Obviously the WHO thought we lacked things to worry about.

From this Sunday's NY Times (free registration required):
As a mysterious respiratory illness spread to more countries, the World Health Organization yesterday issued a rare health alert, declaring the ailment "a worldwide health threat" and urging all countries to help in seeking its cause and control.

The agency said that in the last week it had received reports of more than 150 new suspected cases of the illness, now known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. The syndrome has caused at least nine deaths, the last one a nurse in Hanoi. Some victims have recovered but no one has been up, around and healthy in the past two weeks.. It apparently does not respond to antiviral and antibiotic drugs.
posted by Biggie at 8:34 PM

Now, in death as in life, Fares joins 12-year-old Mohammed al-Durra, who was killed in his father’s arms on Sept. 30, as another heartbreaking symbol of the al-Aqsa intifada.

posted by Biggie at 1:06 PM

Maybe if all the cities pass resolutions opposing the war against Iraq, the terrorsts will have to attack something boring like a national park.

posted by Biggie at 2:22 PM

posted by Biggie at 2:01 PM

Continuing in the Asian vein...

	The 10th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China is large (2,989 deputies -- that's one rep per 400 thousand vs. one per 625 thousand in the US House of Representatives) and in charge.
The People's Daily had this to say about the USA and its plans for world hegemony:

In a short space of 200-odd years' time, the United States has developed from a small colony into a peerless empire of today, the reasons for this are: besides the fact that the country enjoys perennial relative political stability, continuing scientific and technological innovations and new achievements in economic development, but an important reason for this is, without doubt, its constant external expansions.

After the "September 11" incident, the theory on establishing the American century or a new empire has acquired a bigger market. Exponents of this theory hold that establishing an American empire is an unavoidable duty for the United States.

In order to serve commercial capital, the fatalism believed in by British puritans was brought to the United States and has been taken deep root in the hearts of the Americans with the passage of time, becoming an important component of their ideology. People outside the United States invariably criticize the United States for expanding its national interests under the banner of morality.

When the first group of colonialists arrived in the America by the boat, the "Flower of May", they declared in the "Contract of the Flower of May" that their aim to come to the America was to "carry forward their belief in the Jesus Christ".

posted by Biggie at 1:46 PM

vs.

I hope you'll forgive me the cheap shots, but this guy is a a little kooky:

"Here's a guy who is very concerned about his physical stature, among other things," says Dr. Jerold Post, a former CIA psychologist who now heads the Political Psychology program at George Washington University. "He's 5-foot-2 and wears four-inch lifts in his shoes."

Dr. Post, in his study of the Korean dictator, says Kim Jong Il also loves to drink a certain Hennessey cognac that sells for $630 a bottle in Korea. "He is the largest customer over the last 10 years, averaging between $650,000 and $720,000 a year in purchases -- while the average [North] Korean earns only about $900 a year."
posted by Biggie at 1:44 PM

Remember when the French liked America?

It is proposed to examine in the following chapter what is the form of government established in America... The first difficulty which presents itself arises from the complex nature of the constitution of the United States, which consists of two distinct social structures, connected and, as it were, encased one within the other; two governments, completely separate and almost independent, the one fulfilling the ordinary duties and responding to the daily and indefinite calls of a community, the other circumscribed within certain limits, and only exercising an exceptional authority over the general interests of the country. In short, there are twenty-four small sovereign nations, whose agglomeration constitutes the body of the Union.
(Volume I, chapter 5)

Not quite the way it is today. I wonder what Alexis would think of these guys.

Maybe they have a chance after all.
posted by Biggie at 8:54 AM

So this thing's going to be ugly. How ugly?
posted by Biggie at 8:36 AM

NASA is trying to steal Jupiter's oil:

"High-energy electrons that hit Jupiter's atmosphere not only cause auroras, but also break apart methane (CH4), which is more abundant on Jupiter than it is on Earth," says West. "Fragments of methane molecules combine with ambient hydrogen to form acetylene C2H2. That's the basic building block. Acetylene combines with other carbon- and hydrogen-containing molecules to build even more complex molecules, which eventually condense into dark droplets."
posted by Biggie at 1:52 PM

For the year 2001, in a supposedly rotten economy, charitable contributions in the United States totalled $212 billion. This does not count the value (estimated at $256.4 billion) of tens of billions of hours volunteered. It also doesn't include the "charity" which we're compelled to give, including $432 billion in social security (OASDI), to Warren Buffet.

The medieval philosopher Maimonides ranked eight levels of tzedakah. ("Tzedakah" literally means "justice" in Hebrew. It has the common meaning of "charity" in English.)

1. Giving begrudgingly
   
2. Giving less than you should, but giving it cheerfully.
   
3. Giving after being asked
   
4. Giving before being asked
   
5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity
   
6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient does not know your identity
   
7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity
   
8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant
   

In Islam, giving zakat is one of the Five Pillars.

The word charity in English derives from the Latin for "affection" and in the Vulgate was often used as a translation for the Greek agape (love).

Stop your whining and do something constructive.
posted by Biggie at 9:35 AM

This week's quotes:

"I guess I'm tired of being force-fed compassion by the same news outlets who, instead of providing intelligent debate on Iraq, concern themselves with demonizing the French and Saddam and worshipping George W Bush."

"It was always my pet theory that Elizabeth Smart hated her real-estate-selling parents, was spoiled, and probably did not mind too much about being kidnapped, and may have even orchestrated it herself. "

posted by dave at 4:11 AM

Fraternities are gay.
posted by Jake at 10:55 PM

The Self Liberator's Digest collects/ed tons of interesting things. Two relatively tame examples:

E-Prime (which I'd seen previously).
Stories of the Mullah Nasrudin (which I had not).
posted by Biggie at 9:03 AM

I dig it the most.
posted by Matt at 11:18 PM

Express your gratitude the American soldiers fighting overseas! The Navy has set up a site that allows people to send an e-mail to an unnamed solider. The Navy routes it to various individuals, but you get to pick the branch of the military. You may get a response or you may not. To get involved, go to operationdearabby.net.
posted by K-Dawg at 10:46 AM

Sheep Head Breaks Music Fan's Skull

A flying sheep's head hit a concertgoer and fractured his skull at a concert of metal band Mayhem. The band, part of Norway's death metal music scene, was carving up a dead sheep as part of its stage act when the animal's head flew off.

Norway's death metal music scene?

Source: Miss Sarah Straw of Georgia
posted by K-Dawg at 8:24 PM

An Onion-like answer to Successories – Demotivators.
posted by K-Dawg at 9:57 AM

The state of Florida's Intangible Personal Property Tax is alive and well for 2003. This is not a tax on what you earn but rather what you own. Admittedly, I don't think Kayla and I will need to worry about this in the near future, but it is still an offensive sort of privacy invasion.

Can't we just have a monocle tax instead?
posted by Biggie at 8:02 AM