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A week ago, a French oil tanker in Yemen exploded; Yemen officials are now calling it a terrorist attack. Early evidence says it's an Al Qaeda action. The attack was very similar to the Al Qaeda attack on the USS Cole, in October 2000, and at least one American intelligence official was willing to make the link.

So: why would Al Qaeda target a French tanker right now? France is opposing the US resolution in the UN Security Council. This action will strengthen France's desire to fight terror, not weaken it. If anything, France will now be more willing to support the US. On the face of it, blowing up a French tanker seems really stupid.

Unless, and this is pure speculation, but unless Al Qaeda is not in Iraq. If that's true, it makes a ton of sense. If Osama wants the US to get distracted by Iraq, this is an excellent move.

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Quick update to my last entry: Osama bin Laden (or someone claiming to be him) has taken responsibility for the French oil tanker attack. He did not take credit for the recent bombing in Bali, although Indonesian officials have made that link.

Why is Al Qaeda so eager for us to attack Iraq?

[Population: One] <A HREF="http://popone.innocence.com/ar

Glenn McDonald says, "I've been asked, more than once, how I can be a music fan and a soccer fan, when there is usually, at least in this country, such a gulf between art people and sports people." I could say the same of sports and computers. Many of my friends could care less about sports. Sports are where the jocks play, and we define ourselves as very much other than them.

This piece, from which I pulled the above quote, is what I love about sports. The object of any sport may in and of itself be pointless. Balls, goals, who cares? But I love the passion that comes with a good team, or even with a bad team that achieves more than it thought possible. It's worth reading the last paragraph on the page even if one hates sports, just for the beauty with which he expresses that self-same emotion.