Wednesday, May 05, 2004



Here malice, rapine, accident conspire,
And now a rabble rages, now a fire;
Their ambush here relentless ruffians lay,
And here the fell attorney prowls for prey;
Here falling houses thunder on your head,
And here a female atheist talks you dead.
Misquoted Samuel Johnson, "Sydney"

How Do We Sort Out Violence For Entertainment And Violence For Horror?
Rarely has the dissonance between the news and popular entertainment been so striking. One can react only with horror as Iraq descends into a chaotic bloodbath, Israel continues to be engulfed in a sickening cycle of revenge upon revenge and terrorism spreads to other countries. Some ABC-TV stations refused to carry Ted Koppel reading the names of killed American soldiers on Friday's "Nightline." Yet week after week we're offered supposedly cathartic stories of devastated families and bloodthirsty vengeance to consume.
· 53 Former Diplomats Attack Bush
[link first seen at It Looks as if Game is up for Americans in Iraq...]
· See Also Big Frankenstein to boost numbers and keep spies alert around the clock: ASIO's staffing levels are set to dwarf those of the Cold War
· See Also Rules of the Caucus Race in ''Alice in Wonderland'' apply: everybody has won, and all must have prizes
· See Also Human creativity is the ultimate source of economic growth. And to fully tap and harness that creativity we must be tolerant, diverse, and inclusive