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02 April 2004 |
Cyprus (Continued)
Today's news from the Guardian. Being the Guardian, it is part of a Special Report with plenty of links (like this) and summary. Excerpt:
But the omens do not look good. If adopted the plan - which envisages the creation of two constituent states linked in a loose federation - need considerable good faith by people who have been involved in bloodletting since the 50s.
There was little of that in evidence yesterday as Greek Cypriots across the political spectrum denounced the plan as a disaster.
Many said it was unfair that, victims of the 1974 Turkish invasion in which nearly 200,000 lost their homes, they should be expected to pay for the "consequences of the crime".
This link courtesy of Greek blogger Markellus, who has been following this (and other) issue far more closely, better-informed and energetically than I. Here are his latest thoughts on Cyprus:
I think, therefore, that Burgenstock, despite the rising brouhaha to the contrary, has caused little real change in the overall disposition of forces.
We are still dealing with an almost universal "great power" effort to bury Cyprus. We are still dealing with a Turkey that demands all with the backing of the American kindergarten "wider democratic experiment" in the Middle East. We are still dealing with "allies" that are either disinterested or openly hostile to the Greek positions. And we are still faced with Turkish belligerence in the Aegean, which, under the Simitis regime, was being appeased via piecemeal, but significant, reductions of Greek sovereignty.
What remains to be seen is whether Karamanlis will be able to "stabilize" EU reactions vis-a-vis a divided Cyprus, with the right to veto further elephant ballet whirls with Turkey, after May 1st; and to neutralize the unavoidable bile that will ooze from some of our European "partners," and especially from that bastion of defending what is right, proper, and good, Britain.
And here is today's report from the English edition of Kathimerini. Their editorial makes the point that this is probably not the end of the story, much as the UN, EU, US and UK would like to play it, in order to put pressure on for Greek and Cypriot capitulation:
Given that the changes in the UN plan run up against basic stipulations of international law (such as the number of Turkish settlers and troops) and foresaw indefinite derogations from EU law, the Greek-Cypriot side had no option but to reject the proposed deal. An acceptance of the deal, on the other hand, would legitimize the existing partition and, what is more, Nicosia would have to cover the cost. A “no” was hence inevitable. The overwhelming majority of Greeks feel the same way. The few reservations to be heard are grounded in the fear that the status quo will be perpetuated — that this, in other words, is the end of the story, as Socialist leader and former foreign minister George Papandreou would be the first to agree. Notably, although Papandreou placed much hope in the Annan plan, he rejected the draft released in Switzerland. Most Greek Cypriots feel the same way. A consensus will be a strong weapon in future negotiations to overcome the division. Because the Cyprus issue is not over. What is over, on the other hand, is Annan’s insistence on a tight procedure despite the fact that many points agreed by the two sides could be the bases for a fresh round of talks.
2:08:38 PM 
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April Fools 2004
I saw a few April 1st pranks on the web yesterday, mostly very tame, nothing very striking (yet), although I didn't actively go searching. I idly considered linking to one or two, but as usual, the job has already been done, and very thoroughly. So, here's one list, and he links to another more comprehensive list. Maybe there'll be some gems in there? I also noticed the site yesterday that collects the top 100 April 1 pranks of all time - they have good ones: the classics!
Don't know if this one is on the list. Quite subtle.
April Fool's Origin and History.
WIRED also has a package of links and report.
Not too sure whether this is an April Fool story or not. Tricky situation, whether or not.
And finally (I hope, because it is now April 3 in Greece), The Guardian gets very introspective and academic about the fact they have erased their spoof so that Google can't keep track of it (or something). Quite a sophisticated spoof too, punting Peter Mandelson for Governor of the BBC - I clicked on that link, but it came back "page not found" which happens distressingly often with Guardian Unlimited (I have emailed them querying this behaviour which is unique to their site and very annoying, but no reply) and I passed on without further thought.
12:42:22 PM
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South Africans Invented the Braai
It's official: South Africans were grilling their meat in their caves up to 1.5 million years ago, well before the barbie-come lately Aussies and other pretenders. Still do it best, too:
"Scientists have confirmed that our primitive ancestors were roasting meat up to 1.5 million years ago, marking the oldest evidence of the controlled use of fire," London's Daily Telegraph reports:
American and South African experts have analysed ancient burnt bones from the Swartkrans cave in South Africa using electron spin resonance.
The technique showed the bones had been heated to temperatures usually only achieved in hearths, double the 300C [572 degrees] typical of a forest or brush fire, providing compelling evidence of the earliest recorded controlled use of fire by humans."
12:01:49 AM
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© Copyright 2006 Robert C Wallace.
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