News – Diplomatic Confusion

Middle East

Condi Rice says the time for talking to Iran is over. Then U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick says that the US is hoping to avoid a confrontation with Iran.. so which is it? Confront or not?

Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer gets a reprimand for his part in the negligent homicide of an Iraqi general under interrogation. Welshofer placed Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush head-first in a sleeping bag, bound him with electrical cord and sat on his chest during a fatal interrogation in November 2003. Sounds a bit excessive to me.

Former Halliburton employees accuse the company of providing contaminated water for US troops and Iraqi civilians. I can believe it.

The current Palestinian Authority continues to struggle against the taint of past corruption while Hamas is set to reap the gains of their past actions for the people.

The US predictably sides in full with Israel in the Iran issue. You see, Bush won’t let the world be blackmailed by Iran’s nukes, but he will let the Middle East be intimidated by Israel’s.

North America

Bush continues to maintain his domestic eavesdropping program is legal. Sadly, he’s working against the obvious mistrust generated when someone shows they’re more than willing and able to enact questionable policy secretly, without proper disclosure to the US people. In that case, one’s personal assurances mean quite a bit less.

The New York Times writes about the myriad of problems that stymied full reconstruction of Iraq. What did get done is good, but this is a lesson to be learned for how not to begin a reconstruction. Mistakes we had better not repeat in the future.

A Pentagon plan has troops and funds being added to the US special forces.

We’ve got a new security device that spots weapons under clothing. Basically, it detects non-human material beneath clothing with radio waves. So you don’t have to worry about voyeurs.

Explainer notes how someone can pay your taxes for you.

The art of the Glory Wall.

General

If you have a Blackberry, be prepared for a blackout, as it might happen. The company that made them lost an appeal in their long term battle over patents. An injunction could force them to cease providing services.

The blogs look at the eminent domain battle in New Hampshire, The campaigning in Palestine and West Wing’s end.

Today’s Papers has the Saddam trial shedding another judge, governmental shifts in Canada, a report by the DHS hours before Katrina struck that predicted precisely what would happen and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Thief manages to con his way into 60 homes, claiming he was looking for his pet salamander

Drew Barrymore tires of all the attention Paris Hilton gets, decides to do a little attention whoring of her own by getting caught having sex in a public bathroom

President apologizes for wild parties thrown by his teenage daughters in his official residence

Snake refuses meal of live hamster, decides to make friends with it instead

Hollywood recipe for goodness: 1) Successful film. 2) Washed-up star. 3) Former Hollywood “it”-boy with drug problems, many many script revisions, shake until March 2006. Result: “Basic Instinct 2”

The Smoking Gun presents: Mugshots from Florida

Female cab driver blogs about being a hack in NYC. Kind of like the writers for SNL these days

Protesters grab Olympic torch from Italian track star. US feels better about gold in 2008 Olympics

Homeowners start installing pesticide sprinklers in yards to repel mosquitoes. What could possibly go wrong?

Retarded Australian footballer gets caught out on his cheating at the airport. (pic of hottie he cheated on)

Man runs into polling station, steals the ballot box, and runs over it with his truck. Jailarity ensues

Man jumps out of 737 onto tarmac upon takeoff, screaming nonsense about strange creature wandering on wing

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop a famous person into a play on words. Link goes to inspiration. (James T. Kork)

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Today’s Iron Photoshop ingredient: Masks

Fark Photoshop Challenge: <A HREF="http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=1864103″>Since the Catholic Church is arguing against using Jesus in beer ads, photoshop some other ads that shouldn’t have Jesus