Birthday Boy

I've had so much to do lately I feel like my body is on the verge of collapse! But even so I had a very nice birthday today. In all the confusion I had totally forgotten about my old tradition of watching a film by Clint Eastwood I've never seen before as a birthday present to myself. When it struck me it was a bit late to do anything about it. Also, I have seen all of Eastwood's films except Bird (1988), which isn't available here. But I'll get it in a couple of weeks when in St Andrews.

Once I wrote a lot about politics on this blog, but it was quite a while since now. I wonder why. Probably because I'm so fed up with most of what goes around in the world. But I read an article in last week's issue of The Economist about cooperation and cross border teambuilding in the countries that were once Yugoslavia. That was a piece of optimistic news which made me surprisingly happy.

Now, I will end this birthday with some ice cream and, well, maybe an episode of Friends, an old one. Just for me, me and my ice cream. And my thanks to Lisa and Annelie for making this such a lovely day.

Children of Iraq

I actually started crying on the plane today when I read this article in The Economist about Iraqi children killed or injured by the Americans. A perspective on collateral damages. This was the worst part...

"In one hospital, a young boy, with both his arms missing, was the sole survivor when an American missile crashed into his family’s farmhouse. “Will I get my arms back?” he asks Ms Jaber. “What about my hands?” Nearby a weeping grandmother sits beside a little girl wrapped in bandages. Another American missile had hit the car in which her parents and their seven children were fleeing danger in Baghdad. They were all killed except for the little girl and her baby sister, who had been thrown through the window by her burning mother."

Iraq’s children: Saving the orphans The Economist

everyday philosophy

A lot of arguments are based on the fact that those arguing are using different definitions for the thing that they are arguing about. This is often not properly understood. But definitions are important, as this example from Gulliver, The Economist's blog on travel, makes clear.

United Airlines and its larger passengers Gulliver Economist.com:

"The arguments, it seems to me, boil down to the question of what exactly a ticket is.

Is it a) the guarantee of transport for one passenger to an agreed destination? If so then the airline must provide seating for all, and any inadequacies must be addressed at no extra cost to the passenger.

Or is it b) the guarantee of a certain amount of space in the aircraft? If so, then a passenger needing more space is obliged to buy another ticket."