Elliott C. Back: In Aere Aedificare

This video shows the execution of Saddam Hussein, convicted to death by hanging for his crimes against humanity. It doesn’t appear to be particularly graphic; the only clear parts show Saddam being placed on the gallows, yet the content may be unsafe for work or children:

The video was filmed by members of the guards who had smuggled in cell-phone cameras. Prosecutor Munkith al-Faroon threatened to stop the execution when observers began jeering, but did not, a PR mistake in hindsight.

Update: Apparently Saddam’s hanging has sparked a series of copycat suicides. I find it strange that children would copy anything they see on the internet; this is sad indeed that the death of a murderous dictator can affect the innocent.

James Kim, missing with his family in Oregon, has been found dead. In a heroic effort to find help for his family, he set out on foot and died from weather and the elements after an unsuccessful rescue attempt.

The route the Kim family took was allegedly from Google Maps. It took them down Bear Camp Road (BLM-34-8-36), a logging road that Wired describes as “not suitable for most vehicles and is CLOSED for all traffic during the winter. The road is not maintained, has no dividing line for oncoming traffic, is littered with potholes, and is impenetrable during the winter due to snow.”

Mathew Ingram suggests we don’t blame Google, but I think that’s exactly what we should do. The Google Maps terms of service say that Google Maps is intended for planning trips:

Map information provided through Google is intended for planning purposes only. You may find that construction projects, traffic conditions or other events may cause road conditions to differ from the map results.

What it fails to mention is that road conditions may differ to the point of putting yourself in mortal danger. If Google Maps gave me a route from NYC to Toronto that involved driving off the Niagara Falls, would I or Google be to blame for my death? A more subtle example–If Google Maps gave me a route from NYC to Toronto that involved driving across dangerous terrain, an off road shortcut, would Google be in any way responsible for injury I sustained by taking that less optimal route? Legally, I think so.

Saddam Hussein, the notorious dictator of Iraq, was sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of 148 people in the town of Dujail in retaliation for an assassination attempt on him in 1982. In response to the verdict, Saddam is quoted as saying, “Long live Iraq! Long live the Iraqi people! Down with the traitors!”

Saddam yells at the court as a guard holds him back

Other crimes against humanity which Saddam is suspected of having involvement with are listed in Wikipedia:

• On March 16, 1988, the Kurdish town of Halabja was attacked with a mix of mustard gas and nerve agents, killing 5,000 civilians, and maiming, disfiguring, or seriously debilitating 10,000 more.
• Shortly afterwards, he convened an assembly of Ba’ath party leaders on July 22, 1979. The 68 people arrested at the meeting were subsequently put on trial, and 22 were sentenced to execution for treason.
• During war with Iran, Health Minister Riyadh Ibrahim suggested that Saddam temporarily step down to promote peace negotiations. Ibrahim’s chopped up body was delivered to his wife the next day.
• Several journalists have reported on Saddam’s ties to anti-Israeli and Islamic terrorism prior to 2000. Saddam is also known to have had contacts with Palestinian terrorist groups.

It’s amazing that dictators and tyrants still exist in this day and age.

1000 cellphones in your texas truck, arabic names, and three men charged with “collecting or providing materials for terrorist acts and surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes.” I always thought that US citizens could own … property … without being called criminals?

“Psychologist Alan Marlatt of the University of Washington, a man with an apparent sense of humor, built a complete bar in his laboratory and served drinks to college student volunteers that were actually non-alcoholic but tasted like the real thing.” The moral of the story–watch what you drink.

Wondermark explores the real reason terrorists decided on liquid bombs: to cause terror and inconvenience air travel.

If your kangeroo an amputee? Then there may be a solution: a false leg.

According to Forbes, an Italian magazine Chi just published photos of Princess Diana immediately before she died:

The black-and-white photo in Milan-based Chi magazine showed the princess receiving oxygen in the wreckage of the car crash that killed her on Aug. 31, 1997. The picture was excerpted from “Lady Diana: The Criminal Investigation,” a new book by French author Jean-Michel Caradec’h.

The photos have not been widely circulated, but have been in existance and available, albeit without so much publicity, for years:

The royal family is of course upset at the publication and urges a global boycott, while Chi editor Umberto Brindani said “he had published the picture for the ‘very simple reason’ that it has never been seen before.”

Update: I’ve replaced the photo with a slightly better version, since people seen to still be interested in it.