News – Iran Calls it Quits?

Iran

Iran has, reportedly, frozen key nuclear activities such as uranium enrichment, confirmed by the IAEA, in a move to assuage concerns over their actions. “I think pretty much everything has come to a halt right now,” ElBaradei told reporters in Vienna. We’re just trying to apply seals and make sure everything has been stopped.”

Hopefully the Pentagon can be a bit quieter about it’s strategizing on how to hit Iran. Hearing stuff like that is a key reason Iran wants the weapons like that, along with the fact that they’re surrounded by nearby nuclear capable countries including Israel, Pakistan and India.

Iraq

US Marines conduct weapon searches in Falluja, but insurgents keep popping up, delaying them. As is typical, there are a lot of arms to find.

Ten weeks to Iraqi elections, which sets them on January 30th. Will things be secure enough for them by that time? We shall see. Violence isn’t the only issue, with concerns of a Sunni boycott, Sunni’s making up 15%-20% of the country’s population.

Iraq’s interim government will be looking to Turkey and Iran, like with Syria, to garner help for keeping their borders closed to insurgents.

The cousin of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has been released by his kidnappers(the cousin’s wife and daughter in law were released previously). I suppose they weren’t so deadest on having their demands met? Hmmm.

An interesting turn has a Saudi man set to sue jihad calling religious leaders over the death of his son, who died fighting the US in Iraq.

Israel/Palestine

Israel pledges to do everything they can to ensure Palestinian elections run smoothly. They can start by ceasing the incursions and offering direct assistance to the current interim leadership, rather than acting unilaterally. Palestinian leaders are looking to get back on track with the roadmap and a state by the end of next year.

Israel has a locust swarm making things difficult for the agriculture folk, though others are turning the tables and eating the insects, considered a delicacy by some Israelis and Thai laborers.

Afghanistan

US troops are searching for the three UN workers held hostage, a move sure to get them killed unless they actually find them quickly. Considering that Mullah Sabir Momin, a commander of the Jaish-e Muslimeen (Army of Muslims) Taliban splinter faction, called a few hours after the raid and warned against tricks, time is limited.

Details on how the UN counts Afghanistan’s poppies.

South America

Rival drug gangs battle it out for four hours in Rio de Janeiro, with reports of ten deaths.

An amusing tidbit from Chile this weekend, where Bush had to rescue his Secret Service man from Chilean security. He was attending an official dinner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit’s 21 leaders at Mapocho Station cultural center when Secret Service and Chilean security got into a little altercation.

US

Why couldn’t Former Rep. Helen Chenoweth-Hage, R-Idaho see the federal regulation authorizing an additional pat down when she was pulled aside at the airport for additional screening? “That is called ‘sensitive security information.’ She’s not allowed to see it, nor is anyone else,” local TSA Security Director Julian Gonzales said. And it’s quite legal. Details in the article on just why.

Sen. Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, blames the White House and Pentagon for resisting intelligence reform and gives the congress a failing grade for not passing the needed legislation. From what I’ve heard, Republicans were one of the obstacles to things, concerned that the reform would hurt wartime intelligence.

A contentious spending bill was passed, worth $388 billion, that’s set to go to Bush in a few days for signing.

Bush keeps talking about how he’s for a strong US dollar, but it’s still low and keeps falling.

Tax Reform is likely one of the next big battles when it comes to domestic policy. I wouldn’t mind seeing the tax code reformed and simplified, with loopholes closed up and the language tighter and clearer cut. But I don’t hold out hope we’ll get anything like that.

An Air France plane bound for Washington was diverted to Maine when it was noticed that one of the passengers had a name on the no-fly list. One passenger, who was flying with an expired passport) was removed and his companion declined to continue on without him. The two men were held overnight in Bangor, then taken to Massachusetts to be put on a flight back to Paris.

Gas has settled down to $1.96 a gallon on average, still rather high overall.

Our bad farm policy gets worse, subsidies rising as their profits rise. That’s just not right.

Are Harvard grads bad for Wall Street?

General

Google is muscling in on Microsoft’s turf, bringing more choices to the desktop.

The UN has reached deadlock on the subject of a cloning ban. Costa Rica, with support from the United States, introduced a ban on all cloning, including the type that scientists believe will lead to treatments for diseases including diabetes and Parkinson’s. Belgium drafted a ban only on reproductive cloning, the type that would lead to creating a child genetically identical to another human being. Both options have been shelved, without the votes needed.

Porn worse than street drugs, leading to addiction, misogyny, pedophilia, boob jobs and erectile dysfunction? According to clinicians and researchers testifying before a Senate committee recently, yeah. Personally, I have to call bullshit on that. It might be a factor, but it would be one of many in all of the above at worst.

How to steal Wi-Fi and prevent your neighbor from stealing yours.

Today’s Papers has an obscure provision in the obnibus spending bill that would have allowed the chairmen of congressional appropriations committees to review any American’s tax return regardless of privacy regulations(it’s slated for removal), some details from NBCs cameraman on the issue with the wounded insurgent shot in Iraq, Iraq debt forgiveness and more in the one page news.

Amusemets

Mark Fiore: Hello Alberto: Attourney Extraodinare

Half-naked truck driver takes police on a chase through three towns on the wrong side of the turnpike

Three burglars break in while third-degree black belt is at home. You want karate?

Mayor who set up a direct hotline for people to call with civic problems is asking bored housewives to stop inviting him round for sex.

Fark Phothosp Challenge: George Lucas was originally set to direct “Apocalypse Now.” Photoshop how it would have turned out

Fark Phothosp Challenge: Photoshop Goldberg as Santa, the son of Satan, from the movie “Santa’s Slay.” Feel free to use other pictures from the movie if you have any, God help you

Fark Phothosp Challenge: Farker DrWebster lost his USB flash drive. Photoshop its current whereabouts

Fark Phothosp Challenge: Photoshop theme: WWII pilots would decorate their aircraft with “nose art.” Photoshop some new ones. Link goes to examples