Archives for July 2005

News and Politics Read more.

There seems no end to America’s entanglement in Iraq and no one has a clue about how this “democratic experiment” will turn out. On the other hand, NASA astronauts are busy today performing spacewalks to repair damaged thermal tiles on Shuttle Discovery so that when it returns to earth in 8 days it does not… Read more.

Now that al Qaeda and other jihadists have given the brotherhood of terrorists a bad name, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has decided that it’s time to lay down arms and foment “troubles” to end British occupation by non-violent political action. Clearly an honourable gesture; but one made dubious, alas, by a rather glaring omission:… Read more.

The U.S. Congress finally passed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) – by an unseemly close vote of 217-216 – in the wee hours of yesterday morning after personal pleas by President Bush and an awful lot of pork bartering with the people’s money. Yet the most cynical feature of this political luau was… Read more.

Note: The following article is posted as part of a blogosphere campaign to seek justice for this missing woman and highlight the profound media bias against covering crimes in America involving non-white victims. (Especially since coverage about some white guy from Connecticut who went missing off his cruise ship in the Mediterranean now threatens to… Read more.

Have you ever wondered why canned music by pop tarts (like Jessica Simpson and her whining little sister Ashlee) outsells real music by gifted artists (like John Legend and Rikki Lee Jones); or why cheesy songs (like Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy, Breaky Heart”) are played a hundred times a day whilst more interesting ones (like… Read more.

We shall not cease from exploration, And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started,And know the place for the first time. [T.S. Elliot] As of the publication of this article, NASA insists that Space Shuttle Discovery will launch today at 10:39 a.m. EDT to mark America’s heroic return to… Read more.

The Putinization of Russia (return to Stalinism) holds nostalgic appeal for poor Russians – many of whom feel betrayed by the unfulfilled promises of democratic reforms and capitalism. But for the oligarchs, burgeoning middle-class and Westerners with vested capital and political interest in Russia, it portends recriminations (such as confiscation of property without just compensation)… Read more.

Today, cyclist Lance Armstrong makes a ceremonial ride along the Champs-Elysees to mark another victory and bid farewell to fans (and his miraculous cycling career) at the appropriately named Arc de Triomphe. Armstrong sealed his sporting legacy by winning an unprecedented 7 consecutive wins at – the world cup of cycling – Le Tour de… Read more.

President Bush: The Brits are our best friends and no people are more prepared to take a few bombs for us than they are! And, as for bombing our friends in Egypt, well, if those bastards thought we mistreated them at Abu Gharib, just wait till Hosni [Egyptian President Mubarak] gets his hands on them….… Read more.