Veteran Journalist Arnett Fired
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Daily Mirror said on Tuesday it had hired veteran U.S reporter Peter Arnett, sacked by American TV network NBC after he told Iraqi television the U.S, war plan against Saddam Hussein had failed.
"I report the truth of what is happening in Baghdad and will not apologize for it," he told the tabloid newspaper, one of the most prominent opponents of Britain's involvement in the war.
--I hear the Batavia Daily is hiring...
HK Says Identifies Deadly Virus, Closes SchoolsBy Tan Ee Lyn and Tay Han Nee
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Scientists in Hong Kong said on Thursday they had identified the virus behind a mystery pneumonia that has killed more than 50 people worldwide as the government ordered schools in the city to close.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa also said the government had invoked a quarantine law not used for decades, and anyone breaking it would be fined or jailed for up to six months.
A day after Singapore took similar action, Tung said schools would shut for a week from March 29 to try to contain a rapidly spreading pneumonia that has infected about 1,300 in Asia, North America and Europe.
--This is some scary stuff man. A Steven King story waiting to happen.
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Scientists in Hong Kong said on Thursday they had identified the virus behind a mystery pneumonia that has killed more than 50 people worldwide as the government ordered schools in the city to close.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa also said the government had invoked a quarantine law not used for decades, and anyone breaking it would be fined or jailed for up to six months.
A day after Singapore took similar action, Tung said schools would shut for a week from March 29 to try to contain a rapidly spreading pneumonia that has infected about 1,300 in Asia, North America and Europe.
--This is some scary stuff man. A Steven King story waiting to happen.
"So when I see the American flag, I go, 'Oh my God, you're insulting me.'" Says Garofalo "'We're here, we're queer!' -- that's what makes my heart swell. Not the flag, but a gay naked man or woman burning the flag. I get choked up with pride." -- Janeanne Garofalo
--What the hell is wrong with some people?
--What the hell is wrong with some people?
I was a naive fool to be a human shield for Saddam By Daniel Pepper (Filed: 23/03/2003)
I wanted to join the human shields in Baghdad because it was direct action which had a chance of bringing the anti-war movement to the forefront of world attention. It was inspiring: the human shield volunteers were making a sacrifice for their political views - much more of a personal investment than going to a demonstration in Washington or London. It was simple - you get on the bus and you represent yourself.
So that is exactly what I did on the morning of Saturday, January 25. I am a 23-year-old Jewish-American photographer living in Islington, north London. I had travelled in the Middle East before: as a student, I went to the Palestinian West Bank during the intifada. I also went to Afghanistan as a photographer for Newsweek.
The human shields appealed to my anti-war stance, but by the time I had left Baghdad five weeks later my views had changed drastically. I wouldn't say that I was exactly pro-war - no, I am ambivalent - but I have a strong desire to see Saddam removed.
We on the bus felt that we were sympathetic to the views of the Iraqi civilians, even though we didn't actually know any. The group was less interested in standing up for their rights than protesting against the US and UK governments.
I was shocked when I first met a pro-war Iraqi in Baghdad - a taxi driver taking me back to my hotel late at night. I explained that I was American and said, as we shields always did, "Bush bad, war bad, Iraq good". He looked at me with an expression of incredulity.
As he realised I was serious, he slowed down and started to speak in broken English about the evils of Saddam's regime. Until then I had only heard the President spoken of with respect, but now this guy was telling me how all of Iraq's oil money went into Saddam's pocket and that if you opposed him politically he would kill your whole family.
It scared the hell out of me. First I was thinking that maybe it was the secret police trying to trick me but later I got the impression that he wanted me to help him escape. I felt so bad. I told him: "Listen, I am just a schmuck from the United States, I am not with the UN, I'm not with the CIA - I just can't help you."
Of course I had read reports that Iraqis hated Saddam Hussein, but this was the real thing. Someone had explained it to me face to face. I told a few journalists who I knew. They said that this sort of thing often happened - spontaneous, emotional, and secretive outbursts imploring visitors to free them from Saddam's tyrannical Iraq.
I became increasingly concerned about the way the Iraqi regime was restricting the movement of the shields, so a few days later I left Baghdad for Jordan by taxi with five others. Once over the border we felt comfortable enough to ask our driver what he felt about the regime and the threat of an aerial bombardment.
"Don't you listen to Powell on Voice of America radio?" he said. "Of course the Americans don't want to bomb civilians. They want to bomb government and Saddam's palaces. We want America to bomb Saddam."
We just sat, listening, our mouths open wide. Jake, one of the others, just kept saying, "Oh my God" as the driver described the horrors of the regime. Jake was so shocked at how naive he had been. We all were. It hadn't occurred to anyone that the Iraqis might actually be pro-war.
The driver's most emphatic statement was: "All Iraqi people want this war." He seemed convinced that civilian casualties would be small; he had such enormous faith in the American war machine to follow through on its promises. Certainly more faith than any of us had.
Perhaps the most crushing thing we learned was that most ordinary Iraqis thought Saddam Hussein had paid us to come to protest in Iraq. Although we explained that this was categorically not the case, I don't think he believed us. Later he asked me: "Really, how much did Saddam pay you to come?"
It hit me on visceral and emotional levels: this was a real portrayal of Iraq life. After the first conversation, I completely rethought my view of the Iraqi situation. My understanding changed on intellectual, emotional, psychological levels. I remembered the experience of seeing Saddam's egomaniacal portraits everywhere for the past two weeks and tried to place myself in the shoes of someone who had been subjected to seeing them every day for the last 20 or so years.
Last Thursday night I went to photograph the anti-war rally in Parliament Square. Thousands of people were shouting "No war" but without thinking about the implications for Iraqis. Some of them were drinking, dancing to Samba music and sparring with the police. It was as if the protesters were talking about a different country where the ruling government is perfectly acceptable. It really upset me.
Anyone with half a brain must see that Saddam has to be taken out. It is extraordinarily ironic that the anti-war protesters are marching to defend a government which stops its people exercising that freedom.
Daniel Pepper
I wanted to join the human shields in Baghdad because it was direct action which had a chance of bringing the anti-war movement to the forefront of world attention. It was inspiring: the human shield volunteers were making a sacrifice for their political views - much more of a personal investment than going to a demonstration in Washington or London. It was simple - you get on the bus and you represent yourself.
So that is exactly what I did on the morning of Saturday, January 25. I am a 23-year-old Jewish-American photographer living in Islington, north London. I had travelled in the Middle East before: as a student, I went to the Palestinian West Bank during the intifada. I also went to Afghanistan as a photographer for Newsweek.
The human shields appealed to my anti-war stance, but by the time I had left Baghdad five weeks later my views had changed drastically. I wouldn't say that I was exactly pro-war - no, I am ambivalent - but I have a strong desire to see Saddam removed.
We on the bus felt that we were sympathetic to the views of the Iraqi civilians, even though we didn't actually know any. The group was less interested in standing up for their rights than protesting against the US and UK governments.
I was shocked when I first met a pro-war Iraqi in Baghdad - a taxi driver taking me back to my hotel late at night. I explained that I was American and said, as we shields always did, "Bush bad, war bad, Iraq good". He looked at me with an expression of incredulity.
As he realised I was serious, he slowed down and started to speak in broken English about the evils of Saddam's regime. Until then I had only heard the President spoken of with respect, but now this guy was telling me how all of Iraq's oil money went into Saddam's pocket and that if you opposed him politically he would kill your whole family.
It scared the hell out of me. First I was thinking that maybe it was the secret police trying to trick me but later I got the impression that he wanted me to help him escape. I felt so bad. I told him: "Listen, I am just a schmuck from the United States, I am not with the UN, I'm not with the CIA - I just can't help you."
Of course I had read reports that Iraqis hated Saddam Hussein, but this was the real thing. Someone had explained it to me face to face. I told a few journalists who I knew. They said that this sort of thing often happened - spontaneous, emotional, and secretive outbursts imploring visitors to free them from Saddam's tyrannical Iraq.
I became increasingly concerned about the way the Iraqi regime was restricting the movement of the shields, so a few days later I left Baghdad for Jordan by taxi with five others. Once over the border we felt comfortable enough to ask our driver what he felt about the regime and the threat of an aerial bombardment.
"Don't you listen to Powell on Voice of America radio?" he said. "Of course the Americans don't want to bomb civilians. They want to bomb government and Saddam's palaces. We want America to bomb Saddam."
We just sat, listening, our mouths open wide. Jake, one of the others, just kept saying, "Oh my God" as the driver described the horrors of the regime. Jake was so shocked at how naive he had been. We all were. It hadn't occurred to anyone that the Iraqis might actually be pro-war.
The driver's most emphatic statement was: "All Iraqi people want this war." He seemed convinced that civilian casualties would be small; he had such enormous faith in the American war machine to follow through on its promises. Certainly more faith than any of us had.
Perhaps the most crushing thing we learned was that most ordinary Iraqis thought Saddam Hussein had paid us to come to protest in Iraq. Although we explained that this was categorically not the case, I don't think he believed us. Later he asked me: "Really, how much did Saddam pay you to come?"
It hit me on visceral and emotional levels: this was a real portrayal of Iraq life. After the first conversation, I completely rethought my view of the Iraqi situation. My understanding changed on intellectual, emotional, psychological levels. I remembered the experience of seeing Saddam's egomaniacal portraits everywhere for the past two weeks and tried to place myself in the shoes of someone who had been subjected to seeing them every day for the last 20 or so years.
Last Thursday night I went to photograph the anti-war rally in Parliament Square. Thousands of people were shouting "No war" but without thinking about the implications for Iraqis. Some of them were drinking, dancing to Samba music and sparring with the police. It was as if the protesters were talking about a different country where the ruling government is perfectly acceptable. It really upset me.
Anyone with half a brain must see that Saddam has to be taken out. It is extraordinarily ironic that the anti-war protesters are marching to defend a government which stops its people exercising that freedom.
Daniel Pepper
Michael Moore booed as he slams Iraq war at Oscars Mon Mar 24, 2:13 AM ET
HOLLYWOOD (AFP) - Famed US documentary maker Michael Moore (news) used his win of an Oscar to launch a violent attack on US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and war in Iraq (news - web sites) amid loud boos from the audience.
"We are against this war Mr Bush. Shame on you. Shame on you!," he said to loud boos from an audience of 3,500 including most of Hollywood's top stars.
--I think Moore just screwed his own career.
HOLLYWOOD (AFP) - Famed US documentary maker Michael Moore (news) used his win of an Oscar to launch a violent attack on US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and war in Iraq (news - web sites) amid loud boos from the audience.
"We are against this war Mr Bush. Shame on you. Shame on you!," he said to loud boos from an audience of 3,500 including most of Hollywood's top stars.
--I think Moore just screwed his own career.
U.S. Soldier Held in Attack on Own Troops - Sun Mar 23, 2:52 PM ET By PATRICK McDOWELL, Associated Press Writer
KUWAIT CITY - A U.S. soldier was detained Sunday on suspicion of throwing grenades into three tents at a 101st Airborne command center in Kuwait, killing one fellow serviceman and wounding 15, at least three of them seriously.
The motive in the attack "most likely was resentment," said Max Blumenfeld, a U.S. Army spokesman.
--The first frag of the War.
KUWAIT CITY - A U.S. soldier was detained Sunday on suspicion of throwing grenades into three tents at a 101st Airborne command center in Kuwait, killing one fellow serviceman and wounding 15, at least three of them seriously.
The motive in the attack "most likely was resentment," said Max Blumenfeld, a U.S. Army spokesman.
--The first frag of the War.
Letter from an Iraqi-American
All,
Before anybody decides to go out and join more protests, maybe it would be fair to provide an alternate view. I, as you may have gleaned, am an Iraqi-American. Actually Assyrian-Iraqi-American. Most of my family was in Baghdad during the first Gulf War--some were in Kuwait. My aunt Margaret tells me that during that war, they would wait until night and go sit on the rooftops and cheer the bombing. The American attacks were so concise, she said that they would bet on which government or utilities building would be hit, and were more often than not correct. Civilian targets were always accidental. Think about it: what military objective would be served by hitting a civilian hospital, when the opposing army is surrendering en masse (not fighting and getting injured)?
For the last six months on al-Jazeera television, Iraqi defectors have been appearing on talk shows begging--literally, begging--the other Arab nations to support the US in this war, to finally free the Iraqi people. Without fail, their counterparts from other nations stated that they preferred Hussein to the USA.
Here are some figures. Since taking power officially in 1978 (although he was the functional leader since 1971), Hussein has executed somewhere in the range of 3m political prisoners. He launched chemical weapons against Assyrians and Kurds in the North. He drained the marshes in the south, which the Shi'ites need to survive, causing a "famine-on-purpose" in the style of what Stalin did to Ukraine in the 30s. Every day in Iraq, 2,500 children die from malnutrition and lack of medicine, because Hussein has been kicking out UN (not US) inspectors for 11 years. Two thousand five hundred children die every day. So do not dare, for one instant, to protest this war on behalf of the Iraqi people. To do so is to spit in the face of the millions of people who yearn for freedom from his regime. Hussein is not Castro.
Uday Hussein, his son, is the head of athletics in Iraq. He owns a football club. For years, whenever they wouldn't perform to expectations, he would bring them to his personal prison and torture them ruthlessly. He maintained a harem of hundreds of women whom he would rape, defile, and murder.
The few hundred Iraqi civilians who may die in the bombing raids are a pittance compared to the millions Hussein has killed as well as the appalling number of children who die every day due to his arms program stubborn-ness. How many more can die so a bunch of addle-brained do-gooders can get on TV waving placards?
It is hypocritical and worse irrational to oppose this war on behalf of the Iraqi people. They don't know the desires of the Iraqi people, or the apalling suffering of the Iraqi people. The only reason to protest the war would be because you are opposed to any and all war, opposed to sending US troops anywhere, ever. In which case kudos to you, I suppose, for returning to the turn-of-the-century style isolationism that indirectly lead to the horrific casualties of World War I and II. The world depends on superpowers to lend coercive power to international regimes.
The best are those signs that say, "No Iraqi Blood for Oil." How about, "No More Iraqi Blood for French Interests," since the French opposed this war solely because they have hundreds of billions of dollars tied up with the Iraqi regime, money they will lose if Hussein is oustered because international regimes stipulate that a nation is not responsible for the debts of a deposed, illegitimate regime. The same goes for the Russians and Germans. The Russians have invested billions in Iraq's nuclear program.
And to answer those who argue that the US is only engendering more hate among out European allies: Whose fault is that? Ours? Bush is an inept, almost moronic leader who angered many when he imposed a steel tariff, pulled out of the Kyoto protocol, and so forth. But in this case, the US is trying to remove an unpopular, ruthless, Stalin-esque dictator and free a nation of people who live every day in terror (see Samir al-Khalil's book "Republic of Fear"). Should we allow him to continue to kill ruthlessly so that the French will like us? Keep in mind that Chirac is a Gaullist, and like a true Gaullist, his opposition to the United States is not predicated on any ideal, but rather on the desire to enhance French prestige--as the "alternative" to the US.
Oh, the protestors are so cute with their "Fuck Bush" signs and slogans and thrift-store clothes and un-informed opinions about international politics. However they are also wrong, dead wrong. There is nothing more painful for people with real experience of the Iraqi regime than to see young kids mugging for television cameras and their peers, waving signs that purport to support the Iraqi people. It is truly painful to see that when the victory of the Iraqi people is so close at hand, a group of pseudo-intellectuals prefer playing pretend--pretending to be politicos--to rejoicing with us and supporting the liberation of a nation of 22 million. Protest this war and you are naive, willfully ignorant, or enraptured by yourself and your "fight for freedom."
Foul; base; cruel; evil; wicked; vain; these are the only words that can describe you.
yours all
*Name removed fearing more harrasment.*
--Please don't protest the war. Support our troops. Hope for its swift end.
All,
Before anybody decides to go out and join more protests, maybe it would be fair to provide an alternate view. I, as you may have gleaned, am an Iraqi-American. Actually Assyrian-Iraqi-American. Most of my family was in Baghdad during the first Gulf War--some were in Kuwait. My aunt Margaret tells me that during that war, they would wait until night and go sit on the rooftops and cheer the bombing. The American attacks were so concise, she said that they would bet on which government or utilities building would be hit, and were more often than not correct. Civilian targets were always accidental. Think about it: what military objective would be served by hitting a civilian hospital, when the opposing army is surrendering en masse (not fighting and getting injured)?
For the last six months on al-Jazeera television, Iraqi defectors have been appearing on talk shows begging--literally, begging--the other Arab nations to support the US in this war, to finally free the Iraqi people. Without fail, their counterparts from other nations stated that they preferred Hussein to the USA.
Here are some figures. Since taking power officially in 1978 (although he was the functional leader since 1971), Hussein has executed somewhere in the range of 3m political prisoners. He launched chemical weapons against Assyrians and Kurds in the North. He drained the marshes in the south, which the Shi'ites need to survive, causing a "famine-on-purpose" in the style of what Stalin did to Ukraine in the 30s. Every day in Iraq, 2,500 children die from malnutrition and lack of medicine, because Hussein has been kicking out UN (not US) inspectors for 11 years. Two thousand five hundred children die every day. So do not dare, for one instant, to protest this war on behalf of the Iraqi people. To do so is to spit in the face of the millions of people who yearn for freedom from his regime. Hussein is not Castro.
Uday Hussein, his son, is the head of athletics in Iraq. He owns a football club. For years, whenever they wouldn't perform to expectations, he would bring them to his personal prison and torture them ruthlessly. He maintained a harem of hundreds of women whom he would rape, defile, and murder.
The few hundred Iraqi civilians who may die in the bombing raids are a pittance compared to the millions Hussein has killed as well as the appalling number of children who die every day due to his arms program stubborn-ness. How many more can die so a bunch of addle-brained do-gooders can get on TV waving placards?
It is hypocritical and worse irrational to oppose this war on behalf of the Iraqi people. They don't know the desires of the Iraqi people, or the apalling suffering of the Iraqi people. The only reason to protest the war would be because you are opposed to any and all war, opposed to sending US troops anywhere, ever. In which case kudos to you, I suppose, for returning to the turn-of-the-century style isolationism that indirectly lead to the horrific casualties of World War I and II. The world depends on superpowers to lend coercive power to international regimes.
The best are those signs that say, "No Iraqi Blood for Oil." How about, "No More Iraqi Blood for French Interests," since the French opposed this war solely because they have hundreds of billions of dollars tied up with the Iraqi regime, money they will lose if Hussein is oustered because international regimes stipulate that a nation is not responsible for the debts of a deposed, illegitimate regime. The same goes for the Russians and Germans. The Russians have invested billions in Iraq's nuclear program.
And to answer those who argue that the US is only engendering more hate among out European allies: Whose fault is that? Ours? Bush is an inept, almost moronic leader who angered many when he imposed a steel tariff, pulled out of the Kyoto protocol, and so forth. But in this case, the US is trying to remove an unpopular, ruthless, Stalin-esque dictator and free a nation of people who live every day in terror (see Samir al-Khalil's book "Republic of Fear"). Should we allow him to continue to kill ruthlessly so that the French will like us? Keep in mind that Chirac is a Gaullist, and like a true Gaullist, his opposition to the United States is not predicated on any ideal, but rather on the desire to enhance French prestige--as the "alternative" to the US.
Oh, the protestors are so cute with their "Fuck Bush" signs and slogans and thrift-store clothes and un-informed opinions about international politics. However they are also wrong, dead wrong. There is nothing more painful for people with real experience of the Iraqi regime than to see young kids mugging for television cameras and their peers, waving signs that purport to support the Iraqi people. It is truly painful to see that when the victory of the Iraqi people is so close at hand, a group of pseudo-intellectuals prefer playing pretend--pretending to be politicos--to rejoicing with us and supporting the liberation of a nation of 22 million. Protest this war and you are naive, willfully ignorant, or enraptured by yourself and your "fight for freedom."
Foul; base; cruel; evil; wicked; vain; these are the only words that can describe you.
yours all
*Name removed fearing more harrasment.*
--Please don't protest the war. Support our troops. Hope for its swift end.
War Ousts Sex and Britney in Internet Searches Fri Mar 21,10:44 AM Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) - War toppled sex as the most popular search term among U.K. Web users on Thursday as the conflict in Iraq (news - web sites) captured the attention and apparently lowered libidos of online Britons, top Internet service Freeserve said.
"War was our top search term today, taking over from perennial favorites -- sex, Britney and travel," said Nadia Schofield, a spokeswoman for Freeserve, the U.K.'s largest Internet service provider.
--Gotta love the Internet.
LONDON (Reuters) - War toppled sex as the most popular search term among U.K. Web users on Thursday as the conflict in Iraq (news - web sites) captured the attention and apparently lowered libidos of online Britons, top Internet service Freeserve said.
"War was our top search term today, taking over from perennial favorites -- sex, Britney and travel," said Nadia Schofield, a spokeswoman for Freeserve, the U.K.'s largest Internet service provider.
--Gotta love the Internet.
U.S. Forces Seize Western Iraqi Airfields
WASHINGTON - American forces seized important airfields in western Iraq (news - web sites) as a U.S. Marine became the first combat death while fighting for control of a southern oil field.
The airfields known as H-2 and H-3 in far western Iraq were taken without much resistance from Iraqi troops, defense officials said on condition of anonymity. But they called control of the installations "tentative."
--So far, so good.
WASHINGTON - American forces seized important airfields in western Iraq (news - web sites) as a U.S. Marine became the first combat death while fighting for control of a southern oil field.
The airfields known as H-2 and H-3 in far western Iraq were taken without much resistance from Iraqi troops, defense officials said on condition of anonymity. But they called control of the installations "tentative."
--So far, so good.
War Begins with Bombs in Baghdad By Nadim Ladki
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. bombs and cruise missiles hit Baghdad at dawn on Thursday as the United States launched a war to overthrow Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
Reuters correspondents in the city center heard jets roar overhead, Iraqi anti-aircraft batteries open up and air raid sirens sound about 90 minutes after a U.S. deadline expired.
U.S. officials said it was a limited raid by stealth fighters and cruise missiles, aimed at the Iraqi leadership. An expected mass bombardment had yet to be unleashed, they said.
--Let's all hope its over fast.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. bombs and cruise missiles hit Baghdad at dawn on Thursday as the United States launched a war to overthrow Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
Reuters correspondents in the city center heard jets roar overhead, Iraqi anti-aircraft batteries open up and air raid sirens sound about 90 minutes after a U.S. deadline expired.
U.S. officials said it was a limited raid by stealth fighters and cruise missiles, aimed at the Iraqi leadership. An expected mass bombardment had yet to be unleashed, they said.
--Let's all hope its over fast.
Saddam Lookalike Prospers in California - Tue Mar 18, 8:53 AM By Laura Leslie
SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - As the United States prepares to go to war with Iraq (news - web sites), a man who looks just like Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) proudly wanders the halls of California's state capitol.
Jaded state legislators don't even bat an eye when he appears to drop by their offices.
They know it is actually Jerry Haleva, a savvy political insider with his own lobbying firm, Sergeant Major Communications, and a thriving sideline as Hollywood's favorite double for Saddam Hussein.
--There is a carreer for you!
SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - As the United States prepares to go to war with Iraq (news - web sites), a man who looks just like Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) proudly wanders the halls of California's state capitol.
Jaded state legislators don't even bat an eye when he appears to drop by their offices.
They know it is actually Jerry Haleva, a savvy political insider with his own lobbying firm, Sergeant Major Communications, and a thriving sideline as Hollywood's favorite double for Saddam Hussein.
--There is a carreer for you!
Heightened Alert as Killer Bug Cases Rise By Patricia Reaney
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists worked Monday to identify the cause of a mysterious type of killer pneumonia that has spread from Asia to Canada and Europe via air travel.
Health ministries and airport authorities around the globe were on high alert as Hong Kong's Health Minister Yeoh Eng-kiong announced the number of people infected with the illness there had nearly doubled.
Although he said it was too early to talk of an epidemic, he confirmed that nearly 100 people in Hong Kong, most of them medical staff, had fallen ill.
Hours later Britain reported its first suspected case.
--Remember 12 Monkies...
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists worked Monday to identify the cause of a mysterious type of killer pneumonia that has spread from Asia to Canada and Europe via air travel.
Health ministries and airport authorities around the globe were on high alert as Hong Kong's Health Minister Yeoh Eng-kiong announced the number of people infected with the illness there had nearly doubled.
Although he said it was too early to talk of an epidemic, he confirmed that nearly 100 people in Hong Kong, most of them medical staff, had fallen ill.
Hours later Britain reported its first suspected case.
--Remember 12 Monkies...
Stations Boycott Dixie Chicks Over Remark - Mon Mar 17, 5:26 AM ET By The Associated Press
DALLAS - Natalie Maines (news), lead singer of the Dixie Chicks (news - web sites), is finding out that sometimes saying you're sorry doesn't make much of a difference.
Radio stations nationwide are boycotting the Dixie Chicks, even though Maines publicly apologized for telling a London audience last Monday: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
Maines is a Lubbock native.
In her apology Friday, Maines said: "As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush (news - web sites) because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect."
The words didn't carry much weight with listeners in Maines' home state and elsewhere.
--What the hell was she thinking?
DALLAS - Natalie Maines (news), lead singer of the Dixie Chicks (news - web sites), is finding out that sometimes saying you're sorry doesn't make much of a difference.
Radio stations nationwide are boycotting the Dixie Chicks, even though Maines publicly apologized for telling a London audience last Monday: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
Maines is a Lubbock native.
In her apology Friday, Maines said: "As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush (news - web sites) because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect."
The words didn't carry much weight with listeners in Maines' home state and elsewhere.
--What the hell was she thinking?
Mountain Covers Its 'Nipple' Thu Mar 13, 8:58 AM
ALTA, Wyo. - Pressure from uncomfortable skiers and other tourists has prompted the Grand Targhee Ski and Summer Resort to cover the second half of the name of one of its mountains.
Mary's Nipple is now just Mary's, and signs with the word "nipple" have been covered with tape. New signs were to arrive in about two weeks.
But the covered signs have rankled some local skiers, who feel a bit of their history has been lost.
--Political Correctness sucks.
ALTA, Wyo. - Pressure from uncomfortable skiers and other tourists has prompted the Grand Targhee Ski and Summer Resort to cover the second half of the name of one of its mountains.
Mary's Nipple is now just Mary's, and signs with the word "nipple" have been covered with tape. New signs were to arrive in about two weeks.
But the covered signs have rankled some local skiers, who feel a bit of their history has been lost.
--Political Correctness sucks.
Study: Spell-Check Can Make Writing Worse By CHARLES SHEEHAN, Associated Press Writer
PITTSBURGH - How might you drag a good writer's work down to the level of a lesser scribe? Try the spell-check button.
A study at the University of Pittsburgh indicates spell-check software may level the playing field between people with differing levels of language skills, hampering the work of writers and editors who place too much trust in the software.
--More proof of the Dark Evil of Microsoft.
PITTSBURGH - How might you drag a good writer's work down to the level of a lesser scribe? Try the spell-check button.
A study at the University of Pittsburgh indicates spell-check software may level the playing field between people with differing levels of language skills, hampering the work of writers and editors who place too much trust in the software.
--More proof of the Dark Evil of Microsoft.
Cosmetic Breast Implants Linked to Suicide Risk - Thu Mar 6, 6:14 PM By Patricia Reaney
LONDON (Reuters) - Women who opt for breast implants to enhance their natural assets are more likely to commit suicide, Dutch and Swedish scientists said on Thursday.
--What Einstein figured this out? Sheesh, women with low self esteem get breast implants. Women with High self esteem don't kill themselves. Do the math...
LONDON (Reuters) - Women who opt for breast implants to enhance their natural assets are more likely to commit suicide, Dutch and Swedish scientists said on Thursday.
--What Einstein figured this out? Sheesh, women with low self esteem get breast implants. Women with High self esteem don't kill themselves. Do the math...
Crunch! Giant Chee-to spurs online frenzy, Small Iowa town to put it on display - By Jeordan Legon CNN Thursday, March 6, 2003
If you love cheese, this is the Chee-to for you. It's beyond dangerously cheesy.
-- Kevin Cogan, Frito-Lay
(CNN) -- It's believed to be the largest Chee-to in the world. The cheesy glob of fried cornmeal that Navy Petty Officer Mike Evans found last week in a bag of the snacks is about the size of a small lemon and weighs in at about half an ounce.
Evans, 41, a fervent user of online auctions, posted his find on eBay. He never expected the flurry of attention that followed.
Radio stations from around the country interviewed Evans, a Gulf War veteran stationed in Pearl Harbor who patiently explained that he bought the bag of Chee-tos for his 3-year-old son. Giant Chee-to T-shirts and Chee-to puppet auctions sprung up online. And pranksters bid up the Chee-to into the millions of dollars -- so much that eBay cancelled the sale and a frustrated Evans donated the Chee-to to a good cause: a sleepy farming community in Iowa.
"I was absolutely astounded that something like a Chee-to could become a pop icon," said Evans. "It's international. I've even seen it online on a Russian site."
--This was the lead story on CNN Technology. You gotta love eBay!
If you love cheese, this is the Chee-to for you. It's beyond dangerously cheesy.
-- Kevin Cogan, Frito-Lay
(CNN) -- It's believed to be the largest Chee-to in the world. The cheesy glob of fried cornmeal that Navy Petty Officer Mike Evans found last week in a bag of the snacks is about the size of a small lemon and weighs in at about half an ounce.
Evans, 41, a fervent user of online auctions, posted his find on eBay. He never expected the flurry of attention that followed.
Radio stations from around the country interviewed Evans, a Gulf War veteran stationed in Pearl Harbor who patiently explained that he bought the bag of Chee-tos for his 3-year-old son. Giant Chee-to T-shirts and Chee-to puppet auctions sprung up online. And pranksters bid up the Chee-to into the millions of dollars -- so much that eBay cancelled the sale and a frustrated Evans donated the Chee-to to a good cause: a sleepy farming community in Iowa.
"I was absolutely astounded that something like a Chee-to could become a pop icon," said Evans. "It's international. I've even seen it online on a Russian site."
--This was the lead story on CNN Technology. You gotta love eBay!
More Jackson Weirdness Tue Mar 4, 6:33 PM ET - AP Music
NEW YORK - Michael Jackson paid a witch doctor to place a curse on DreamWorks partners David Geffen and Steven Spielberg, and wears a prosthetic tip on his nose, claims an article in Vanity Fair magazine.
Jackson allegedly paid a witch doctor $150,000 in 2000 to put a hex on several Hollywood figures. Spielberg was allegedly included because he did not allow him to star as Peter Pan in "Hook." He blamed Geffen for sabotaging his career, the magazine said.
--UFB. Just when you this its gotten as weird out there as it can get... UFB...
NEW YORK - Michael Jackson paid a witch doctor to place a curse on DreamWorks partners David Geffen and Steven Spielberg, and wears a prosthetic tip on his nose, claims an article in Vanity Fair magazine.
Jackson allegedly paid a witch doctor $150,000 in 2000 to put a hex on several Hollywood figures. Spielberg was allegedly included because he did not allow him to star as Peter Pan in "Hook." He blamed Geffen for sabotaging his career, the magazine said.
--UFB. Just when you this its gotten as weird out there as it can get... UFB...
War Fears Delay "Mad Max"- Fri Feb 28, 1:45 PM By Josh Grossberg
The war in Iraq (news - web sites) hasn't even started but there's already one major casualty: Mad Max.
The prospect of imminent military action has forced writer-director George Miller to indefinitely delay filming on the highly anticipated fourth installment in his Mel Gibson-driven post-apocalyptic franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road, according to Daily Variety.
--Now Iraq has REALLY pissed me off!!
Suspected 9/11 Mastermind Handed to U.S. - Sun Mar 2, 3:23 AM ET By KATHY GANNON, Associated Press Writer
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - U.S. authorities have taken the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks out of Pakistan to an undisclosed location after capturing him in a joint raid by CIA and Pakistani agents, a senior government official said Sunday.
--Put your hands up, you bitch!
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - U.S. authorities have taken the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks out of Pakistan to an undisclosed location after capturing him in a joint raid by CIA and Pakistani agents, a senior government official said Sunday.
--Put your hands up, you bitch!
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