LGF Archives: November 2001
fatal errors?
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 7:55:54 pm PST
If there’s a way to give a story an anti-US spin, count on the Guardian to find it. Here’s a story about the prison revolt subtitled Guardian reveals blunders by US: A single, horrific, atrocity can provide the defining moment in a war. America is still facing demands to apologise ...
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an observation
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 5:22:11 pm PST
Isn’t it curious that so many of the people who claim to be anti-violence and anti-war have no trouble justifying violence and war when it’s directed against the US? (Or Israel...)
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what do palestinians teach their children?
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 4:56:14 pm PST
Back in May, Israel Insider published a story about a commercial on Palestinian television aimed at children: What do Palestinians teach their children? The official Palestinian television channel has repeatedly broadcast a new commercial, aimed at Palestinian children. In the commercial, twelve-year-old Mohammed al-Durra, who was killed in crossfire at ...
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new report from CMIP
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 2:03:37 pm PST
This article at Israel Insider covers the latest report from the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace, on the new Palestinian textbooks and school curricula introduced this year. Examples of the findings include:Peace - The concept of peace with Israel is not to be found anywhere in the Palestinian ...
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europeans save the world
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 1:13:27 pm PST
Great column by Jonah Goldberg in today’s National Review: Europeans Save the World. The Spanish, drawing deeply from their rich and storied two-and-a-half decades' experience of democracy, are mumbling loudly about whether they will extradite 14 members of an al Qaeda cell to the United States. Brave members of the ...
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al qaeda cell in italy
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 12:01:38 pm PST
The Times reports on the Al Qaeda cell in Italy that was plotting a poison gas attack. When two of the gang members were arrested, police also got their hands on an Al Qaeda code book. Nice going. (via Jeff Jarvis.)
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taliban: bin laden doesn't have nukes
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 11:20:13 am PST
Abdul Salam Zaeef, who was ambassador to Pakistan back in the days when the Taliban still had an embassy, has stated that neither Osama Bin Laden nor his Taliban protectors possess nuclear weapons. Which might make you start to feel warm and cozy, except that he goes on to say: ...
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identity theft
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 11:11:58 am PST
as someone who has experienced identity theft, I find this article quite disturbing...
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victory changes everything
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 10:27:00 am PST
At the Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer elucidates the simple reason why so many of the “experts” were so wrong about the reaction of the “Arab street:” Victory Changes Everything. The Islamic street exploded after Sept. 11, not because of rage -- the rage is there always -- but because of ...
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letters to egypt
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 9:01:33 am PST
I’m not the only American horrified by the hatred and lies spewing from Egypt’s government-controlled media. They take our money and aid ($2 billion a year), then turn around and cynically manipulate their uneducated masses (one third of Egypt’s population is illiterate) with huge doses of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitic racism. ...
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php from the ground up
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 8:09:45 am PST
Webmonkey has a very good introduction to PHP, titled PHP from the Ground Up. If you’re ready to start learning this powerful server-side language, here’s a great resource— and it features a chickenman, too. What more can you ask?
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bought and paid for
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 7:43:00 am PST
A highly-placed defector reveals that the Taliban “government” wasn’t just associated with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda—they were bought and paid for. Within the secretive Taliban hierarchy that ran this country for five years, it was not hard to figure out how Osama bin Laden derived much of his influence. ...
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all things must pass
Fri, Nov 30, 2001 at 7:09:50 am PST
Rest in peace, George.
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pictures at a liberation
Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 7:14:41 pm PST
I can’t believe I haven’t yet linked to Shiloh Bucher’s collection of photographs from Afghanistan, a record of hope and the human spirit.
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phase two
Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 4:38:15 pm PST
A good piece at the New Republic about the struggle among the Bushists over what to do about Iraq: Phase Two. Broadly speaking, the Bush team consists of two camps: The first wants to disarm Saddam; the second wants to destroy him. The Pentagon's civilian leadership, led by Wolfowitz and ...
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the other women of islam
Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 3:03:10 pm PST
At TIME.com, a very good article looking at the abysmal state of women’s rights in Islamic countries: The Other Women of Islam. While it is impossible, given their diversity, to paint one picture of women living under Islam today, it is clear that the religion has been used in most ...
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php encryption
Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 11:59:23 am PST
Here’s a good article on the encryption functionality built into PHP. I discovered this because I’m thinking of implementing a registration system here to allow people to post comments, because I’m getting very weary of trolls and anonymous cowards, and I think this may be a way to keep the quality ...
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the ms offer redux
Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 10:56:25 am PST
Business Week Online's Charles Haddad offers this opinion piece about the Microsoft offer of a billion dollars (why do I think of Dr. Evil when I write this?) of technology for schools - Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts
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aid workers shot
Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 10:07:24 am PST
It’s still not over in the fort near Mazar Sharif; the Red Cross has pulled out after two aid workers were shot by Taliban holdouts, hiding in the bunkers beneath the fort.
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the persian a-bomb
Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 8:54:56 am PST
In the New Yorker, Seymour Hersh has a detailed and scary piece about Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons, aided by our new buddies the Russians: The Iran Game. On October 24th, more than two weeks after the American air war began, Israel sent a government delegation to Washington for official ...
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watching less and enjoying it more
Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 7:51:37 am PST
Glenn Reynolds points out this UCLA study that concludes online people give less time to TV. I know I watch TV very little these days, and I agree with Glenn about the reason—because TV flat-out sucks. And I saw a perfect example of this yesterday on CNN. One of their interchangeable ...
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the siege of kala-i janghi
Wed, Nov 28, 2001 at 7:03:29 pm PST
The Times of London has a detailed account of the battle in the ancient mudbrick fortress near Mazar Sharif: CIA blunder sparked Taleban revolt that became a mass suicide. Update: that headline has bugged me ever since I blogged it. Who decided that a “CIA blunder” was responsible for the prison ...
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in the wake of the taliban
Wed, Nov 28, 2001 at 6:55:24 pm PST
The mass graves are starting to be discovered: In the wake of the Taleban.
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apple says no to MS
Wed, Nov 28, 2001 at 11:03:32 am PST
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, spoke out strongly against Microsoft's proposed settlement of its anti-trust lawsuit, which would funnel a billion dollars worth of MS technology into the school system.
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amnesty for murderers?
Wed, Nov 28, 2001 at 10:52:30 am PST
Amnesty International is calling for an immediate investigation into the Taliban prison revolt that turned into a bloodbath. Amnesty International said there must be an investigation into what triggered the incident, "and into the proportionality of the response by United Front [Northern Alliance], US and UK forces". Taliban soldiers surrender, ...
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"why i hate america"
Wed, Nov 28, 2001 at 8:08:30 am PST
In the London-based Palestine Times, journalist Khalid Amayreh wrote a charming little article titled Why I Hate America. "I would be dishonest if I said I didn't hate the American government. I do hate it, so really, so deeply and, yes, so rightly.""America is the tormentor of my people. It ...
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BadTrans Worm
Tue, Nov 27, 2001 at 11:37:42 am PST
CNET has this article about the latest worm to hit the net - the BadTrans.B worm. Symantec also reports the following: This worm arrives as an email with one of several attachment names and a combination of two appended extensions. The list of possible file names is: * HUMOR * DOCS * S3MSONG * ME_NUDE * CARD ...
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self-defeating multilateralism
Tue, Nov 27, 2001 at 9:33:26 am PST
In the Financial Times, a good piece on the failure of European multilateralism: Fighting terrorism first, multilateralism second. When it needed the allies, the US called on continental Europe and the UK to join it in its new war. But now America is accused of behaving like a cowboy - ...
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the real story of flight 93
Tue, Nov 27, 2001 at 9:11:40 am PST
At Newsweek, a gripping and inspiring account of true heroism: The Real Story of Flight 93. This is a must-read.
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cooperate or else
Tue, Nov 27, 2001 at 9:03:01 am PST
At the National Review, Rich Lowry breathes some fire in the direction of Saudi Arabia: Your Cooperation, or Else. Already, the logic of Bush's position on terrorism has pushed him into issuing an ultimatum to Iraq, and the logic of a confrontation with Iraq could well force a showdown with ...
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the arab image
Tue, Nov 27, 2001 at 7:53:41 am PST
After years of complaining how ignorant US citizens were about the Middle East, Arab states are suddenly finding themselves in the spotlight—and many Americans (myself included) are appalled at what we see. (The moral: be careful what you wish for.) In the Internet age, they can no longer hide their ...
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the curriculum of carnage
Mon, Nov 26, 2001 at 6:18:40 pm PST
Chilling new details of Al Qaeda’s systematic campaign of slaughter, from the terrorist training camps near Jalalabad: Bin Laden's training camps teach curriculum of carnage. The evidence shows that recruits at bin Laden's two main camps, at least those visited by USA TODAY, were trained in conventional, biological and even ...
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assassination attempt foiled
Mon, Nov 26, 2001 at 5:18:27 pm PST
Israeli security forces have thwarted an assassination attempt against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
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they almost saved it
Mon, Nov 26, 2001 at 3:06:52 pm PST
More details from the final minutes of Flight 93’s voice recorder, as passengers waged a desperate battle for the cockpit: Passengers almost saved doomed jet. (via InstaPundit.)
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squishier than thou
Mon, Nov 26, 2001 at 1:50:04 pm PST
P. J. O'Rourke finds squishiness on both sides of the Atlantic: Squishier than thou. I had dinner with the critic and television commentator Clive James and his assistant. The assistant was an able and well-educated young woman who could not be convinced by Clive that in the matter of moral ...
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this little piggy...
Mon, Nov 26, 2001 at 9:44:02 am PST
An annual celebration gone horribly awry - Two Die in Pig Shock Horror.
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silent partners
Mon, Nov 26, 2001 at 8:58:01 am PST
At the Washington Post, a good op-ed piece by Martin Indyk on the need for our Arab partners in the Middle East (read: Egypt and Saudi Arabia) to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and stop inciting anti-Americanism to deflect blame for their failing societies: These Silent Partners Must Speak. Powell ...
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twisted laws
Sun, Nov 25, 2001 at 5:21:44 pm PST
Harrowing stories of the punishments meted out under the Taliban’s extreme version of Sharia: Twisted Laws Fueled a Reign of Terror at Hands of Police.
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taliban prison riot
Sun, Nov 25, 2001 at 12:57:30 pm PST
You may have read about the Taliban prisoner revolt earlier today, trapping several reporters and Red Cross representatives for several hours. From some accounts, the riot started when one or more prisoners blew themselves up with smuggled grenades as they were being searched. Jesus. Some of these Taliban really are ...
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hard questions for :
Sun, Nov 25, 2001 at 11:36:53 am PST
George Will has some hard questions for Colin Powell in today’s Washington Post: In Louisville, Powell made the obligatory denunciation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. They occupy only 1.5 percent of the West Bank, and their legality is indisputable, because the West Bank is an unallocated portion of ...
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again with the testing
Sun, Nov 25, 2001 at 10:03:14 am PST
Just another test entry. Got a pesky bug and I’m trying to smoke it out of its hole. Ahem.
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iraq’s anthrax program
Sun, Nov 25, 2001 at 9:04:31 am PST
Here’s an article about Iraq’s attempts to obtain the Ames strain of anthrax: Anthrax Type That Killed May Have Reached Iraq.
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kunduz falls
Sun, Nov 25, 2001 at 8:48:39 am PST
The Northern Alliance is now in control of Kunduz, thankfully without a bloodbath. Near the end of this Washington Post article is an amusing statement by a defecting Taliban minister: A former Taliban deputy interior minister who defected -- the most senior Taliban defector thus far -- on Saturday said ...
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extremist diaspora
Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 6:55:28 pm PST
Stratfor looks at the strategic implications of forcing the “Afghan Arabs” (a loose appellation for the hard-core Islamist terrorists of Al Qaeda, including Filipinos, Chinese Uighers, Indonesians, Malaysians, Bosnians and Chechens) out of Afghanistan. Some of them are bound to escape. Where will they go?
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the truth about egypt
Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 5:44:09 pm PST
The executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute writes about Egyptian media’s unrelenting hostility toward America: The Truth About Egypt. One of the most striking statements from the Egyptian press came from the opposition paper Al-Usbu', on September 17. The writer detailed the pleasure he felt on learning ...
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da kine
Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 2:51:30 pm PST
In Hawaii, when you can’t immediately think of the word for something, it’s permissible to substitute “da kine.” This goes for any word (or phrase), in any situation. Noun, verb, adjective. The all-purpose phrase. Da kine.
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working on the weblog system
Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 12:34:30 pm PST
Once again, I must consume bandwidth, heedless of the consequences, to further my diabolical aims. Naysayers be damned.
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: powell
Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 12:09:57 pm PST
In this week’s NYT Magazine, a lengthy but interesting piece: The World According to Colin Powell.
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india, pakistan and the bomb
Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 11:05:39 am PST
As this article in Scientific American points out, South Asia is the most likely place in the world for a nuclear war. The idea of nuclear non-proliferation is becoming a fading idealistic dream... The responses of India and Pakistan to the events of September 11 and the U.S.-led attack on ...
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caves of afghanistan
Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 9:42:41 am PST
CNN has a very good multimedia presentation on The Caves of Afghanistan.
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extremist undergarments
Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 9:36:30 am PST
I’ve seen London, I’ve seen France, I’ve seen Sammy's underpants. Osama bin Laden's underpants were hanging up to dry in the bathroom of his house outside Jalalabad. They were striped grey and black cotton boxers, with a label reading Angelo Petrico, a size XXL - large for such a lean-looking man. Terrorists ...
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the muslim world of southeast asia
Sat, Nov 24, 2001 at 9:32:30 am PST
The Washington Post has a gorgeous photo essay on the Muslim World of Southeast Asia, by Steve Raymer. Great presentation too; a nice, unobtrusive use of Flash.
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hussein's iraq
Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 9:32:02 pm PST
As he complains about the horrible effects of the UN embargo on Iraqi citizens, Saddam Hussein spends billions of dollars on lavish palaces. (via Bjorn Staerk.)
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iraq's biological weapons
Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 8:53:44 pm PST
What is known about Iraq's biological weapons program?
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a war that has served notice
Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 6:51:45 pm PST
Somehow I missed this piece when it appeared in The Times last week—an excellent refutation to the “war never solves anything” crowd, by Anatole Kaletsky: A war that has served notice on all terrorists. Sometimes, war works. Not always, not easily, not without horrible cruelty and suffering. But there are ...
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al qaeda anthrax
Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 4:01:47 pm PST
At the Economist, a story about more discoveries in Kabul—this time, plans for an anthrax bomb: In the house of anthrax. American officials increasingly believe the anthrax attacks since September 11th were not carried out by people connected to al-Qaeda, but may have been the work of a lone American ...
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uneasy democracy
Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 2:25:02 pm PST
A good piece at the NY Times looks at the difficulty of bringing democracy to Islamic countries, focusing on the tiny state of Bahrain, where a new emir has freed political prisoners and announced open elections: Democracy's Uneasy Steps in Islamic World. The basic principle of one person one vote ...
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bad memory
Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 1:57:09 pm PST
Elizabeth Rubin has been covering the war in Afghanistan for the New Republic; her latest dispatch talks about the frightening discoveries made in Al Qaeda safehouses in affluent Kabul neighborhoods. We’ve read about this before, but her account gives it a personal immediacy: Bad Memory. Each day since the Taliban ...
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about history
Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 8:14:48 am PST
Steven Den Beste takes issue with Victor Hanson’s interpretation of history.
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unclear on the concept
Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 7:56:05 am PST
According to this BBC article, Iraq fears US military attacks. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to attack such a modest little unassuming country, especially when Saddam is willing to make concessions like this: The Iraqi foreign minister, Naji Sabri, has said that if United Nations sanctions were lifted, the ...
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food fight
Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 8:28:47 pm PST
The United Nations isn't starving Saddam's people. Saddam is.
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david brin
Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 6:40:02 pm PST
Here’s a great essay by David Brin about the value of common citizens in an age of danger.
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pen pal
Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 6:13:02 pm PST
After September 11, software engineer Christopher Love sent email to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Imagine his surprise when Hussein responded.
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free the iraqis
Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 4:53:01 pm PST
At the Independent, David Aaronovitch joins the rising chorus calling for action against Saddam Hussein: Now we must try and free the Iraqis from Saddam Hussein. None of us quite know what to do with Saddam. This week, John Pilger seemed to be suggesting that not only was there a ...
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bin laden and the taliban
Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 2:12:29 pm PST
Good piece at the NY Times on how Crazy Sammy and his Arab and Pakistani sympathizers took over Afghanistan: How bin Laden and Taliban Forged Jihad Ties. Insiders say Mullah Omar and Mr. bin Laden spent many hours in deep discussion of the intricacies of Islam, often by the light ...
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special dispensation
Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 12:19:20 pm PST
According to this story, a Muslim cleric has issued a fatwa giving Crazy Sammy permission to kill himself and avoid going to hell. A life totally devoted to hatred and killing apparently isn’t enough to guarantee a trip to the Sterno Room. (via Joanne Jacobs.)
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the time is now
Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 12:00:32 pm PST
Military historian Victor Davis Hanson, with a far-ranging essay looking at the pivotal battles of the past to draw lessons for our current situation: The Time Is Now. Does military history advise us that armies on the verge of victory should press their luck and move on to destroy utterly ...
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happy thanksgiving
Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 8:40:19 am PST
To all our readers: have a safe and happy Thanksgiving day.
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status report
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 8:11:51 pm PST
Comment posting module: debugged. (With help from Reid.)
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food to afghanistan
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 7:18:03 pm PST
Massive amounts of humanitarian aid and food are in the pipeline, ready to be delivered to Afghanistan. This article at the Christian Science Monitor examines the political and logistical difficulties of getting that aid to the people who need it: Massive food aid as a tool of diplomacy. If the ...
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death vows
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 5:45:09 pm PST
Irrepressible Taliban spokesturban Syed Tayyad Agha (who earlier was reported as saying we should forget about 9/11) also said in his laff riot press conference that he hopes mighty Allah will break America. These freakazoids are sounding more and more like the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where ...
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the recruitment video
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 4:42:18 pm PST
When Julia Magnet, a young Jewish New Yorker, watched Osama bin Laden’s recruitment video with a word-for-word translation at hand, she wasn’t prepared for what she saw: His grasp of spin is chilling . . . Let me give you a 30-second example of how he creates terrorist MTV. The ...
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status report
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 3:20:41 pm PST
New entry posting module: debugged. Open/close entry module: complete. Woot.
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another security flaw!
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 11:23:07 am PST
guess what company has discovered yet another security flaw in one of their apps? time to hire some programmers that have some technical expertise in dealing with security issues, perhaps? jeez...
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epson and OS X
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 10:39:22 am PST
for those of us that use Macs, one of the frustrating things about upgrading to OS X has been the lack of support for numerous peripherals (not to mention native apps - hello adobe?) including printers. this page offers a hack for modifying the OS X drivers for Epson printers ...
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less than meets the eye
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 10:11:58 am PST
I’m still a bit cheesed off at the Washington Times for their dishonest spin on President Clinton’s recent speech, but they make a good point in this editorial: Powell - Less than meets the eye. Peace must start with the determination of Israelis and Palestinians to stop the violence. Yet, ...
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national geographic maps
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 8:43:51 am PST
Thanks to Jon Swenson for pointing out these beautiful interactive maps of Afghanistan at National Geographic. A must-see.
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fageddaboudit
Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 8:11:46 am PST
That wacky laff-a-minute Taliban spokesman Syed Tayyad Agha says it’s time to forget September 11.
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status report
Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 8:35:36 pm PST
Posting module: complete. Editing module: complete. Comment module: complete. Rebuild module: complete. Yeeha.
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the smell of victory
Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 7:42:11 pm PST
Daniel Pipes writes about changes on the Arab street: Victory Shifts the Muslim World. Just a few weeks ago, large crowds of militant Islamic men filled Peshawar's narrow streets, especially on Fridays, listening to vitriolic attacks on the United States and Israel, burning effigies of President Bush, and perhaps clashing ...
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more evidence
Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 3:07:56 pm PST
The Times reports that Spanish investigators intercepted a call to a Muslim cleric living in Madrid that shows another link between Al Qaeda and the 9/11 plot.
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the case against musharraf
Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 2:29:04 pm PST
At the Wall Street Journal, Tunku Varadarajan takes a hard look at Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf: Overgeneralization -- The case against Pakistan's dictator. Gen. Musharraf is a nakedly opportunistic man. He may be doing The Right Thing so far as the West is concerned, but he is hardly doing it for ...
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ethnic cleansing in afghanistan
Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 11:22:55 am PST
For years the Taliban have been pursuing a campaign of ethnic cleansing, driving out, imprisoning, and killing Tajiks and other minorities. As this story at the Monitor shows, not all the rubble in Afghanistan has been caused by US bombs—the Taliban have done a pretty good job of tearing their ...
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a voice of reason
Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 10:29:44 am PST
MEMRI has a translation of an (unfortunately) extraordinary article written by Kuwaiti university professor Ahmad Al-Baghdadi, who spent a month in prison for “defaming Islam.” Professor Al-Baghdadi is one of the rare voices for free speech in the Arab world; his article attacks the Arab press for focusing on Israel's ...
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on to baghdad
Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 9:10:58 am PST
And for the polar opposite viewpoint of the Guardian article mentioned below, here’s Michael Barone in US News: On to Baghdad.
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the guardian of negativity
Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 9:01:36 am PST
Reid drops a daisy cutter on yet another defeatist article at the Guardian. After being proven so spectacularly wrong in recent days, it’s amazing the Guardian’s anti-war whingers are still being paid to squeeze out these tiny breaded turds.
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arigato
Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 7:46:45 am PST
Muchos gracias to Jeff Jarvis for his very nice words about us, and about the other bloggers (a word I’ve never liked) who are trying to make sense of this wacked-out world, each with his or her own different angle. We’re honored to be mentioned in such distinguished company.
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please stop bullshitting
Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 7:11:08 pm PST
Via Matt Welch, here’s Tony Pierce’s photographic open letter to Afghanistan: holy bull shit.
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cultural reverberations
Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 6:28:38 pm PST
Even though the cockpit voice recorder establishes the reason for the crash of EgyptAir 990 beyond any doubt—the copilot put the plane into a steep dive when the captain left the cockpit, struggled with him when he returned, then turned off the engines—the autocratic Egyptian government refuses to accept the ...
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mohammed atef
Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 3:20:08 pm PST
Here’s the story of the hate-filled life of Mohammed Atef, who masterminded operations against the US in Somalia and probably had a large role in planning the 9/11 attacks: Atef wrote the book on terror. Days after the U.S began its airstrikes on Afghanistan, Atef warned that U.S. troops would ...
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the next interface
Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 2:45:01 pm PST
At MIT’s Technology Review, here’s an article on attempts to find a better computer interface than the now ubiquitous “desktop” metaphor (with some fascinating screenshots): The Next Computer Interface.
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an open letter
Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 1:47:33 pm PST
A beautiful piece of writing by M.A. Muqtedar Khan, challenging US Muslims to examine their beliefs and transcend the rhetoric of violence and self-defeatism: An open letter to U.S. Muslims. What happened on September 11 in New York and Washington, D.C., will forever remain a horrible scar on the history ...
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looking the world in the eye
Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 11:23:51 am PST
In the December issue of the Atlantic, a great piece by Robert Kaplan on Samuel Huntington, whose controversial ideas about the “clash of civilizations” have proved to be remarkably prescient: Looking the World in the Eye. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon highlight the tragic ...
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germ war programs
Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 9:06:10 am PST
Today the US identified Iraq and five other countries as states that are developing germ warfare programs. Looks like we’re getting closer to making a decision about Iraq. Hang in there, Colin; he got away from you once. Update: here’s more about the struggle going on among the president’s advisors.
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twilight of the taliban
Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 8:31:19 am PST
Photojournalist Luc Delahaye accompanied Northern Alliance soldiers as they entered Kabul, and produced this very good photo essay at Newsweek: Twilight of the Taliban. (via Nick Denton.)
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taliban anthrax
Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 7:20:47 am PST
The Mirror reports that an Afghan factory that made anthrax vaccine for cattle may have been used by the Taliban to create weaponized anthrax: Anthrax Lair.
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how bad is he?
Sun, Nov 18, 2001 at 9:11:23 pm PST
another report about crazy sammy and his holy war exploits, this one from Chechnya in 1998...
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let’s see him
Sun, Nov 18, 2001 at 4:35:08 pm PST
At the Wall Street Journal, Holman Jenkins says: Put Osama on TV. I agree. Seems to me US media have lost their sense of balance; overreacting first in one (predictable) direction by showing endless loops of skyscrapers collapsing, then in the other direction by almost completely ignoring Bin Laden’s interviews ...
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terror centers
Sun, Nov 18, 2001 at 3:16:04 pm PST
More evidence that an extensive fifth column of Islamic extremists and terrorists is operating in the US (and has been for years—think about it): Authorities identify six terror centers in US. The pockets of terrorist support exist in Boston, New Jersey, suburban Washington, Texas, southern California, and the Upper Midwest, ...
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what they’re watching
Sun, Nov 18, 2001 at 12:18:17 pm PST
This week’s NYT Magazine has a good piece about Al Jazeera: What the Muslim World Is Watching. Compared with other Arab media outlets, Al Jazeera may be more independent -- but it is also more inflammatory. For the dark side of the pan-Arab worldview is an aggressive mix of anti-Americanism ...
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crossing indymedia off the list
Sun, Nov 18, 2001 at 10:55:49 am PST
Matt Welch points out one of the ugliest pieces of drivel yet to come from the anti-war babies at Indymedia. It’s probably a troll. But if so, it’s the most hateful one I’ve ever seen, and it caused me to delete Indymedia from my favorites. Reading it gave me the same ...
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about libya
Sun, Nov 18, 2001 at 9:21:42 am PST
Here’s an interesting article describing how Moammar Gadhafi is trying to change Libya’s image as a rogue state by giving government money to schools and public works projects, and cracking down on Islamist extremists.
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the hijacker’s voice
Sun, Nov 18, 2001 at 9:06:48 am PST
Ziad Samir Jarrah wrote a letter to his girlfriend in Germany, just hours before hijacking Flight 93. He got her mailing address wrong, and US investigators discovered the package containing the letter when it was returned. "I have done what I had to do," Jarrah writes in the letter. "You ...
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smart bombing
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 8:17:46 pm PST
The best refutation to the Chomskyites — who predicted mass starvation in Afghanistan and blamed the US in advance for “genocide” — is simple reality: Smart Bombing. It's true that, in the very short run, humanitarian aid will face some disruptions. That's inevitable when you have combat between guerilla armies. ...
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pizza
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 7:53:12 pm PST
Yum. Pizza sure is good. Mmm. Barbecued chicken, mushrooms, and olives. I wonder what Crazy Sammy had for dinner tonight?
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rat kill rat
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 7:27:43 pm PST
In Kunduz, the rats are killing each other. Arab and Pakistani Al Qaeda freakazoids are slaughtering Taliban troops to prevent them from surrendering. There were reports that Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban supreme leader, was trying to negotiate guarantees for his own safety and the safety of his fighters in ...
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root causes
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 7:21:05 pm PST
In the NY Times, Edward Rothstein explores the flaws in the notion of the “root causes” of terror. If contemporary Islamic terror can be considered a variety of totalitarian terror, it becomes clearer just how limited the injustice theory and the question of "root causes" are. No doubt, injustices and ...
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bin laden run to ground
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 5:39:18 pm PST
According to the Sunday Times, Crazy Sammy is cornered like a filthy rat. I have little stomach for a drawn out trial, with nutbags all over the world screaming about every decision and Sammy smirking at us from the docket. The diplomatic fighting alone would probably trigger World War IV. It would ...
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the muslim claim to jerusalem
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 5:02:32 pm PST
Here’s a lengthy but fascinating piece by Daniel Pipes on the history of religious and political claims to the ancient city of Jerusalem: The Muslim Claim to Jerusalem. Politics, not religious sensibility, has fueled the Muslim attachment to Jerusalem for nearly fourteen centuries; what the historian Bernard Wasserstein has written ...
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coding trance
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 4:56:34 pm PST
I’ve been in a coding trance all day, editing, uploading, testing, cursing, fixing deleted files... but I now have the editing module complete and fairly debugged. Woot!
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more testing
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 8:20:47 am PST
Yes, it's another test. Yes, indeed. Indeedy do.
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list of flight schools found in kabul
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 8:20:47 am PST
Evidence of Al Qaeda’s plans continues to emerge from Kabul. The NY Times reports today that a list of US flight schools has been found in an abandoned house, along with plans for nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons: In 2 Abandoned Kabul Houses, Some Hints of Al Qaeda Presence. A ...
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glitch city
Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 8:00:47 am PST
If you notice anything odd about LGF in the next few days (besides the usual weirdness and Noam-baiting, I mean) don’t you worry your pretty little heads about it. You see, I’m finally getting around to doing something I’ve been threatening for months—I’m writing new backend software to manage our weblog, ...
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guerilla warfare
Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 6:21:51 pm PST
Steven Den Beste on the Taliban’s chances of mounting a successful guerilla war in Afghanistan.
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what’s in a coalition
Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 6:03:28 pm PST
At Israel Insider, Alex Cohen asks some hard questions about the Powell coalition. Why does the United States have wartime allies that oppose our war? Because these "allies" were chosen, not because they shared our commitment to eliminating terrorism, and not because we needed their military support -- but for ...
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lance goes offroad
Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 5:46:54 pm PST
Thanks to Peter for pointing us at this hilarious Lance Armstrong commercial for Nike.
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another letter
Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 5:10:50 pm PST
Another letter containing anthrax has been found in Senate mail, with handwriting similar to the other three known letters.
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to the moon
Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 12:11:43 pm PST
I just discovered these Quicktime VR panoramas made from photos taken by the Apollo astronauts on the surface of the moon.
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prescription for terror
Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 8:41:14 am PST
The more details that emerge about Al Qaeda’s plans for mass murder, the more obvious it becomes that we’re doing the right thing. Not just the right thing—the necessary thing. Ricin is one of the most deadly poisons known; one milligram can kill an adult. It’s produced from castor beans; in ...
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just testing
Thu, Nov 15, 2001 at 7:21:42 pm PST
Just testing something...
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more on al qaeda documents
Thu, Nov 15, 2001 at 7:21:42 pm PST
Here’s more information on the frightening documents found in an Al Qaeda safe house: Deadly secrets left by fleeing Taleban. Yet it was the studies of rocket fuel, thrust capabilities and concept models of a missile with radar stealth ability and load capacity to a speed of mach 2.4 that ...
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arab news changes its tune
Thu, Nov 15, 2001 at 7:01:50 pm PST
Talk about an abrupt about-face! You might expect to find this column at the National Review: After the fall. The breakneck speed at which the Taleban has collapsed in Afghanistan has surprised many, not least those in Washington and Islamabad with a direct interest in events there. It should not ...
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worst fears realized
Thu, Nov 15, 2001 at 6:49:15 pm PST
James Lileks on the recent disappointments for Chomsky fans: Anti-War Faction's Worst Fears Realized. Men have lined up around the block to get their itchy Taliban-mandated beards shaved off -- and don't think the boys at Gillette aren't kicking themselves for not thinking of that endorsement opportunity. Women have dared ...
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rent
Thu, Nov 15, 2001 at 3:50:06 pm PST
I’ve been too busy paying the rent today to surf around. Launched a new site for a client, and rewrote the Greymatter entry posting module in PHP. Also made some changes to the site of another paying client. And now I have to go and tutor another paying client. In the ...
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bin laden’s nuclear secrets found
Wed, Nov 14, 2001 at 6:03:12 pm PST
Jesus. The Times is reporting that partially burned documents about Bin Laden’s plans for a Nagasaki-like A-bomb have been found in Kabul: Bin Laden's nuclear secrets found. OSAMA BIN LADEN’S al-Qaeda network held detailed plans for nuclear devices and other terrorist bombs in one of its Kabul headquarters.The Times discovered ...
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oh no! we’re not losing!
Wed, Nov 14, 2001 at 11:25:04 am PST
There’s no joy in anti-war circles today; in spite of their unceasingly negative predictions, the war in Afghanistan is going better than anyone dared to hope. Reports are coming in that Kandahar will soon be liberated from the Taliban, who are in a disorderly retreat, fleeing for their lives. At the ...
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ha ha ha
Wed, Nov 14, 2001 at 10:44:16 am PST
Christopher Hitchens gets acerbic: Ha ha ha to the pacifists. There's no pleasing some people, but as a charter supporter of CND I can remember a time when the peace movement was not an auxiliary to dictators and aggressors in trouble. Looking at some of the mind-rotting tripe that comes ...
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come on in! the quagmire’s fine!
Wed, Nov 14, 2001 at 10:22:19 am PST
Dan at lake effect performs a well-executed take-down on a nasty little article in the Village Voice.
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all-negative all the time
Wed, Nov 14, 2001 at 9:58:44 am PST
In today’s Washington Post, Michael Kelly has a very funny parody of NPR’s relentlessly negative spin: All-Negative, All the Time. Perfectly Modulated: "Now let's go to our European analyst, Loathes America, for the insight from over there. Loathes, what is the mood of Europe tonight?"Loathes America: "Bleak, of course. And ...
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new evidence?
Wed, Nov 14, 2001 at 9:10:38 am PST
Once again, hurrah for Tony Blair! He’s presenting “new evidence” (which we reported here last Saturday) of Bin Laden’s guilt. It’s probably still not enough to convince Amru Musa, though. (I find it very curious that the mainstream media apparently didn’t think this story was big news; it took Tony Blair ...
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nightline
Wed, Nov 14, 2001 at 8:39:46 am PST
On November 8 Ted Koppel interviewed Richard Murphy (former ambassador to Saudi Arabia) and Daniel Pipes (director of the Middle East Forum) about our alliance of convenience with Saudi Arabia. It’s an interesting interview. Murphy has held a variety of posts around the Middle East and Asia, and represents the ...
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bring out the bandaids
Tue, Nov 13, 2001 at 7:22:47 pm PST
believe it or not Netscape Communicator 4.7.9 for Mac has been released.
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php security
Tue, Nov 13, 2001 at 6:55:28 pm PST
Here’s Part 2 of a good article by Jordan Dimov on PHP security issues.
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a panicky mullah
Tue, Nov 13, 2001 at 5:34:57 pm PST
Twitching psychotic Mullah Omar sounds like he’s panicking.
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new comment system
Tue, Nov 13, 2001 at 4:34:57 pm PST
I’m pleased to announce we have a brand new PHP-based comment system to replace the somewhat ailing Greymatter code. If you’ve posted a comment recently, you’ve probably noticed that it took an awfully long time to refresh the page and show your new comment. Some people have actually said it ...
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the roundup
Tue, Nov 13, 2001 at 4:06:21 pm PST
A quick roundup of today’s notable events: Nelson Mandela spoke about the war. I also want to say that one of the reasons for coming here is to be able to express my support for the President for his action in Afghanistan. The United States of America lost 5,000 people, innocent ...
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another MS security hole
Mon, Nov 12, 2001 at 1:10:01 pm PST
At e-business we find this article about another Microsoft security hole, this one in IE 5.5 and 6.0 that can reveal data in cookies. MS - the swiss cheese of the computer world...
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noam: crossing the line?
Mon, Nov 12, 2001 at 10:20:55 am PST
By making incendiary statements like this in a part of the world where Islamist militants threaten the stability of many governments, is Noam Chomsky crossing the line between dissent and treason? (Update: Matt says Noam makes him want to puke.)
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still not convinced
Mon, Nov 12, 2001 at 9:17:39 am PST
This comes as no surprise. Amru Musa, secretary general of the Arab League, is still not convinced Bin Laden is guilty, in spite of the terrorist’s apparent confession. "In Afghanistan … there are a lot of problems, and the subject of bin Laden up till now … he is definitely ...
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plane crash in queens
Mon, Nov 12, 2001 at 7:29:49 am PST
An Airbus A300 airplane has crashed immediately after takeoff from JFK Airport, in a residential area in Queens. The FBI says there is no immediate indication of foul play.
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a suggestion
Sun, Nov 11, 2001 at 4:37:17 pm PST
One of the cool things about freedom of speech is that it allows the idiots to show us who they are. In this vein, about 200 protesters marched on CNN Headquarters, saying that CNN isn’t showing enough images of wounded and starving Afghan civilians. Hey, I have an idea for any ...
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saddam’s secret nuclear program
Sun, Nov 11, 2001 at 12:36:42 pm PST
Three years ago when UN inspections of Iraq were discontinued, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists published a detailed article exposing Saddam Hussein's efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. It’s very worth reading today, keeping in mind that even with the sanctions, Saddam has had much more freedom to pursue his ...
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celebrations in mazar sharif
Sun, Nov 11, 2001 at 12:08:10 pm PST
The Iran Press Service reports on the scene in Mazar Sharif after the city was freed from Taliban control: There is music and women in the streets. "It is like No Rouz (the new year for the Iranians, Afghans, Kurds and Central Asian nations starting on 21 of March). Men ...
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spiritual turbans
Sun, Nov 11, 2001 at 11:25:46 am PST
At the Guardian, Ibn Warraq takes post-modernist intellectuals to task for their dishonesty, with a spot-on critique of Edward Said’s moral evasiveness: Honest intellectuals must shed their spiritual turbans. Said not only taught an entire generation of Arabs the wonderful art of self-pity (if only those wicked Zionists, imperialists and ...
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9/11 television archive
Sun, Nov 11, 2001 at 10:41:11 am PST
Lake Effect (a great weblog I don’t know why I’ve missed before) points out this archive of world television coverage of the 9/11 attacks. The BBC newscasters keep babbling right through their own pictures of the second plane striking the south tower, speculating that the first plane may have somehow ...
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remembering
Sun, Nov 11, 2001 at 9:17:10 am PST
Two months ago at this time, it was a beautifully clear morning in Manhattan. But the airplanes were on their way. It’s important that we remember that day. This high-resolution (~700K) aerial photograph shows the horrifying scale of the devastation. (via lake effect.) Here is the front page of the NY Times on ...
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the paymaster
Sun, Nov 11, 2001 at 7:47:11 am PST
At MSNBC/Newsweek, details about Mustafa Ahmed, the man suspected of being the Al Qaeda paymaster for Atta and his accomplices: On the Trail of the Paymaster.
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the confession
Sat, Nov 10, 2001 at 6:53:13 pm PST
Osama Bin Laden confesses his guilt. I have my TV on, switching from Fox to CNN to MSNBC to local news, and I’m very surprised the US media aren’t jumping all over this one. But come to think of it, they really haven’t been covering the “Israel is reponsible for ...
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in nuclear tune
Sat, Nov 10, 2001 at 4:13:34 pm PST
On Thursday I mentioned a story at MEMRI about a meeting between Saddam Hussein and his top nuclear researchers. Today’s DEBKAfile has an ominous article that ties this meeting to Bin Laden’s nuclear threats. (Note: since DEBKAfile still doesn’t provide links to individual stories, this will be a long quote...) ...
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earth to ivory tower
Sat, Nov 10, 2001 at 11:49:24 am PST
A couple of posts ago I wrote: Why do so many intellectuals seem to have a sick love affair with totalitarianism? One of our readers commented: i would love to see other examples of totalitarian "intellectuals." and almost immediately another reader was kind enough to email me a couple of ...
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suitcase nukes
Sat, Nov 10, 2001 at 9:00:23 am PST
Pakistani paper The Frontier Post reports that Al Qaeda may have smuggled two briefcase nuclear weapons into the US (and chem/bio weapons as well), with the UN General Assembly as a possible target: Al-Qaeda nukes may have reached the US.
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kabul bob
Sat, Nov 10, 2001 at 8:38:41 am PST
Why do so many intellectuals seem to have a sick love affair with totalitarianism? Turncoat Robert Fisk is now writing for the state-controlled Arab News, in an article brimming with hatred of the US, admiration for the Arab/Pakistani media, excuses for terrorism, and dozens of gratuitous scare quotes: Hypocrisy, hatred, ...
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pax americana
Sat, Nov 10, 2001 at 8:01:38 am PST
At Foreign Affairs Magazine, Professor Fouad Ajami looks at the history of American involvement in the Middle East, and what we can expect from the Arab world in the first war of the 21st century: The Sentry's Solitude. The war will not be easy for America in those lands. The ...
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world war 2: a quagmire?
Sat, Nov 10, 2001 at 7:16:01 am PST
A painfully funny piece in the Wall Street Journal asks, “What if today’s media covered World War II?” Now and Then.
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search request of the day
Sat, Nov 10, 2001 at 6:57:57 am PST
Today’s bizarre search request: “streaming choke dissipation footballs precipitateness.” I see why they found us—but what in the name of all that is holy were they looking for?
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css/edge
Fri, Nov 9, 2001 at 6:14:12 pm PST
I can’t believe I haven’t linked to css/edge yet. To our long-time readers it probably looks like we’re doing nothing but writing about Islam and terrorism and war, but behind the scenes there’s a whole lotta web design going on. And if you want to learn more about Cascading Style ...
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clinton's speech
Fri, Nov 9, 2001 at 12:42:57 pm PST
President Clinton gave a speech on Wednesday that was roundly criticized by the usual conservative pundits as seeming to blame the 9/11 attacks on America's past. The first story I saw was this one in the Washington Times, and it struck me as incredibly biased. For starters, the headline: “Clinton ...
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the way of a warrior
Fri, Nov 9, 2001 at 10:58:46 am PST
The LA Times has a good piece about growing up in the Kalashnikov culture of Afghanistan: Learning the Way of a Warrior. When Abdullah Jan stole the Kalashnikov from the body of a Russian soldier 18 years ago, he could see it was in bad shape, dirty, battered, in need ...
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fighting without bias
Fri, Nov 9, 2001 at 7:55:36 am PST
The more I research the spread of militant Islam inside the US, the scarier it gets. Daniel Pipes writes about the necessity of fighting this virulent breed of totalitarianism without discriminating unnecessarily against the majority of integrationist Muslims: Fighting Militant Islam, Without Bias. The problem at hand is not the ...
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bombs on wheels
Thu, Nov 8, 2001 at 6:34:17 pm PST
A good article at US News explores our vulnerability to truck bombs: Trouble by the truckload: a threat that has drawn scant attention.
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jordan chooses sides
Thu, Nov 8, 2001 at 6:11:44 pm PST
King Abdullah of Jordan does the right thing. I’m very heartened to see a Mideast leader make decisions that hold out hope for the future. King Abdullah of Jordan threw his weight on Thursday behind Washington's military campaign in Afghanistan, saying it must be waged cautiously but with "unflinching resolve."Speaking ...
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latest from the middle east
Thu, Nov 8, 2001 at 3:59:23 pm PST
At MEMRI today, a story from an Iraqi newspaper about a meeting between Saddam Hussein and the heads of the Iraqi nuclear program. "His excellency, may Allah guide him, told those present and through them the Iraqi people: 'When the human brain is alive, and has a big objective, it ...
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divorce, saudi style
Thu, Nov 8, 2001 at 2:22:23 pm PST
An Israeli perspective on the rocky marriage of the US and Saudi Arabia: Divorce, Saudi-style. Last week Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, in a bid to convince 150 prominent Saudis that the government is defending Muslim interests, warned that a divorce from the U.S. may well be in the offing. Reading ...
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loose cannon
Thu, Nov 8, 2001 at 8:34:34 am PST
The CEO of British Airways has called Bruce Willis a “gutless coward”: BA boss: Hollywood stars 'cowards'. (via USS Clueless.)
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the coup
Thu, Nov 8, 2001 at 8:21:53 am PST
(I’m sorry, but I may be unable to avoid using scare quotes in this entry.) The Coup, “hip-hop activist” group in San Francisco, has changed the cover of their new album, which originally showed them blowing up the World Trade Center. The group’s leader “Boots” explains what happened. Sort of. "In ...
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lebanon chooses sides
Thu, Nov 8, 2001 at 7:42:38 am PST
Lebanon has refused to freeze the assets of the Hezbollah terrorist group: Lebanon signals no Hezbollah freeze. They seem to think they can continue playing their nasty games without repercussions, but I wonder if anyone in their government understands what this choice really means for the future of their country? ...
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terror camp
Thu, Nov 8, 2001 at 7:04:53 am PST
Two defectors who worked for Iraqi Intelligence are revealing new details about the mysterious Salman Pak training camp for terrorists: Defectors Cite Iraqi Training for Terrorism.
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hallelujah
Wed, Nov 7, 2001 at 6:46:14 pm PST
Can this really be Maureen Dowd? Talkin' Ain't Fightin'. If we really believe that Osama represents a potential nuclear threat to civilized Western life, as Mr. Bush said yesterday, we better be prepared to put our forces where our rhetoric is instead of waiting patiently with a fingers-crossed strategy.But right ...
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an ode to anthrax
Wed, Nov 7, 2001 at 2:03:04 pm PST
In the Palestinian Hamas weekly Al-Risala, published in Gaza, columnist Dr. Atallah Abu Al-Subh writes a paean to anthrax. "In sound mind, I thank you and confess that I like you, I like you very much. May you continue to advance, to permeate, and to spread. If I may give ...
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bin laden's latest
Wed, Nov 7, 2001 at 7:46:15 am PST
Western media didn't show bin Laden’s last home movie. But if you’re curious about how Crazy Sammy amuses himself, scribbling away by lantern light in a cave, here’s a transcript of the rant: Bin Laden rails against Crusaders and UN.
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the security of php
Wed, Nov 7, 2001 at 7:11:30 am PST
At developer.com, here’s Part One of a good article on secure PHP programming practices: On the Security of PHP.
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doves are wrong
Tue, Nov 6, 2001 at 5:24:12 pm PST
Anne McElvoy has a beautifully incisive and well-reasoned piece in the Independent: Doves are wrong. We are morally right to fight for peace. The hawks' case should be even clearer than it was during the Cold War. The war against the Taliban is not merely "pre-emptive". It is a response ...
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the case against saudi arabia
Tue, Nov 6, 2001 at 4:53:56 pm PST
Matt Welch adds to the case against Saudi Arabia in this column at Working for Change.
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the dogs
Tue, Nov 6, 2001 at 11:47:14 am PST
Great essay by Victor Hanson at the National Review, on the folly of making the US your enemy: The Dogs of War. I would not wish to fight the United States -- either militarily, politically, or culturally. For every threat, our history teaches us that Americans offer not just a ...
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new black panther party
Tue, Nov 6, 2001 at 11:33:58 am PST
CSPAN has RealPlayer video of the appalling speeches given at the National Press Club by representatives of the New Black Panther Party. It’s a real hatefest. The anti-Semitic “5000 Jews” story is presented as unquestioned truth. And I wonder; would the National Press Club and CSPAN also give this much ...
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anthrax worldwide
Tue, Nov 6, 2001 at 10:33:24 am PST
Anthrax has now been found at the US consulate in Russia, as well as in Pakistan and Peru. Right wing American extremists, no doubt.
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fighting bin ladenism
Tue, Nov 6, 2001 at 9:56:21 am PST
In the NY Times, Thomas Friedman with more about the poisonous anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism peddled by state-run Arab news outlets: Fighting bin Ladenism. If you want to know why the U.S. is hated in the Arab street, read the recent editorial in the semi-official Egyptian daily, Al Ahram, written by ...
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bush warnings
Tue, Nov 6, 2001 at 9:25:55 am PST
Bush warns of nuclear terror. "Al-Qaeda operates in more than 60 nations including some in Central and Eastern Europe. These terrorist groups seek to destabilise entire nations and regions," Mr Bush said. "They're seeking chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Given the means, our enemies would be a threat to every ...
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muslims see conspiracies
Tue, Nov 6, 2001 at 8:57:59 am PST
In spite of the fact that Bin Laden and Taliban representatives have practically admitted their involvement in the 9/11 attacks (with statements about a “rain of airplanes,” and warnings to Muslims not to live in tall buildings or fly), people in the Arab and Islamic worlds prefer to believe Israel ...
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our islamic fifth column
Mon, Nov 5, 2001 at 9:56:18 am PST
Here’s an excellent piece in City Journal titled Our Islamic Fifth Column, by Farrukh Dhondy, who once had his life threatened on British TV by Yusuf Islam—Cat Stevens. The creed that leads these vandals to disown and destroy anything that is deemed "un-Islamic" leads them to a mission to challenge ...
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arab news spreads anti-semitism
Mon, Nov 5, 2001 at 9:17:50 am PST
Glenn and Matt have both mentioned these loathsome articles in the Arab News already; but I’m going to point them out too, because we need to see what’s really going on in Saudi Arabia, a country run by a corrupt theocracy that owes its existence to the taxpayers of the ...
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terror in israel
Sun, Nov 4, 2001 at 6:38:20 pm PST
A 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl on their way home from school were slaughtered today in Jerusalem, when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on their bus with an automatic rifle: Gunman kills two in attack on Jerusalem bus.
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high alert
Sun, Nov 4, 2001 at 11:37:05 am PST
Insight on the News has more info on the Al Qaeda nuclear threat, with a reference to the Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST): A State of High Alert. After the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, Insight has learned, NEST was put on a state of ...
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the view from inside
Sun, Nov 4, 2001 at 8:52:19 am PST
Foreign correspondent Robert Kaplan is the author of a book called Soldiers of God, about his experiences among the mujahideen in Afghanistan during their battles with Soviet invaders during the 1980s. In this fascinating interview at The Atlantic, he talks about the recent history of Afghanistan (and the factors that ...
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strategy
Sun, Nov 4, 2001 at 6:47:56 am PST
New details of the plot in this NY Times report: Hijackers' Meticulous Strategy of Brains, Muscle and Practice. American Airlines Flight 11 was in line for takeoff from Logan International Airport, the passengers already reminded to turn off personal electronic devices, when Mohamed Atta, in seat 8D in business class, ...
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new proof?
Sat, Nov 3, 2001 at 6:30:39 pm PST
There’s a storm of disinformation and weirdness going on, and it’s hard to know what’s real. Keeping that in mind, here’s another report that Iraq is involved: Proof of Iraq/Bin Laden links.
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encyclopedia of terror
Sat, Nov 3, 2001 at 5:28:34 pm PST
At the Sunday Times: Encyclopedia of terror: the bloody pages of Al-Qaeda's killing manual. (via World War III.)
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bin laden lashes out
Sat, Nov 3, 2001 at 12:46:03 pm PST
Crazy Sammy lashes out at the UN.
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life under the taliban
Sat, Nov 3, 2001 at 11:39:14 am PST
At the National Post, another story about life under the monstrous Taliban theocracy: Taliban turns doctors into killers. DASHT-E QALA, AFGHANISTAN - The Taliban has committed so many atrocities during its five-year reign in Kabul that Afghans seem almost resigned, but even veteran military surgeon Mohammad Atiq was shocked to ...
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the bouncer
Sat, Nov 3, 2001 at 10:21:57 am PST
Bouncer is an interesting anti-spam tool for Mac users: an Applescript that runs with MS Entourage (or Outlook Express), and sends a “bounced” message back to the sender, so it appears your email address is invalid. In theory, this should remove you from the spammer’s list. The doc for the ...
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the uncomfortable question
Sat, Nov 3, 2001 at 9:01:25 am PST
In tomorrow’s NY Times Magazine, Jonathan Rosen has a masterful essay: The Uncomfortable Question of Anti-Semitism. I have a different way of looking at the Israeli experiment than my friends who wonder about its failure. It is connected to how I look at the fate of European Jewry. When the ...
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rudy's reply
Fri, Nov 2, 2001 at 8:26:20 pm PST
Rudy Giuliani writes about why he told Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, "New York doesn't want your $10m."
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CMIP
Fri, Nov 2, 2001 at 3:40:06 pm PST
The Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace has translations of Syrian and Palestinian schoolbooks. I had read short excerpts from textbooks like this before, but never anything this extensive—and this sickening. The three Rs in Syria and Palestine seem to be Readin’, wRitin’, and Racism: "Treachery and disloyalty are ...
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the crusades
Fri, Nov 2, 2001 at 2:57:40 pm PST
Contrary to popular belief (and Uncle Osama's muddled rants) the Crusades were very much a defensive war, in response to the conquering of two thirds of the Christian world by Muslims. Thomas Madden writes about the true history of the Crusades: Crusade Propaganda. Since September 11 the crusades are news. ...
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bringing iran on board
Fri, Nov 2, 2001 at 1:25:34 pm PST
While the ayatollahs in Iran issue anti-American statements, the kids just want to rock. There is an amazing story unfolding in Iran; a strong dissident movement demanding a more secular, democratic society. This article at the Monitor discusses the difficult politics of encouraging the kids without pissing off the ayatollahs: ...
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a major attack?
Fri, Nov 2, 2001 at 12:40:30 pm PST
Here’s why the US government issued the most recent warning: In Overheard Calls, Terrorists Spoke of Major Attack, Officials Say. Government officials intercepted telephone conversations in recent days in which members of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, Al Qaeda, spoke urgently of an imminent attack against American targets even larger ...
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militant islam in america
Fri, Nov 2, 2001 at 8:50:01 am PST
Daniel Pipes writes about The Danger Within: Militant Islam in America. The Muslim population in this country is not like any other group, for it includes within it a substantial body of people—many times more numerous than the agents of Osama bin Ladin—who share with the suicide hijackers a hatred ...
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yes, it is
Fri, Nov 2, 2001 at 7:56:49 am PST
I've been writing a lot about the foolishness of denying that, at its heart, this war does spring from religion. Yes, I understand why politicians wish this hot potato would just go away, but isn’t our refusal to deal directly with issues like this one of the reasons we’re in ...
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always the rabbit
Fri, Nov 2, 2001 at 6:34:30 am PST
Today's odd search request, from Google: “rabbit handling and restraints.” Looks like someone has a rambunctious rabbit on their hands.
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rumsfeld's statement
Thu, Nov 1, 2001 at 6:54:34 pm PST
Donald Rumsfeld issued a statement today about the incredibly premature negativity being spread by some members of the media (who need to stop treating the war against terrorism as a bigger, better version of the O.J. Simpson trial): Statement of the Secretary of Defense.
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bad news bearers
Thu, Nov 1, 2001 at 10:24:01 am PST
At Slate, William Saletan examines the causes of the sudden rash of silly pessimistic media war coverage: Bad News Bearers. Three weeks into the bombing of Afghanistan, American journalists are beginning to declare the war a failure. Why? Because their political bias in favor of their country is being ...
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surf's up! cough cough hack...
Thu, Nov 1, 2001 at 10:12:25 am PST
from ananova - smugglers build surfboards out of cigarettes. gee, i'd love to hit the surf today, but i'm having a little trouble breathing... heh
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time to whack
Thu, Nov 1, 2001 at 8:17:23 am PST
Glenn Reynolds points out this illuminating story at the National Post: A lesson from the professor and the station master.
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war for civilization
Thu, Nov 1, 2001 at 7:40:49 am PST
The back and forth between Daniel Pipes and David Forte continues with an excellent piece by Forte at the National Review: War for Civilization. We are in a war for civilization (not between civilizations). No one said, or should have said, that this would be easy. Of course Islamic extremism ...
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