News – Cloning by Definition

General

A divided UN calls on all countries to ban human cloning “incompatable with human dignity.” My question is, what is incompatable with human dignity? That’s a term far too broad to be of any use to anyone and would surely create a vast number of arguments on interpretation.

Chicken feathers could replace petroleum-based components with keratin-based composites in computers, makin for an interesting means of recycling.

Puzzling over the clues of martial water and minerals continues.

Explainer lets you know what to do if your identity gets stolen.

Today’s Papers has the intellectual history of the Social Security privitization meme, good and bad news on Afghanistan, An earthquate in Iran that’s killed hundreds and more in the one page news.

Middle East

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie is planning to restructure his cabinet with new reform minded ministers.

500 Palestinian prisoners are released by Israel, greeted with joy and relief that doesn’t fully wash away lingering doubt.

Israel continues to speak two separate lines as on the one hand the Gaza pullout is approved by their legislators and on the other their wall continues to vary from the 1967 border. At the very least the plans for it are getting better. The problem is, Sharon believes(or portrays a belief) that Bush approves of their annexing settlement blocs in the West Bank, while Bush has said Israel should stop all settlement activity.

Israel and foreign workers. Seems that Israel doesn’t deal as fairly as it should with them, making for a deplorable situation. $10,000 dollars for a permit to work in Israel? I don’t know about anyone else, but that seems an insanely high price to me.

The recycling industry in Iraq. Another pocket of Iraqi life that belies the universal spread of prosperity.

Scientists reveal that the marshes of Mesopotamia, thought to be the site of the Garden of Eden, can be restored from the damage Saddam’s regime did.

Australia will be increasing its troop compliment in Iraq by 50%. The opposition in the country is seizing upon this as might be expected.

A group of US senators long-term support for Afghanistan and John McCain says he sees the need for permanent military bases in Afghanistan.

Iran believes that US unilateralism is aimed at destabilizing West Asia and warns against use of US force in the region.

Asia

A look at the camps that many tsunami refugees live in for the time being.

Europe

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov largely brushes off Bush’s latest remarks on Russia and democracy.

Environmentalists are largely disappointed with Bush’s words on the environment in his latest speech in Brussels.

The World Council of Churches, main organizing body of non-catholic Christians, has accused the US of violating international law in its treatment of detainees at Guantanamo.

North America

Recorded phone conversations Bush had with a friend indicate that Bush likely had a little reefer madness fun when he was younger. Likely true that he at least tried it, though I’m more concerned about the possibility that he was blowing snow and drinking like a fish(if you believe some allegations).

Bush’s 2006 budget could force the National Institutes of Health to drop some AIDS research and other projects that don’t prove their value said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

The significance of Michael Jackson’s Johnson? I think I’ll leave the pondering of that to others.

Amusements

Store clerk attacked with sausage in vacuum-cleaner dispute

To show pride in country that prides itself on freedom, town wants to force restaraunts to serve apple pie. Freedom last seen choking itself to death

Army spends $5 million to create Xbox game, “Full Spectrum Warrior.” Cheat codes are “Halliburton” for unlimited supplies and “Rumsfeld” for unlimited lives

Pauly Shore to get his own reality show on TBS, proving the theory that eventually, everyone will have their own reality show

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop an unlikely extremist group

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: Newest attack submarine is dubbed “USS Jimmy Carter.” Photoshop an unlikely name for the U.S. Navy’s next warship

Fark Photoshop Challenge: We’ve been tortured for decades by movies with Stonehenge inserted for no reason — “Shanghai Knights,” “European Vacation,” etc. Be your own director andinsert Stonehenge into a favorite movie scene