May 5, 2004

Goodman: Don't Blame Kofi. THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S JOB Former New York State Senator Roy M. Goodman stated in a letter to the New York Post that "faulting" Annan's work for his possible role in the Oil-for-Food scandal is "counterproductive" to our diplomatic efforts in Iraq.... [Friends of Saddam] Counterproductive, like giving a seat on the UN Human Rights Commission to Sudan? Counterproductive, like telling a contractor not to release any documents related to the oil for food program without first consulting it? Or maybe that word does not mean what you think it means... 4:12:14 PM

In perhaps the most distorted coverage of the brutal murder of a pregnant Israeli mother and her four young daughters, NPR's Julie McCarthy blamed the victims for their own slaughter.  Tamar Sternthal has the story here. 3:17:38 PM

From Johan Norberg: The fact that several American soldiers have tortured Iraqis in the old prisons of Saddam Hussein is disgusting. It proves once again that war is hell, and that democracies are also capable of horrible acts. And it reinforces the need for stronger internal controls, more transparency, and severe punishment of those responsible. But two things are overlooked when some people in the region now claim that the US is no better than the old Saddam regime: The first thing is that the pictures really prove that the US is superior to the Baathist dictatorship. In the US, a whistleblower is not shot, but welcomed as a hero. In the US, the press is free to report the facts its regime would like to conceal. In the US, soldiers are punished when they torture prisoners, instead of being punished when they don’t torture prisoners. The second thing is that neighbouring countries that now condemn these deeds never complained about the systematic torture under Saddam’s regime, which he not merely encouraged, but also participated in personally. Let’s hope that these new reactions reveal a new sensitivity to torture in the Middle East, and not merely the traditional hostility to the US. 9:23:48 AM

US President's tour bus manufactured in Canada The Globe and Mail -U.S. President George W. Bush rode across Ohio this week in a bus emblazoned, "Yes, America can." It turns out the bus was made in St. Claire, Que. The front of the bus bore another label: Prevost Car, jointly owned by Sweden's Volvo and Britain's Henly's Group PLC and manufactured in Canada. 9:04:14 AM

Music stars win $50m in royalties BBC News -The world's top five music companies have agreed to pay $50m (£28m) in unclaimed royalties to artists including David Bowie and Dolly Parton. 9:00:47 AM

Canadian divorce rates declining The Globe and Mail - "Till death do us part" seems to be having more resonance among Canadian couples, as new figures show the national divorce rate in decline after three consecutive years of growth. Is this what happends when you let gays marry? UPDATE: OK, stop sending me email about this.  I was just kidding.  I know the study is from 2001 and 2002, a whole year before gays were allowed to marry in Canada.  8:55:46 AM

Microsoft Adopts IronPort Anti-Spam 'Whitelist' Washington Post - Microsoft Corp. said on Wednesday it has adopted an e-mail "whitelist" program by IronPort Systems Inc. that will allow legitimate marketers to thread the gauntlet of spam filters protecting its inboxes. Microsoft's Hotmail and MSN e-mail services, which together claim 170 million regular users, will require marketers to put money up front if they wish to ensure their messages aren't mistaken for unwanted spam. 8:49:15 AM

Disney Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush New York Times, NY - The Walt Disney Company is blocking its Miramax division from distributing a new documentary by Michael Moore that harshly criticizes President Bush, executives at both Disney and Miramax said Tuesday. The film, "Fahrenheit 911," links Mr. Bush and prominent Saudis — including the family of Osama bin Laden — and criticizes Mr. Bush's actions before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. UPDATE: Michael Moore Lied About Disney Ban 8:29:32 AM