News – Cull the Weak
Middle East
According to a CIA report, the Iraq conflict is creating a new breed of Islamic jihadists who could go on to destabilize other countries. I wouldn’t be surprised, Iraq is currently one big training camp for culling out the weak and leaving only the strong and canny when it comes to the insurgents there. If one can survive long term against US forces, it’s a pretty significant accomplishment. Whenever the Iraq conflict ends, it won’t be because all the terrorists are dead, and those who survive will remain in the mix to pop up and cause trouble in the future. This includes their newfound experience in making explosive devices that penetrate vehicle armor.
The Palestinian people have been dismayed by a series of ‘honor killings’ that have happened over the last few weeks. Enough so to prompt demands for a change to laws inherited from the days of Jordanian rule that deem all women to be “minors” under the authority of male relatives and that provide a maximum of six months in prison for killings in defense of “family honor.” The calls for reform are met with opposition from theistic MPs who argue that reform will lead to a collapse in the moral fabric of society.
Africa
Zimbabwe gets international criticism for demolition of illegal houses this month in a government crackdown that has made tens of thousands homeless and has resulted in the deaths of two children by falling rubble.
Australia
Raids are conducted on four homes in Melbourne as media reported an investigation that Islamic extremists could be planning attacks on landmarks including the Sydney Opera House.
North America
Bush refers to opponents to his CAFTA opponents as economic isolationists. Yet another of his simplistic generalizations and one reason, I think, some don’t want to deal with him. I know it turns me off.
Legislation is approved to ban flag burning. I’m neutral to this as I have no special love or dislike of the flag. It’s just a scrap of cloth, after all. The House also approves legislation to quickly replace themselves in the case they’re killed en mass. All I have to say is it’s about damn time.
House republicans pull out another social security reform proposal, which promises that all monies collected for social security will be used exclusively for social security. That would be nice, since one of the reasons the program suck so much is that politicians keep using the surplus for everything else.
The number of jobless claims fell my a larger than expected 20,000 according to government sources. I’m a bit leery of numbers like that, because it’s a half statistic without investigation in if anyone who is jobless is also not making a claim. Too many statistics are like that, where context could change assessment of them.
Jeb Bush is dead set against Stem Cell research.
Wikipedia, in cooperation with the ACLU and influential liberal blog Daily Kos, is reviewing over 4000 pages of government docs on Guantanimo. I’ll be interested to see what the results are, that’s a lot of pages to peruse.
A readers guide to The Truth About Hilary.
General
A new generation of smart appliances are being tested, which would detect disturbances on the power grid and temporarily shut off or reduce power in response. Proponents say these devices could lower power bills and prevent blackouts. I can say I’m all for both of those, if they can accomplish it.
Today’s Papers has chemo therapy working better when given to people in the early stages of lung cancer, a big battle in Afghanistan, the Pentagon contracting with a private firm to create a database of all students in the United States aged 16-18(All the better to target them, I suppose) and more in the one page news.
Amusements
Tailgating parrotheads decide to dump gasoline on their gas grill. Burnination ensues
Kentucky officials run terrorism drill at goat show. “We try to focus on what really matters to Kentucky,” says homeland security
Moroccan men tell police that the 200 sticks of dynamite and 115 detonators were for use in fishing. In other news, the list of valid excuses just grew by one
Sonoma drunk so wasted that he gets busted peeing in public twice by the same cop and also is observed arguing with his reflection in a window
Pizza shop robber leaves a completed job application behind
Southern Baptists end Disney boycott. “We’ve cost them hundreds of millions of dollars.” Disney returns from the brink of financial ruin
Man, 82, now realizes it was dumb to siphon gas from running car with electric vacuum
Police department red-faced after raid on house turns up one of their officers, drugs, paraphenalia and a CD by Wham
Bad excuses for bigamy, No. 1: “I forgot I was married”
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this flying hiker
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this waterfall
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this electrical field