News – Late News
Middle East
The border crossing between Egypt and Palestine is temporarily reopened to allow Palestinians trapped on the Egypt side to finally return home. Must suck to be trapped, away from your home, for almost a month.
Israel prepares to, perhaps, invade Lebanon. Prepare for the next generation of defunct Middle East peoples. The world continues to stand by and give Israel free reign, with only the most neutered suggestions of restraint voiced. All of them useless and spineless.
Israel strikes the port of Tyre repeatedly, with many of the injured, maimed and killed being children.
Similar, if lesser suffering is seen in Israel as over fifty homemade rockets strike in the northern region. The Israeli newspapers report that Hizbullah is finding it difficult to fire it’s missiles, which seems a fallacy. Casualties are low, due to Israelis taking cover, yet the damage to economic health is more serious. Of course, one can only guess at the damage being done to Lebanon’s economy, what there might be of it, with the threat of an Israeli invasion on the horizon.
A look into the mood of Tel Aviv.
Images from the conflicted areas. This is intolerable for anyone, both sides need to stop. Yet they won’t, so far as I can see. It is a hope that Lebanon can do something itself, yet one wonders if they might try.
Gunmen, said to have links with Saddam, kill over 50 civilians in a busy market.
Pakistan arrests about 52 Taliban in a crackdown. Assuming they were Taliban. I’m not of the disposition to flatly believe those things that Pakistan purports.
Asia
Indonesia is hit again, a tsunami killing at least 256 people on the island of Java. Bad year for them, that’s a fact.
Africa
With the AU unable to meet the task of dealing with Darfur(not that they haven’t given it their best, by the look), the UN presses Sudan to accept a full UN peacekeeping mission.
North America
The Discovery lands safely in Florida, with NASA likely breathing a collective sigh of relief. Of course, they shouldn’t let down their guard. And hopefully there will be a new
Apparently, some time in the future, Condi plans to head over to the Middle East personally. Seems it isn’t the right time. Likely the security situation is what blocks her from going. But that doesn’t excuse her from her duty. She can’t spend her life in safe seclusion, I think it high time she have a little danger in her life, perhaps enough to give her some perspective.
Cheney wants security to be the top issue of the election agenda. Who cares what he wants? It’s what the people want that matters, right? Right?
We get a little candid view of what Bush thinks on the current violence in the Middle East. He thinks that if Syria gets Hizbollah to stop attacking, it’s over. Highly doubtful as, at this point, I can see Israel continuing to attack no matter what Hiz does. Besides, even if it stops, damage has already been done. I can’t see the Lebanese cozying up to Israel any time soon after getting the crap kicked out of their southern territory. And I doubt Israel will be offering to help rebuild the infrastructure they destroyed(they never have in my memory). Likely every other western nation will be chipping in to help with that.
Democracy in the Middle East grows more complicated. So is it worth all the strife?
Matthew Waxman, who lead the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Human Rights Committee, submits a paper defending the human rights record of the US.
General
Explainer looks at why smoke comes in so many colors.
The Blogs look into exit strategies from the current Middle East strife, a secretive left-wing fund-raising apparatus and a plan to turn elections into lotteries.
Today’s Papers has Justice Department investigators backing up the claim by the FBI’s highest-ranking Arabic speaker that he was blacklisted after he complained of being cut out of counter-terrorism programs, a Democratic House report concluding that 20 of 23 federally funded “pregnancy resource centers” gave bogus info, telling callers (Democratic staffers) that abortions increase the risk of breast cancer and infertility, news that the Taliban seized two towns in southern Afghanistan and “forced police and government officials to flee” and more in the one page news.
Amusements
Police discover that pair of bank robbers fail to grasp the meaning of “laundering money”
Two men steal a trawler to get home after missing their ferry. Have to be rescued by lifeboat because they don’t know how to sail and had been going around in circles
Bird smuggler busted with eggs concealed in underpants. Possibly a cockatoo
<A HREF="http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/15055411.htm?source=yahoodist&content=twc_news”>When being interrogated for murder and using the excuse that you couldn’t have done it because you are blind, don’t remove your glasses and begin to read the moment after investigators leave the interrogation room
Hilarity ensues after man returns home to find his police-dispatcher wife is hosting a sex party… without him
Howard Dean: “America, if you had elected a Democrat in 2004, we would have already solved the 5000-year-old Middle East strife and there would be peace right now”
MILF in trouble for violating the “child nudity ban” while changing her 16-month-old child at the pool
If you’re trying to cash a check made out to your dead mother, the bank may notice when you tape your picture over hers on the ID and make some changes to it in pen. (With mugshot loveliness)
Confederate sub may have sunk when crew opened hatch to replenish the oxygen. Just think of the logistics
South Carolina lawmaker who confronted two utility workers with a pistol says it is “obscene” that he faces charges, arguing a man has the right to fire his own damn pistol into his own damn back porch
Kitten born with four eyes, two noses and two mouths that meow in unison (with pic)
Florida dogs now can eat out with their owners. Your dog wants steak, medium rare, with a side of fries and a salad with bleu cheese dressing, no onions, and the check
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this ANGRY monkey
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: Create a modern advertisement for a long-obsolete product
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this Jews for Jesus propaganda to represent another famous celebrity career