Monthly Archive for January, 2004

I’m pretty amazed with the result of the Hutton Report. At the same time, I wouldn’t be suprised if most people who read this haven’t a clue what that is. Alas, American focus. I don’t really feel like taking the time at this juncture to delve into the many facets of the fascinating and disturbing chain of events surrounding a BBC report about a British intelligence dossier, the suicide of the source for said report, the incredible public debate about the whole mess, and the eventual quasi-resolution, today, with the release of a 700-odd page report by an investigator who exonerates almost completely 10 Downing Street and places a heap of blame right on the doorstep of the BBC. And now the head of the Beeb has fallen on his sword. But will one resignation be enough?

You won’t hear it on the US nightly news. Here is a report on the report (IHT), some other coverage (Al Jazeera), a political analysis (Guardian), and some angry opinion (Telegraph). What surprises me the most is the amount of respect all sides place in Hutton. I don’t know the story on this guy or really much at all about the process of the inquiry and how the British treat their judiciary, but I’m amazed at how muted the criticism is of a report that came out much more one-sided then anyone expected.

Why is this especially bad? The BBC is quite possibly the best source of journalism on Earth. And in 2006, it’s charter is up for renewal. And there are not a few people who would really like to see that organization given it’s due (what said due is is left as an exercise for the reader). Looks like they now have more ammo then they ever dreamed of for this upcoming fight. And does is surprise anyone that Rupert Murdoch (owner of the Sky network, among other media holdings in Britain) is helping lead the charge?

Meredith Glansberg’s excellent year in review is worth reading in it’s entirety, and since registration for the Justice web site is annoying and unnecessary, I’m reproducing the article here in the hope that it’ll get just a little bit wider distribution. Amazing that in the end, incidents that seemed to last forever and involve us so completely become mere sentences in the march of time.

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A close friend of someone I know at Brandeis recently died, which caused me to pause and reflect on life and her struggle with a rare form of cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma. I never knew Liddy, but she shared her experiences on the web, and I had glanced at the site a few times. Now I’ve read through much of it, have learned a lot about suffering, a lot about the human spirit, and way too much about cancer.

1/15/04: Liddy took her final steps on her journey with Ewing’s sarcoma today at 11:15 AM. No more pain. No more labored breathing. No more trembling hands and wobbliness. No more auras. She is at rest and at peace.

A few days ago President Bush announced a new initiative to send Americans to Mars, a mission that will end up costing anywhere from 500 billion to over 1 trillion dollars. I very much believe in our future in space and the wonders of what we can achieve. But perhaps that money could be best spent, at present, in another, more noble and more immediate cause: the eradication of cancer, a terrible, terrible, and mostly human-created disease.

What a strange feeling. I was just entering my credit card info to submit my Georgtown summer program information when I realized that an aspect of my application was now incorrect — I am no longer a student “in good standing.” In fact, I am now on academic probation. I feel like that’s not going to help my chances much. I’m one of over 1800 people applying for 200 spots, and I’m in bad academic standing. Wonderful.