Friday, April 18, 2003

"What if someone stole the Constitution and the Liberty Bell?". An American expert in Islamic art tries to measure the cultural devastation caused by the Baghdad museum looting. [Salon.com] 8:21:52 AM

The end of civilization. The sacking of Iraq's museums is like a "lobotomy" of an entire culture, say art experts. And they warned the Pentagon repeatedly of this potential catastrophe months before the war. [Salon.com] 8:21:11 AM

"Empire" by Niall Ferguson. In Niall Ferguson's new book, the British Empire was a good thing for everybody -- and the American empire now being born should take lessons from our stiff-upper-lipped forebears. [Salon.com] 8:20:45 AM

"The Real World," with beer bongs. MTV's "Fraternity Life" brings back all the boneheaded bluster and enforced insularity of campus Greeks and their semi-anarchic pack mentality. [Salon.com] 8:20:20 AM

Terrorism or hate crime?. U.S. authorities apply different labels to crimes committed by two extremists -- one Muslim, the other Jewish. [Salon.com] 8:19:39 AM

CNN Blames Blunder on Human Error. CNN says the obituary mock-ups for Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope and other prominent figures were exposed on its website due to human error. The specific cause of error was discovered and fixed Wednesday. [Wired News] Ouch! 8:18:15 AM

The paradox of privacy. CNET News.com's Michael Kanellos explains why privacy in the electronic age has become a massive, intractable paradox. [CNET News.com] 8:17:21 AM