Religions > Atheism > OT: They're broken men, so don't let them take us to a new war
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"maff" |
| Date: |
28 Jan 2007 05:48:39 AM |
| Object: |
OT: They're broken men, so don't let them take us to a new war |
They're broken men, so don't let them take us to a new war
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2000375,00.html
Presidents Bush and Ahmadinejad have lost face at home; now others=20
must forge peaceful settlements in the Middle East
Henry Porter
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
There is a striking likeness in the expressions of George W Bush and=20
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran as they confront each other over the=20
issues of uranium enrichment and dominance in the Middle East. It=20
falls somewhere between the chastened and defiant playground bully.
This is unsurprising: though not political equivalents, the two are=20
really quite similar. Both had little experience of government or=20
international affairs before being carried to power on a tide of=20
populist, religious conservatism. Neither travelled abroad much, but=20
they both had certain views about the world and the destiny of their=20
nations. They had all the answers, yet there was also a dangerous lack=20
of seriousness in them which has now earned them both the scorn of=20
their people and rebuffs from their elders.
Why Africa now relies on Leo, not Tony
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2000323,00.html
Hollywood's popcorn politics is doing more good for the continent than=20
all the talk and good intentions coming from the world leaders=20
gathered in Davos
Mary Riddell
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
I once went for dinner at the British embassy in Khartoum. The walls=20
were hung with oil paintings, the gin was iced and the velvety=20
interior suggested a Belgravia drawing room. Not far away, women held=20
bone-thin babies who would die soon. Our then ambassador to Sudan knew=20
little of such scenes. He did not seem to get out much. No doubt=20
communications have improved.
No one need to move far now to witness desolation. Hollywood loves=20
Africa and almost every multiplex in Britain this weekend is showing=20
one or more lament on civil war. Blood Diamond and The Last King of=20
Scotland, the two latest examples, have gathered Oscar nominations and=20
plaudits for their assault on Western consciences. Both also carry an=20
unmeant subtext of exploitation.
America's gift to the deserving poor
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2000376,00.html
Cristina Odone
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
Americans are thronging to see The Pursuit of Happyness, which stars=20
Will Smith as a poverty-stricken single father who brings up his son=20
and ultimately makes his fortune. This is Hollywood as the American=20
dream machine and critics and pundits have put down the film's success=20
to the nation's desperate need, in the era of Bush and Iraq, for a=20
reminder that in America, true grit and true love trump life's=20
obstacles.
What sort of boss gives a monkey's about his staff?
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2000112,00.html
Simon Caulkin
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
It's all very well going green, but some companies seem keener about=20
that than they are about their employees. A survey by management=20
consultancy Hudson found that three-quarters of senior executives=20
would do an annual cull of their workforce to boost productivity and=20
performance. One in six think they could get rid of 20 per cent of=20
employees without damaging performance or morale; nearly half reckon=20
firing up to 5 per cent a year would be a good thing.
Wikipedia, you are the strongest link
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1999649,00.html
John Naughton examines the loop between Wikipedia and the major search=20
engines and asks whether the encyclopedia is now as dominant as=20
Google
Sunday January 28, 2007
Observer.co.uk
There are two kinds of people in the world - those who think Wikipedia=20
is amazing, wonderful, or inspiring; and those who simply cannot=20
understand how a reference work compiled by thousands of=20
'amateurs' (and capable of being edited by any Tom, ***** or Harry)=20
should be taken seriously. Brisk, vigorous and enjoyable arguments=20
rage between these two camps, and provide useful diversion on long=20
winter evenings.
What's more interesting is the way Wikipedia entries have risen in=20
Google's page-ranking system so that the results of many searches now=20
include a Wikipedia page in the first few hits. There are several=20
reasons for this. One is the sheer size and comprehensiveness of the=20
online encyclopedia (1.6m articles in English when I last checked).=20
Another is the burgeoning trend whereby bloggers, when mentioning a=20
person, place or product, link to the relevant page in Wikipedia to=20
avoid a digression from their discourse. They use Wikipedia links, in=20
other words, as footnotes. A third is that fact that if you add the=20
work 'wiki' to any Google search, you will be given the URL of an=20
apparently relevant page from Wikipedia.
11th-hour bid to halt Iraq war revelations
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,2000444,00.html
Foreign Office says envoy's book 'risks damaging morale'
Jamie Doward, home affairs editor
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
The foreign office has made a last-ditch attempt to stop one of its=20
former senior diplomats from publishing a book claiming that the=20
government knew that Iraq did not represent a significant threat to=20
the West in the run-up to the Iraq war.
Last night Carne Ross, who was a member of the British mission to the=20
United Nations, declined to comment on a letter asking him to=20
'reconsider' his decision to publish his book, Independent Diplomat,=20
other than to describe it as 'unpleasant'.
Nuclear plans in chaos as Iran leader flounders
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2000303,00.html
Boasts of a nuclear programme are just propaganda, say insiders, but=20
the PR could be enough to provoke Israel into war
Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
Iran's efforts to produce highly enriched uranium, the material used=20
to make nuclear bombs, are in chaos and the country is still years=20
from mastering the required technology.
Iran's uranium enrichment programme has been plagued by constant=20
technical problems, lack of access to outside technology and knowhow,=20
and a failure to master the complex production-engineering processes=20
involved. The country denies developing weapons, saying its pursuit of=20
uranium enrichment is for energy purposes.
Jolie to film the cult 'bible of selfishness'
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2000313,00.html
Actress tackles daunting epic by controversial author who counted=20
Reagan among her fans
Paul Harris in New York
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
Ayn Rand is one of the most controversial writers in modern American=20
literature, known for her tireless advocacy of the right to=20
selfishness and her hatred of big government. She has been derided and=20
loved in equal measure and her books have sold millions of copies,=20
attracting followers as diverse as banker Alan Greenspan, President=20
Ronald Reagan and architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Her most famous book, Atlas Shrugged, has long been a target of=20
Hollywood producers and attracted such big names as Faye Dunaway,=20
Raquel Welch and Sharon Stone. But each project collapsed in the face=20
of turning a 1,200-page philosophical novel into a watchable movie.
Internet giants bow to human rights protests
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2000524,00.html
David Smith
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
Campaigners for freedom of speech on the internet have hailed a major=20
breakthrough after Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! agreed to join a=20
working group to draw up a code of conduct for protecting human rights=20
online.
Leading IT companies have been criticised for colluding with=20
governments, such as China, Iran and Vietnam, that censor websites and=20
persecute or jail bloggers. Amnesty International has highlighted the=20
issue through irrepressible.info, a joint campaign with The Observer=20
which has now received more than 60,000 pledges of support.
Evangelists of 'slow travel' hurry to spread their gospel
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2000543,00.html
Read Ed Gillespie's blog here
Juliette Jowit, transport editor
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
When Ed Gillespie sets off on his round-the-world trip in March, he=20
will do things differently from most travellers, starting with not=20
rushing to the airport. In fact, he is determined not to rush anywhere=20
at all. Like a small but growing group of people, he plans to=20
circumnavigate the globe as a 'slow traveller'.
For the most part, slow travel involves swapping fast but polluting=20
planes for trains, buses, cargo ships, bicycles - anything but flying.=20
It has deliberate echoes of the slow food movement, the antidote to=20
fast food. Although it does have an environmental impact, followers of=20
slow travel say it is also about 'luxuriating' in the experience of=20
the journey.
Is Nick Cohen right about the left? His critics reply
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2000179,00.html
Last week, we printed an extract from Nick Cohen's provocative new=20
book, What's Left?, a searing account of how the British liberal-left=20
has lost its way and, in the process, turned a blind eye to Islamic=20
fascism. Cohen's piece sparked a huge response both online and in=20
print. Here, Peter Oborne, the distinguished commentator and author,=20
reviews the book, and other political thinkers have their say
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
Nick Cohen attacks many enemies in this book, and he believes they are=20
very bad indeed. They include: Amnesty International, Harold Pinter,=20
Noam Chomsky, the Comment pages of the Guardian, the London Review of=20
Books, Robert Fisk, George Galloway, the Socialist Workers Party,=20
Edward Said, the anti-war coalition and (for reasons I could not=20
fathom) Virginia Woolf.
With the exception of Virginia Woolf, the above are accused of a=20
grand, historic betrayal of the values of the left. Cohen insists they=20
have surrendered to fascism. He holds that this betrayal is more=20
profound and historically significant than the one committed by the=20
left-wing intellectuals (among them Eric Hobsbawn and Raymond=20
Williams) who apologised for the Nazi-Soviet pact in 1939.
China - a tiger without teeth
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2000075,00.html
Can the world's newest superpower sustain itself? Will Hutton's The=20
Writing on the Wall gives a resounding 'no'
Chris Brown
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
The Writing on the Wall: China and the West in the 21st Century
by Will Hutton
Little, Brown =A320, pp431
Everyone agrees that China is the great economic success story of the=20
past decade and that adapting to its rise will pose a challenge to the=20
political, economic and even moral bases of the current international=20
order. Whether a successful China behaves like Bambi or Godzilla -=20
Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer's happy formulation (his=20
money is on Godzilla) - it will have an impact on the security=20
architecture of Asia and the Far East, on the global economic system,=20
on competition for scarce resources and on less material factors such=20
as the global promotion of human rights.
Bush defiant in face of anti-war demonstrations
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2192973.ece
White House increasingly isolated as even the Republicans join=20
condemnation of 'surge'
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
Published: 28 January 2007
As thousands of demonstrators protested against the Iraq war outside=20
the Capitol yesterday, top Congressional Republicans have warned=20
President George Bush that his controversial troop increase has a few=20
months at the very most to show results.
The threat that his own party will turn against him is the clearest=20
sign yet of the intensifying pressure on Mr Bush after the cool=20
reaction to his State of the Union plea to lawmakers to "give a=20
chance" to his plan to send 21,500 more troops to Baghdad and al-Anbar=20
province, seat of the Sunni insurgency.
US plea to Britain: 'Don't abandon main Iraq base'
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article2192966.ece
By Raymond Whitaker
Published: 28 January 2007
The US is urging Britain to reconsider plans to close its main base in=20
southern Iraq.
Since the 2003 invasion, the largest part of Britain's 7,100-strong=20
force has been stationed at the Shaibah logistics base, in the desert=20
south of Basra. The base is due to be closed within weeks as Britain=20
prepares to slim down its Iraq commitment, with the main centre of=20
operations bring transferred to Basra air station, on the outskirts of=20
the city.
Oliver James: The sickest show on TV?
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2192889.ece
Deserving cases beg for money, humiliated by a bunch of image-
conscious whizz kids... Can television stoop any lower
Published: 28 January 2007
Never mind Celebrity Big Brother, if you want a programme that=20
epitomises the ethical and existential bankruptcy of both British TV=20
and our political economy, watch Fortune on ITV.
Five "judges" are propositioned by a series of contestants to give=20
them money. The series pledges to give away =A31m, although it's not=20
completely clear whether the money comes out of the judges' pockets=20
ITV's.
Tottering on the brink
Ann Pettifor
January 28, 2007 11:30 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ann_pettifor/2007/01/
braving_the_remote_regions_of.html
All last week doughty reporters from the UK broadcaster ITV braved the=20
icy remoteness of the South Pole to bring home to us the truth about=20
the role of fossil fuel emissions in melting that continent. Few=20
journalists have shown similar bravery by venturing into the equally=20
remote and secretive world of High Finance. But Gillian Tett, a=20
Financial Times journalist systematically tracking the activities of=20
hedge funds and the credit derivatives industry, last week related a=20
scary story.
It's the story of everyday life in the world of Haute Finance. Giant=20
Ponzi schemes are being built on a narrow base of real money, and huge=20
sums of borrowed money. The inherent instability of these schemes=20
means that the threat of financial meltdown is comparable to the=20
threat posed by the melting Arctic.
Davos 07: Blair, over and out
Julian Glover
January 27, 2007 08:28 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/julian_glover/2007/01/
post_1007.html
They love Tony Blair in Davos, and he loves them, promising to return=20
as an ex-prime minister after giving his last speech here in office.=20
It was a typical Blair address, all sweeping global vision, marred=20
only by his failure to mention Iraq, except once in passing and then=20
in a misleading manner.
As a performer Blair surpasses everyone who has come to this summit=20
apart from Bono. He brought humour, sucked up by his audience after a=20
week of portentous speechifying as a crop would welcome rain at the=20
end of a drought. But he also brought serious points.
What did we achieve?
Sasha Simic
January 27, 2007 07:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sasha_simic/2007/01/post_1008.html
The seventh World Social Forum closed with a 30 km semi-marathon from=20
the Korogocho slums to Uhuru Park in which 20,000 took part.
Ironically, even as the WSF closing ceremony was under way, neo-
liberalism brought misery to lives of 6,500 workers at Telkom Kenya.=20
The state-owned firm is being privatised later this year and the lay-
offs are in preparation for its transfer to private hands. The first=20
phase of this "re-structuring" began last May when 3,000 employees=20
aged 50 and over were "retired". Yesterday saw the process continue in=20
the biggest single layoff which the government of President Kibaki has=20
attempted. Workers were reported to have wept as they cleared their=20
desks.
Squatting, and all that jazz
Angela Phillips
January 27, 2007 06:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/angela_phillips/2007/01/
vortex_occupied_12.html
The building doesn't smell of damp, patchouli or marijuana, and there=20
is a young man yacking away on a mobile phone but otherwise it could=20
be the 1970s. Squatters have occupied the old building that used to=20
house the Vortex jazz bar in Stoke Newington Church Street, North=20
London, and want to make it a social centre for "the community".
I get the impression that these young people don't know that the=20
community who really mourn the loss of the Vortex are mostly 50-
something white professionals who just might not feel the same level=20
of affection for the kind of community centre the squatters have in=20
mind.
Davos 07: back in the USSR
Julian Glover
January 27, 2007 05:11 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/julian_glover/2007/01/
davos_07_back_in_the_ussr.html
The American Dream - or at least the session discussing it - was=20
cancelled this morning and, with a heavy blizzard outside, Davos took=20
on a Russian aspect, a touch of cold war as one of President Putin's=20
most powerful men praised the USSR.
Dimitry Medvedev, the first deputy prime minister, did not celebrate=20
the arms race of the 1980s. But he made it clear he wants Russia to=20
regain some of its global swagger - this time through capitalism, not=20
communism.
Rabbit in the headlights
Seth Freedman
January 27, 2007 02:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2007/01/
rabbit_in_the_headlights.html
Sometimes it's hard to be Israeli. There are those who think the Arab=20
world wants to kill us all, there are those who think that Europe=20
unfairly singles us out for harsh criticism, there are those who think=20
that, apart from America, we don't have a single friend out there at=20
all. Then there're those - like me - who think we deserve all we get.
As I sat on the ruins of yet another demolished house in the tragic=20
village of al-Nu'eman yesterday, I wondered why we think we merit any=20
kind of sympathy at all.
We shall not be moved
Ismail Patel
January 27, 2007 12:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ismail_patel/2007/01/post_979.html
Tate Britain has entered the debate over the Iraq war by exhibiting=20
placards, postcards and banners that were assembled by Brian Haw in=20
Parliament Square, opposite the House of Commons.
Mr Haw, a devout Christian, began his round-the-clock protest in the=20
summer of 2001 following economic sanctions against Iraq. He continues=20
to this day. The placards he assembled began to occupy the length of=20
Parliament Square and became more than an eyesore for the government.=20
Attempts to evict Mr Haw and remove his visual demonstration failed=20
and many believe the government took the drastic measure of passing=20
legislation banning unauthorised demonstration within a square=20
kilometre of the parliament building, in principle to silence Mr Haw.
Recalling why we remember
David Cesarani
January 27, 2007 11:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/david_cesarani/2007/01/
recalling_why_we_remember.html
What is the point of Holocaust Memorial Day?
Last week, a YouGov poll showed that 28% of 18-29-year-olds were not=20
sure the Holocaust happened. Swathes of the public remain uninformed=20
about the Nazi persecution and genocide of the Jews. Not to mention=20
ignorance about the genocides the Nazis perpetrated on the Roma and=20
Russians or the racial-biological policies that condemned hundreds of=20
thousands of the severely disabled to death under the guise of=20
"euthanasia".
Europe's distant mirror
Dominique Moisi
January 27, 2007 10:30 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/dominique_moisi/2007/01/
europes_distant_mirror.html
It is tempting for Europeans to project their own history onto Asia=20
and to view current developments there as a mere repetition, if not an=20
imitation, of what occurred in Europe. In fact, Asians themselves=20
encourage this temptation, with the Association of Southeast Asian=20
Nations (ASEAN) openly aiming to become increasingly like the European=20
Union.
In trying to decipher Asia's diplomatic future, Europeans are=20
confronted, so to speak, with an "embarrassment of riches." Is Asia=20
today replaying the balance of power games of late 19th century=20
Europe, with China in the role of Germany? Or is South Asia, through=20
the growth of ASEAN, poised to one day become the far eastern=20
equivalent of the EU?
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