July 28 2003 -
Crunch time - From The
Economist Global Agenda, America is stationing more than 2,000 marines
off the coast of Liberia, where rebel and government troops are battling
for control of the capital city. This half-measure will not stop the
fighting... President George Bush has repeatedly voiced concern for
the plight of Liberia, which is in the fourth year of its latest civil
war. So far, however, America’s efforts to help have been half-hearted.
A contingent of marines is guarding the embassy in Monrovia, and Mr.
Bush last week dispatched over 2,000 more marines to anchor off the
Liberian coast. Their mission, he said, would be to support West African
peacekeepers (who have not yet arrived). This is far from the few
thousand American peacekeepers on the ground that refugees crowding into
Monrovia had hoped for...
July 31 2003 -
The Terminator for governor, is it the
dreaded ‘End of Days’? -
What if Schwarzenegger sees recall election as ‘T3’ sequel?
COMMENTARY By Jim Washburn, SPECIAL TO
MSNBC.COM, LOS ANGELES — What is
Arnold Schwarzenegger up to in his
latest effort? Is he coming to save
humanity this time, or to crush it under
his heel? That’s what California voters
have to wonder, now that the Terminator
has heaved his hat into the ring. He
told Esquire magazine, “Yes, I would
love to be governor of California. ...
If the state needs me, and if there’s no
one I think is better, then I will run.”
Like there’s someone better than Arnold?
Apparently he doesn’t think so since he
announced his candidacy on Wednesday...
July 24 2003 -
Uday and Qusay Saddam Hussein -
From The Economist print edition, Uday
Saddam Hussein, aged 39, and his brother
Qusay, 37, died on July 22nd, WHEN
Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq
in 1979, his elder son Uday was 15 and
his second son Qusay was 13. According
to Uday, the two boys were ordered by
their father to watch the execution of
several dozen government officials
accused of being disloyal to the regime.
Uday said that he killed a number of the
officials himself. If the father is
eventually captured and survives to
reminisce about his past life, as
sometimes happens even to dictators, he
may explain why he exposed his sons to
this dreadful sight. But, lacking that
personal account, it is reasonable to
speculate that he wanted to blood them.
This was the reality of life in Iraq
from now on, he was saying. By tooth and
claw, the father had gained power, and
all the advantages that went with it,
and to hold on to it there should be no
room for sentiment. Of the dictators who
abounded in the 20th century, the one Mr
Hussein most admired was Stalin, who was
totally ruthless, achieved a kind of
divine status and died in his own bed...
July 08 2003 -
Judge throws out Internet copyright suit
- The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles
— The distributor of the Kazaa software
for sharing songs, movies and other
files on-line cannot pursue an antitrust
lawsuit against major recording labels
and movie studios, a U.S. federal judge
has ruled...
July 17 2003 -
Senator Seeks to Stop Fat Suit Feeding
Frenzy - Reuters to My
Yahoo!, By Joanne Kenen, WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - A top Senate Republican
tried to head off a potential wave of
lawsuits against purveyors of high-fat
foods on Thursday with a bill to protect
the food industry from suits alleging
they cause obesity...
July 13 2003 -
Man wakes after 19 years in coma -
Coma victim Terry Wallis talks with his
mother, Angelee Wallis, at Stone County
Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on
Wednesday in Mountain View, Ark.
ASSOCIATED PRESS, MSNBC, MOUNTAIN VIEW,
Ark., The words began tumbling out —
at first just a few nouns and eventually a
torrent of phrases. Terry Wallis, who had
been in a coma since a 1984 car accident,
regained consciousness last month to the
surprise of doctors and the delight of his
family, including his mother, who heard
his first word in 19 years...
