News – AIDS. The World’s Problem

It’s interesting the muse the scale and scope of various causes of death around the world. It brings things into a strange prospective, I think.

General

AIDS is on the rise. Five million infected in 2003, three million dead of the virus. Estimates place the number of people living with the disease at forty million. Kind of makes some death tolls pale in comparison.

MIT researchers are trying to build a computer that cares about its user. Considering some people already worry about those who grow far too attached to their computer, what might they say about a computer that cares about it’s user?

Explainer makes note of the flag that has been waved about in Georgia since President Eduard Shevardnadze was forced to resign.

The new healthy items that are making their way into the fast food arena aren’t so good. Nor as fat free as you might be led to believe. They have a ways to go before getting a good menu of healthy items going.

A muse of Kerry’s schizoid manner over Medicare.

Today’s Papers has a note of how few actually know what’s in the Medicare bill, tidbits on the bill and generally a lot about that bill. 😉 There’s some other stuff to, but hey, no as big in the news spectrum for today.

Iraq

Jack Straw’s unannounced visit to Iraq gets an RPG welcome as the compound where he’s staying gets hit by two of them. No casualties, but it seems odd how much Intel they have. Two Iraqi police were wounded at a petrol station in a second attack.

Jack Straw is absolutely certain that the security situation will improve once power gets handed over to the Iraqi people. I’ll remember that, Mr. Straw, for when the power gets handed over.

The US has paid out over $1.5 million through over ten thousand claims of wrongful death, personal injury and property damage in Iraq. Not sure how many of those were accepted, but enough it seems. Human Rights watch, after tracking the death’s of Iraqi civilians after the war, believe that US forces are acting with ‘impunity’ by analyzing patterns. The simple fact is that too many people are dying over there, as far as I’m concerned.

The wife and daughter of Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, currently the second most wanted man in Iraq after Saddam, have been detained. He is suspected as being behind recent attacks on US troops.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman from Connecticut, Rep. Henry Waxman from California and Rep. John Dingell from Michigan have asked the Pentagon to investigate alleged overpricing of oil sent to Iraq by Halliburton. Halliburton has denied this and said the security situation has elevated prices

Rumsfeld says that he has ‘compelling’ evidence that Arab news channel Al Arabiya, with office in Baghdad closed, was cooperating with insurgents. No details on what this evidence is, but it should be interesting to see what they think they know. Their Baghdad offices were closed after they were charged by the Iraqi Council of inciting violence by playing an audio tape reported to be recorded by Saddam Hussein.

Resistance has forced a military rethink. Should it force an economic one as well?

Israel/Palestine

The US cuts a silver of a few hundred million off of Israel’s multi-billion in loan guarantees. This done because of the fence and subsequently shrugged off by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

After five years of pressure, Israel has caved to the demand that products made in settlements and occupied territories not be marked a ‘Made in Israel’.

Iran

Iran is pretty positive on the new UN resolution. We can hope that means they’ll play nice now, rather than dirty.

US

The economy seems to be looking up. Though the question is, where are the jobs? Businesses buying equipment is good, but lots of people are hungry for work.

Reservists prepare to head to Iraq after the holidays have passed. At least they get the holidays before heading out.

Wade Robson, 21 year old choreographer and songwriter for Britney Spears and boy band ‘N Sync, says that he slept in Michael Jackson’s bed on a visit when he was five. Nothing happened.

A dissection of the recent controversial republican ad. You know, the one that claims democrats are attacking Bush for attacking the terrorists.

Amusements

Kaegel: The Legend of Thanksgiving – Mild nudity, violence and adult themes.

Strong Bad Email: Colonization

Black and White Drama Theater 13: The Watercooler

Fark Photoshop Challenge: What I want for Christmas

Test your Return of the King knowledge before going to see the movie. When I tried this, I didn’t get a result. The same for others?