(2.17.2005) Can I Get a Volunteer Over Here? Prospective groom flees bride in arranged marriage while she's standing at the altar. She asks if anyone else is interested. Someone was. (2.17.2005) Billionaire from UAE Wants to Buy Israeli Settlements Israel is withdrawing from some of the disputed territories, and he wants them to leave the buildings and infrastructure standing when they leave. It would be a real feat if the rest of the Israeli/Palestinian dispute could be resolved with dollars instead of weapons. (2.17.2005) Propaganda Doesn't Get Funnier Than This North Korea's propaganda agency says the world is celebrating the birthday of Kim Jong Il with portraits and special reports celebrating "his far-sighted plan for building a great prosperous powerful socialist nation". Because a per capita income of $1,300 is really blowing the doors off with economic growth. (2.17.2005) 13-Year-Old Girl Sees Communism, Says "It Looks Very Primitive." Graduating from an elementary school in the DMZ just a few meters from the North. Even children can tell the difference between poverty and prosperity. (2.17.2005) Small Quake Hits Tokyo The Really Big One is probably still inevitable (2.17.2005) World's Biggest Consumer Is...Wait For It, Wait For It...China China buys more meat, more TVs, more refrigerators, more phones, more steel, more coal. It's time for political reform before this situation gets messy. China's rapid shift to a more open economy is bumping up uncomfortably against the totalitarian political scheme. (2.17.2005) George Michael to Quit Pop Music Celebrity life "unbearable", pop music "dead" (2.17.2005) Bus Service a First Step to Peace in Kashmir Again confirming the notion that commerce is the best bulwark for peace (2.17.2005) Second Year of Drought Imperils 700,000 Cubans They're down to 34 days of water reserves in some communities. It's worst in the east. (2.17.2005) Ukraine's Yushchenko Puts a Liberal Russian on His Advisory Staff Liberal is good, because that makes him a reformer. Russian is good, because that could help relations with Moscow. (2.17.2005) New CIA Chief Says Iraq Is Training Ground for New Terrorists Goss worried they're learning "urban terrorism" at ground level (2.17.2005) Iranian Explosion Was Just Rock Blasting Some had accused the US or others of attacking a nuclear facility nearby. But that wasn't true. Israeli foreign minister says Iran is 6 months from figuring out nuclear weapons. (2.17.2005) Queen Still Tells Prince Charles What to Do She won't allow him to share a bedroom with Camilla Parker Bowles the night before their wedding. Note to Charles: You're 56 years old. (2.17.2005) Germany Can't Reconcile Business with Socialism Unemployment in some areas is over 20%. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank is laying off workers during a very profitable period for the business. Judging from this article, there's a big challenge ahead in educating Germans that business is supposed to make a profit and that the high unemployment rate might have something to do with the country's massive welfare system. Allianz and Siemens have also cut jobs while profits have risen. Note to Germany: The government doesn't own those businesses, the shareholders do. |