Universal Rule

Book Reviews

Monday, March 24, 2003

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Attend a Protest, Go to Jail: 'In the United States, Senator John Minnis has proposed a bill in the Oregon Legislature that would imprison for life those convicted of "terrorism." A minimum of 25 years would be served without the possibility of parole. The definition of terrorism in Senate Bill 742 could include people attending protests where others are disruptive.' [kuro5hin.org]

Michael Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine' -- Comment()
The Aardvark Speaks points to the acceptance speech of Michael Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine': "I have invited my fellow documentary nominees on the stage with us [...] -- they're here in solidarity with me because we like nonfiction. We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. Whether it's the fiction of duct tape or fiction of orange alerts we are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you. And any time you got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up."

The war is dirty -- Comment()
Battles rage in Iraqi cities, bodies litter desert: "Charred Iraqi corpses smolder in burned-out trucks. Black smoke hangs over bombed cities where U.S. troops battle Iraqi soldiers. Youths greet British tanks with smiles, then sneer when they have passed." [t e c h n o c u l t u r e]

Nationalism: the Iraqi backbone -- Comment()
Scott Rosenberg writes: 'The notion that the Iraqi forces would all just somehow roll over never made much sense. In fact, it seems that there haven't been nearly the massive defections and surrenders that the U.S. command plainly hoped for and expected. Here's a little nugget from the Monday Times that I didn't see much covered elsewhere. Remember that triumphant report a few days ago that the commander of an entire Iraqi division near Basra had surrendered? Michael Gordon reports that, Sunday, "American officials ... discovered that the 'commander' was actually a junior officer masquerading as a higher-up in an attempt to win better treatment." It's stuff like this puts us on warning that every piece of information we are now getting about this war, from any source, is subject to revision and reversal. Reader beware. (Viewer, beware even more.)'

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I was a naive fool to be a human shield for Saddam.: "The human shields appealed to my anti-war stance, but by the time I had left Baghdad five weeks later my views had changed drastically. I wouldn't say that I was exactly pro-war - no, I am ambivalent - but I have a strong desire to see Saddam removed." [via blogdex > visakopu.net]

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The Philosopher of Islamic Terror: "Writing for the New York Times, Paul Berman calls him Al Qaeda's Karl Marx. Robert Irwin of The Guardian asks Is this the man who inspired Bin Laden? Jailed and tortured by Egypt's Gamal Abdel-Nasser for over 10 years, Sayyid Qutb (pronounced KUH-tahb) produced and smuggled out of his prison cell Fi Zalal al-Koran (In the Shadow of the Koran), a vast commentary on the Koran before being executed by Nasser in 1966 for his association with the Moslem Brotherhood. Qutb's life is a fascinating portrait into the making of a man who inspired a generation of Islamic fundamentalists with a work that some agree has given historical context and contemporary scope to the complexity of ideas that underlie radical Islamic thought, while others dismiss it as a misguided philosophical vendetta against the basic ideals of liberal Western Civilization." [kuro5hin.org]

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War ends Dixie Chicks' reign: "As traffic to online news sites continues to soar, war has overtaken sex and Britney in the search engine popularity stakes." [Google Technology News]

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The truth behind 'Chicago': "But unlike the movies, Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner didn't exactly Charleston their way to a happy ending." [Google Technology News]

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Texas Computing Center Buys IBM Supercomputer Cluster: "The Texas Advanced Computing Center, or TACC, is buying a supercomputing cluster from IBM, the latest announcement in a busy month for supercomputer purchases." [Google Technology News]

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Microsoft gets knuckles rapped over security: "Microsoft has received a sharp rap on the knuckles from the Advertising Standards Authority in South Africa after an ad it ran was ruled to be misleading." [Google Technology News]

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US forces endure 'toughest day': "US-led forces advancing on Baghdad meet determined Iraqi resistance, with American soldiers killed and taken prisoner." [BBC News | World | UK Edition]

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A WebCam in Baghdad: "The BBC are streaming live pictures from an unmanned camera in the centre of Baghdad, complete with sound." (RealPlayer required.) [MetaFilter > Sample the Web]