Posts from — April 2003

SYRIA MAY BE NEXT

Syria may become an American military target if it was found to be harbouring Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, according to a senior Pentagon adviser.

He said that if such weapons were found on Syrian soil: “I’m quite sure we would have to respond to that”.[link via Metafilter]

Mr. Richard Perle, I think you and your idiot pretzel-fearing boss could do better by using all your resources to try and find any proof of those WMDs in Iraq first. Warheads with traces of nerve agent don’t count if you are trying to justify invasion of a country.

So, before you talk about doing an Iraq on Syria, first attend to the business that you’ve left unfinished in the last year or so… viz. finiding Osama, finding WMDs in Iraq, etc.

And if anyone thinks this is an anti-American view… think again! This is just an anti-idiotarian view!

Read Between the Lines as a young budding journo Rohini tries to analyse news that catch her eye, on her brand new media blog.

What is this blog all about? Read the FAQs :-)
In short, as the byline of her blog announces, it is “a weblog on the media- from news to movies, sportspersons to journalists, advertising to war reporting…. “

Great work, Rohini!! :-)

SARS was born in weapons lab: Russian scientist

The virus of atypical pneumonia, better known as SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, was created artificially, possibly as a bacteriological weapon, Sergei Kolesnikov, academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, told a press conference in the Siberian town of Irkutsk on Thursday, the Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported.

According to Kolesnikov, the virus of atypical pneumonia is a synthesis of the viruses of measles and infectious parotiditis or mumps, the natural compound of which is impossible. This can be done only in a laboratory, he said.

Now, much before SARS became a global threat and when it was just a disturbing problem in South East Asia, I had this chat with a friend. And I, being a conspiracy theorist that I am, had hypothesized that SARS could be lab-created virus that was let loose as a smokescreen. Geez! my brain thinks up such weird stuff these days!!… and when it comes true, it just feels so smug!! ;-)

Here it is once more… a chance to take on Supersam’s Challenge!!

Send in your answers to me at webmaster at opti-mystic dot net. Please do not post answers in the comments.

So here are 10 questions for you…

1. Why was Wg. Cdr. (retd.) S P Pendharkar in the news recently?

2. In children’s fiction, which character was created by Geppetto?

3. Which is the first Indian courier company to have its own aviation facility?

4. Which modern day country in the Middle East is the site of the world’s earliest known civilization, the Sumerian civilization?

5. In cricket, a score of 111 is often referred to as ‘Nelson’. Why so?

6. Which song by the Rolling Stones was used as the theme song for the launch of Windows 95?

7. If you are a misocapnist, then what would you be allergic to?

8. Which promotional character has Pepsi planned to revive in India during this summer?

9. In the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, an Indian game was demonstrated for the first time. Which game was it?

10. Complete this line, taken from a 20th Century Classic. “You can shoot all the blue jays you want if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin __ ____ _ ___________.“

I know I did not send the answers to the last Supersam’s Challenge, but I promise I’ll be a good boy this time and post the answers and the scores this time around! :-)

So, go ahead and take up the challenge!

Speed of sound is silenced

Concorde, the world’s first supersonic passenger jet, will be grounded in the autumn after a plunge in passenger numbers and a string of high-profile technical problems.
British Airways and Air France will announce the decision today, following months of deliberation with technical advisers from Airbus.[link via Metafilter]

Well, I’ve never travelled in a Concorde, but I’m a wee bit sad to note that it’ll no more take to the skies!

By the way, a trivia question. Do you know why the Concorde’s nose is crooked (or bent, pointing towards the ground)?