News – Iraq’s Way

Middle East

Iraq’s government is rejecting the deployment of thousands of US/UK trained police in favor of hiring its own men. Now that the Iraqis have been given power, they’re going to start running with it in whatever direction suits them. Seems the direction is not what our leaders would desire. This will only fuels claims and suspicions that sectarian government forces are behind some of the mayhem that’s been going on in the country.

With the first Saddam trial still stinking it up, the second in which Saddam will be tried on genocide charges is set to start up soon. If they can’t run one trial well, what will happen with two running parallel? Twice the chances for Saddam to make them look foolish?

Chris Cobb-Smith, a security adviser for media organizations, suspects that the May 2 2003 shooting of British journalist James Miller in Gaza was a calculated murder by Israel’s soldiers. Which is a pretty heavy charge. Gross negligence is one thing, but premeditated killing is another. He claims: “Looking at all the evidence of the amount of military activity that had gone on that night, looking at the footage of what the Israeli soldiers should have been able to see and their behaviour that night, and we know [the soldiers)] knew [the journalists] were there – there was talk between the two APCs [armoured personnel carriers] about the journalists – these were slow, deliberate, calculated and aimed shots.”

Africa

The Sudanese government denies permission to UN Under Secretary-General Jan Egeland to overfly Darfur.

So who wants to defend Charles Taylor? Recently recaptured, he’s looking for a good lawyer to form his defense. One thing is for sure, it would be a challenge.

North America

Tom Delay seems ready to throw in the towel, with mounting legal issues and a tough reelection campaign to deal with.

After years of stonewalling, the US government decides to release some documents on the detainees in Gitmo. Of course, at this point, I can hardly hope that any of the 2,600 pages released has anything special or new in this ‘attempt to be transparent’, as termed by Bryan Whitman, a senior Pentagon spokesman.

The Supreme Court chickens out and denies hearing the appeal of Jose Padilla. That way they don’t have to potentially challenge Bush’s implied ability to hold Americans in military jail without charges or trial.

More conflict and general BS between FEMA and locals in New Orleans. Every incident makes us all look bad.

The Democratic plan for national security is vague, but so is that of the current administration. So what do you do when neither side has a real plan?

General

Do Asian online games have a better market model than their US counterparts? We have MMORPGs with monthly fees. Meanwhile they have games without, supported by impulse buys made by customers to enhance their in game persona. It’s an interesting concept and knowing the mentality of the majority of the US, it may well work. Though it could be dangerous for those who chronically buy impulse items.

Explainer expounds in the dangers of hail.

The blogs look at US strategy in Iraq, the Supreme Court’s decision against hearing Jose Padilla’s appeal and the coming of a Simpsons movie. Yes, you heard right.. a movie.

Today’s Papers has scientists seeing some success in growing a bladder from a patients own cells and transplanting it back into them(the medical holy grail, generating new body parts for someone from their own tissues), Zacarias Moussaoui convicted, the tightening noose around DeLay and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Want to know what you missed out on this past April 1st? Wikipedia has a definitive list of the online tomfoolery that their vast readership has uncovered.

Thrift-store owner busted stealing things from Goodwill so he could have more things to sell

Eighth-grader might get expelled after mistakenly bringing his pocket knife to school and immediately turning it in

Woman gets washed in carwash because she can’t use the door

Ah, the quiet mountain towns of Pennsylvania, peaceful, calm and serene. Except for the naked drunk woman running down the street at 1:30 in the morning screaming profanities

Teen busted after posting plans to torch principal’s house on MySpace. In related news, your school principal is surfing MySpace

Locksmith must replace 150 locks at nuclear power plant after some dumbass lost the keys. Who was that young go-getter, Smithers?

Naked man tasered by Utah police, and not only was it not the first time, it wasn’t even the first time this year

Hottest car rentals in Britain aren’t limos or sports cars, but replicas of NYPD squad cars, even with families driving ex-inmates home from prison

Patent law gone wild: The paper-cup, tin-can and string phone was granted a patent<P>
Best warning today comes from French health authorities: “Don’t eat Canadian bears”

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie hold a party at their parents house, completely trashing it. Article includes pics of the surprisingly hittable looking daughters of Fergie

Meet the guy who admits to taking 40,000 ecstacy pills in nine years. Stunned scientists describe him as relentlessly upbeat, not that there’s anything wrong with that

There are so many congressional candidates in Peru that they have taken to jumping off buildings and walking around naked for votes

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: What if one of the Biblical miracles happened in the present day?

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop the pint glass we use to spill beer on the servers

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: If personal maxims became universal law…