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tcpipHere's the news of the week. Run, don't walk, to your local newsagent and pick up a copy of The Bulletin and have a damn good read of the defense scandal that tearing our intelligence agencies in two.
The most damning component is:
"135: I find as a fact that a pro-Jakarta lobby exists in DIO, which distorts intelligence estimates to the extent those estimates are heavily driven by Government policy which overlooks (or attributes the blame to other factions), atrocities and terrorist activities committed by the TNI - in other words DIO reports what the government wants to hear."
Great. Elements of our intelligence services are under the influence of a foreign military. Surely John Howard can't let that happen, can he? Surely he'll call a Royal Commission?
Rotten to the Corps (partial story), Spy agencies probe to be limited, Army slated over handling of colonel, The spies' dissatisfaction,
Agencies at their lowest ebb, Australia's failure of intelligence and...
Why we urgently need a royal commission.
As the former President of the Liberal Party says the invasion of Iraq was a war-crime, Zey points out an old hippie who decides to attempt to arrest the Prime Minister. Meanwhile James Petras tells the western intellectuals to quit mincing words and support the Iraqi resistance - and remember, supporting the resistance does not mean you support Saddam. He's gone. That's history.
In the world of the thesis, rather than just review the last chapter and put in a few supplementary remarks I decided that it really needed a thorough synopsis and predictions. So in the past week I've added another 6,500 words, rather than reviewing what I had already written. That can come latter I guess. Anyway, the short story is that nearly all of these first two sections is now online: section 4-1: Communications Technology and Social Development. And try not be scared by the fact that within the next fifty years robots will be smarter than we are.
Interesting things you discover whilst doing PhD research however. As well all know the recently deceased Peter Ustinov was a great actor. What I didn't know was that he was President of the World Federalist Organization, dedicated to democraticization of the United Nations and international governance.
Apparently one needs to have a paid account to add a poll. Well, I don't have one of those yet, so I'll just ask for comments (gee, so much harder). Severina_242 and I are thinking of going on a brief (too brief, in my opinion) holiday. Which do you recommend and why?
Noumea, New Caledonia? or Queenstown, New Zealand?
A strange compilation of religious news has fallen in my inbox this week. Firstly, a comprehensive list of crimes under the name of Christianity. I believe it was Clovis who said "With this cross I conquer". Meanwhile, the more egalitarian version of Hinduism, the Sikhs, have declared World Turban Awareness Day. Finally, and try to stop laughing, here are the guidelines for Southern Baptists to convert Unitarians - with a special focus on the secular humanist and neo-pagan variety of that religious species.
Greylock, also on a religious theme, alerts me to a sad old story of Christians who become addicted to Dungeons and Dragons.
the_christian has found a dream home with that retro-cold war feel.
From: hawk_eye - I present you with... THE THOUSAND WORD SILMARILLION!.
Greylock does it again...
With the contest yet to catch the public imagination as the 2000 election did, Mr Livingstone today used an interview with the Guardian to call for a 50p top rate of tax, the imprisonment of the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and the end of the regime in Saudi Arabia.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/gla/story/0,9061,1188574,00.html?=ticker
From Silverblue: The Excorist in Thirty Seconds, Re-enacted by Bunnies.
And in two hours or so, caseopaya and I are off to see.... Tomfoolerly!: A Tom Lehrer dedication
Update
Typical. I forgot self-refential news. This week my glasses, once broken by a crazy monkey in Bali a year ago and repaired by epoxy, finally gave in the ghost. Ihave two new pairs, one with silver frames, and one with blue/purple frames with a sunglasses clip. I think they're tres cyberpunk.
The most damning component is:
"135: I find as a fact that a pro-Jakarta lobby exists in DIO, which distorts intelligence estimates to the extent those estimates are heavily driven by Government policy which overlooks (or attributes the blame to other factions), atrocities and terrorist activities committed by the TNI - in other words DIO reports what the government wants to hear."
Great. Elements of our intelligence services are under the influence of a foreign military. Surely John Howard can't let that happen, can he? Surely he'll call a Royal Commission?
Rotten to the Corps (partial story), Spy agencies probe to be limited, Army slated over handling of colonel, The spies' dissatisfaction,
Agencies at their lowest ebb, Australia's failure of intelligence and...
Why we urgently need a royal commission.
As the former President of the Liberal Party says the invasion of Iraq was a war-crime, Zey points out an old hippie who decides to attempt to arrest the Prime Minister. Meanwhile James Petras tells the western intellectuals to quit mincing words and support the Iraqi resistance - and remember, supporting the resistance does not mean you support Saddam. He's gone. That's history.
In the world of the thesis, rather than just review the last chapter and put in a few supplementary remarks I decided that it really needed a thorough synopsis and predictions. So in the past week I've added another 6,500 words, rather than reviewing what I had already written. That can come latter I guess. Anyway, the short story is that nearly all of these first two sections is now online: section 4-1: Communications Technology and Social Development. And try not be scared by the fact that within the next fifty years robots will be smarter than we are.
Interesting things you discover whilst doing PhD research however. As well all know the recently deceased Peter Ustinov was a great actor. What I didn't know was that he was President of the World Federalist Organization, dedicated to democraticization of the United Nations and international governance.
Apparently one needs to have a paid account to add a poll. Well, I don't have one of those yet, so I'll just ask for comments (gee, so much harder). Severina_242 and I are thinking of going on a brief (too brief, in my opinion) holiday. Which do you recommend and why?
Noumea, New Caledonia? or Queenstown, New Zealand?
A strange compilation of religious news has fallen in my inbox this week. Firstly, a comprehensive list of crimes under the name of Christianity. I believe it was Clovis who said "With this cross I conquer". Meanwhile, the more egalitarian version of Hinduism, the Sikhs, have declared World Turban Awareness Day. Finally, and try to stop laughing, here are the guidelines for Southern Baptists to convert Unitarians - with a special focus on the secular humanist and neo-pagan variety of that religious species.
Greylock, also on a religious theme, alerts me to a sad old story of Christians who become addicted to Dungeons and Dragons.
the_christian has found a dream home with that retro-cold war feel.
From: hawk_eye - I present you with... THE THOUSAND WORD SILMARILLION!.
Greylock does it again...
With the contest yet to catch the public imagination as the 2000 election did, Mr Livingstone today used an interview with the Guardian to call for a 50p top rate of tax, the imprisonment of the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and the end of the regime in Saudi Arabia.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/gla/story/0,9061,1188574,00.html?=ticker
From Silverblue: The Excorist in Thirty Seconds, Re-enacted by Bunnies.
And in two hours or so, caseopaya and I are off to see.... Tomfoolerly!: A Tom Lehrer dedication
Update
Typical. I forgot self-refential news. This week my glasses, once broken by a crazy monkey in Bali a year ago and repaired by epoxy, finally gave in the ghost. Ihave two new pairs, one with silver frames, and one with blue/purple frames with a sunglasses clip. I think they're tres cyberpunk.
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no subject
Date: 2004-04-16 12:30 am (UTC)I hadn't thought of it like that. I assumed it was an economic leftover of the Keating "We Must Engage Asia" philosophy. It would explain why we let them invade ET in the first place.
Noumea, New Caledonia? or Queenstown, New Zealand?
Have you been to New Caledonia before? It's very French, I hear.
The 1000 world Simarillion is hilarious.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-16 01:00 am (UTC)New Caledonia is very French. I'd better brush up. It would be embarrassing otherwise.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-16 01:55 am (UTC)[oh, come on, am I ever likely _not_ to recommend going to NZ?]
no subject
Date: 2004-04-16 04:42 pm (UTC)That would be nice if we had more time.
I must confess I'm leaning to Noumea simply because of the time factor.
South Island NZ looks like the sort of place I would like to live...
no subject
Date: 2004-04-17 04:56 am (UTC)I second the motion. Go to NZ.
I was there a few months back and am itching to get back. I reckon I'll be living there within a few short years.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-17 04:26 pm (UTC)I must admit I really enjoyed my visit at the end of last year/beginning of this year. Also, I haven't had a serious tour of the South Island. It look very nice...
no subject
Date: 2004-04-17 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 01:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-19 12:23 am (UTC)Hey, we were there at the same time... OK, I must have been there very early January (like 1 or 2)..
Parliament House Wellington is a fascinating tour. I loved the anti-earthquake engineering. Mind you, Wellington is on three fault lines... Great place for a capital city, LOL!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-19 01:32 am (UTC)I went to Parliament House on 2 Jan. Not only was it closed (which was bad enough) but it was pissing with rain (which just added insult to injury). So I went back on 6 Jan before flying out. Yeah, I found the earthquake stuff really interesting too. Our guide said that Wellington has something like 400 earthquakes a year. I had to ask him to repeat that - that's more than one a day. Obviously, most are too imperceptible to be felt, but even so, it seems like a pretty dodgy place to put a Parliament :o)
no subject
Date: 2004-04-19 12:25 am (UTC)Yeah, Brasch is a very nasty bit of work (in my considered opinion of course). It is very important that Labour finds a serious headkicker to undermine him whilst Helen Clark makes the fluffy centre-left pitch.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-16 06:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-19 12:25 am (UTC)Oh come on... Tell me why...
no subject
Date: 2004-04-19 02:34 am (UTC)