A remotely piloted aircraft that the United States has warned could spread chemical weapons appears to be made of balsa wood and duct tape, with two small propellors attached to what look like the engines of a weed whacker.

Iraqi officials took journalists to the Ibn Firnas State Company just north of Baghdad on Wednesday, where the drone’s project director accused Secretary of State Colin Powell of misleading the U.N. Security Council and the public.

“He’s making a big mistake,” said Brig. Imad Abdul Latif. “He knows very well that this aircraft is not used for what he said.”

In Washington’s search for a “smoking gun” that would prove Iraq is not disarming, Powell has insisted the drone, which has a wingspan of 24.5 feet, could be fitted to dispense chemical and biological weapons. He has said it “should be of concern to everybody.”

The drone’s white fuselage was emblazoned Wednesday with the words “God is great” and the code “Quds-10.” Its balsa wood wings were held together with duct tape. Officials said they referred to the remotely piloted vehicle as the RPV-30A.

Latif said the plane is controlled by the naked eye from the ground. Asked whether its range is above the 93-mile limit imposed by the United Nations, he said it couldn’t be controlled from more than five miles. [The Guardian]

Religieuze discussies die ik gevoerd heb in mijn leven:

• Word (DOS) vs. WordPerfect (DOS)


• ZX Spectrum vs. Commodore 64


• PC vs. Mac


• Netscape vs. Internet Explorer


• Linux vs. Windows


• Server-side validatie vs. client-side validatie


• Muis vs. shortcuts


• DHTML menu’s of niet


• Websites: vaste breedte of variabele breedte


• Dubbelpunt na legendes boven inputvelden in windowsapplicaties of niet


• Text adventures vs. point-and-click adventures


• 2 spaties, vier spaties of ASCII 9 voor een tab

Tante Anna is dood. 89. Zucht.

En verder: algemene consternatie op de tram vanmorgen. Tram 12 van de Korenmarkt naar het station bleek niet tram 12 te zijn: de wattman was vergeten het nummer te verzetten naar 40.

En pas twee haltes later gemerkt, dus de hele inhoud van de tram moest heel die eind terug, ’t was proper.

Bij deze zal ik dus een half uur te laat zijn op het werk. Gisteren wel tot negen uur doorgedaan, dus het balanceert wel uit.

Of mijn keelpijn wag was deze morgen? Au contraire monsieur Japp, the illness it is waiting to pounce on Poirot!

’t Ziet er naar uit dat het voor het weekend zal zijn. Joy!

Oldest human footprints found on volcano

Victor Victoria op TCM. Yay!

USS Clueless. Never was a weblog more appropriately named.

Lessen voor e-mail:

• Zet Outlook niet voortdurend aan, zorg dat het in geen geval lawaai maakt, en kijk alleen e-mail na als er niets anders te doen is. De mensen gaan niet doodgaan als er een uur of twee verloopt tussen een mail en een antwoord.
   


• Bekritiseer niemand per mail (kritiek over e-mail wordt vertienvoudigd, no matter hoeveel smileys er staan), en voer geen technische discussies over e-mail. Doe dergelijke dingen in persoon of per IM.
   


• Let op wie ge-cc-d wordt. Gebruik indien nodig bcc. Wees voorzichtig met reply to all.
   


• Lees e-mails altijd na voor ze te verzenden. Spellingsfouten zijn vies.
   


• Vergeet nooit dat een e-mail nooit verloren gaat. Er blijft altijd wel ergens een kopie staan.

Hm. Geen goed teken: ik heb zo’n vieze kriebel in mijn keel, ik dacht vanmiddag dat het was van teveel te spreken. Nu heb ik het nog altijd en het wordt niet veel beter. Dat ruikt naar keelpijn-verging-on-ontsteking.

Fingers crossed fingers crossed.

Sommige dingen kan een mens niet uitvinden:

Bush Sr warning over unilateral action
The first President Bush has told his son that hopes of peace in the Middle East would be ruined if a war with Iraq were not backed by international unity. [The Times Online]

Vragen die iemand eens aan Bush zou moeten stellen (van Editor and Publisher):

1. You say Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction and is evil enough to use them. If not during an American invasion of his country, then when? Have you calculated how many U.S. troops might die in such an attack?
    
   
2. Why, if North Korea has the capability to produce six nuclear warheads by mid-summer, are you letting their very reluctant neighbors take the lead in deterring them (as you announced tonight) while demanding that the U.S. take charge in confronting Saddam?
    
   
3. You praise the Iraqi people, say we have no quarrel with them, pledge to save them from the dictator and give them democracy. Would you tell us how many of them are likely to die in even the best invastion scenario? And how many civilians might die if Saddam, indeed, uses chemical weapons to defend himself?
    
   
4. Why do you think Turkey’s parliament voted against hosting U.S. troops after being offered such a large aid package, especially since they are on Iraq’s border?
    
   
5. With the economy skaken and deficits climbing, how do you respond to critics who say you’re ignoring domestic issues and the long-term economic security of this country by focusing so much of your time and resources on Iraq?
    
   
6. You say one major reason for taking this action is to protect Americans from terrorism. How do you respond to the warnings of CIA Director George Tenet and others that invading Iraq would in fact likely increase terrorism?
    
   
7. Why have you threatened “retribution” against Mexico if it votes against our U.N. resolution? And do you think it is wise to warn that Mexicans could face the same reaction as the “backlash against the French” from our public (as you recently said) when this might be directed at some of the tens of millions of Hispanics living in the U.S.?
    
   
8. Rather than make us wait for a supplemental budget request — after the war has been launched — to tell us what it, and its aftermath, will cost, don’t you think the American people (who will pay the bill) deserve to know the latest long-term estimates before the fact?
    
   
9. Why did the U.S. edit the 12,000 page Iraqi weapons report (as recently revealed) to the U.N. Security Council, removing all names of U.S. companies that sold weapons materials to the Iraqis in the past?
    
   
10. Would you confirm or deny the reports this week, based on a leaked memo, that the U.S. bugged and otherwise spied on representatives of countries that are swing votes on the U.N. Security Council? Do you approve of such actions?
     
    
11. You claimed tonight that Iraq has started producing new missiles — but are these nothing more than less capable versions (fully permitted by the U.N.) of the missiles being destroyed now?
     
    
12. How do you respond to reporter Daniel Schorr’s statement that the “coalition of the willing” is actually a “coalition of the billing?”
     
    
13. Why is the U.S. threatening a non-U.N.-backed war if 59% of Americans do not support a U.S. invasion without the approval of the U.N. Security Council, according to a Feb. 24-26 USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll?

Donald “loose cannon” Rumsfeld pisses off the British, too

US defense minister Rumsfeld provoked the British government when he stated that the position of the UK on Iraq was ‘unclear’ and said that the US were ready to move without British support. British defense officials insist that if the US goes, so do they.

While the US could militarily manage to take over the role of teh approximately 45,000 British troops in the Gulf, the psychological impact of the US having to go in along would be substantial.

Somebody put a gag on that clown.

[Secular Blasphemy]

Serbian prime minister assassinated

Zoran Djindjic, prime minister of Serbia, was hit twice by shots from a sniper rifle outside his government offices in Belgrade and died of his wounds. Djindjic was instrumental in oustin Milocovic from power and installing democracy to the former Yugoslavia and Serbia. In the democratication process he made a number of powerful enemies. On Feb 21 a lorry tried to intercept his motorcade in what was described as an assassination attempt.

This is a serious crisis for the fragile new democracy of Serbia.

[Secular Blasphemy]

Jongens jongens jongens. Hebben ze nu echt niets beter te doen in het amerikaanse parlement?

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The cafeteria menus in the three House office buildings changed the name of “french fries” to “freedom fries,” in a culinary rebuke of France stemming from anger over the country’s refusal to support the U.S. position on Iraq.

Ditto for “french toast,” which will be known as “freedom toast.”

The name changes were spearheaded by two Republican lawmakers who held a news conference Tuesday to make the name changes official on the menus.