| The Kensington Review |
3 August 2005 |
| Latest Commentary: | Volume IV, Number 92 |
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GOP Holds Ohio Seat Against Anti-Bush Iraq-War Vet -- In electoral politics, a win is a win no matter how thin the margin of victory. By that measure, the Republicans in Ohio should be happy about holding the seat for the Second Congressional District in that state in yesterday’s general election. Nationwide, though, this result proves that the war in Iraq is starting to damage their 2006 electoral hopes, to say nothing of 2008 and Mr. Bush’s legacy.
King Fahd Leaves Behind Doubtful Saudi Future -- The death of Saudi King Fahd marks the beginning of the end of the old way of doing things in Saudi Arabia. His successor, formerly Crown Prince Abdullah, is 81, and therefore, unlikely to last very many years on the throne. If he embarks on a huge reform program, the conservative opposition with the royal house as well as in Islam will merely have to wait him out. And if he does not, the pressure cooker will continue to heat up. Saudi Arabia is due for change, but not just yet. EU Loses WTO Case Brought by Latin American Banana Growers -- Among the odder wars in human history one can find such silly-named fights as The Soccer War (El Salvador vs. Honduras), the War of Jenkin’s Ear (England vs. Spain) and the Wars of the Roses (York vs. Lancaster, repeatedly). However, a recent WTO ruling has spared mankind the ignominy of having to write a history of the Banana Wars. Instead, this august world body has found an EU tariff against Latin American banana’s unjust, and it has instructed the Europeans to negotiate a fair deal. Much bloodshed has been avoided – and breakfast in Europe just got cheaper. Solar System Now Has 10 Planets, or 8 -- For a rock 2,600 kilometres across, the name “2003 UB313” is tolerable. But if it turns out to be a planet, it’s going to need something far grander to compete with the likes of Mars, Jupiter, and even the oft-mispronounced Uranus. Of course, if it’s a planet depends not on the universe, but on the ever-evolving taxonomy scientists use. Should the astronomers decide it is a planet, one hopes they acknowledge the greatness of Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in which the 10th planet was named “Rupert.” © Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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