Slashdot Mirror

I'm not the original poster, but this is a big deal. The Iraqi oil-for-food program was by far the largest amount of money that the UN had ever handled. It dwarfed the rest of the UN's budget.

(That said, I doubt Putin or Chirac were bribed. Like Bush, they had their own strong interests in the matter of Iraq and its government.)

Here are a few references. You can find plenty more on news.google.com :

'Massive scam' in Iraqi oil program

Get to heart of UN role in Iraq Oil-for-Food scandal

Annan Pushes UN Council Members on Iraq Oil Scandal

3,000 UN Staffers Probed

Bulgaria's President Questioned over Iraq Oil Scandal

BBC News last year, Australian last week. I sent the story in, I thought they would be too prudish to publish. I was right.

Under UK law it is considered prostitution but prostitution is not and never has been illegal in the UK. Soliciting an act of prostitution is illegal however. It is far from clear that this was technically soliciting in the meaning of the act.

Prostitution and internet soliciting have actually been widely tollerated by the police in the UK for about ten years. The police would rather be in the business of regulating brothels than dealling with street walkers.

There is another police angle that I have a personal connection with. I used to work in a computer shop at the weekends. It was not in a very good location and it closed down sometime after I left. After a while the shop became a 'massage parlor'. This operated without complaints for a year until a girl was murdered by one of the clients. As the law stood (still stands in fact) a single girl working on her own is not a brothel, but two are. As a result the city council and the local police decided to tell the local establishements that from now on they would not enforce the brothel-keeping law. They also tolerate Web sites which give little doubt as to their true purpose. Oh and the shop is now a very expensive financial services advice place catering to 'high net worth' individuals.

The other reason that the virginity auction is unlikely to be prosecuted is that the event was a staged protest at the cost of school fees. The government does not want this to become a saga, particularly as they have proposed complete legalization.

The part you don't understand, is the part of the 2nd Amendment you so conveniently left out:
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,"

This part, and the fact that most of those who are pro-gun tend to leave it out, is the crux of the 2nd amendment debate.

Not much debate when it comes down to state courts. The Supreme Court has never directly ruled on the 2nd Amendment, leaving it to the states to decide. There is one US Constitution, but states also have state constitutions. Just like there are state protections for other rights also found in the US Constitution, so are there over 40 states with some form of 2nd Amendment protections. And in the states where the 2nd Amendment has been included or later added, and reviewed by state courts, or where the state has included a pre-emption provision, there is no debate among them. That's 37 states (or does Missouri make 38?) where, if you are not a criminal, and you are not disqualified by mental illness, the state MUST issue permits in states that have a permitting system, and in states where there is no permit, no state official may prevent its law-abiding citizenry from possessing firearms, including handguns.

It's poorly written, unclear and open to interpretation, unlike the first amendment.

The 1st Amendment has been open to interpretation. It has taken court cases to decide that you can't yell Fire! in a movie theatre, or that the 1st Amendment applies to government actions (against citizenry), not private individuals.

37 states have made clear that there is nothing about the 2nd Amendment being poorly written or being open to interpretation. Some have done it simply by adopting the 2nd Amendment into their state constitutions and accepting it, and others have adopted it, and then it has taken arrests and/or lawsuits, and the attacks by the governors/attorney generals against it, for it to reach the relevant state supreme courts. In 37 states, its over.

13 states left. Some are outright prohibitions, and some have written their laws to try and circumvent or delay a decision against them by handing out licenses on a limted basis. Eventually, every state will have "shall issue" rights, because as citizenry in each state get their rights more clearly defined, and become armed, they will take action to ensure they don't lose this right that took so long and was such a tough fight.

Florida was one of the first states to adopt such a law written so clearly. Gun prohibitionists such as yourself screamed that there would be blood flowing in the streets of Florida if the law passed. The head of the state police chiefs (or was it AG?) spoke in opposition to the law before it passed. After it passed, after some time to examine crime statistics and permit holder statistics, the head of the state police chiefs (or AG?) dropped his opposition.

What I wonder is if zealots such as yourself were to succeed at some point in banning guns,
would you ban swords next?

Florida: 798,732 issued, 146 (0.02%) revoked due to firearm crimes by licensees. (Dept. of State, 10/1/87-2/29/02)

Kentucky: 71,770 valid permits, 585 (0.8%) revoked for any reason. (State Police, 10/1/96-12/31/01)

Louisiana.: 15,319 issued, 67 (0.4%) revoked for any reason. (State Police, (11/1/96-2/28/02)

Oklahoma: 35,329 issued, 108 (0.30%) revoked for any reason. (SBI, 2/28/ 2002)

North Carolina: 47,046 issued, 242 (0.5%) revoked for any reason. (SBI, 12/1/95-9/29/01)

South Carolina: 33,492 issued, 164 (0.5%) revoked for any reason. (SLED, 8/96-5/26/02)

Texas: 223,5

If the server he is using is located in the US, then maybe things are different.

Ding-ding

"The indictment alleged Mr Griffiths controlled access to a drop site for pirated software at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer network."

Another article is located here, with a little more information about the crimes allegedly committed. Apparently, he believes that he committed no crime in Australia because the physical location of his dropbox and software were all at MIT.

According to this article, the most recent death toll is 2,749. Closer to 3,000 than 2,000. Just a nitpick, of course; your original point is still valid.

Hell thats nothing. Just look at what the Germans have been up to

This would seem to be the perfect additional functionality to the proposed video cell phone technology proposed by a Hong Kong company that would enable users to set a background picture of there choice. Having the righ background noise would make much more effective. Here's the missing ??? before profit!

In other news... Stephen King is dead.

I think the number you are looking for is 20 million, but point well taken. Still, to say that "tens of millions is low" is preposterous.

The number was closer to 20 million.

the hiring of Bill Gibson as CIO, and his review of all things IT in the ATO.

As a contractor on the ATO account, I for one, welcome our new open-source weilding overlords!

Mind you, Bill did pull a huge tender recently, so maybe this won't make it through the next month without being reversed.

the hiring of Bill Gibson as CIO, and his review of all things IT in the ATO.

As a contractor on the ATO account, I for one, welcome our new open-source weilding overlords!

Mind you, Bill did pull a huge tender recently, so maybe this won't make it through the next month without being reversed.

As far as I can see GWB will win the next elections due to a) Nader announcing his run and leeching votes from the Democrat candidate and b) the imminent but orchestrated capture of bin Laden.

I don't see the civil war happening unless GWB/neocons try to extend their regime in 2008 by unconstitutional means ("...there will be no leadership change until the war on terror is brought to an end and therefore the elections will be indefinitely postponed...").

And with Kerry screwing an intern

Kerry did not screw the intern.

"Not much of a joke. I know a few people here that would sell their soul to own a Ferrari...

...Or an Alfa Romeo 147 GTA. Shove the 6 cyliner engine from the 156 into a small (yet beautiful) hatchback body, and you have something which will scare V8 muscle cars. The Italians and the French make some truly beautiful cars. Alfa's whole range is stunning, and some of Peugeot's stuff is amazing too...the 406 Coupe (although it was designed by an Italian design studio) and the 206 hatch come to mind."

I know i'm off-topic here, but just looking for a quick specs of that on the web, at 60k you can beat that car in something as small and half the cost as a Honda S2000 roadster (which incidentally is a 4 cylinder engine.)

Click here for the Australian IT article on this issue

Hed.

Hed.

This Kiwi guy was sending approx one hundred million emails a day!! From memory he eventually stopped after receiving a series of death threats at his home. Big spam operator exposed

But... I bet the Austrians have some kangaroos tucked away in a zoo somewhere, to satisfy tourists who mistype their destinations. I know we've got the odd stone castle tucked away in case the misreading goes the other way. (-:

This link works. Yeah, FUD indeed; we will probably see plenty of it today.

It is clear to me, an Australian, that this must have been developed to validate the digital camera UFO sighting made by a Victorian Council Worker in mid-january when he was pgotographing a railway intersection :)

err!
jak

that picture isn't a UFO. The guy tooks some random pictures and later on he "discovered" a UFO in one of them. Chances are it was a bird or something ordinary... if it was a UFO and he didn't notice it when he was taking the picture, then I'd say something is screwy with him.

Software giant threatens mikerowesoftZDNet.co.uk,UK-8 minutes agoMicrosoft has set its lawyers onto a 17-year-old software writer from Vancouver, called Mike Rowe, because he has registered MikeRoweSoft.com, which the

Microsoft not pleased about mikerowesoft websiteAnanova,UK-3 hours agoA Canadian teenager called Mike Rowe who added the word soft to his name for his website title, has been ordered by Microsoft to hand over the domain.

Microsoft won't go soft on Mike RoweLondon Free Press,Canada-4 hours agoVANCOUVER -- Like any good fledgling businessperson, Mike Rowe knew

Microsoft lawyers threaten Mike Rowe (17)The Register,UK-5 hours agoIn what could easily be mistaken for an Onion story, Microsoft has unleashed the full fury of its lawyers on 17-year-old Canadian high-school student, Mike Rowe

Mike may be Rowe, but 'soft' is troubleSeattle Times,WA-7 hours agoBy The Associated Press. VANCOUVER, BC - Mike Rowe knew he needed a catchy name for his Web-site design company. But the folks

Big bully Gates targets teenTimes of India,India-8 hours agoVANCOUVER: No matter what Shakespeare said on the theme of nomenclature, Microsoft has thought it fit to sue a teenager whose domain name is a lot like the

Microsoft vs MikeRoweSoftIndependent Online,South Africa-10 hours agoVancouver, British Columbia - Mike Rowe thinks it's funny that his catchy name for a website design company sounds a lot like Microsoft.

Microsoft takes on teenNEWS.com.au,Australia-10 hours agoMIKE Rowe thinks it is funny that his catchy name for a Web site design company sounds a lot like Microsoft. "Since my name is Mike

Langford student battles tech giant over use of his domain name: Canada.com,Canada-Jan 17, 2004Mike Rowe, a Langford high school student who does Web site design part-time, is locked in a legal battle with one of the world's biggest companies.

Microsoft vs. Mike Rowe SoftWIS,SC-47 minutes ago(Vancouver, British Columbia-AP) Jan. 19, 2004 - It's Microsoft versus Mike Rowe-soft. Mike Rowe, 17, wanted a catchy name for his Web site design company.

Support CD Babyp2pnet.net,Canada-1 hour agoBecause Mike, who lives in Victoria on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada (and a short drive from p2pnet.net's thriving central base : ) makes a

Microsoft Talk Legal to 17 Year-Old Owner of MikeRoweSoft DomainShortNews.com-2 hours agoMike Rowe, 17, from British Columbia, Canada decided to start up a small web business and called his domain MikeRoweSoft. Smart

Microsoft Corporation vs MikeRoweSoftOfficialSpin-3 hours agoVictoria, British Columbia -- (OfficialSpin) -- 19/01/04 -- A 17 year-old high school student, Mike Rowe, who just so happens to earn a few extra bucks...

Microsoft demands teen to give up domain nameSalem Statesman Journal,OR-7 hours agoVANCOUVER, British Columbia - Mike Rowe knew that he needed

Geraldo Rivera claimed to be in Kandahar, while "phoning it in" from Tora Bora. Phesheya Dube, radio broadcaster in Swaziland, claimed to be broadcasting from Iraq, but really never left home. So much reporting on the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is synthetic, that we should never trust what we hear, unless we corroborate from multiple sources. Even then, we must remain skeptical until we see where the money flows. Authentication of news requires interaction from consumers, which is why so many of us mine the Internet for information, and expect only entertainment from broadcasters.

"Those with a car antenna kit could now access mobile phone coverage across almost one-fifth of the Australian land mass, he said."

Other reports mention a 15-18% coverage, which is about 1.4 million square km.

Here is another good article from The Austrailian with more details. The pressure rose from 13.92 psi to 14.11 psi when the leak was sealed.

Bikie warning at nightclubs

The warning follows several incidents in the city after midnight on Friday night when a busload of up to 50 Finks motorcycle club members bombarded venues, assaulting staff and refusing to pay for drinks.

Boring ? Just got to know where to go.

An eyewitness, who refused to be named, told the Sunday Mail the Finks first went to Heaven nightclub on West Tce, then to Cargo in Hindley St, Traffic in North Tce, and The Garage, in Waymouth St - where a violent brawl involving the Finks occurred in October.

The bar manager who suffered serious facial and head injuries in that incident was again punched in the face early yesterday, resulting in stitches to his mouth.

Was introduced to this guy a week ago, and he bought me a drink. He is a good guy. Hope he gets better soon.

http://heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5 478,8244347%255E1702,00.html

According to this article, the Real Music Store will be offering 192kbps AAC downloads.

I think this is a great idea, and it could potentially steal customers from Apple.

According to this article, IBM currently has 320,000 employees. With these numbers (I'll assume 1 system per employee avg.) and their clout/connection with ISVs, this is bound to ensure more business apps ported to Linux. I'm sure as a result of this, M$'s competitors will now be chomping at the bit to port to Linux to sell to IBM plus get them to promote their wares.

Uh gee - remember Sept 11th? Illegals flying into the twin towers and the Pentagon and a field in PA? Murdered thousands? Ring a bell? Definitely have a need to watch out for who is coming into the country.

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but when you've got a lean budget you innovate.

BTW, there's this interesting other stuff in the news about Aussies seaching the heavens for likely places to host another earth.

Obligatory filching of Galaxy Song lyrics: So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
how amazingly unlikely is your birth,
Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
because there's bugger all down here on Earth.

The most racist place I've ever seen has been Israel. This type of thing is more common than you would believe, as it is okay to discriminate against non-Israelis.

In Australia, the US, or the UK, this sort of behaviour would get you sued to hell and back.

Check this out (link)
in a Martini commercial is another you will not see in US, Britain or Australia. Quote from the article:

In one of the commercials, Paltrow is seen rising apparently naked from a hotel bed shared by an equally unclothed male.

"Pausing to put on only a shirt, she tiptoes downstairs, hoists herself over the bar and prepares Martinis on the rocks for herself and her bedmate."...But what distinguishes Paltrow from previous faces of the company is her very public, healthy living image.

"She particularly asked that the advert was not shown in Britain or the US because people in those countries are much more aware that she doesn't drink," a source at Martini & Rossi's headquarters in Turin said.

It's getting boring reminding you greenhouse deniers to read my post, which formulates a simple series analysis. It shows just how much more frequently still-abberant weather is happening, in an obvious pattern. You deniers have yet to offer even a simple logical proposition, so you're obviously a lost cause. But the lurking readers can easily see that you can't do math, you can't read posts, and you are wallowing in a climate change that you refuse to understand because you fear it so. 2003 was the 3rd hottest year in a century and a half while 1998 was the hottest, with spikes of about a whole degree Farenheit. France, Italy, India, Pakistan were scorched with heatwaves which killed tens of thousands. North America had its 10th lowest snowfall, in spite of a recordbreaking snowstorm. Hundreds in Peru died in a record -20C winter. And the contractions are coming closer together. Wake up and do something more constructive than denying your part in our collective impact on each other, unless you're contractually bound to some oil company.

Well, someone flew over the South Pole already, in a helicopter. Except they planned ahead, and had fuel dumps set up, and arranged for a rescue team to stand-by. Ie: nothing like this bozo who didn't even file a flight plan.

Why the hell not?

Interestingly enough, the real question seems to be insurance; guy has no insurance cover for tagging his plane along on a ship. Also, there were a few comments here suggesting that he was taking a Great Circle "short-cut" while flying over the Antarctic; he wasn't, he was only trying to be the first man ever to fly over the South Pole on a homemade plane. Or whatever.

And oh, he has time only till (next?) Thursday to decide, or face spending Christmas and the New Year there.

abc.net.au:

For the time being the Americans are giving him food and a couch in the refuelling shed to sleep on, but no fuel.
JON JOHANSON: I guess officialdom are afraid to be seen to be helping in case the hordes come down and invade and I can understand their decisions, I really can and I don't, I haven't asked for their help. All I would like to do is make a commercial transaction of fuel.

AN Australian pilot remains stranded in the Antarctic after his government today failed to sway two of its greatest allies to sell him 400 litres of fuel....Mr Johanson needs 400 litres of fuel to return to New Zealand, but both US and NZ authorities have refused to supply it under a policy to discourage tourists to the base.

While I understand where you are going in regards to NSW, the bill was just passed "with the support of the Greens and Independents" in the ACT according to The Australian.

According to The Australian, this is "part of a coordinated national approach by the Democrats, which has seen similar legislation introduced in South Australia and federally and under consideration in [New South Wales] (whose capitol is Sydney) - calls for government to "consider" the purchase of open source software in procurement plans." The article also mentions that "the original version of the bill would have required the ACT to 'prefer open source software' but that was of course neutered. Appearently in the last six months alone the ACT has spent $15 million Australian ($11 mil US) (Converter) on Microsoft software and support for the next three years.

61,000 dead Baghdad residents disagree with you.

The same economic benefits apply to rich nations as well as developing ones. However, I'd expect several orders of magnitude greater benefit.

You can read Mark Lathams comments here.

From news.com.au:

HE is the hobbit king of New Zealand, hailed throughout the land as the saviour of hope, goodness, truth and the national economy. Now director Peter Jackson can burrow into his own little hobbit-hole, snug inside a grassy hillside.

The set of Bag End, the round-walled underground home of hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, always felt cosy to Jackson over the past seven years of creating the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

But big Hollywood studios aren't known for their sentimentality and New Line Cinema wanted the set demolished as soon as shooting was completed.

The rotund and furry Jackson, who often describes himself as being like a hobbit, couldn't bear to let it go.

"I love the Bag End set, so I asked New Line: 'If I pay for all the storage costs, can I keep it?"' Jackson told The Australian in Wellington before the opening of the trilogy's third film, Return of the King.

Jackson's films will make an estimated $NZ5.3 billion ($4.6 billion) for the studio, but the hard-headed money men of New Line weren't letting the director have a freebie.

He paid for storage and now Jackson is having Bag End installed under a hillside on his property north of Wellington.

"I'll have it as a guesthouse. I love it, its so round," he says. "It's amazing how comforting roundness is in a building. Why aren't we making round buildings? Why all these square, flat walls?"

How about Michael/Gavin?

"Jackson's legal team is said to be encouraging him to consider a plea bargain, possibly an insanity defence that would allow him to serve time in a state mental hospital instead of jail."

Jacko used to play a "rubba rubba"-game with his little boyfriend.

Spammers are bad enough, but now TV channels are also doing it with. Latest is the "Australian Idol", 55c a call. Call your favorite 'idol'. Channel 10 has already made $20 million. Great interactive TV. Keep putting coins down your telephone line in the hopes of changing the outcome. Disgusting!