News – Aiding and Abetting

Middle East

Scotland Yard wants an investigation of officials at the Israeli Embassy in London, who tipped off retired general Doron Almog to his impending arrest at Heathrow. Mr Almog told the Guardian yesterday that, as he prepared to leave the plane, he was advised to wait by the cabin crew. Israel’s military attache in London then arrived on the plane to inform him that he faced arrest. Mr Almog stayed on the El Al plane until it flew back to Israel.

Talabani says the US could withdraw up to 50k troops from Iraq before the end of the year, to be replaced by Iraqi forces. We’ll see.

Sharon will be heading to the coming UN summit with an image makeover after the Gaza pullout. He’ll be lauded for that, though I still remain leery of him, because I don’t trust that he’ll keep pushing forward for peace.

US

Michael Brown resigns. I expected it, though not so quickly. Of course, he cites selfless reasons for this, not wanting to draw attention from Katrina relief. He’s been replaced by David Paulison, a veteran firefighter who now runs FEMA’s preparedness division. Mind you, he’s the chucklehead who told Americans to stock up on duct tape and plastic sheeting to guard against bio attacks, so how useful he will be is in question in my opinion.

Utility workers screw up, causing a blackout in California. Heads will roll, I hope, to weed out such lack of care from an important industry.

Rummy wants NATO allies to drop limits on what their troops can do in missions to Afghanistan and other alliance missions. Other nations have established different mandates for their troops, particularly concerning rules of engagement. Some nations, for example, provide only logistical support staff rather than combat troops. I don’t see why they should, since the US is fine with jumping into the frontlines. It should be up to the nations what they feel the need to provide.

The Sierra Club, long a critic of the automotive industry, has started to get positive with some of the manufacturers putting out hybrids. The sort of thing that might prompt car makers to try and excel.

People are more important than animals, yet it would have been nice to have some consideration for the strong bonds between people and their pets.

Explainer details what makes Louisiana’s law system unique.

General

A week at the trial of Slobodan Milosevic

How do you reduce transplant rejection? By fooling the immune system into accepting certain foreign cells.

And here we have the first ever high definition DVD player. The discs have something like five times the capacity of a normal DVD disc and can fit three full length high definition movies on them. There will even be discs that have high definition on one side, normal on the other so that you can buy the discs how and still have high definition movies when you get around to shelling out the bucks for a player upgrade.

Today’s Papers has the uncertain aftermath of the assault on Tall Afar, the extreme damage to Louisiana’s levees, the finding of bodies and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Study finds that 80 percent of people who go to soup kitchens in London are actually people with homes who are too lazy to cook

Woman sends hardcore porn magazines and brochures for sex toys, Viagra and penis enlargements to her neighbors for months after argument

Evangelists are now protesting half-circles of red maples as Islamic propoganda

If you’re 16 and a police officer tells you to pull up your baggy pants, do you A) Comply; B) Engage the officer in a discussion of evolving youth fashion and its significance or C) Punch the cop in the face?

Olsen twins to launch clothing line for boys in hopes that every boy wants to look like an anorexic skank

Doctor insists on having loud rock music played while performing brain surgery, including Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” and Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage”

Man — cited for urinating in public parking lot — is released, walks 50 feet, takes another leak in front of police

Yes, the Vancouver Fire Department knows the Burns Bog is ablaze, and they would like people to stop calling them to tell them that it is

Supermodel asks her stepfather to handle her $7 million in earnings. What could possibly go wrong?

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop these Dismal Swamp cypress trees

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this great blue heron