Defining Terrorism

Fifty-seven Islamic nations ended a three-day conference in Kuala Lumpur by condemning terrorism "in all its forms" but failing to define it.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed tried to get them to agree on labeling any killing of civilians as terrorism. That included "the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, the human bomb attacks by Palestinians and Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers and the attacks against civilians by Israeli forces."

But he was forced to backtrack when Arab delegates unanimously rejected "any attempt to link terrorism to the struggle of the Palestinian people in the exercise of their inalienable right to establish an independent state."

It all boils down to that age-old question of who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter. Some of today's nations were, in fact, born of terrorism and some terrorists of yore are now respected statesmen and Nobelists (via The Nando Times)

We laugh more frequently than we eat, sing or have sex. So why do we know so little about it? David Derbyshire investigates

Scientists have laid bare the "life code" of rice. Two groups of researchers report a draft DNA sequence of the plant - a staple for more than half the world's population - in the journal Science.

The genetic information should speed up the breeding of tougher and higher-yielding varieties that can help feed the world's burgeoning population. [more]

The weather is beginning to turn from cold winter gray to the overcast days of spring. This annual transformation means several things, one of which is that I'm about to get nagged into doing yard work.

"In these lively and unedited interviews, distinguished men and women from all over the world talk about their lives and their work. They reminisce about their participation in great events, and they share their perspectives on the past and reflect on what the future may hold. Guests include diplomats, statesmen, and soldiers; economists and political analysts; scientists and historians; writers and foreign correspondents; activists and artists. The interviews span the globe and include discussion of political, economic, military, legal, cultural, and social issues shaping our world. At the heart of each interview is a focus on individuals and ideas that make a difference."

[Read more]

Credit to David Horsey

High octane Brew

"Chances are you'll never get to taste Sam Adams Utopias MMII -- at 48-proof, the world's strongest commercial beer. That's because Jim Koch, a sixth-generation brewmaster and founder of Samuel Adams, only made 3,000 numbered bottles of the high-octane stuff."

US Spending Piechart: Where Your Taxes Really Go
Every year the War Resisters League analyzes the U.S. budget to determine "Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes." The 2002 version has been released and shows how almost half of U.S. taxpayer money goes to fund the military

Stripper-Turned-Mayor
Voters In Georgetown Colorado went to the polls Tuesday to determine whether to oust Mayor Koleen Brooks, a former stripper accused of baring her breasts in a bar, creating a hostile work environment and feuding with town officials. (CNN reports) ... And I thought Marion Barry had problems.

As we Age
The experts tell us that the world's population is not only growing, it's getting older. How that will affect the future is not quite so clear.
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Are you getting enough sleep?
"Sleep and mood are affected by the same brain neurotransmitters, so if the balance is off, both sleep and mood suffer. It is sometimes difficult to know which comes first, poor sleep or poor mood."

Why a Palestinian girl now wants to be a suicide bomber

Shireen Oudeh, 14 years old, a delicate gold chain hanging over the collar of her beige turtleneck, doesn't bridle at the label. "If Sharon is calling us terrorists," she says, referring to Israel's prime minister, "we should show him the terror."

Would she herself become a suicide bomber? "If God wills it," she says in a low, serious voice. "If I had the means, I would have done it yesterday."

Sad.

Supreme Court to review 'Three Strikes'
"The Supreme Court said Monday it will use the cases of two petty thieves sentenced to at least 25 years in prison for shoplifting videotapes and stealing golf clubs to decide how far states can go in applying tough three-strikes-and-you're-out sentencing laws."

Citizen Clinton

Newsweek has a very well written article about what former President Clinton is doing now.

"Clinton’s Harlem staff estimates that 40 percent of his speeches are for pay, which would put Clinton’s annual speaking income at somewhere between $10 million and $15 million, all but erasing his roughly $5 million in legal bills. With his $12 million book deal, the largest in world history, the only impeached president of the 20th century will gross about $40 million in his first couple of years out of office."

Clinton haters are going nuts I'm sure. You gotta love it.

The 2002 Fortune 500 list of the America's largest corporations is out. And, oh, guess who's # 5? Yes, Enron. Wow!

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Ancient Freebasing

Mind-altering drugs may be so popular because they were once used by our ancestors to survive, two leading anthropologists have argued.

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Rabbit Rabbit