Defining "ally"...

Agence France Presse reports the following:

Greece on Tuesday voiced support for its old foe and NATO ally Turkey in a row splitting the transatlantic alliance, but stopped short of blaming the three NATO members which sparked the crisis.

France and Belgium, joined by Germany, vetoed a US request Monday to begin boosting Turkey's defenses ahead of a possible US-led strike on Iraq.

"You understand perfectly well that, for reasons of one's own national interest, if a NATO member state invokes Article Four we cannot oppose it," government spokesman Christos Protopapas said.

He was referring to Ankara's decison on Monday to activate an article in NATO's 1949 founding charter, which calls on the allies to consult whenever a member feels its territory is threatened.

It's interesting to see how the NATO crisis being promoted by France and Germany is also acting to improve stability between countries that have a long history of conflict. (It's also nice to see that some folks remember the definition of "ally.")

Ya gotta love them Greeks!

Cheers...

Moving along smoothly...

The news also brings word that the House and Senate have rejected a measure that would allow e-mail surveillance of U.S. citizens, as proposed by the Total Information Awareness program. Additionally, according to a post on Slashdot, negotiators agreed to halt all future funding on the program without extensive consultation with Congress.

* * *The chemical translation is done and ready for review, although I doubt I'm going to do as in-depth a review as usual, seeing as how about half the job consists of words like isopropylamine. I'm going to make sure the sentences all read right, do a medium-level spot check on numbers in tables, and then send it off before going to the store tomorrow.

A call in the late afternoon brought a small rush job with two parts, one due ASAP and the other due tomorrow. The assignment was such that I pounded out both items and sent them back within an hour or so. This got me a "Thanks for the exceptional service!" from the end client, which is always a good thing to hear. (I will, I think, dream about it tonight!)

Yet Another Translation Company called about The Big Job. Now, more than ever, I am convinced that the people who put out the RFP simply are not aware of what they are asking for, which won't stop someone from promising them exactly that. What'll happen after that is anyone's guess, but I may just be in the (un)enviable position of having been contacted by just about everyone who's going to bid.

* * *Netflix finally delivered The Bourne Identity after an unconscionably long time. Galina was feeling a little puny after a long day at the store, so I let her sleep while I watched the film. The pace of the movie is pretty quick, and the character played by Matt Damon is pretty likeable, even if you wonder where he hides his Superman costume. Then again, for a guy on the lam, he seems surprisingly allergic to hats, glasses, and whatnot, which might help to change his appearance somewhat.

It's been a pretty long day, but a good one. I feel good; not tired or anything. Nonetheless, it is time to go to sleep.

Cheers...