News – How You Can Help

Middle East

Want to help people out in Lebanon? Here are links to charities that are working in the area. Lots of different sorts to choose from.

Pictures from Lebanon.

Looks like Abbas has been busy. Seems he’s brokered a deal to have the firing of rockets in Palestine end and have the captured Israeli freed. And the Palestinian militant factions agree to it. To an undefined future release of Palestinian prisoners. Like, wow. Let’s hope the deal goes through. That’s one region quieted if so. Get the other quiet and maybe we can get back to working on a resolution with less bloodshed.

An Israeli air strike kills four UN observers. If the civilians weren’t enough, now comes this. Yet another clear reason to deny Israel trust in their military or governmental judgment. Was it a mistake or intentional? Both are plausible in my opinion. The post was hit with over ten bombs over a period of several hours, each followed by a call to a designated contact with the Israeli military to get the attack to stop. So it was either intentional or another sign of ineptitude.

While most foreigners are trying to get out of Lebanon, some are trying to get in or hunkering down. That’s dedication, my friends.

Fighting in Afghanistan. Fighting in Gaza. More troops in Baghdad over fears of the sectarian violence. Of course, with troops being pulled in from other regions that gives militants in those areas a chance to do things they couldn’t before.

Looks like the House may well give the ok on a civilian nuclear deal with India. I’m still against it, since it’s another instance of the US making exceptions to the rules we sign on to for those who are allies. In a time when many are looking at the US with distrust, we need to make fewer exceptions to the rules.

North America

By this fall the US will have a plan mapping out how best to use the defunct missile defense system we continue to cling to. Lt. Gen. Larry Dodgen, commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defend Command, believes the missiles will “pay for themselves many times over.” Huh? Where does profit fit in to repaying the billions sunk into this thing, as well as the billions sure to be squandered in the future? Will this defense system be able to handle missiles fired at speed, at an unexpected time, not under controlled circumstances and be able to deal with any decoys or other obfuscation tricks that a savvy attacker would use? Last I’ve heard, not at all.

General

The Blogs look at the latest finding that President Bush has sidestepped the Constitution, they diss the ACLU for defending a notorious gay-baiting minister and side with the blue marlin that stuck a Caribbean fisherman.

Want to become a UN peacekeeper? Here’s how.

Today’s Papers has the Senate voting 65-to-34 to make it a federal crime to take a pregnant girl across state lines for an abortion without telling her parents, more details on Iraq, more details on Lebanon and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Kim Cattrall’s Nissan spot too sexy for New Zealand. Nissan sales plummet in New Zealand

Another sign that Hollywood is out of ideas. They keep using the same flatulence joke in 6 or more movies a year

After five years of negotiations, new world trade pact talks reach an impasse. Proving once again that given enough time and money nothing will happen in politics

Having already dressed like a Nazi, Prince Harry dons garb celebrating the 20th Century’s other genocidal totalitarian ideology. The Sun is there

NYC Mayor Bloomberg defends utility company’s response to recent power failure, while other politicians roll their eyes behind him. w/video

Don’t you hate it when you plant fake flowers to save water, only to have the co-captain of the homeowners association rip them out

Man filming documentary about Scientology finds posters of himself plastering downtown Clearwater, warning people of his sex crimes

And now for something completely different: Dutch nuns on bikes chase suspected thief

FEMA alert: according to FEMA, evacuees living in trailers are forbidden to talk to the media and must return to your trailer at once…..even if they are standing on the other side of the fence

Whats the most reasonable course of action for a cop who gets a cup water thrown on him by a 14-year old girl during a parade? Why, bust out the pepper spray, of course

French police thwart world’s largest joint-rolling record attempt. Hippies once again complaining of l’homme harshing their vibe, man

Club-wielding chimp roaming through California neighborhood

Neurotically Yours: Solitaire Confinement

Mark Fiore: <A HREF="http://www.markfiore.com/animation/swear01.html”>Swearing to Success

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photo shop this old house. Difficulty: no Bob Vila

Fark Photoshop Challenge: In honor of Farker GCD’s champagne birthday (25 on the 25th), photoshop him and his furry friend

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop these romantic lovers in the park