] Two camps have formed regarding whether military action
] should be taken against Saddam Hussein. The United States
] and Britain are strong advocates for military action,
] while Russia, China, Germany and France are seeking
] alternative solutions to the issue.
]
] This split is apparent in the United Nations. The United
] States and Britain have been pushing for a UN resolution
] calling for military force if Iraq refuses the return of
] weapon inspectors into the country. Russia, France, China
] and many Arab states have opposed such a resolution.

Further on in the article, it is noted that the Iraqi governemnt is indebted to the countries of France, Russia, and many of the Arab states.

Things that make you go "Hmmmm."

Mapleleafweb.com: Spotlight - Canada and the War Against Iraq - World Perspectives

] Almost ten years ago, in 1994, David Burkhead, myself,
] and a mismatched crew of science-fiction writers, model
] rocketeers, and techno-junkies started a project to
] design a home-built suborbital rocket. We called it
] SpaceCub The idea of SpaceCub was sparked by the (then
] recent) success of the tail-landing DC-X rocket, and
] fueled by the thought, wow, wouldn't it be cool to have
] one of those to fly around in The key insight that gave
] the project momentum was the realization that, while
] everybody wants to go to orbit, it would not be nearly as
] hard to design a vehicle to fly to the edge of space
] (defined as 50 miles or 100 kilometers, depending on
] who's doing the definition). That task would be
] relatively simple, compared to the difficult challenge of
] getting into orbit-in fact, it might even be in the range
] of something you could build in your garage.

Remembering SpaceCub

Jeremy wrote:
] What do they hope to gain by this? It seems likely to
] encourage private full-text archival of NYT articles, rather
] than on-demand online retrieval. Some may be dissuaded from
] linking to NYT at all, given the short fuse, and migrate to
] other publications that don't have a similar policy.

Personally I use my local library's proxy server to access the full text of NY Times free of charge(*).

-andy

** -- Paid for by my taxes, already.

RE: NYT Archive Disappears from the Net

] Over the last two weeks, nobody has been paying much
] attention to economic news; even the ups and downs of the
] Dow have reflected reports from the battlefield, not the
] boardroom. But the economic news is quite worrying.
] Indeed, the latest readings suggest that our recovery,
] such as it is, may be stalling.
]
] Actually, the recovery can't officially stall since it
] hasn't officially begun: the committee that rules on such
] matters still hasn't declared the recession that began in
] March 2001 over. There are good reasons for the
] committee's hesitation: while G.D.P. started growing in
] late 2001, the job situation -- which is what matters
] to most people -- has more or less steadily worsened.
] In particular, fewer people are working now than were
] employed a year ago. Since the working-age population
] continues to rise, jobs have become steadily harder to
] find.

Gun, Germs and Stall?

] President Bush on Friday gave health
] officials authority to quarantine Americans sick with the
] highly contagious new mystery illness.
]
] Health officials have no immediate plans to use the new
] powers in fighting severe acute respiratory syndrome, or
] SARS.
]
] In an executive order signed Friday, Bush added SARS to
] the list of diseases for which health authorities have
] authority to involuntarily quarantine Americans.
]
] It's the first time a new disease has been added to the
] list in two decades.

President OKs Quarantine Authority for SARS

] "I want ___, Give it to me ___, Buy me ___" seem to be
] the constant demand of some children. Some children feel
] owed or entitled to get their way. While it is normal for
] a child to ask for what he wants, some children are
] overly demanding and needy. They have not learned to
] balance taking from others with giving; they view other
] people as existing merely to give to them.

Too often we see this syndrome in the Internet Era where persons had something "for free" and then are upset when the company offering it for free now wants to start charging for a non-base level of service.

Or when a game changes its rules for the better, others perceive it as strictly aimed at their own enjoyment and are sure they are being persecuted , and that the game owners owe them better treatment.

Arrrrrrrrrrgh.

For Teachers: You Owe Me! Children of Entitlement

] EUPHRATES 'POISONED'
]
]
] US Marines found cyanide and mustard agents in high
] concentrations in the Euphrates River near Nassiriya in
] Iraq, television network MSNBC has reported.
]
] The network said a briefing from Marine officials was its
] source for the information.
]
] The agents were found during routine tests conducted to
] ensure the water being used is safe, MSNBC said.
]
] Neither Centcom officials in Qatar nor US military
] officials in Iraq have confirmed the MSNBC report.

And a previous story, already reported here,

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1086327,00.html

] IRAQ'S CHILLING WARNING

] Hundreds of US troops have been drafted in to reinforce Baghdad
] airport after Iraq warned it will take unconventional action
] against them tonight.
]
] Saddam Hussein's information minister said: "Tonight we will
] carry out something that is non-conventional against them, not
] military. It will be a great example to them."

Headline news from Sky News - Witness the event

] Top government and Blue House officials will travel to
] the United States this month as part of a concerted
] diplomatic effort aimed at addressing North Korea's
] nuclear capability and the local economy.
]
] The policymakers will deal with pressing economic issues,
] such as the countervailing tariff on Hynix Semiconductor
] Inc. and credit-rating agencies' move to lower
] Korea's sovereign debt rating.
]
] They will also prepare for President Roh Moo-hyun's
] first-ever visit to the United States, which is slated
] for May.

Seoul's diplomacy aims at U.S. fears

] Women who suffer the misery of migraines at the time of
] their period could be helped by a new treatment,
] according to a study.
]
] The disabling headaches can be prevented by taking a new
] drug before menstruation, a US trial suggests.

The drug is already available for prescription here in the US.

Monthly migraines 'preventable'

] Cut heart attacks in half! Ban smoking in bars and
] restaurants!
]
] This is the latest come-on from the busybodies who want
] to banish smoking from private businesses. The claim,
] which has been credulously repeated by the news media, is
] based on a study of heart attacks in Helena, Montana,
] during the six months after a smoking ban took effect.

However, the study really doesn't support the findings.

Cut heart attacks in half! NOT.