News – Alberto is In

North America

When it came down to the vote, Alberto Gonzalez gets confirmed, with a vote of 60-36. Listening to the debate yesterday, I think Lieberman put it well when he was saying why he will confirm Alberto. I think, given the circumstances, Alberto deserves the benefit of the doubt. Though I’ll be watching him like a hawk.

Rummy is musing whether or not to attend an international security conference next week in Germany where he might be subject to arrest on a war-crimes complaint. Interesting.

The FBI has squandered $170 million on a failed computer system that was supposed to allow agents to share information instantly.

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s notes on the Watergate scandal are being released, though the two have not yet decided to release the name of “Deep Throat”, their famed source.

The decision of the Canadian government to outsource health records to a company in the US has Canadians worried the US government might end up with their health information.

Slate’s Fray digs into the minutia of Bush’s State of the Union address. And we have a Whopper of a reversal on his part as well.

Bush has his stints with propaganda. If government money is going toward manipulating news outlets, that’s serious cause for concern.

Middle East

Palestinian authorities are pushing Israel to include those jailed for attacks on Israel in the 900 prisoners who will be released as a goodwill gesture before the summit.

There is a noted decrease in the number of attacks that are going on in Iraq after the election. Though since we have no real intelligence into the insurgency, we can only guess at the reason, which most are likely attribute, without thought, to the election.

Rice says an attack on Iran isn’t in the US agenda. With as much saber rattling as the administration does, I find that hard to believe.

The Army won’t be holding back payment to Halliburton, despite the disputed bills for billions of dollars of work in Iraq. This, in my opinion, is a mistake. Te best way to dissuade companies from being bad is to hit them monetarily. Where it stings.

The US Navy has marked three more Guantanimo detainees as not being enemy combatants. That’s at least six now, leaving the hanging question of how many more aren’t.

Benon Sevan, a senior UN official, has been indicated by an investigative report on the oil-for-food program as having received allocations of Iraqi oil for a trading company while directing the program. Kofi is promising to discipline him and if a criminal act was done, to left his diplomatic immunity.

General

A look into the battlefield medicine that’s helping the wounded in Iraq conquer the pain of their injuries.

In a study that focused on how drives read traffic signs, it’s been shown that Dyslexia can slow a driver’s reactions as much as a moderate drinking session.

Today’s papers has mortgage lender Ameriquest being just as dirty as the others, an internal EPA report that notes scientific and agency evidence protocols were ignored when coming up with a mercury proposal, Rice noting the US won’t work with Europe on their plans in working with Iran and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Goodwill employee suspended without pay for getting his picture taken by a reporter

Having solved all other problems, city council bill would end grafitti by banning sale of spray paint to everyone in NYC

Cop gets parking ticket while setting up speed trap

Leona Helmsley thinks her dead husband is speaking to her through her dog, who says the afterlife has been “rough,” wants steak

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop theme: Make the Super Bowl appealing to groups it currently doesn’t appeal to

Fark Photoshop Challenge: In honor of the fact checkers at the Associated Press, photoshop a doll in other “convincing” situations

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop theme: Unfortunate ad placements. Link goes to inspiration. (Host site may be NSFW)</A