News – Election Week Starts

Middle East

An email conversation between two journalists in Iraq as we move into election week in Iraq.

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, head of an alliance of Shia Muslim candidates, promises that there will be a ‘radical change’ in security the week after the election. With one of their demands being the US set a timetable for withdrawal, we can guess what the change might entail.

A video distributed by insurgents show a US man being taken hostage in Iraq, identified as Roy Hallams. Oddly, no demands were made in the tape, which is, in and of itself, unusual.

Word has it Bush will ask for another $80 billion soon, rising the total of the war spending to $300 billion for Afghanistan and Iraq. Some have compared it to how much was spend in WW2 and Vietnam, though I don’t really see the point in that. Different wars, different times and different armies.

Human Rights Watch sends out a report that claims torture is still happening in Iraq jails. “Detainees report kicking, slapping and punching, prolonged suspension from the wrists with the hands tied behind the back, electric shocks to sensitive parts of the body … and being kept blindfolded and/or handcuffed continuously for several days,” they said in a report. They say that Iraqi forces are the ones doing this, mind you. That would be a disheartening development if shown to be entirely true.

The Pentagon admits to having plans to keep 120k troops in Iraq for the next two years.

Asia

The Guardian will be focusing on the village of Nusa in Aceh, to report on how people rebuild their lives there. For as much despair it has caused, so to it has caused some positive things between people. It will be good to see how people make their way back to a sense of normalcy.

North America

Mexico’s government is cracking down in cities that border the US in their continuing struggle with the drug trade and the killings perpetrated by the drug cartels.

Carlos Gutierrez has been approved as the head of commerce. Now we’ll see what he does with his new position. Good things, hopefully.

Former deputy Transportation Secretary Michael Jackson has been indicated by Bush as his guy to head the Department of Homeland Security. Lets hope this guy is’t as fragile as Kerick was.

Legislators from Hawaii and Alaska, states most vulnerable to a tsunami, have put forth legislation to upgrade the early warning systems and response procedures we have. Not a bad idea, best to make sure our people are protected as best we can.

Another farewell for Johnny Carson.

David Rosen, a former campaign finance director for Sen. Hillary Clinton, plead not guilty to charges of filing false reports during Clinton’s 2000 run for the U.S. Senate.

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided, without commentary, to reject Jeb Bush’s appeal to a ruling of Florida’s Supreme Court, which struck down the hasty law he enacted. It allowed him to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo, who has been on a feeding tube since a 1990 heart attack.

Prosecutors want to display ‘erotic material’ they seized from Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch, which they say will reveal his motive in touching a young boy were sexual. This implies that what they seized was child porn.

General

According to research, we humans just can’t turn away from anger; our brains are wired to place priority on urgent sounds, such as angry voices.

Today’s Papers has a study that says most who were prescribed Celebrex and Vioxx could likely have done just as well with orlder and safer pills, Sunni leaders saying that while they’re boycotting the election they do want to help with the constitution, various notes on the upcoming election and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Having solved all other traffic crime, cops use plane and helicopter to nab apple-eating driver

Canadian province yanks drivers licenses of deadbeat parents. Your child support just went for more booze

Man fakes heart attacks to get out of paying for restaurant meals. Jailarity ensues

Romanian tabloid reporter fired for hoax story about couple naming their baby “Yahoo.” In other news, Romanian tabloids have more integrity than CBS

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Now that a Mars rover has found a bonafide meteorite, photoshop some other unlikely things the rovers may find

Fark Photoshop Challenge: The morale at your job sucks. Create a mascot to cheer everyone up

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop Mr. Potato Head in his Darth Vader costume