Yet again I am posting a link to a George Monbiot article. He points out that our (Western) way of life cannot be sustained and that if we wish to survive, we must let go of certain capitalist tendencies. A well thought out and intuitive piece of writing, broadly in line with my own views.
Archive for December, 2002
Western civilisation in decline
Tuesday, December 31st, 2002Rumsfeld and Saddam
Tuesday, December 31st, 2002Seems that the US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, travelled to Iraq in 1983 in order to normalise relations with Saddam. This was at a time when Saddam was using chemical weapons in defiance of international conventions. Anthrax and bubonic plague were also sent to Saddam under the Reagan and later the Bush Snr administrations. A very good article, and nice to finally read one like this in the Washington Post
Last post of 2002
Tuesday, December 31st, 2002These will be my last entries of this year. Going by my server logs it seems I have built up a small but loyal following, who regularly visit my site. As of yet I have not been contacted by anyone – LOL not sure if thats a good or bad thing. I will be away in the Middle East for the next 10 days, but i hope to be able to update my site from there. Im gonna burn a CD with Dreamweaver and CuteFtp on it, and use a laptop :).
Hopefully I will be able to bring first hand accounts of any military goings on in the United Arab Emirates, it is a port of call for most allied warships, and staging area for troop buildup. Who knows, I may even get to Kuwait or Muscat or Doha or something LOL. I will also take a few photos and put them up here in the photos section.
Hope you all had a nice year, and will have an even better one next year! Regards, Gavin.
Gavinsblog surpasses 600 visits in December
Friday, December 27th, 2002Due to my logs being down for a week during December, I have failed to reach my target of 1000 visits this month. If I put in the average number for each day it would amount to about 200 visits. So that would mean I am on 800. Getting closer, but I am happy with the number of people visiting here every day, there seems to be regular custom! If any of you have any suggestions on how to improve things, please email me and let me know.
We know what war is
Monday, December 23rd, 2002The Deputy Defence Secretary in the US, Paul Wolfowitz writes an article in defence of US strategic planning with regard to Iraq. He does not believe that they are being blaze about how difficult an invasion will be. Interesting insight into his thought though, he has a painting of Antietam hung in his office.
US goes up a gear
Sunday, December 22nd, 2002Live fire exercises in Kuwait, Pentagon plans to invade from the North and South of Iraq, and the number of US troops in the region will double to 100,000 within weeks. Now I do not think anyone doubts it will happen, question is, is it right?
Last ditch effort for peace?
Sunday, December 22nd, 2002Tom Friedman writes about the war that nobody wants, except the US. A delegation will visit Saddam in the next few weeks to try and persuade him to reveal his weapons (if there are any) and to cooperate. But I doubt it will work. The US, or should I say the top people in the US administration, want him out, come hell or high water. It is important we maintain a distinction, overall the US public do not back the war.
Appropriate quote of the day
Sunday, December 22nd, 2002You know we armed Iraq. I wondered about that too, you know during the Persian Gulf war… those intelligence reports would come out: “Iraq: incredible weapons – incredible weapons.” How do you know that? “Uh, well… We looked at the receipts Haar.” “Ah but as soon as that cheque clears, we’re going in.” “What time’s the bank open? 8? We’re going in at 9.” “We’re going in for God and country and democracy and here’s a foetus and he’s a Hitler. Whatever you fucking need, let’s go. Get motivated behind this, let’s go!” Bill Hicks
You know, and the amazing thing, obviously, the disparity and the casualties. Iraq – one hundred and fifty thousand casualties, USA – seventy-nine. Iraq – one hundred and fifty thousand, USA – seventy-nine. Does that mean that if we had sent over eighty guys, we still would have won that fucking thing, or what? Bill Hicks
US government planning complete Internet monitoring
Saturday, December 21st, 2002For my American readers, a report in Internet week is saying that the Bush administration is planning to require Internet service providers to become part of a new monitoring system. It is all part of the “National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace” which will be launched in the new year.
Adobe not really happy about Elcomsoft and Sklyarov
Saturday, December 21st, 2002The Reg is reporting that Adobe did not really urge the Department of Justice not to prosecute Elcomsoft. Instead they fully supported it, and also fully support the DMCA. I do not like Adobe anymore.
Sklyarov on winning the case and the DMCA
Friday, December 20th, 2002An interview with the programmer who successfully beat the prosecution against him under the controversial DMCA. Glad to see he won, even Adobe dropped the original case because of the public outcry.
Kissinger and his past
Friday, December 20th, 2002David Ignatius writes on why Kissinger resigned as one of the investigators into the events surrounding Sep 11 2001.
We have a date?
Thursday, December 19th, 2002For the last couple of months I have been saying that the war on Iraq will happen, and that all the hooplah over UN inspections was nothing more than a prelude to the inevitable. And so it seems I, and many others, may have been proven right. What Iraq says or does not say is immaterial, war was going to happen no matter what they did. So we are all locked and loaded for January 27 2003?
Nobel prize winners have figured it out, but didn’t we all know that the markets are really based on irrational behaviour?
Thursday, December 19th, 2002The celebrated economist, who wrotes some excellent stuff in the Atlantic a while back writes a riveting piece in the Guardian. I had thought that markets can also be based on mob or herd mentalities, but he also gives us several other ideas. A good primer on ecomomic psyhcology – if I can call it that.
Gavinsblog gets there before the BBC
Thursday, December 19th, 2002Much to my delight, yesterdays story “Take it out and zap it” about liver transplants being used to treat cancer made it on the news headlines of the BBC’s 6 o clock news, and I think the 9 o clock news too. There were some differences in the reporting, and I believe some mistakes, at least in relation to the New Scientist article I read. Nice to know I am picking out some of the better stories from the Net, and beating major news corporations to it. :-)