Ok, if anyone thought I had dropped off the face of the earth, rest assured I'm still alive and kicking. I'm making a push to finish my Master's Thesis and graduate. Unfortunately, this blog has been taking up more and more of my time. So with some regret, I'm going to have to go on hiatus until I can finish my thesis. I hope to be done by the end of July at the latest. I promise I'll be back with a vengence the day I hand in my thesis.

Another explosion in Israel, and this time at least 15 dead and 57 injured. The amount of damage done by one suicide bomber seems to suggest higher grade explosives than usual homemade weapons, explosives which Hamas and Al Aqsa have been acquiring with PLO money. Can anyone please tell me of a reason the PA shouldn't be swiftly and forcibly removed from power? I'm sure at this point Israel would gladly give the west bank to the Jordanians.

Joshua Claybourn of the always-worth-reading Hoosier Review over at Indiana University sent me this link he found to the home page of John Helder's (the suspected pipe bomber) band. Hmm. Angry? Yes. Talented? Well, no.

Sorry for the delays, but I've been unusually busy this past week, for reasons I'm not quite sure of.

The big news out of Europe is the assassination of Dutch Prime Ministerial candidate Pim Fortuyn. While there is still no news as to motive, Dutch police have arrested a white Dutch man in relation to the killing. This news came as the French celebrated their 'victory over fascism' with the election of Chirac over Le Pen in the French Prime Ministerial election. While we'll soon see if Fortuyn's politics had any thing to do with his murder, but I think these two events do have a connection.
For years now there has been an increase in the number of Europeans who are angry with their governments' handling of immigration, as well as the rising levels of unemployment and low growth in the economy. Adding to this is the growing sense of frustration with the EU. While some of pundits try to explain away the results of the first round of the French elections with excuses about Socialist Chirac's lame campaigning, the truth is that there is a disconnect between the European Elite and the rest of the Europe. As they continue their policies of welfare for all, immigration for all, and government through Belgium, people like Fortuyn and Le Pen are going to get more and more popular. Perhaps the French should take a minute from their marches and parades, and consider the ramifications of that.

On food and the Middle East

My friend Steve pointed out this piece mentioned on today's opinonjournal site.

Canada's National Post has an update on IDF food deliveries to Yasser Arafat's compound:

The figures, presented to the foreign affairs and defence committees of the Knesset, show Mr. Arafat and his entourage consumed 13,200 pieces of pita bread, 420 cans of hummus, 423 cans of tuna and 720 bottles of Coke.

Thirty cans of coffee, 155 boxes of tea, 360 kilograms of sugar, 505 cans of sardines and 458 packages of cheese were also sent to the Ramallah compound between March 30 and April 25, along with 60 cartons of eggs and 3,000 spoons.

In addition, 120 cartons of cigarettes and 270 packages of toilet paper were brought in, plus hundreds of kilograms of rice and fruits and vegetables, including 24 watermelons, 40 kilograms of grapes and 65 kilograms of lemons.

One box of Corn Flakes was also sent to Mr. Arafat.

Carrying all that food into Ramallah for Arafat must make the Israeli soldiers hungry. If you want to help, the israelVisit tourism site has set up a page where you can order pizza and Pepsi to be delivered to active-duty Israeli soldiers. It's all kosher, and you can feed a whole platoon for just $89.95. What a hoot it would be if someone would set up a service so that we could place phony pizza orders for delivery to Arafat's compound.

120 cartons of cigarettes? They must be like money in there.

Glenn Reynolds leads with a blurb on this Wall Street Journal article advocating guns in the cockpit.

I think that arming commercial pilots is a bad idea, and will not accomplish anything that armored cockpit doors cannot, with far less risk to both the pilot and the passengers.

I just wonder if the airlines are trying to avoid the cost of the doors (as opposed to an armed-pilot system, which would probably be government-sponsored).

The Journal simply says that reinforced cockpit doors are not impenetrable. Of course not. No door is completely impenetrable. If a hijacker were to use an industrial drill or explosives, they could get through the door. However, in normal circumstances, these doors (used by El Al for years) are virtually impossible for a passenger to open if they're locked.

As for the fact that the doors sometimes have to be opened, well that's true. Pilots do have to go to the bathroom, after all. But unless pilots draw their guns for a walk to the bathroom, armed crews are just as useless in this situation.

Sorry for the light posting folks. I've got a final presentation in one of my classes tomorrow, and I'll be a little busy until then. I promise I'll get back in gear after that

According to this story in the Dallas Morning News, Saudi crown Prince Abdullah requested that his flight from Houston to Waco be handled by only male air traffic controllers. While both the Saudis and the FAA deny this happened, several FAA and private contractors confirm this story. Here's a fun little snippet:

"Apparently, what happened is that an advance group of Saudi Arabians went in and talked to the airport manager and told him they did not want any females on the ramp and also said there should not be any females talking to the airplane," said Ruben Gonzalez, regional manager for RVA Inc., which operates the airport's control tower under a contract with the FAA.

Apparently, the Saudis have gotten so used to oppressing women in their country that they think they can do it here. This is galling. The sooner that corrupt thugocracy is removed from power the better, as far as I'm concerned.

Well, I saw this story on the BBC website today, and felt I should say something. After all, it involves the town my mom was born in and grew up in. Unfortunately, there's really not much I can say to support the Greeks in this one.

Six British 'Plane Spotters,' (I guess the best way to describe them is similar to 'bird-watchers' substituting airplanes for birds) were arrested during a public show at a Greek airbase near the town of Kalamata and charged with espionage. Why the Greek government would see fit to charge four Britons and two Dutch with spying (exactly who were they supposed to be spying for, anyway?) is beyond me. The only clue I could see in the story is that one of the members had some sort of dealings (It's not reported what kind of dealings) with the Turkish military. The enmity of Greeks toward Turks goes back a long, long time and is too complicated to put in here, but suffice it so say that today, even though both are NATO members, there exists a very palpable feeling among most Greeks (and Turks, I assume) that each is fervently scheming to wipe the other off the map. To the uninitiated, I would explain it as a mixture of U.S.-USSR circa 1965 relations and UK-Argentina circa 1982 relations. This feeling is so strong that both countries employ mandatory military enlistment for all males, something only a handful of other democracies implements. The mere mention of a possible involvement with Turks would probably convince many Greeks that the accused are guilty, despite the lack of evidence. Greeks have always had a strong nationalistic feeling. Unfortunately this national pride occasionally makes Greece resemble a third-world military dictatorship more than the birthplace of democracy.

In all honesty, this is a quixotic case, and I would feel perfectly fine visiting Greece, and would encourage anyone to do the same. The sun is bright, the sea is beautiful, the people are friendly, and the food is great. Just don't mention the 800lb gorilla across the Agean.

John McCain, a true American Hero, gives his opinion on the current Middle East situation in this op/ed based on a speach he gave to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee.
I strongly suggest you read it.

Palestinian WMD

According to this blurb in the Jerusalem Post, Israeli soldiers discovered Palestinian-made chemical weapons. Can any Palestinian supporter out there please explain to me how this is "the legitimate resistance of an oppressed people?"

Speak the truth, brother

From an AP story:

Urged by Saudi Arabia to temper support for Israel, President Bush said Friday his message to the Arab world is unequivocal: "We will not allow Israel to be crushed."

We've got a long way to go in the war on terror, but at least we've got a leader who isn't afraid to fight.

While I'm pretty sure this letter to the editor in today's DI is satirical, I'm absolutely certain that it is hilarious:

In regard to the upcoming Illinois Student Government decision, I am appalled and astonished by the University's refusal to relinquish its offensive behavior and closed-minded attitude toward the elimination of dehumanizing racial stereotypes. What is even more infuriating are the ways in which these stereotypes have invaded our society. For example, every time I write the word "Illinois," I am offended by the way we casually flaunt the name of a sacred tribe.

Or how about when I flippantly refer to "Chicago"? How quickly we have forgotten its historic implications and meaningful translation... "smelly onions." Even usage of a state name such as Georgia, named for British King George, causes us to forget the American bloodshed resulting from this man's tyrannous rule.

We must also address the issue of dehumanizing mascots in our athletics. For example, the Chicago Bulls mascot is completely gender insensitive. This image portrays males as having superiority. Why don't we consider calling the team the Chicago Cows?

Let us not forget the Cubs. By using the young version of any animal we insult the elderly, denying them any and all respect owed.

I implore ISG to consider their stance on this issue.

Rebecca Stimpfl
senior in engineering