News – Securing Security Firms

Middle East

Looks like the US is taking no chances with private security firms. They’re getting the same sort of rules as the US military, which is how it should have been in the first place. There will also be boards set up to investigate any future incidents, with the power to refer cases to the justice department.

Turkish troops slide into Iraq just a bit. If the PKK is going to stand down, Turkey will have to as well.

Expectedly the feud between Hamas and Fatah is doing damage to the human rights of Palestinians. Illegal acts are common on both sides of the equation. Like the common people need more to worry about.

Iraq’s government will be forcing a closure of offices run by the PKK and will ‘not allow it to operate on Iraqi soil’. I can’t see that happening peaceably.

More tales of poorly managed US funds disappearing into Iraq? Sadly, yes. Regardless of if Iraq was a good idea or not, Bush’s underlings have done a poor job managing it.

Africa

Zimbabwe is still in a downward spiral as far as food goes. Several bad decisions have brought them to this point, but they don’t seem to be learning from their mistakes.

Kind of interesting to see how Muammar Gaddafi has gone from pariah to diplomatic dabbler so suddenly. Nice to see as well. Sadly, doesn’t seem his attempts to prompt talks over Darfur are going to work.

Asia/Pacific

More snippets from within Burma, as told by the people themselves.

China launches their first moon orbiter. They plan to put a man on the moon by 2020, which is quite a ways away. But better late than never I suppose.

Europe

The EU says Germany’s law that protects Volkswagen by limiting a shareholder’s use of stock in the company is illegal. That it is.

Americas

The wildfires in California prompt a mass exodus of over half a million people. Fortunately the death toll remains at one. Property can be rebuilt, after all. A cold sort of comfort for those involved, I’m sure, but true words.

A painting stolen 20 years ago is found laying on the street in New York. Things like that make me wish I had some form of psychometry, so I could observe how the object came to be there.

Truth Boating, the new means of cheaply putting out negative word on an electoral candidate.

General

A study suggests that smoking too much weed for pain will actually cause your pain to go up. Of course, that leads me to go watch this again.

Obesity isn’t just an American thing. Take any spot in the world where food is in abundance and you’ll have more and more people of robust carriage.

Child porn is getting more prolific online. Not surprising considering the anonymity involved. The net community must be vigilant and start policing these sites wherever found.

Tips on spotting fake electronics.

Defending the term Islamofacism.

Explainer tells you how to survive when surrounded by aggressive monkeys. This article could well save your life.

The worst in product placement. God, Mac and Me was crappy.

The Blogs look at Obama’s poor choice in gospel singers, NASA hiding air safety survey results and note that Dennis Kucinich believes in UFOs. I bet he wants to be prez to see if he can get into those secret government files.

Today’s Papers has more fumbling over just what Israel bombed in Syria, the smooth evacuation in California, daunting predictions on the cost of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Your school is in lockdown for five hours; do you: A) Sit quietly and read? B) Demand information? Or C) Incite chaos by setting fire to teddy bears in class and taping students’ hands together?

Driver is stopped for having too many air fresheners in his car. He says he was stopped because he is Hispanic

Sure, it’s fun to answer the door naked from the waist down and holding a bar of cannabis resin, but that’s exactly what the police are waiting for

Interesting: Coed with big boobs auditions for Playboy. Sad: She rejects their offer to pose. Asinine: She only did it for an article in the school paper about “the sanctity of nudity.” And to tell us how cute she is

Not news: Student taped to a pole. News: Student changes mind and says he agreed to taping. Fark: Student cited for obstruction of justice

Man wrongly sent to prison for 18 years is paid $360K for wrongful imprisonment, gets sued for back payment for child support. Guess how much

Virginia State Police want you to know you can be given a $2,500 ticket for something 71 percent of drivers have no idea is illegal

Teacher may face criminal charges after student picks Cormac McCarthy’s “Child of God” — a book about a killer who has sex with the bodies of his victims — off a reading list he prepared for the class

If you steal a drivers license printer from the state of Missouri don’t call the manufacturer looking for software

Thief in Lexington makes clean escape with 100-lb. safe from restaurant, next door to police station and court house (with video goodness and the Pink Panther theme)

Goth kids sent home from school for their “makeup” (pics). Subby doesn’t know whether to write a poem in protest or to just start cutting

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop Challenge: Less-than-successful political campaign ads

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this goalie

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Halloween Photoshop Challenge: create your own jack-“O”-lantern