News – Love Unrecognized

Middle East

A tale of love between an Israeli and a Palestinian. Israel won’t allow him to live with her in their country. Palestinians made their live difficult when they tried to live in the West Bank. Now, they’re moving to Europe. Interestingly, Israel has yet to actually recognize their marriage officially. It says on her passport that her marital status is ‘under investigation’. Yet even their move is fraught with troubles. She has permission to go already. Her husband cannot yet. I hope he is allowed to leave to join her soon and they find happiness away from their people, who can’t stop their hatred to acknowledge the love of two people.

Iran has confirmed it will be at the planned security conference on Iraq if it is ‘in Iraq’s best interests’. Interesting for them to use that phrase.

Some suspect that Israel is seeking to undermine the current unity between Fatah and Hamas with their latest series of raids. I don’t know about that, but I do know that the raids are, as always, unhelpful and unlikely to yield Israel any benefit in the long run. Just another of their poorly thought out short term measures.

The word out of Iraq isn’t good. Six months to win before a political collapse? A pretty specific prediction.

Save the Children pulls out of Iraq due to security concerns.

An Israeli Rights group wants to give the country’s Arab residents more rights and thinks Israel should be a multi-cultural, rather than a Jewish state. All I can say on that is good luck, folks. You’re hoping for a pipedream as it stands now.

Asia/Pacific

North Korea might not have an enriched-uranium program after all? What? … What? If this is true, then there can be no more confidence in the current intelligence program we’re fielding.

China is planning to punish famous and wealthy violators of its one child policy. This means extending penalties past the fines that the rich are able to pay more easily.

On the other hand, China is reviewing a re-education law that allows the police to send crime suspects to labor camps without trial

Flipping back to the other hand, Amnesty International reports that millions of migrant workers in China are being treated as an urban underclass, even as they help to fuel China’s growing economy.

Lastly, China calls the US a nosy neighbor in response to calls for more transparency on their military spending. I have to agree. The US is incredibly nosy, which would be fine if they stood up to the same level of transparency they demand of others.

Europe

More lovin. Seems the left-wing mayor of Rome doesn’t like the local tradition of lovers leaving padlocks on a bridge in the city, then tossing the keys into the river. He’s introduced fines for people that leave them there. However, a spokesman for the mayor says he’s not against the custom, but wants it moved elsewhere.

In the Netherlands they’re preparing for the possibility of more floods due to climate change. Floating homes are where it’s at.

Americas

Tornadoes smack the southern US unkindly, leaving 17 dead in Alamana, Georgia and Mississippi.

Things don’t seem to be going so well for McCain. I think he’s painted himself into a corner trying to please both sides. To be honest, I’m not really sure of him anymore myself.

Maj-Gen George Weightman, head of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, gets the boot. He let things go to pot, hopefully the next person in line will pay more attention to keeping facilities all up to code. Looks like it was pretty bad, involving the whole of the military bureaucracy.

General

Pleasure and pain in upgrading to Vista.

The Blogs look at botched intel on North Korea, the achievements of Arthur Schlesinger Jr and Laura Sessions Stepp’s take on casual sex.

Today’s Papers has note that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will go to Saudi Arabia Saturday for a meeting with King Abdullah to discuss the growing political and sectarian crises in the Middle East, federal authorities claiming they have exposed one of the biggest insider-trading scandals in years, that Pakistani authorities arrested the former Taliban defense minister on Monday and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Neurotically Yours: Tips

Mark Fiore: The Slimy Circus

City manager to be fired for pursuing sex change. In related news, Anne Coulter has cancelled plans to run for public office

Idiot arrested for driving drunk twice on the same day and on the same road. Bonus points for idiocy: He blew three times the legal limit on his second arrest after only achieving double on his first

Jockey gets caught trying to fake his way through a urine test by squeezing clean urine out of a hidden dildo. He just wasn’t using his head

Ice-cream man caught selling beer from his van. Mmm, beer van…

News: Police chief’s credentials challenged. Weird: Chief’s degree in criminal justice obtained online. Fark: Police dog who obtained the same degree called into court to testify

So what do you do when you’re bored in Florida and are only 14? You steal cars. Hilarious pic included

“Vigilant” library workers bust teens having sex in the stacks

<A HREF="http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=3e57926c-bfeb-4ff3-acf6-50c575ee996c”>Former Canadian defense minister demands governments release alien technology to curb climate change

It takes a real rocket surgeon to rob Wal-Mart, but it takes a special kind of genius to stare straight into the security camera (second pic in series)

Health-and-safety Nazis pull plug on annual charity bathtub race because it’s too dangerous, even though it has been held every year for 35 years with no reported injuries

Customer is looking for someone to code out a complete operating system that is completely functional, has all of the features of Windows XP, is unhackable and compatible with all existing files. Budget: $1000 – $3000

Dumb: Tagging the bus your principal is riding. Dumber: L.A. mayor is riding in same bus. Fark: News crew films your crime (with caught-in-the-act pic goodness)

TV station’s opinion of Krispy Kreme: “So good, you’ll suck d**k”

Kids given 800 hotline number to learn about AIDS, learn about hot teen sex phone lines instead

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop your own corporate super merger (LGN)

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this eager photographer

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Suggest some movie roles for Britney now that she has a shaved head