News – Closed Library?

Americas

Controversy over Bush’s plans for a presidential library. One of the most amusing things is the likelihood that many papers there will be restricted in access, sort of defeating the purpose of making a presidential library. Of course, what better to mark the paranoid secrecy of this administration than to have a library that displays that secrecy for posterity?

Republicans block a non-binding resolution from going to debate in the senate. Cause you know.. those non-binding resolutions are scary stuff. Can’t talk about them, nope..

The cons of the CDCs current planning guide for pandemics.

Middle East

Hamas and Fatah continue to try and talk peace. I just wish they could succeed just once. Personally, I’d like to stop writing about that region, but I won’t as long as they don’t all get their acts together. Perhaps with Saudi Arabia behind it, something positive will happen since their rep is on the line. Best way to spur someone into action is to put something of theirs on the line.

An Iranian envoy is kidnapped in Iraq. Again, by men dressed up as Iraqi army. It seems most stories have attackers dressed up as Iraqi army or security. One wonders if its always impostors or if, perhaps, there are untoward things going on with the Iraqi security forces.

If there are vigilantes in Baghdad, looking to protect what is theirs, one wonders if they’ve ever been mistaken for militants. That would skew the numbers somewhat for militants killed in Iraq, wouldn’t it?

Europe

Vienna does one for the kiddies, taking down a child porn ring involving over 2,360 suspects in 77 countries. I’d like to see more of this in the news. Between Austria, France, Germany and the US, over 1000 suspects are being investigated for charges.

I worry about Germany. They’re doing everything they can to make it a crime to deny genocide or mass murder. Mind you, I’m not for either. However I don’t think it proper to dent freedom of speech to try and stifle a few crackpots. Especially since we don’t always get history quite right and it should never be a crime to question what is thought to be established fact. Sometimes established fact is wrong. Not always, but sometimes.

General

Steven Jobs is of the opinion that music should be sold online without copy protection. I tend to agree.

The Blogs look at that there non binding resolution, the jilted astronaut and the Beatles’ inclusion on iTunes.

Today’s Papers has cockpit video leaked to a British newspaper that shows two American pilots in Iraq reacting to the news they had just shot at British troops and killed one of them, that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said delays in implementing the new security plan is hurting his credibility with the Iraqi people, some hints the current sanctions might be working to weaken Iran and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Today’s “vandals getting caught after posting their exploits on Youtube” story comes from Sydney, Australia

Bus company: “We wanted to give the passengers something to take their minds off the cold and to pass the time while waiting for a bus.” If you guessed the question was “Why are you showing porn at the station?”, have a cookie

Teen chooses not to sue the idiot that shot him in the foot — instead sues a McDonald’s restaurant because the shooting took place in its parking lot

Michigan’s new license plates have one minor problem: They won’t fit on cars

Portland Baptist minister “sorry” for running ads touting his sermon “The Only Way to Destroy the Jewish Race.” Also sorry people “misinterpreted” his message

Ahead of the 2008 Olympics, Beijing is trying to cleanse its signs of loopy English translations. Fans of the genre are mourning the end of an era. (Article links to photo gallery of some of the endangered signs)

Chicago Auto Show sues parody site over trademark they don’t even own

Sack races banned from British town’s annual festival because they’re “too dangerous” for kids

System designed to save firefighters’ lives stops working if it gets hot, wet. Hoses asked to please not spray so much, fire to not be so hot

Detroit is out of ideas: Ford to bring back Taurus name to replace the Five Hundred. Car will still be favorite of rental fleets everywhere

Lost tourists often hide from rescuers to avoid paying for the cost of the rescue. BRILLIANT

Hasbro announces plans for Australian version of Monopoly only to have voting on property names hijacked by people living in the ass-end of nowhere even by Aussie standards. THIS is hilarity, mate

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this yogi

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop the man in silly pants

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop what cartoon characters would look like if they were terrorists