News – The New Science of War

Americas

The Pentagon is hiring anthropologists for a new program called ‘Human Terrain Systems’ to study social groups in Afghanistan and Iraq. You mean.. actually try and learn something about the people on the ground, so as to better deal with them? Novel idea. But can the Pentagon pull something like that off? Suppose we’ll see. Already some anthropologists are forming resistance against giving such assistance to the military.

Cheney and Obama 8th cousins? Amusing but irrelevant.

Gore rules out running for prez in an interview. Not that a no is the end all and be all, since people easily change their minds. But to be honest, I can’t see him delving in this late.

McCain’s play at healthcare.

All the polls in one place for your election watching needs.

Middle East

Progress continues on internal approval of military action in Northern Iraq by Turkey. The US remains anxious about what this could lead to, but what can you say? The US government and military have been ignoring the problem for a few years too many, now the pot bubbles over. Action should have been taken long ago.

But now that Iraq’s government is promising to deal with the problem, what will this mean for intra sect relations when it comes to Kurds and other Iraqis?

Like we need another reason for gas prices to go up.

Showing that diplomatic acumen, the US nudges Israel and Palestine to solve their own disagreements. As if there weren’t a few decades of past history to tell the tale of what will come of that. Hindsight is 20/20, but it has blinders on as well.

Putin offers support for Iran’s nuclear program. Every time I see Putin making news, I wonder how Bush is feeling about him now.

Africa

Gunmen storm the UN compound in Somalia and capture the UN World Food Program’s top representative. That unnamed UN official says that government forces were involved. So who is on whose side now? Meanwhile heavy fighting breaks out in Mogadishu.

Eritrea moves to censor the web in their latest bid to quash democratic progress. Little surprise in a country thought to be the worst when it comes to press freedom.

Asia/Pacific

Burma’s military government continues to hunt down protestors. Seems they have no regard for the international community’s calls to tone it down. Which leads to the obvious question.. what’s their next move?

More info from within Burma.

China is pissed that the US is giving honors to the Dalai Lama. They call it a interference in China’s internal affairs.

Commodore Frank Bainimarama, current military leader of Fiji, promises elections in 2009 and to abide by their results. We’ll see, won’t we?

Australia fights speeders by questioning their manhood. When it comes to most men, best way to prompt a reaction out of them is to give a poke at their masculinity.

Europe

Nurses in Finland are threatening to quit over pay issues. Not often that one sees such a massive quit threat as that.

General

More sex means better chances for fertilization, say researchers. If you let your swim team just languish around whilst waiting for your lady’s fertile period, they lose quality.

A live-action TV series for Star Wars? Sounds like it could be interesting.

YouTube is setting up filtering tools to clamp down on sharing vids without permission. Meh. I used to like watching some bits of favored shows on the site, but many of the clips have disappeared. Makes me less inclined to go to the site. And not at all inclined to fling green at Viacom for the privilege of occasionally watching them. Whereas, if Viacom were cooler, I might be more inclined to fork it over. But they’re not. A vid on the topic.

The Blogs look at Putin’s visit to Tehran, Verizon handing over records and Doris Lessing’s reaction to news of her Nobel win.

Today’s Papers has note of poor training against IEDs in the military, a welcome decrease in the violence in Iraq, word that Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants all armed security contractors in Iraq “to fall under a single authority” and more in the one page news.

Amusements

“Naked Tickler” believed captured after eluding police for years. Unsure victim says, “I would recognize him more if there was a shot of his skinny, white butt”

A Maine middle school has decided that 11-year-olds should probably go on the pill. That would at least make it safer for the teachers

Steve-O is the new front man in PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” ad campaign. Steve-O would rather go naked than do just about anything. Check out his ad

Morans buy condos next to railroad tracks, now they expect the city to cough up a cool million to make the area quiet

Why Fark has a “Florida” tag, reason No. 12,794: Central Florida strip club offers free flu shots with the purchase of two lap dances

Stripper calls cops after patron gropes her, then he tells investigators she breached an oral-sex contract. It goes without saying this happened in Florida

Having solved all other problems, the Quebec legislature bans the word “weathervane”

You’re just released on bail for a DUI. Do you: a) go home, b) go to church, or c) buy a 12-pack and drink it on the courthouse lawn?

British government report praises education standards on the Isle of Wight. FAIL: government spells it “Isle of White” through the whole damn report

The TSA has successfully implemented new security measures to protect its critical data. Just kidding, they lost two more laptops containing the personal information of over 3,000 people

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: The undead have cast aside their age-old quest to kill the living and now seek to rejoin society. Photoshop their efforts

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop theme: Design the ultimate heavy-metal album cover

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this cat who is preparing to devour your soul