Leslie Walker reports:
"Part of the site's appeal is that it still feels like the early days of the Web, with a text-only design and simple publishing tools that predate the flashy graphics, big ads and other commercial flourishes prevalent on leading Internet sites today.
"But users fear that could change after last week's announcement that eBay, one of the giants of Internet commerce, has bought a 25 percent stake in the tiny company for an undisclosed sum. Users have been grousing in Craigslist's open forums that eBay may push to inject advertising and make other changes that would spoil the site's relaxed, back-porch atmosphere.
"Newmark insists that such worries are unfounded. "If anything, all this questioning is just reinforcing our sense of our current mission," he said this week.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Mariel Zagunis: Fencing's Female Knute Rockne.
From the University of Notre Dame:
"The Beaverton, Ore., native is the only fencer ever to win three gold medals at one World Championships. She was a member of the first U.S. team ever to capture teh gold medal in World Championship competition. She won three consecutive Junior World Cup trophies.And she compiled an unprecedented eight medals at Cadet and Junior level World Championship events. "
"The Beaverton, Ore., native is the only fencer ever to win three gold medals at one World Championships. She was a member of the first U.S. team ever to capture teh gold medal in World Championship competition. She won three consecutive Junior World Cup trophies.And she compiled an unprecedented eight medals at Cadet and Junior level World Championship events. "
The Truth About Olympic Water Polo
From The Washington Post:
"Sure, all these swimming races are exciting and inspiring and all that, but after a few days of watching people paddle back and forth across a pool, your average red-blooded American sports fan begins to wonder: Hey, where's the violence?
"Fortunately, the happy answer is just a couple hundred yards away, in the indoor pool, where the preliminary rounds of water polo are in progress. There's enough violence in an average water polo match to fill all your brutality needs, at least until football season starts."
"Sure, all these swimming races are exciting and inspiring and all that, but after a few days of watching people paddle back and forth across a pool, your average red-blooded American sports fan begins to wonder: Hey, where's the violence?
"Fortunately, the happy answer is just a couple hundred yards away, in the indoor pool, where the preliminary rounds of water polo are in progress. There's enough violence in an average water polo match to fill all your brutality needs, at least until football season starts."
The Botswanan Fandorin
The Scotsman reports on the publishing phenomenon (tip from Artsjournal):
"With sales topping five million in English, Precious Ramotswe is fast becoming to Mr McCall Smith what Harry Potter is to JK Rowling and Inspector Rebus is to Ian Rankin. "
"With sales topping five million in English, Precious Ramotswe is fast becoming to Mr McCall Smith what Harry Potter is to JK Rowling and Inspector Rebus is to Ian Rankin. "
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Solzhenitsyn: The Lion in Winter
By Anatoly Korolev:
"Solzhenitsyn's recent appearance on television has dispelled the persistent rumors about him suffering from a serious illness. He still comes across as energetic, lively and witty, thank God. But the reason behind his reemerging in the public eye has a somewhat comic flavor to it. The governor of the Kuban province, southern Russia, Tkachev came to visit the world-famous writer in his retreat outside Moscow-only to receive lavish praise from the host for handing his late grandfather's two-storied house over to a local church. Isn't it a noble gesture? Very much so. Why, then, the event has been taken with a sigh of general disappointment? Solzhenitsyn's detractors claim that this is a publicity stunt rather than a sincere effort to be helpful to the community. The Russian people may topple their idols as easily as they put them on the throne. But their present skepticism vis-a-vis Solzhenitsyn is understandable-they have expected him to act like Christ -- not like Pyotr Stolypin."
"Solzhenitsyn's recent appearance on television has dispelled the persistent rumors about him suffering from a serious illness. He still comes across as energetic, lively and witty, thank God. But the reason behind his reemerging in the public eye has a somewhat comic flavor to it. The governor of the Kuban province, southern Russia, Tkachev came to visit the world-famous writer in his retreat outside Moscow-only to receive lavish praise from the host for handing his late grandfather's two-storied house over to a local church. Isn't it a noble gesture? Very much so. Why, then, the event has been taken with a sigh of general disappointment? Solzhenitsyn's detractors claim that this is a publicity stunt rather than a sincere effort to be helpful to the community. The Russian people may topple their idols as easily as they put them on the throne. But their present skepticism vis-a-vis Solzhenitsyn is understandable-they have expected him to act like Christ -- not like Pyotr Stolypin."
Mark Twain v. Jane Austen
James Fenimore Cooper wasn't Twain's only literary target. He also had some choice words for Jane Austen:
"I haven't any right to criticize books, and I don't do it except when I hate them. I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can't conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read 'Pride and Prejudice' I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone."
Mark Twain Letter to Joseph Twichell, 9/13/1898
"I haven't any right to criticize books, and I don't do it except when I hate them. I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can't conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read 'Pride and Prejudice' I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone."
Mark Twain Letter to Joseph Twichell, 9/13/1898
Twain v. Cooper
By the way, Mark Twain wrote a critique of James Fenimore Cooper, Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses. It might make good preparation for a trip to see their final resting places. Here's a sample of Twain's invective:
Cooper's art has some defects. In one place in "Deerslayer," and in the restricted space of two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offenses against literary art out of a possible 115. It breaks the record.
There are nineteen rules governing literary art in domain of romantic fiction -- some say twenty-two. In "Deerslayer," Cooper violated eighteen of them. These eighteen require:
1. That a tale shall accomplish something and arrive somewhere. But the "Deerslayer" tale accomplishes nothing and arrives in air.
2. They require that the episodes in a tale shall be necessary parts of the tale, and shall help to develop it. But as the "Deerslayer" tale is not a tale, and accomplishes nothing and arrives nowhere, the episodes have no rightful place in the work, since there was nothing for them to develop.
3. They require that the personages in a tale shall be alive, except in the case of corpses, and that always the reader shall be able to tell the corpses from the others. But this detail has often been overlooked in the "Deerslayer" tale.
4. They require that the personages in a tale, both dead and alive, shall exhibit a sufficient excuse for being there. But this detail also has been overlooked in the "Deerslayer" tale.
5. The require that when the personages of a tale deal in conversation, the talk shall sound like human talk, and be talk such as human beings would be likely to talk in the given circumstances, and have a discoverable meaning, also a discoverable purpose, and a show of relevancy, and remain in the neighborhood of the subject at hand, and be interesting to the reader, and help out the tale, and stop when the people cannot think of anything more to say. But this requirement has been ignored from the beginning of the "Deerslayer" tale to the end of it.
6. They require that when the author describes the character of a personage in the tale, the conduct and conversation of that personage shall justify said description. But this law gets little or no attention in the "Deerslayer" tale, as Natty Bumppo's case will amply prove.
7. They require that when a personage talks like an illustrated, gilt-edged, tree-calf, hand-tooled, seven- dollar Friendship's Offering in the beginning of a paragraph, he shall not talk like a negro minstrel in the end of it. But this rule is flung down and danced upon in the "Deerslayer" tale.
8. They require that crass stupidities shall not be played upon the reader as "the craft of the woodsman, the delicate art of the forest," by either the author or the people in the tale. But this rule is persistently violated in the "Deerslayer" tale.
9. They require that the personages of a tale shall confine themselves to possibilities and let miracles alone; or, if they venture a miracle, the author must so plausibly set it forth as to make it look possible and reasonable. But these rules are not respected in the "Deerslayer" tale.
10. They require that the author shall make the reader feel a deep interest in the personages of his tale and in their fate; and that he shall make the reader love the good people in the tale and hate the bad ones. But the reader of the "Deerslayer" tale dislikes the good people in it, is indifferent to the others, and wishes they would all get drowned together.
11. They require that the characters in a tale shall be so clearly defined that the reader can tell beforehand what each will do in a given emergency. But in the "Deerslayer" tale, this rule is vacated.
In addition to these large rules, there are some little ones. These require that the author shall:
12. Say what he is proposing to say, not merely come near it.
13. Use the right word, not its second cousin.
14. Eschew surplusage.
15. Not omit necessary details.
16. Avoid slovenliness of form.
17. Use good grammar.
18. Employ a simple and straightforward style.
Even these seven are coldly and persistently violated in the "Deerslayer" tale...
...I may be mistaken, but it does seem to me that "Deerslayer" is not a work of art in any sense; it does seem to me that it is destitute of every detail that goes to the making of a work of art; in truth, it seems to me that "Deerslayer" is just simply a literary delirium tremens.
Cooper's art has some defects. In one place in "Deerslayer," and in the restricted space of two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offenses against literary art out of a possible 115. It breaks the record.
There are nineteen rules governing literary art in domain of romantic fiction -- some say twenty-two. In "Deerslayer," Cooper violated eighteen of them. These eighteen require:
1. That a tale shall accomplish something and arrive somewhere. But the "Deerslayer" tale accomplishes nothing and arrives in air.
2. They require that the episodes in a tale shall be necessary parts of the tale, and shall help to develop it. But as the "Deerslayer" tale is not a tale, and accomplishes nothing and arrives nowhere, the episodes have no rightful place in the work, since there was nothing for them to develop.
3. They require that the personages in a tale shall be alive, except in the case of corpses, and that always the reader shall be able to tell the corpses from the others. But this detail has often been overlooked in the "Deerslayer" tale.
4. They require that the personages in a tale, both dead and alive, shall exhibit a sufficient excuse for being there. But this detail also has been overlooked in the "Deerslayer" tale.
5. The require that when the personages of a tale deal in conversation, the talk shall sound like human talk, and be talk such as human beings would be likely to talk in the given circumstances, and have a discoverable meaning, also a discoverable purpose, and a show of relevancy, and remain in the neighborhood of the subject at hand, and be interesting to the reader, and help out the tale, and stop when the people cannot think of anything more to say. But this requirement has been ignored from the beginning of the "Deerslayer" tale to the end of it.
6. They require that when the author describes the character of a personage in the tale, the conduct and conversation of that personage shall justify said description. But this law gets little or no attention in the "Deerslayer" tale, as Natty Bumppo's case will amply prove.
7. They require that when a personage talks like an illustrated, gilt-edged, tree-calf, hand-tooled, seven- dollar Friendship's Offering in the beginning of a paragraph, he shall not talk like a negro minstrel in the end of it. But this rule is flung down and danced upon in the "Deerslayer" tale.
8. They require that crass stupidities shall not be played upon the reader as "the craft of the woodsman, the delicate art of the forest," by either the author or the people in the tale. But this rule is persistently violated in the "Deerslayer" tale.
9. They require that the personages of a tale shall confine themselves to possibilities and let miracles alone; or, if they venture a miracle, the author must so plausibly set it forth as to make it look possible and reasonable. But these rules are not respected in the "Deerslayer" tale.
10. They require that the author shall make the reader feel a deep interest in the personages of his tale and in their fate; and that he shall make the reader love the good people in the tale and hate the bad ones. But the reader of the "Deerslayer" tale dislikes the good people in it, is indifferent to the others, and wishes they would all get drowned together.
11. They require that the characters in a tale shall be so clearly defined that the reader can tell beforehand what each will do in a given emergency. But in the "Deerslayer" tale, this rule is vacated.
In addition to these large rules, there are some little ones. These require that the author shall:
12. Say what he is proposing to say, not merely come near it.
13. Use the right word, not its second cousin.
14. Eschew surplusage.
15. Not omit necessary details.
16. Avoid slovenliness of form.
17. Use good grammar.
18. Employ a simple and straightforward style.
Even these seven are coldly and persistently violated in the "Deerslayer" tale...
...I may be mistaken, but it does seem to me that "Deerslayer" is not a work of art in any sense; it does seem to me that it is destitute of every detail that goes to the making of a work of art; in truth, it seems to me that "Deerslayer" is just simply a literary delirium tremens.
Denmark's Abu Ghraib?
From Bjorn Staerk:
"The Danes have been having their own little torture scandal this summer. A Danish officer-- Annemette Hommel--faces charges after an interpreter accused her of mistreating prisoners during interrogations. Iraqi prisoners were refused water, kept in uncomfortable positions, and generally treated roughly. Sounds bad. But according to Hommel, the interpreters, most of them Palestinian Danes, were unprofessional, and openly sympathetic to the prisoners. They also found it difficult to work with a female officer. Hommel did deny one prisoner water during an interrogation, but she says he called for water constantly to cause delay. The interrogations were short and superficial anyway - the British do the real interrogations. Hommel attributes the accusation to revenge."
"The Danes have been having their own little torture scandal this summer. A Danish officer-- Annemette Hommel--faces charges after an interpreter accused her of mistreating prisoners during interrogations. Iraqi prisoners were refused water, kept in uncomfortable positions, and generally treated roughly. Sounds bad. But according to Hommel, the interpreters, most of them Palestinian Danes, were unprofessional, and openly sympathetic to the prisoners. They also found it difficult to work with a female officer. Hommel did deny one prisoner water during an interrogation, but she says he called for water constantly to cause delay. The interrogations were short and superficial anyway - the British do the real interrogations. Hommel attributes the accusation to revenge."
Arafat's Media Relations Strategy
Jeff Jacoby writes:
" In his 1989 memoir From Beirut to Jerusalem, Thomas Friedman wrote that "physical intimidation" was a major impediment to honest reporting from Beirut during the years when southern Lebanon was in the grip of Yasser Arafat's PLO. "There were . . . stories which were deliberately ignored out of fear," Friedman admitted. "How many serious stories were written from Beirut about the well-known corruption in the PLO leadership. . . ? It would be hard to find any hint of them in Beirut reporting before the Israeli invasion." Instead of reporting what they knew, journalists censored themselves. "The Western press coddled the PLO," Friedman acknowledged. "For any Beirut-based correspondent, the name of the game was keeping on good terms with the PLO." That was more than 20 years ago. Has anything changed?"
" In his 1989 memoir From Beirut to Jerusalem, Thomas Friedman wrote that "physical intimidation" was a major impediment to honest reporting from Beirut during the years when southern Lebanon was in the grip of Yasser Arafat's PLO. "There were . . . stories which were deliberately ignored out of fear," Friedman admitted. "How many serious stories were written from Beirut about the well-known corruption in the PLO leadership. . . ? It would be hard to find any hint of them in Beirut reporting before the Israeli invasion." Instead of reporting what they knew, journalists censored themselves. "The Western press coddled the PLO," Friedman acknowledged. "For any Beirut-based correspondent, the name of the game was keeping on good terms with the PLO." That was more than 20 years ago. Has anything changed?"
America's Cultural Mecca: Upstate New York
This weekend we went to the Glimmerglass Opera Festival, where we saw Richard Rodney Bennett's The Mines of Sulphur, an entertaining ghost story first produced in 1965 at Sadler's Wells. The score was somewhat avant-garde, but very accessible. Bennett went on to a successful career doing scores for movies and television, recently, "Four Weddings and a Funeral."
We stayed in Cooperstown, home not only to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Doubleday Field, but also to America's first novelist, James Fenimore Cooper, who not grew up there, retired there, and is buried there. Cooper immortalized Lake Otsego and the region in his Leatherstocking Tales. There is a Fenimore House Museum with a room of Cooper memorabilia, including letters written in his original hand. There is a little bit of art by people like Thomas Cole.
Unfortunately, the rest of the huge museum is a mish-mash, with some strange rooms devoted to the Adirondacks and children's learning centers next to real treasures like John Henri Isaac Browere's life masks of America's Founding Fathers. The images of John Adams, Lafayette, and other legendary figures were simply uncanny, and worth the visit all on their own.
There is a large collection of American Indian Art in the basement, which was interesting, but not related to Cooper or the region (a seal-gut parka from Alaska, pre-GoreTex waterproofing for the original kayakers).
On the way back, we passed through Elmira, NY, where we saw Mark Twain's grave, his summer study, and Quarry Farm, where he wrote A Tramp Abroad, Life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It was a beautiful spot.
Interestingly, Twain and his son-in-law, Russian-born musician Ossip Gabrilowitsch, conductor of the Detroit Symphony, share a monument erected by his daughter in their memory.
For more on the life of the peripatetic Mark Twain, you can check out Terry Ballard's Literary Pilgrimage website.
We stayed in Cooperstown, home not only to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Doubleday Field, but also to America's first novelist, James Fenimore Cooper, who not grew up there, retired there, and is buried there. Cooper immortalized Lake Otsego and the region in his Leatherstocking Tales. There is a Fenimore House Museum with a room of Cooper memorabilia, including letters written in his original hand. There is a little bit of art by people like Thomas Cole.
Unfortunately, the rest of the huge museum is a mish-mash, with some strange rooms devoted to the Adirondacks and children's learning centers next to real treasures like John Henri Isaac Browere's life masks of America's Founding Fathers. The images of John Adams, Lafayette, and other legendary figures were simply uncanny, and worth the visit all on their own.
There is a large collection of American Indian Art in the basement, which was interesting, but not related to Cooper or the region (a seal-gut parka from Alaska, pre-GoreTex waterproofing for the original kayakers).
On the way back, we passed through Elmira, NY, where we saw Mark Twain's grave, his summer study, and Quarry Farm, where he wrote A Tramp Abroad, Life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It was a beautiful spot.
Interestingly, Twain and his son-in-law, Russian-born musician Ossip Gabrilowitsch, conductor of the Detroit Symphony, share a monument erected by his daughter in their memory.
For more on the life of the peripatetic Mark Twain, you can check out Terry Ballard's Literary Pilgrimage website.
Does Democracy Cause Terrorism?
According to an article in The New Statesman, cited by Daniel Pipes, England is home not only to the Mother of Parliaments, but to British-based international terrorist networks:
"The Rationale behind "Londonistan"? Like many others, I have repeatedly bemoaned and ridiculed British weakness vis-Ã -vis Islamism (for example, here, here, here and here). But what if there's a method behind the British madness? That's the thesis of Jamie Campbell's cover story in the New Statesman dated today, "Why terrorists love Britain." Relying on the insights of Mohamed Sifaoui, author of Inside Al Qaeda (an autobiographical account of how this French Algerian journalist posed as an Islamist and infiltrated terrorist organizations in France and the United Kingdom), Campbell suggests that hosting so many terrorists renders the UK precious to the terrorists, who in turn leave it alone.
"According to Sifaoui, it has long been recognised by the British Islamists, by the British government and by UK intelligence agencies, that as long as Britain guarantees a degree of freedom to the likes of Hassan Butt [a loudmouth pro-terrorist Islamist], the terrorist strikes will continue to be planned within the borders of the UK but will not occur here. Ironically, then, the presence of vocal and active Islamist terrorist sympathisers in the UK actually makes British people safer, while the full brunt of British-based terrorist plotting is suffered by people in other countries.
"Campbell then tries this thesis out on Omar Bakri, leader of al-Muhajiroun, one of the most extreme Islamist groups in the UK, who confirms it:
"He tells me the story of the companions of the prophet Muhammad who, when travelling to Abyssinia, were given protection and hospitality by that nation. The result of this generosity is the Koranic notion of covenant, namely that as a Muslim it is de rigueur not to attack the inhabitants of any country in which one finds oneself living safely. This, according to Bakri, makes it unlikely that British-based Muslims will carry out operations in the UK itself..."
"The Rationale behind "Londonistan"? Like many others, I have repeatedly bemoaned and ridiculed British weakness vis-Ã -vis Islamism (for example, here, here, here and here). But what if there's a method behind the British madness? That's the thesis of Jamie Campbell's cover story in the New Statesman dated today, "Why terrorists love Britain." Relying on the insights of Mohamed Sifaoui, author of Inside Al Qaeda (an autobiographical account of how this French Algerian journalist posed as an Islamist and infiltrated terrorist organizations in France and the United Kingdom), Campbell suggests that hosting so many terrorists renders the UK precious to the terrorists, who in turn leave it alone.
"According to Sifaoui, it has long been recognised by the British Islamists, by the British government and by UK intelligence agencies, that as long as Britain guarantees a degree of freedom to the likes of Hassan Butt [a loudmouth pro-terrorist Islamist], the terrorist strikes will continue to be planned within the borders of the UK but will not occur here. Ironically, then, the presence of vocal and active Islamist terrorist sympathisers in the UK actually makes British people safer, while the full brunt of British-based terrorist plotting is suffered by people in other countries.
"Campbell then tries this thesis out on Omar Bakri, leader of al-Muhajiroun, one of the most extreme Islamist groups in the UK, who confirms it:
"He tells me the story of the companions of the prophet Muhammad who, when travelling to Abyssinia, were given protection and hospitality by that nation. The result of this generosity is the Koranic notion of covenant, namely that as a Muslim it is de rigueur not to attack the inhabitants of any country in which one finds oneself living safely. This, according to Bakri, makes it unlikely that British-based Muslims will carry out operations in the UK itself..."
George F. Will on Iraqi Sensitivities
George F. Will's column today may have been inspired by a C-Span caller, who challenged him vis-a-vis Republican attacks on John Kerry's call for a more sensitive war on terror.
On the August 13th episode of Washington Journal, the caller told Will and Brian Lamb that Bush is trying to run a sensitive war, only incompetently, in Najaf.
Clearly, Will gave some serious thought to the complexities of this charge since last week's TV appearance, as can be seen in his column today:
"The Bush campaign is pelting John Kerry with dead cats because of his promise to wage a more "sensitive" war on terrorism -- Democrats tend to think in the vocabulary of the therapeutic society and its "caring professions." But the Bush administration is simultaneously struggling to balance the competing imperatives of economizing American lives and waging a war sensitive to the religious sensibilities at stake in the struggle for control of Najaf. In all this, the concept of sovereignty is being pounded shapeless."
On the August 13th episode of Washington Journal, the caller told Will and Brian Lamb that Bush is trying to run a sensitive war, only incompetently, in Najaf.
Clearly, Will gave some serious thought to the complexities of this charge since last week's TV appearance, as can be seen in his column today:
"The Bush campaign is pelting John Kerry with dead cats because of his promise to wage a more "sensitive" war on terrorism -- Democrats tend to think in the vocabulary of the therapeutic society and its "caring professions." But the Bush administration is simultaneously struggling to balance the competing imperatives of economizing American lives and waging a war sensitive to the religious sensibilities at stake in the struggle for control of Najaf. In all this, the concept of sovereignty is being pounded shapeless."
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Be Careful Who You Step On On Your Way Up...
...because they will remember you on your way down. To illustrate that proverb, here's the website for the Vietnam Swift Boat Veterans anti-Kerry ad.
The Un-Captive Mind of Czeslaw Milosz:
Czeslaw Milosz has passed away, in his native Poland. He taught at Berkeley while I was studying philosophy, and although I never took his class, he was a well-known celebrity professor on campus.
His book, The Captive Mind starts with this:
"'It was only toward the middle of the twentieth century that the inhabitants of many European countries came, in general unpleasantly, to the realization that their fate could be influenced directly by intricate and abtruse books of philosophy'. "
His book, The Captive Mind starts with this:
"'It was only toward the middle of the twentieth century that the inhabitants of many European countries came, in general unpleasantly, to the realization that their fate could be influenced directly by intricate and abtruse books of philosophy'. "
Doctors Without Borders, Call Your Office...
Cheryl Benard writes in Opinion Journal:
"The new generation of terrorists does not spare unarmed humanitarians. They do not leave clinics, schools and other benign civilian projects untouched: They destroy them especially, because they want civilians to suffer and reconstruction to fail. Fear and backwardness are a kingdom they can rule; healthy, secure and prosperous populations have no use for them. This means that humanitarian aid workers are not neutral in the eyes of the terrorists; rather, because they work to make things better, they represent a threat.
"The principle championed by Doctors Without Borders--that civilian professionals providing medical help to the suffering will be granted safe passage--is now part of our nostalgic past. Altogether, 30 aid workers have been killed in Afghanistan during the past two years. All of them were unarmed, all of them were working on civilian projects. The absence of weapons and soldiers did not protect them; it just made them easier to kill. Whoever supports progress, stability and the well-being of civil society is the enemy. In this deeply regrettable new situation, security, development and aid are parts of an inseparable whole, and until stability is achieved, humanitarians will have to operate under the cover of arms--or not at all."
"The new generation of terrorists does not spare unarmed humanitarians. They do not leave clinics, schools and other benign civilian projects untouched: They destroy them especially, because they want civilians to suffer and reconstruction to fail. Fear and backwardness are a kingdom they can rule; healthy, secure and prosperous populations have no use for them. This means that humanitarian aid workers are not neutral in the eyes of the terrorists; rather, because they work to make things better, they represent a threat.
"The principle championed by Doctors Without Borders--that civilian professionals providing medical help to the suffering will be granted safe passage--is now part of our nostalgic past. Altogether, 30 aid workers have been killed in Afghanistan during the past two years. All of them were unarmed, all of them were working on civilian projects. The absence of weapons and soldiers did not protect them; it just made them easier to kill. Whoever supports progress, stability and the well-being of civil society is the enemy. In this deeply regrettable new situation, security, development and aid are parts of an inseparable whole, and until stability is achieved, humanitarians will have to operate under the cover of arms--or not at all."
Latest Iraq News
From Healing Iraq:
"As if the suffering of thousands of Najafis who were caught in between
and the deaths of Iraqi policemen and soldiers were all in vain. As if
the silent approval of Najafis and the marji'iya meant nothing.
The Iraqi government has failed its first test. I know it is probably
too early to say that, but that's what we also said in April and May. A
20 something year-old outlaw is free to do whatever he pleases and gets
away with it just because he has a black turban on his head and can
claim a couple of thousand armed followers. What kind of a farce is
this? And what kind of precedent is it going to give others?"
"As if the suffering of thousands of Najafis who were caught in between
and the deaths of Iraqi policemen and soldiers were all in vain. As if
the silent approval of Najafis and the marji'iya meant nothing.
The Iraqi government has failed its first test. I know it is probably
too early to say that, but that's what we also said in April and May. A
20 something year-old outlaw is free to do whatever he pleases and gets
away with it just because he has a black turban on his head and can
claim a couple of thousand armed followers. What kind of a farce is
this? And what kind of precedent is it going to give others?"
Olympic Games: What Is Past, Is Prologue
In the Washington Post, Sally Jenkins explains the history of the Olympics:
"The truth is that Ancient Greeks competed naked rather than clothed, forbade females from contending for medals as well as watching, and didn't give prizes for second and third place, because all they cared about was winning. Moreover, the sacred truce didn't always work. Not all wars stopped.
"Greg Anderson, an associate professor of classics at Wright State who studies games in Greek history, said: 'The modern Olympics are essentially one huge invented modern tradition. Almost nothing about them is authentically ancient.' Anderson, who has published in scholarly journals on the subject of Greek athletes and the Olympic tradition, does see some parallels between 700 B.C. and 2004, but not the ones you might expect. 'The most 'authentic' features of the modern Games are the ruthless political and commercial exploitation that goes with them, the celebrity of leading athletes, and the sheer magnitude of the Olympics,' he contends. "
"The truth is that Ancient Greeks competed naked rather than clothed, forbade females from contending for medals as well as watching, and didn't give prizes for second and third place, because all they cared about was winning. Moreover, the sacred truce didn't always work. Not all wars stopped.
"Greg Anderson, an associate professor of classics at Wright State who studies games in Greek history, said: 'The modern Olympics are essentially one huge invented modern tradition. Almost nothing about them is authentically ancient.' Anderson, who has published in scholarly journals on the subject of Greek athletes and the Olympic tradition, does see some parallels between 700 B.C. and 2004, but not the ones you might expect. 'The most 'authentic' features of the modern Games are the ruthless political and commercial exploitation that goes with them, the celebrity of leading athletes, and the sheer magnitude of the Olympics,' he contends. "
The Olympic Truce
Watching the opening ceremonies from Athens, noted a reference to "the Olympic truce," which seemed a counterpoint to press stories detailing massive anti-terrorist security preparations.
Here's what the term meant to ancient Greeks:
"A truce (in Greek, ekecheiria, which literally means "holding of hands") was announced before and during each of the Olympic festivals, to allow visitors to travel safely to Olympia. An inscription describing the truce was written on a bronze discus which was displayed at Olympia. During the truce, wars were suspended, armies were prohibited from entering Elis or threatening the Games, and legal disputes and the carrying out of death penalties were forbidden."
You can find out more on the Perseus website.
Here's what the term meant to ancient Greeks:
"A truce (in Greek, ekecheiria, which literally means "holding of hands") was announced before and during each of the Olympic festivals, to allow visitors to travel safely to Olympia. An inscription describing the truce was written on a bronze discus which was displayed at Olympia. During the truce, wars were suspended, armies were prohibited from entering Elis or threatening the Games, and legal disputes and the carrying out of death penalties were forbidden."
You can find out more on the Perseus website.
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