Alertas de Robert Alonso Robert Alonso

Por allá por 1860, un buen hombre llamado Frederick Guthier logró sintetizar etileno con S2Cl2 dándole vida a lo que pasó a la historia con el nombre de “gas mostaza”.  En la noche del 12 para el 13 de julio de 1917, fue empleado por primera vez como arma bélica en el frente de batalla cerca de Ypres, en Flandes, (Bélgica) y de ahí en adelante ha sido muy popular en conflictos como en el de Etiopía del año 35, la II Guerra Mundial, la guerra Irán-Irak entre 1984 y 1988, entre otros.

Cuando es puro, el “gas mostaza” no es gas sino un líquido incoloro e inodoro. Sin embargo, debido a impurezas, normalmente posee un color que va desde el amarillo hasta el ámbar oscuro, con un suave olor que ha sido descrito como de mostaza, ajo, rábano o heno recién cortado. Es un fuerte agente irritante.

La exposición al gas mostaza provoca enrojecimiento de la piel con aparición de ampollas e inflamación, especialmente en áreas donde las glándulas sudoríparas se encuentran en mayor número. Si es inalado, también puede causar quemaduras y ampollas en los tejidos pulmonares, causando una serie de síntomas a corto y largo plazo, que provocan invalidez crónica y en el peor de los casos, la muerte. A altas concentraciones o exposición prolongada, ataca las córneas de la víctima, dejándola prácticamente ciega. Actualmente, ha sido también calificado como agente cancerígeno.

Los síntomas suelen aparecer al cabo de 4-24 horas después de la exposición. Los efectos a largo plazo incluyen hipersensibilidad, fatiga pulmonar y tos crónica, dolor de pecho, cáncer de boca, garganta, tracto respiratorio y piel. También ha sido relacionado como causante de leucemia y defectos en fetos.

Saddam Husseín -- el “amigo del alma” del Sr. Chávez -- empleó el letal gas en contra de su propia gente, para arrasar con parte de la población kurda iraquí. Se desconoce el número exacto de kurdos muertos mediante los ataques de Husseín, pero hay quienes aseguran que fueron varios miles lo hombres, mujeres, niños y ancianos – TODOS CIVILES – quienes sufrieron una horrenda muerte debido a los ataques que este monstruo oriental llevó a cabo contra parte de su pueblo.

Nadie levantó su voz para protestar en contra de esas muertes.  No hubo cantantes alguno que le compusiera una canción de protesta ni se desnudó un solo hippie en Europa ni en ninguna parte del mundo.   Jamás se llevó a cabo manifestación callejera ni en las ventanas de los Mc Donald’s se pintaron graffities.

Digo esto para que vayamos tomando nota. 

Robert Alonso

El Hatillo 30 de marzo de 2003 robertalonso2003@cantv.net

<a href=www.zwire.com>Web March 29, 2003

Seattle, Washington (Sports Network) - The United States overcame a tenacious Venezuela defense and an uneven first-half performance to take a 2-0 win in Seattle at Seahawks Stadium. Second half goals from Jovan Kirovski and Landon Donovan gave the U.S. the win against one of South America's weaker nations, although Venezuela has played well of late. The national team next face rivals Mexico in Houston on May 8th at Reliant Stadium. The first half saw a stalemate for the most part, with Venezuela defending well in numbers despite allowing the U.S. a majority of play with the ball. Admittedly, it wasn't the best 45 minutes in the history of the game--the home side had decent play in the midfield from John O'Brien and DaMarcus Beasley, but the front duo of Kirovski and Brian McBride did not mesh well, and put together little problem for Venezuela. Kasey Keller was confident in the nets for the U.S., controlling his area well on crosses and loose balls. His stop on Daniel Noriega's low shot in the 30th minute was clear and away the best chance for either side, but Keller made it look relatively easy. Venezuela, as expected, defended in numbers and frustrated the U.S. attack, who could not put forth that last killer ball to unlock their opponents' defense. Halftime substitute Earnie Stewart was an instant spark for the U.S., coming in for Kansas City's Chris Klein. The three-time World Cup veteran showed he still can contribute on the international level, giving the home side a combination of hustle and class that the first half really lacked. His free kick led to the first goal; it found McBride, but his header was denied by the post. The rebounded was headed straight back onto the woodwork by Carlos Bocanegra, but the third bite at the cherry was slammed home by Kirovski in the 51st minute. Venezuela looked for an offside flag that wasn't given on the U.S. go-ahead goal. It was the first goal for Kirovski for the United States since 2000, with the Birmingham City attacker thought of as this country's biggest enigma--loads of talent, but little results in his career. Kirovski just missed getting a second goal, as his curling shot hit the crossbar with Venezuelan keeper Gilberto Angelucci beaten. He exited in the 60th minute for Donovan, whose individual effort for the United States' second goal was far and away the classiest moment of the game. Prior to Donovan's goal, the U.S. came close through a Stewart shot that went wide, McBride wasting an open net when he failed to control Beasley's pass six yards out, and a Stewart header off-target. In the 77th minute, Donovan took O'Brien's pass in the midfield, beat several defenders on the left side, and beat Angelucci coolly with a low shot to the far post. The San Jose Earthquake forward missed a chance for a second goal, as his first-time effort went straight to Angelucci, who blocked low. Substitutions late gave Edson Buddle and Nick Garcia some playing time, with the former becoming the 600th player to represent the U.S. on the national team level. Angelucci was sent off late, as he reacted to block Donovan's chip outside of the Venezuelan area with his hands. Keller maintained his national team record 29th clean sheet with a late diving save on Wilfredo Moreno's shot from an angle, his first action in the second half in front of his home state crowd.

Web

How does Scotland feel about the Iraq conflict? To find out, Alan Crawford sampled public opinion in one of the capital's streets

Venture beyond the hubbub of the High Street to the far end of South Bridge. There, with Old College on your right and a sex shop to your left, your journey into the capital's views on Iraq can begin.

Nicolson Street, leading into Clerk Street and its neighbour South Clerk Street, is rich in ethnic diversity, with a large transient student population. It is one of the capital's most vibrant thoroughfares, if fairly down-at-heel. And it's probably the best place to start when you're looking for a sample of opinions from across our near multi-racial society.

In Black Medicine Caf?, Manuela Mancini, a student from Rome, was more than willing to condemn the US and UK for their actions in Iraq.

'It's just bringing more death. They're masquerading as a noble war but they're just out to get more power,' she said.

Behind her, Lisa McIlwraith, a doctor from New Zealand working in Edinburgh, thought the allies' stated motives for invading Iraq, to rid the country of weapons of mass destruction and topple Saddam's regime, were disingenuous.

'It's to do with control of oil and not humanitarian issues, although that might be a positive outcome of the war,' she said. She believed Tony Blair was supporting Bush to try and bring a moderating influence to bear. 'Bush is essentially quite a dangerous man,' she said. 'While I don't agree with Blair, I do feel he's more concerned about people, the UN and the world.'

Up the street, near the Royal College of Surgeons, Dr Pyare Lal was unconvinced by the prime minister's arguments.

'This is an unneccessary war. It's not justified because it's not backed by a United Nations resolution. I think President Bush had already decided a long time ago he was going for Iraq, ' he said.

Lal, a surgeon originally from India, who trained in Edinburgh and now lives in London, said the military action looked like becoming a 'messy war'. 'The consequences will be more terrorists and more instability in the world.'

Adrian Stalker, principal solicitor with Shelter, remained undecided on the morality of waging war on Iraq, but added: 'I think it's going to get worse before it gets better.'

He did have a degree of trust in Blair's judgement, arguing that Tony Blair must have information suggesting British lives would be at risk without military action.

'That's certainly not the view of the people I work with,' he added.

Further south, outside the Empire Bingo hall, a couple of tattooed workmen had plainly not spent much time deliberating the conflict. 'I'm no bothered as long as it stays in Iraq,' one shrugged.

Across the street, in the RB Food Store, Mahmood Shahid had a stack of Stop the War leaflets by the till. 'I feel war is no solution. The proper way is to sit down and talk because this war is no good for anyone.'

Into Clerk Street, charity shops dominate and the street seems dirtier. John Raeburn, of Edinburgh, emerged from the Southside Community Centre and pronounced the war 'terrible'. 'They shouldn't be there. In the end Bush'll not give it over to the UN. He'll run it for a few years and fill tankers and tankers of oil.'

In De Niro's restaurant, chef Pedro Tang, from Venezuela, was angry at the anti-war protestors: 'People in this country should support the troops. If someone would ask me, I would fight against Saddam Hussein.' He pointed out that some 70% of Venezuelans live in poverty but the country is the fifth largest oil producer. 'We've got a guy there now, he's like a bloody communist.'

The road widens again in South Clerk Street and the shops become smarter. Doing up a shopfront are Edinburgh boys -- 'born and bred, like' -- Wayne Shennan, James Cameron and Nicky Sullivan.

'I'm all for it,' said Shennan. 'They should have been in there straightaway.'

'They've got to be up to something,' added Sullivan. 'But it was all sold to him by the British. I think the Arab league of nations should have more to do with it.'

Read it March 29, 2003

SEATTLE -- Jovan Kirovski and Landon Donovan scored and Kasey Keller delivered a shutout during a homecoming to Washington as the United States beat Venezuela 2-0 on Saturday in an exhibition game.

Keller, from nearby Olympia, made only two saves but didn't need to be spectacular as he improved to 14-0-4 in his last 18 home games for the national team. He was among six Americans seeing their first international action since the 1-0 quarterfinal loss to Germany at last year's World Cup.

It was even an longer break for Kirovski, who hadn't played since a 4-2 loss at Germany last March. And the layoff showed during a listless first half for both sides, with many U.S. centering passes too high or off the mark.

The United States (3-1 this year) went ahead in the 52nd minute when Kirovski knocked the ball into the left side of the goal after a flurry when the defense disappeared.

Brian McBride sent a shot off a post and the rebound went to Carlos Bocanegra, whose shot went off the crossbar and went to Kirovski. It was the first goal against the improving Venezuelans in four games since a 2-0 loss to Morocco on March 3, 2002.

Donovan, who replaced Kirovski in the 60th minute, put the Americans ahead 2-0 in the 76th minute with a spectacular goal. He took a pass from John O'Brien and sprinted up the left side, beating two defenders and drawing out goalkeeper Gilberto Angelucci.

With McBride open in front of the net, Donovan slotted the ball with his right foot and it went in just inside the far post for his eighth goal in 33 international appearances.

With European leagues off and Major League Soccer not starting until April 5, the U.S. team had many of its top players, fielding a lineup that Keller, McBride, O'Brien Frankie Hejduk, Eddie Pope and Earnie Stewart.

The Venezuelan, who put up a strong defense throughout the first half, were a late replacement for Japan, which canceled their U.S. trip after the outbreak of war in Iraq.

Notes: Keller, the backup to Brad Friedel at last year's World Cup, got his 29th shutout in 61 appearances, three shutouts short of Tony Meola's record. It was Keller's first game since last May 19, when he played the second half against the Netherlands in the last pre-World Cup exhibition game for the U.S. team. ... The Americans' next game is against Mexico on May 8 at Houston.

Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Sherry Cooper <a href=www.nationalpost.com>Financial Post Friday, March 28, 2003

I was in New York City this week meeting with institutional money managers. The city is vibrant, alive with the first blush of spring, yet a strong undercurrent of concern is there. Fear of terrorist reprisals has tightened security measures and heightened a general level of awareness. However, New Yorkers are learning to live with it. The streets are still busy, the theatres are full, and outside our offices on Times Square, the pedestrian gridlock is still evident around the clock. While the media emphasizes the rush for gas masks and duct tape, none of that kind of panic is evident to the casual observer.

To be sure, the economy has slowed. The jobless rate in New York City is 8.6%, well above the national average of 5.8%. Office vacancy rates are high in downtown Manhattan, as there was a net decline of more than 43,000 jobs last year, battered by layoffs in virtually all sectors except health care and social services. Tourism is down sharply so hotel occupancy rates remain low, and big-name restaurants are offering discounts. Even reservations are easy to get.

All over the United States the loss of business and consumer confidence is palpable. The war seems less distant and less like a Star Wars video game. The euphoria evident in the first few days ended last weekend as casualties mounted, prisoners were taken and the Iraqi Republican Guard and Fedayeen fought back hard. The stock market surge culminating in the melt-up last Friday was sharply unravelled early this week. Yet gold prices, at US$330 an ounce, remain well below the US$389 level posted in February. Oil prices, as well, have come off their peak despite disruptive unrest in Nigeria and continuing concerns in Venezuela. And the U.S. dollar has barely changed from where it was before the war began. Of course, all of this could deteriorate rapidly if Iraq were to use chemical weapons, or attack Israel, or if terrorist attacks on American soil were to begin again.

In this potentially inflammatory environment, traditional economic analysis can go only so far. All standard models would suggest that the economy should be rebounding as we move into the second half of this year, and I still believe that it will. But as Alan Greenspan and Company suggest, it is difficult to assess the risks as long as the war is still going strong. And in many ways, the risks are imponderable -- scenario analysis and worst-case planning become almost unfathomable in a world where weapons of mass destruction could suddenly annihilate thousands, or maybe even tens of thousands. So what is the ordinary investor, consumer or business manager to do?

Canada is, in many ways, isolated from the worst of the psychological effects of post-terror turbulence and war. We may be kidding ourselves, but we believe our cities are safe, our children are invulnerable, and our government is neutral, even anti the American position. Yet we know that al-Qaeda cells exist in Canada and that budding terrorists may have moved through our borders into the United States. Moreover, 85% of our population lives within 300 km of the U.S. border, too close for comfort for many.

And perhaps the biggest risks lie in our economic dependence on the United States, a point driven home by the attention given to comments by Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, earlier this week. Delays at the border are already costly, and no doubt more stringent inspections will come. Should the United States suffer another domestic attack, draconian measures might well be taken to protect and insulate the country. With 33% of our economy in exports to the United States, any disruption in the transport of goods, services or people would be a devastating blow to our otherwise buoyant economy. We got a minor taste of that in the final quarter of last year when growth slowed to a mere 1.6% thanks to a marked weakening in automotive exports.

Canada is not alone in its reliance on the United States. Never before has the global economy been so U.S.-centric, as no other economy in the world could replace the United States as the importer of last resort. We cannot internally generate the economic power necessary to sustain our rapid employment growth and maintain our high level of confidence -- neither can Europe or Japan. So we are all in this together. It is not their problem, it is our problem, the problem of all supporters of order and freedom.

I'm optimistic. I believe the Americans and their allies will prevail. That the war will end in the next couple of months and order will be established in Iraq. The rebound in economic activity will be sizable and sustained. Stocks will rally and bond yields will rise. Oil prices will fall further and U.S. businesses will once again invest in their future prosperity and expansion. I have been telling this story here all week and mostly it falls on a very receptive audience. For all our sakes, let's hope I'm right.

Sherry Cooper is global economic strategist and executive vice- president, BMO Financial Group.