In the news

The world's largest democracy is having an election. So far only one killed and 13 wounded, which is nice because I expected worse.

Israel is unleashing Mordechai Vanunu, and at a politically inconvenient time, too. CNN says: "...the security services have barred Vanunu from speaking to foreigners, traveling abroad or even approaching foreign embassies for fear he might seek political asylum." This sounds hauntingly familiar to me, and in a definitely antinostalgic way. The prohibition to travel is only for a year and the other restrictions for 6 months, and they let Vanunu's parents, who are American, visit him, but still...

He is not allowed to participate in Internet chats, either, without prior permission. Inquiring minds want to know how do you enforce this in a place like Israel, and whether he is also forbidden from posting on Usenet and making a web page for himself.

Congo's (Kinshasa Congo, that's the one that is the democratic republic, as opposed to the other Congo which is just a republic) president Joseph Kabila is asking International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes in his country. Weren't most of them committed by his father Laurent Kabila?

Bush is increasing lead on Kerry. Ugh. Better to have a president who has two well thought-out opposing opinions on every issue than one who never thinks at all.

In my old hometown of Newton, the scary criminal strikes again:

"Parents of a 12-year-old girl called police on Sunday, April 4, at 1:05 p.m. after their daughter reportedly saw a naked man in the Bobby Braceland Park on Chestnut Street. The girl said she was walking her dog when she saw the nude man, with his back to her. The girl's mother said she saw a similar nude man in the park about three months earlier, but did not report it. Police searched the area for the 20- to 30-year-old white man, with an average build but did not find him." Damn, they did not find him in spite of this exact description!