Volume 2 Issue 23
March 5, 2003
Old Europe Strikes Back
Continuing to screw the Kurds, North Korea gets yelled at, and the Iditarod heats up...or is it cools down?
Think gas is pricey? Did you know Evian water costs $21.19 per gallon (@1.49 for a 9oz bottle)? Be thankful your car doesn't run on that!
Finally a nice day here in DC, though it's supposed to rain later, and then turn over to snow tommorow...but Spring may be close! Maybe. Anyway, sorry that work keeps me from writing a rant today...also, it's pretty damn difficult to write something every day! You people should send me constructive comments or criticisms in the e-mails or something so I can do a mailbag thing once in a while! But, here I'll let another guy do a fantastic rant today -
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2003/03/05/notes030503.DTL&nl=fix
Anyway, enjoy the insanity below, and don't forget to check out the Iditarod action at the bottom!
Europe to US - Drop Dead: France, Germany, and Russia today said that a UN resolution authorizing force will not pass the Security Council, which means that France and Russia are preparing to use their veto. It also means that the US must now "go it alone" -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2821145.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/05/international/europe/05CND -PARI.html
The Pope has sent an emissary to meet Bush, calling the planned war "immoral." He is also urging that Catholics dedicate their Ash Wednesday fast today to peace, and many other religious groups are joining Catholics today in the traditional fast -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/03/05/sprj.irq.pope/ind ex.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44744-2003Mar5.html
As the Kurds turn: The Iraq crisis gets even worse when we get back to our friends the Kurds. Looks like they are a bit pissed, and have told the US that they will fire on Turkish troops entering their area...even if they are part of an invasion force (but not if they're under US command). -
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?st ory=383710
The Washington Post has a good profile of the Kurdish mini-states, and the dilemma they face -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42405-2003Mar4.html
Christopher Hitchens says we should sell out Turkey instead -
http://slate.msn.com/id/2079633/
And Tim Noah keeps us up to date on the other "screwing the Kurds" developments -
http://slate.msn.com/id/2079649/
Lessons lost? Many US troops and commanders no longer remember the Vietnam war. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42456-2003Mar4.html
Next up, Pyongyang: Is the US getting ready to cave in to North Korea's demands? Guess what applies in Iraq doesn't apply in Korea.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42584-2003Mar4.html
But the bombers are going there anyway -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/05/international/asia/05CND-KORE.html
Get your money for nothing: After using the same money for something like 70 years, we got new money about 5 years ago. And we're getting it again! The new $20 bill will be unveiled later this month, and it will be the first US bill to feature a color other than green. Why start with the $20 instead of the $100? Because the $20 is actually counterfeited more. -
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2003-03-04-newmoney_x.htm
Bush Medicare Reform - Doctors? Who needs doctors? Bush unveiled his Medicare reform package yesterday...and it did not get good reviews, from either Democrats or Republicans. One Republican Senator even called it "unrealistic". Yippie, another domestic policy battle for the administration to fight out in Congress! Guess we'll need another war to cover up this one -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/05/politics/05MEDI.html
One state that Bush is holding up as an example of how his Medicare plan could work is Oregon. Um, George, bad example. If you haven't been following what is going on in Oregon, you should, it's probably the worst-off state in the nation right now. Public Schools will close almost a month early when they run out of money, and most state programs and agencies have been shut down, and criminals are no longer prosecuted. And, that model prescription drug plan? History -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/05/national/05OREG.html
Look Who's Running for President: John McCain (there's a name we haven't seen in a while!) is calling on the Democratic candidates to repudiate Al Sharpton, just as he repudiated the Christian Right in his 2000 bid. Um...but John, you lost. -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39832-2003Mar4.html
Look Who's Running for President 2: Howard Dean is being labeled a liberal, and he has no problem with that -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/03/04/democrats.dean.ap/ index.html
Look Who may be Running for President in 2008: Hillary Clinton is building influence in the Senate -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42590-2003Mar4.html
Look Who's Voting for President: The DC council yesterday passed a bill to make the District's primary first in the nation, on January 13, 2004. The stage is now set for a battle with Congress (which must approve DC laws, even though DC residents don't have a vote there), and with the Democratic Party, which is threatening to bar most of the city's delegates to the convention -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42439-2003Mar4.html
Look Who's Voting for President 2: Delaware is thinking of moving back it's primary date to Feb 3, so that people will actually campaign there -
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2003/03/05an ewdelprimaryd.html
Can the Shuttle Fly again? NASA is trying to figure out how to make the Shuttle safe enough to fly again, even before knowing what caused the Columbia to burn up on re-entry last month -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/05/national/nationalspecial/0 5REPA.html
Should humanitarian concerns trump environmental ones? DDT, which is banned because of its bad environmental effects, could end some serious malaria outbreaks in Africa. Should it be used? An interesting question -
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0303.gourevit ch.html
A City without hope: While many other American cities have seen a rebirth in recent years, Camden, NJ, one of the poorest in the nation, has not seen much outside of a small downtown. A reminder of the economic problems many in our nation face -
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m030503d.h tm
What happened to "Uncle Joe"? New evidence suggests that Soviet Dictator Josef Stalin was poisoned by his own advisor's, as he had gone nuts and was about to stage a massive purge of Jews and start a war with the United States -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/05/international/europe/05STA L.html?8hpib
So what the hell else is down there? Those of you from the DC area or who are American University alums like myself may remember the little problem that the campus has had with arsenic in the soil, left there by soldiers who buried chemical weapons on the grounds when it was an Army base during WWI. As part of this "clean up", the intermural field at the school has been dug up, and the soil removed. And they've found some interesting things down there...like a car. Now, besides the fact that someone wanted to bury it for some reason...can you imagine playing sports for years over a car? Can't wait to see what else they find -
http://www.theeagleonline.com/section.cfm/106/3/4757
Iditarod 31 coverage: So the problem has gone from not having enough snow to having too much snow at once!
http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/2719713p-2767629c.html
So what does it take to win the Iditarod? Not what you think it might take...
http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/2719279p-2767294c.html
Some of the rookies are having a hard time -
http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/2719711p-2767625c.html
General Race Update:
The lead pack is off on the longest stretch of the trail, the 115 miles between Tanana and Ruby. Robert Sorlie, the Norwegian firefighter, retains his hour long lead. Right behind him is John Baker, an Alaska native in his 8th race, though he lost a dog at the last checkpoint. If he's on track, Sorile should reach Ruby sometime later this afternoon. Contrary to what I said yesterday, the whole pack of 64 is still in it, but a handful of mushers at the rear are not moving too fast. Here are the current standings -
http://www.iditarod.com/2003standings/data/include/details.h tml
And...you're Iditarod Photo of the Day!
Ugh! If that damn dog kisses me one more time...
Enjoy the day! Don't get attacked by runaway sled dogs!
