News – Friday the 13th

Whether you think it’s bad luck or not, stay safe and stay warm(cold morning in my neck of the woods).

Middle East

Ever wonder what some who live in Gaza think of the faction violence in their region? Here are a few opinions for you.

A bomb explodes within an Iraqi police station in Hilla, killing the commander of Iraqi special police forces. One angle being considered is whether the hit was an inside job. Hopefully not.

There’s evidence as to whether the US sought to bomb alJAzeera or not, but we won’t be able to see it.

Gunmen dressed as police hit a TV station in Baghdad, killing 11 people.

Gaza is getting worse. The current administration has a hand in causing it as well, nor do I think they will lift finger one to try and prevent it. Part of me suspects they want it to happen, to get rid of Hamas from the government. A suspicious, cynical part of me, mind.

More Israeli roadblocks in the West Bank. Perhaps they’re trying to make living there so intolerable, the people will move allowing them to claim the land. Yup, that cynical part of me at it again.

Asia/Pacific

The world powers are moving closer to agreeing on sanctions against North Korea. Japan already plans to drop in its own unilateral measures. North Korea has promised ‘strong countermeasures’ against any sanctions.

Chinese officials deny rapper Jay-Z permission to perform a concert in Shanghai. Because his music uses too many profane references. The Rolling Stones were asked not to play suggestive songs either, when they went there in April. Of course, they have so many songs to choose from, it wasn’t much an issue.

Europe

The French parliament votes to make it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of the Turks. Turkey and the EU criticize the vote.

A European court orders Russia to pay compensation to the relatives of a Chechen family shot dead by Russian troops. All five members of the family, including a baby and pregnant woman, were found dead outside their home in the Chechen capital, Grozny, in February 2000.

Americas

The US brushes off UK calls to get rid of Gitmo. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says it will remain open as long as is ‘required’. However long that is. Probably as long as this War on Terror, which has no true ending in sight or fathomable short of a new administration bringing it to an end.

General

Should new mothers be discouraged from banking their umbilical cords exclusively for insurance against their own child’s illness, rather than donating them to public blood banks?

Pregnant women are being warned against eating too much oily fish, as it is believed to increase the risk of delivering a baby too early. Note, this isn’t a call to eat no fish, just not too much of the oily variety, such as mackerel, salmon and sardines.

A documentary about a pedophile priest.

The blogs look at Mark Warner’s dropping from the presidential race, Cory Lidle’s death and the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Literature to Turkish author Orhan Pamuk.

Today’s Papers has note that the E. Coli outbreak has been traced back to a single ranch in California, the dangers of being a garbage man in Baghdad, early-morning reports say that the Bangladeshi inventor of microcredit loans has won the Nobel Peace Prize and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Mark Fiore: GOP 2.0

Weird Al (via YouTube): White and Nerdy

Weird Al (via YouTube): Fat

Weird Al (via YouTube): Jurassic Park

Weird Al (via YouTube): Amish Paradise

Weird Al (via YouTube): All About the Pentiums

Weird Al (via YouTube): Like a Surgeon – Tried to find a copy w/o ads, but it seems they all have it.

Weird Al (via YouTube): Smells Like Nirvana

Weird Al (via YouTube): Headline News

Weird Al (via YouTube): Gump

Weird Al (via YouTube): Beer Song – With a taste of WoW

Why? Why not?

Average American company has 305 lawsuits pending against it at any given time. Still no cure for lawyers

U.S. drug czar John Walters came to Colorado Springs on Wednesday to denounce a statewide ballot measure to legalize small scale marijuana possession, calling marijuana use a “disease.” Supposedly, prison is the cure

Man who said “Your policies in Iraq are reprehensible” to Dick Cheney and then walked away is arrested 10 minutes later for “assaulting” the vice president

Which is worse, having a toy gun in your pocket, or being excited to see your students? You’d think it was the latter, but this school board thinks differently

Border security is so lax that you can bring an elephant across with a Mariachi band playing away. Literally

Builder of $250,000 house told he can’t attach a garage to the back. Local official remarks, “If this makes the paper, it will make us look ridiculous.” Local paper obliges

School sends truancy officers to home of 14-year-old boy who took the day off because his dog died, order him to return to school

<A HREF="http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/11606181328340.xml?oregonian?lcg&coll=7″>Portland police have threatened a man with arrest if he doesn’t stop painting over gang-related graffiti

Disney orgy causes uproar in Europe. Everybody is f*cking Goofy

Nerds everywhere wet their pants, nitpick and breakdown all of the inaccuracies of the “South Park” WoW episode – I watched the episode. They made it so far away from the rules of the game, you’d have to be an idiot to nitpick it, since they obviously did it intentionally and not from ignorance.

“Quick everybody Put on your Border Patrol hats That way they’ll never suspect we’re really 30 illegal immigrants in a fake Border Patrol truck”

Employees who send too many personal messages on their BlackBerries will be taxed on them as they will be considered an employment benefit. No, really

Mother accuses school photographer of Photoshopping cleavage onto picture of seven-year-old daughter

Man says he fled police in his car because he discovered a pile of marijuana in his lap and thought it was a bomb

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this beauty queen and her court

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop these sand people

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this pile of tile