PLO issues weapons ban

Topic: Israel/Palestine

The Palestinian leadership banned civilians on Thursday from carrying weapons, its latest step aimed at reining in militant violence, as the Palestinian leader said he was awaiting Israel’s response on a proposal for a mutual cease-fire declaration.

If enforced, the ban on weapons would be a strong move against militant groups, whose gunmen often openly brandish their automatic weapons in the streets of Gaza and the West Bank — reflecting the lack of control by the Palestinian security forces.
The Chechen Times

Is this for real? It seems as though Mahmoud Abbas is actually trying to move forward in making peace with Israel. Amazing. But there are a few things to consider.

While Abbas had been campaigning I recall him promising to incorporate the militant organizations into a national military. One reason was to make it look to Israel as though he might be able to control them, rather than disbanding them. He also did this to appease the militants who where skeptical of the overtures he had been making towards Israel. So, does this order for civilians to give up their weapons include the militant organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad? I doubt it does.

I've seen one blogger complain that Abbas is trying to consolidate power by taking away weapons from the people. First of all, he WAS elected by the people. Second, so what? If consolidating power means peace with Israel, I'm all for it. I realize peace isn't always a good thing (as in tyrants and dictators) but just how much power over the militant organizations do you think Abbas has?

As a result of the recent regional elections in the West Bank 65% of the council seats are now controlled by Hamas. Abbas' party Fatah only controls 30%. Perhaps this will serve as a balance to prevent Abbas from becoming to power hungry. Hamas are the type that would pull out of the government at a moments notice if they aren't happy with things. Although, with the amount of progress already made, I'm willing to give Abbas the benefit of the doubt.

Israel seems to be playing it safe. They haven't issued a formal cease-fire, but are willing to talk peace and will reward quiet from the militants with the same. They've even thrown in a nice incentive:

Israel also promised in the meeting to release hundreds of prisoners — a key Palestinian demand — and that the number to be freed is expected to be about 900, a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

I am nervous to get too hopeful, but for the first time in a while things are starting to look up.

A few things...

Topic: American Politics/News

While browsing the net a few days ago I discovered an old high school bud is currently serving in Iraq. Kevin is serving as a combat medic with the 1st Infantry Division, 6th Field Artillery. He's located at FOB Gabe, near Baqubah and should be returning in March. There is an article about him and his family in the Blanco County News.

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By now, I'm sure most have heard of the metro train collision in Los Angeles. This collision, in which ten people died and 100 were injured, was caused by a suicidal man who parked his SUV on the tracks. At the last moment he abandoned his vehicle on tracks and watched the collision take place.

When I first read this yesterday I was shocked and outraged. Suicide in and of itself is a very selfish act. To place so many other lives at risk for your own selfish reasons is unbelievable. The man responsible has been charged with ten counts of murder, very appropriate in my opinion.

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Scientists have begun blurring the line between human and animal by producing chimeras—a hybrid creature that's part human, part animal.

Chinese scientists at the Shanghai Second Medical University in 2003 successfully fused human cells with rabbit eggs. The embryos were reportedly the first human-animal chimeras successfully created. They were allowed to develop for several days in a laboratory dish before the scientists destroyed the embryos to harvest their stem cells.
National Geographic

Wow, does anybody else find this distrubing? What happens if we actually go forward with this, will these new "sub-humans" have rights? Souls?

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To close, a few words from Senator John McCain about the ridiculous behavior of Senate Dems during Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearings.

"So I wonder why we are starting this new Congress with a protracted debate about a foregone conclusion," McCain said. Since Rice is qualified for the job, he said, "I can only conclude that we are doing this for no other reason than because of lingering bitterness over the outcome of the election."
AP via My Way News

Ditto.

Music Roundup

Topic: Music

Blackfield will be getting a North American release of their album Feb 22nd through Koch. They plan to tour several U.S. cities in late Feb/early March.

John Petrucci of Dream Theater will have a solo album released soon. The title of the album is "Suspended Animation."

Porcupine Tree will release a new version of "Up the Downstair" with Gavin Harrison on drums. Scheduled release is May 23rd.

Spock's Beard will release their 8th album, "Octane" on February 1st.

The Gathering will be recording for their concert on May 23rd in Amsterdam for a future DVD release.

Dark Tranquillity's new album, "Character" was released today.

Evergrey live album "A Night to Remember" is due out March 15.

$ / n children = child support?

Topic: American Politics/News

Democratic State Senator John Ford from Tennessee is in trouble for having too many families. According to this AP article he lives alternately with two women, in two seperate homes, with the children that he fathered with each. Now he is trying to use a law he authored as Head of the Senate committee on child welfare to keep his child support payments low. Conflict of interest?

But wait, there's more. He is also battling a third woman he had a child with to keep those child support payments low. His main argument is that the support he pays out to each woman should be tempered by how many children he has to support. In other words, the more children he has, the less support he should have to pay to each. And now his ex-wife is pregnant with another child by him? Unbelievable.

This man makes me sick. To think that he is an elected official as well... I would be ashamed to live in his district. Yet somehow I doubt this will affect his political career much.

Inauguration Report

Topic: American Politics/News, Washington, D.C.

Yesterday was the big day, the 55th Inauguration of the President of the United States. And I was there!

It was a cold morning here in DC as it had snowed the day before. Katrina and I were bundled up in many layers in preperation of hours standing in the cold. It was recommended that we arrive early and the gates would open at 9am. I have never seen the Metro so crowded in my life. Rush hour is usually packed, and whenever there is a game at the MCI Center or RFK it is terrible. But this was unreal. The crowds of people on the metro overflowed out of the stations waiting to get in! Luckily, we knew where we were going, unlike most of the "tourists" and were able to dart through crowds of people wandering aimlessly.

I wanted to avoid the crowds beginning to form on the parade route so we took the Federal Center exit. Getting through security wasn't a big deal, in fact it was easier than at the airport. We just waited in line, opened our coats, and when it was your turn you were frisked by a TSA person of the same sex as you. Included with the tickets was a list of prohibited items, as well as on the website so I don't have any sympathy for anyone who had trouble getting through security because of things they brought. I'm not sure what time it was when we got there, but I would guess a bit after 9:30am. The area we were in was the "Gold" area, a standing area that began at the reflecting pool in front of the capitol, and continued west down the mall as far as the eye could see. We were early enough to get right up in front, only eight feet from the security fence.

The next couple hours passed quickly. It was cold, but not as bad as we had expected it to be. The mood in the crowd was electric as everyone was excited to be there. The Marine Band played several tunes before the VIPs arrived, and they sounded fantastic. By pure chance, we ended up standing near a group of high schoolers from California. We were too far to see the stage clearly so there was a giant screen setup for our viewing pleasure, although the most important part was being able to hear what was being said. The speakers were plenty loud, so no problems there.

I can't convey how exciting it was to be there, witnessing history. The crowd cheered for some of the VIPs, but it was quite funny when John Kerry came out because the crowd booed quite loudly. I don't think I've ever been surrounded by so many conservatives in all my life. Of course, President Bush got the loudest cheers of all. Another suprise was following the first prayer... the audience replied to the closing with a resounding AMEN!

Hearing President Bush recite the Oath of Office was a moment I won't soon forget. The speech he gave was fantastic as well. It was wonderful to experience those moments in person, to share in our nation's greatest public ceremony and celebrate democracy. Following the ceremony, we went home and I watched the parade on T.V.

During our time at the capitol we saw very little of protesters. Part of that may be because we avoided the parade route but they still didn't have the presence I expected. We did, however, see Pro-Life demonstrators of the extreme kind just outside the gate. They were holding huge banners of dismembered fetuses and such. While I am pro-life, I'm not sure I agree with these tactics. Not to mention they were preaching to the choir for the most part.

One thing about the parade coverage on TV. I would have to say the best coverage was on the local stations. The cable news networks were ok, but ABC with Peter Jennings was absolutely horrible. Talk about slanted. I don't think their broadcast could have been more negative.

In all, it was a wonderful day. The weather was better than expected, and it was great to participate in a historic moment for our nation.

Inauguration pt. II

Topic: American Politics/News

Wow, it seems all I have to do get comments is display support for the current administration. Contraversy begs to be commented on. Well, in response to some of the comments on my last post... yes, I am excited to be attending the Presidential Inauguration, the largest and most important public ceremony our nation has. This is a historic opportunity regardless of who is being inaugurated. I probably won't be living here in four years, so can I be blamed for wanting to participate in the greatest celebration of our country's democracy? You can criticize all you like, it won't detract from my enjoyment of this ceremony.

A few thoughts about the money being spent: yes, it is a lot of money and I do think it would be noble to scale back celebrations in light of the state of the world right now... but on the flip side of that, doesn't the current situation in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, etc. make our celebration of democracy that much more significant? This is the single most important public ceremony we as a nation have. The money being spent is mostly private, and it's not going into some politicians pocket, this money is being spent in the District of Columbia for services rendered. It could actually be argued that spending this private funding here will help out the local economy a bit. Sure there is also the added expenses of the phenomonal security measures in place, but I for one have no problem with that. Especially since I will be attending. I would like to be able to count on being safe at an event that represents the things that terrorists hate most.

On that note, if you're in the area this Thursday there are a couple of counter-protests going on I encourage you to attend.

Hail to the Chief - Protest Warrior
DC Chapter of Free Republic

Of course, if you are of the liberal persuasion I have no problem with you exercising your rights to freedom of speech on January 20th. What I do have a problem with is the lack of respect and plain cruelty many protesters display. By all means, voice your opinions, but have a little respect please.

Inauguration of Pres. Bush

Topic: American Politics/News

I'm going to the inauguration ceremony!!! Yes! I am so excited! I received an email today from Congressman Albert R. Wynn's office saying that two tickets were being sent to me. Back in November I wrote my senators and congressman as well as the inauguration committe about getting tickets to one of the events surrounding the inauguration... and one actually came through! Woot!

If you're interested in going to the parade, it is still possible. Be sure to check http://www.inaugural05.com/ on January 15th.

Woo-hoo, I'm gonna witness history!

Nov. 11

Resources on Chechnya

Topic: Chechnya/Russia

The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Resources concerning current events and the crisis in the Russian breakaway republic of Chechnya.

Blogs
Chechnya: News, Opinion, Ranting

News
Google News - Chechnya
Yahoo News - Chechnya Conflict
Chechnya News
Chechnya Weekly
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - Crisis in Chechnya
Kavkaz Center (pro-independence)
Chechen Press (pro-independence)

Chechen Sites - Pro-Independence
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Chechen Times

Chechen Sites - Pro-Moscow
Chechnya Free

Organizations
American Committee for Peace in Chechnya
Human Rights Watch - Chechnya
Defence Academy of the U.K - Conflict Studies Research Centre

Link Lists
United States Institute of Peace - Chechnya Web Links

Media Freedom in Russia (or lack thereof)

Topic: Chechnya/Russia

Reporters Without Borders rank Russia among the worst countries (121st out of 139), where “press freedom is a dead letter and independent newspapers do not exist.” The organization notes that in Russia “the only voice heard is of media tightly controlled or monitored by the government. The very few independent journalists are constantly harassed, imprisoned or forced into exile by the authorities. The foreign media is banned or allowed in very small doses, always closely monitored.”
Kommersant (via Peace in Chechnya)

Not to mention the complete media lockdown in Chechnya. Nobody goes in and nothing comes out. Russia is placed one spot above Iran. Scary.

Famous people

Topic: Israel/Palestine

Actor Richard Gere has recorded a TV commercial urging Palestinians to vote in their election Sunday.
NBC San Diego

I'm baffled. I had no idea that Richard Gere was such an important figure in Palestine. Let's hope the Palestinians aren't upset by an American "actor" involving himself in their politics. While I agree with the message of the TV spot, I could see how this might backfire. As what some might call an "actor", Gere represents one of the forces of moral degradation and decline in America. Don't many who hate America cite this as one of their reasons? Moral decay? Led by evil Hollywood? -Just a thought.

Micro$oft vs. Firefox

Topic: Computers

Every once in a while, I just have to poke fun at everybody's favorite software vendor...

But while promoting what he calls the "digital lifestyle," Gates showed how vulnerable all consumers -- even the world's richest man -- are to hardware and software bugs.

During a demonstration of digital photography with a soon-to-be-released Nikon camera, a Windows Media Center PC froze and wouldn't respond to Gates' pushing of the remote control.

Later in the 90-minute presentation, a product manager demonstrated the ostensible user-friendliness of a video game expected to hit retail stores in April, Forza Motor Sport. But instead of configuring a custom-designed race car, the computer monitor displayed the dreaded "blue screen of death" and warned, "out of system memory."
SFGate

It is satisfying to see academia giving Windows the boot...

Worried about persistent security flaws in Microsoft's Internet Explorer, officials at the Pennsylvania State University system have taken the unusual step of recommending that students, professors, and staff members stop using the popular Web browser.
The Chronicle of Higher Education

No updates on when my employer will be switching to Firefox, but so far the test has gone well. As for me personally, I use Firefox daily at work and at home and it is fantastic. If you haven't made the switch yet, I strongly recommend that you do.

What is Firefox? It is an open-source web browser that is fast, secure and easy to use. You can download it here and read the FAQ (although it's not neccessary) here. Do you use Outlook or Netscape Mail for email? Download Thunderbird to use instead. Already have Firefox? Tell your friends about it, then head over to Spread Firefox. Okay, that's it for this little public service anouncement. ;-)

Opeth on the Metro

Topic: Music

Twice in the past two days I have seen a man on the metro that is the spitting image of Mikael Akerfeldt, leader of Swedish metal band Opeth. I mean, this guy could be his twin! It's freaking me out. I hope I don't see him on the way home today.

BCS = BS?

Topic: Blogging

With USC’s slaughter of Oklahoma in the BCS title game last night (55-19) the college football season has officially come to an end. At this point it is safe to say that USC is the undisputed champ of NCAA football. Although, Auburn was left out in the cold by the BCS. Auburn finished 13-0 defeating Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl and has finished ranked 2nd. An appropriate ranking? Well, I doubt that they could have defeated USC, but they never got that chance. And are they better than Oklahoma? There is no way to know for sure. Speaking of the Sugar Bowl, how is it that Virginia Tech deserved to play in it? They may have done very well against Auburn, but what about Cal Berkeley? Talk about being robbed. Cal was ranked 4th going into bowl season and ended playing #21 Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Ouch. In my opinion, a playoff system is the only way to fairly determine the champ.

Speaking of mismatches, how about Utah and Pittsburgh? There is NO WAY Pittsburgh deserved to be playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Ridiculous. This is why Utah finished 5th and Pittsburgh is unranked. The BCS is a sham. Plain and simple.

While Boise State lost their bowl game, they only lost 40-44 to #7 Louisville, and it was their ONLY LOSS of the entire season. Yet their final ranking dropped to 13th with 9-3 teams Miami and Michigan being ranked above them. In my opinion Iowa should be placed below Boise State as well.

However, something good did come of this year’s bowl season. My alma mater, Fresno State defeated (then ranked) #18 Virginia. Yeah, go dawgs! This makes three consecutive bowl game wins (vs. UCLA in ’03 and Georgia Tech in ’02) and six consecutive bowl appearances. We finished ranked #22 and while I think we deserve to be up around #18 or 19 (have a look at teams 18-21) I’m just happy to have finished ranked.

I think I need to take a drive through Virginia with all of my Fresno State paraphernalia.

Travel Woes

Topic: Blogging

Katrina and I had a wonderful trip to California. It was truly great to be able to take the time to relax and chill with friends and family. Usually our visits are so short and busy that we get very little rest and feel like we need a vacation when it's over. But not this time. It was great to reconnect with old friends too. I have only one complaint about our trip... it was too long. Not because I missed "home" (wherever that may be), rather I began to feel 'too' comfortable in California. The awkwardness of visiting and living out of a suitcase wore off as California began to feel like home again. Not good, because it made returning to DC that much more difficult. Rather than having that release of tension upon returning home, I felt awkward for a few days... as if I were visiting here! I had also forgotten how beautiful California is and really noticed it after arriving in the DC area. Washington may be a cool town, but the area sure is ugly. Especially during the winter.

So during my homesickness for Cali I was reminded of a passage from Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. If you haven't read this book yet, you must!

You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place, I told him, like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you'll never be this way ever again.

While this may not apply to my current situation, I certainly saw the truth in that statement after moving cross country a year and a half ago.

The return trip was difficult for another reason. Our original flight was canceled... why, I don't know. So we were put on another flight. Then that one was canceled. This one, because there was no crew for the plane. As we were boarding the third flight, I discovered that our luggage would not be ending up at the same airport. So I refused to go on this flight, insisting on staying with our luggage. (and after hearing the horror stories about lost luggage, I'm glad I did). Our fourth flight wasn't canceled, it was only delayed. In all we wasted 7 hours waiting in airports and got home at 2am. Which isn't nearly as bad as some of the stories I've heard since, but still frustrating. If I hadn't gotten free upgrades, I would probably never fly United again. That, and you can only be so picky when looking for the cheapest flights... :-p

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Kudos to actress Sandra Bullock who personally donated $1 million to the Red Cross for tsunami relief. Its not often that I admire an actor/actress, but that is damn cool.