| Kill at your convenience
IF YOU want to shoot a lion without any risk to yourself, you had better hurry. From June 1st it will be illegal in South Africa to shoot a lion while it is caught in a cage or a bear-trap. Farms will no longer be allowed to trot out tame or drugged game to be mown down by wealthy but inept hunters. "Canned hunting", the government proudly insists, has been banned. Animal-rights activists are not so sure. They point out that the law still allows hunters to lure lions, leopards and hyena with bait, and to dazzle leopards and hyenas with a bright light, before blasting away at them. Although hunters can no longer use crossbows to kill the biggest and most endangered species, many others, including buffaloes, hippos and wildebeest, will still be fair game. .
Google Goes Orwellian With Web History Release
Google has very quietly announced the launch of Google Web History, a tool that will allow users to review their web trail from any computer. I've been trying to avoid my natural tendency towards freaking out over privacy, but Google has finally taken me to the limit—I can't hold back any longer. On a recent trip to London, I toured the museums of the city with a professional painter as my guide. After about an hour, I had to ask: What's with all the cameras? I hadn't remembered seeing so many the last time I was there. My friend matter-of-factly told me that CCTVs (closed circuit televisions) are now everywhere in London, an accepted part of city life, and often used to solve crimes. My friend, who on most other counts ranks as a true anti-establishment artist, showed no signs of discomfort under the all-seeing eye.
ECONOMIC FORUM / Energy strategy needs rethink / Battle to secure ...
According to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey, since making inroads into Africa in 1995, China has secured 29 oil field-development contracts in 15 African countries. In contrast, Japan has lost its overseas oil field development rights one by one. In February 2000, Japan was unable to renew a contract with Saudi Arabia over the development rights in the Khafji oil field straddling the border between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Japan's 75 percent development rights in Iran's Azadegan oil field was cut to 10 percent in October. The Russian government, meanwhile, is showing signs of corralling its energy resources in connection with Sakhalin-2, the largest resource development project in the world. The Russian government has succeeded in forcing investors Royal Dutch Shell, Mitsui & Co.
Kenya: 34-Year Old Battle for Beautiful Valley
A travelling English geologist once described it as the most beautiful view in Africa. This was in 1892. A century later, it is an exquisite tourist gem deep in the heart of the Rift Valley, some 300km northwest of Nairobi. This is the Lake Bogoria national park, which boasts of a combination of an abundance of rare wildlife and a geological phenomenon unknown anywhere else in Kenya. Eager tourists, both local and foreign, annually flock to the park to view what Mother Nature in this part of the world has to offer. .
Don Imus and the racist 'shock jocks'
Imus. Each commentator condemned the inappropriateness of his remarks, but debated how he should be punished, if at all. Rev. Al Sharpton pulled no punches, calling Imus a racist and a sexist who should immediately tender his resignation. Rosie O'Donnell, who recently sparked a controversy with her own racist parody of Chinese people, defended Imus's right to free speech—while this time being sure to distance herself from the racist content. Bill Maher, darling of the liberals, stepped forward as Imus's most strident defender. He called on the nation to accept Imus's belated apology for his "bad joke." Maher referred to Imus affectionately as a once "swaggering mustang" now broken by the people who "just like to get all upset about something" and "distract themselves from the real issues." This was the most common defense of Imus during the controversy: going "over the line" and "stretching the boundaries" are par for the shock jock course.
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