News – Problem Pakistan

Middle East

This is a pretty firm look at the situation with Pakistan and the corner it has been shoved into(as in, with little room to maneuver for a solution).

Settlers continues to build and build in the West Bank. Funny thing is, they pledged to freeze expansion of settlements there. The settlers are openly proud of their flagrant violation. Yet I predict little will be done to stop them and that will be another nail in the future coffin of any peace deals. Personally, I’d love to be proven wrong about said prediction.

US forces are to release a handful of Iranians snapped up from a Kurdish city. Apparently they hold not value and are of no further threat to Iraq’s security. That makes one wonder just what changed to make them no longer a threat. Or if they were even a threat to begin with.

Bush pledges aid to Turkey in combating the PKK.One wonders just how much we’ll invest in this, considering our current depth in Iraq and the issues in Pakistan that have made the Afghanistan campaign harder.

An Egyptian man dies after three days of interrogation by the country’s police. Yet another of our ‘allies’ for you.

Despite the recent descent in deaths in Iraq, this year has been the deadliest since 2003. What I hope is for the current trend to continue and for 2008 to be the least deadly.

Africa

Interesting to know what South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki thinks about Aids in his country. Though when he says he considers the anti-retroviral medication toxic, the phrasing of it makes me wonder if he means so literally or figuratively. Literally I doubt, but figuratively has some merit for consideration.

Asia/Pacific

Burma rejects a UN plan for three way talks involving detailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Pressure could start falling off Burma’s military government, which would be a tragedy after proper attention was finally turned toward it.

China will be the world’s biggest user of energy by 2010 if predictions are right. Which seems odd, sicne they have one of the largest populations in the world. They would already have that title if much of their population didn’t live in rural conditions.

A little girl born with four arms and four legs has her extra limbs removed successfully. Which is quite nice, since such a deformity had, I’ve heard, been causing great issues for her and her mother. Apparently she had a ‘parasitic twin’ in the womb. A curious and fortunately rare happening. Make me wonder how the pro-lifers would explain that one.

Americas

The screenwriter strike continues and many TV show celebs show various forms of support for the protesting supporters. From protesting alongside them to providing food to offering vocal encouragement on air and in the press.

People will do anything to get press coverage.

General

Could sleep be part of keeping a body slender? Besides the basic truth that more sleep means more energy for activity, there are thoughts to hormonal changes that might effect appetite.

The Blogs look at Ron Paul’s record fundraising haul, Michael Mukasey’s now certain confirmation and that Obama supporters factored in the end of Stephen Colbert’s White House bid.

Today’s Papers has Pakistan’s deposed chief justice and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto calling on citizens to stand up to President Pervez Musharraf, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voting to override Bush’s veto of a water projects bill and approved a $215-billion spending bill, how the Homeland Security Department hasn’t been able to keep up with all the requests to have names removed from the terrorist watch list and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Teen is serving detentions for hugging her classmate. You mess with the bull, you get the horns

Republican lawmaker involved in sexual harassment scandal says he can’t recall exactly what he said to the woman, but is “sure it was very inappropriate, because I do that kind of thing”

Oh, the ski mask goes OVER the face

Man calls police to report the theft of 150 pounds of marijuana. Bonus: When police arrive, he still has 15 pounds of marijuana left. Farktastic: He’s an illegal alien

Skip out on your tab? That’s a tazin’, bro

School bans middle school’s Christian club after they allowed members to bob for live goldfish

Dallas suburb trying to outlaw consensual sex between adults in private homes. No you can’t have boobies, not yours

Librarians hunt down children’s books that give kiddies phone number to pay-as-you-play sex line

Prisoners cleaning car at minimum security prison wonder what would happen if they just drove away. Since you’re seeing it on Fark…

New US military policy in Iraq dubbed “blow and go” by commanders who have obviously never read a Craigslist Casual Encounters ad

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this cucumber. Difficulty: Must be safe for work

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this fashionable English gent on his supercool bicycle

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: The world today if Native Americans had successfully thwarted Europeans from taking over their land back in the 1600s