriner telling my children how to blow themselves up. 4:10:42 PM

Roger Abramson thinks that if you are in "tip top shape" and 229 lbs, the drinking and driving laws should not apply to you.  If you want to get drunk, and go for a drive in a 6000 pound SUV, at midnight with a loaded gun in the glove compartment Mr. Abramson will not feel safer when the police pull you over and charge you with a crime.  Well Mr. Abramson, I feel safer, a lot safer! 2:59:15 PM

Harvard study wrestles with Gator News.com - A Harvard University researcher has completed an investigation of the Gator advertising utility, offering a glimpse into the workings of one of the Web's most controversial pop-up networks. Gator is a utility, sometimes derided as "spyware," that monitors a user's Web browsing activity and displays relevant advertisements. Until this week, the service promised advertisers that it could slap promotions onto a computer screen when a reader visited a competitor's Web site. According to the Harvard report, pop-up advertisements for Sun Microsystems' powerful V880 server, boasting "See how Sun beats IBM," are aimed at Gator users who visit IBM.com. In the cutthroat travel business, Orbitz, Travelocity.com, Priceline.com, and Cheap Tickets have purchased pop-ups that Gator users visiting arch rival Expedia will see, the study found. Expedia, in turn, uses Gator to aim its own "bargain fares" ads at all four of its competitors' sites. 2:23:22 PM

Plagiarism isn't all bad, Judge Richard A. Posner contends. Plagiarism isn't all bad, Judge Richard A. Posner contends: In Sunday's edition of Newsday, Seventh Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner had an op-ed entitled "The Truth About Plagiarism: It's usually a minor offense and can have social value. [How Appealing] 2:13:33 PM

Analysis: Iraqis real winners in UN vote United Press International -  After weeks of argument that at one point threatened to revive the bitter trans-Atlantic rows that set the United States and France at odds before the Iraq war, the UN Security Council has voted 14-0 to end all non-military crippling sanctions on Iraq and to give the United Nations a major role in rebuilding the battered country. The resolution gives the United States and Britain broad control over Iraq and its oil reserves, but calls for the creation of a Development Fund to channel resources and the establishment of an advisory board, including the United Nations, World Bank and International Monetary Fund officials, to monitor oil sales. 2:05:46 PM

All Eyes on Sorenstam as She Gets Off to a Strong Start New York Times -  With a huge gallery surrounding her, and all eyes in golf watching her, Annika Sorenstam turned in a solid performance in the first nine holes of the Colonial tournament, in one of the most anticipated rounds in golf history. 12:30:02 PM

SCO quits German Linux group after it sought proof of Unix claims ---OR--- SCO says "nein" to German group seeking more information ComputerWorld - The SCO Group Inc. has resigned its membership in a German Linux association after the group asked the company to provide more information about its recent claims that some of its Unix code has illegally made its way into Linux. 12:28:32 PM

Prime Minister Abbas Meets With Hamas One Land, Two Peoples A look at the history of the conflict between Palestinian Arabs and Jews. Washington Post - GAZA - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas met leaders of the Islamic militant Hamas group Thursday for the first time since he took office three weeks ago. Abbas has pledged to curb militant violence in a nearly 32-month-old Palestinian uprising for independence. Hamas has posed a stiff challenge to Abbas by opposing a U.S.-led peace effort and vowing to continue suicide bombings against Israel. 12:23:38 PM

NY Judge 'Terrorist' Remark Angers Arab-American Yahoo Headlines - A suburban New York judge asked a Lebanese-American woman appearing in court about parking tickets whether she was "a terrorist," sparking demands on Thursday for his resignation. 9:36:11 AM

World business quick take Taipei Times, Taiwan - The Walt Disney Co is to test a rental DVD that self destructs in a bid to increase home viewing of its movies. 7:01:15 AM