News – Sadr’s Days Numbered?

Middle East

Iraqi forces arrest a high level Shia militant leader. Apparently one of Sadr’s men. Could this mean that the Iraqi government is actually going to go after him and his Mehdi militia? I won’t hold my breath.

The first 3k troops of the weak surge arrive after yet more deadly days for those already in the cookfire. Personally, I think it is past time where this surge idea will work. Early on it could have had a good impact, but after years the terrorists are well entrenched. Straight military action won’t dislodge them, as the US isn’t tyrannical enough to take the brutal steps that would be required to crush an entrenched insurgency.

Political folk with Sadr say they’re ending their two month boycott of Iraq’s government. It was imposed to protest a planned meeting between Iraq’s PM and Bush.

Aid organizations point out once more the growing crisis for those Iraqis who chose to flee the violence in their country. They’ve fled to Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon, but said countries are starting to close doors on the problem and the rest of the world is blissfully ignoring the issue. There are also a good deal still living in Iraq who have been displaced from their homes.

Picture this possible scene. An Israeli border patrol vehicle rolls along in a village. Three girls see it pass and decide to throw rocks at it. Now, would you think a proper response to some children throwing rocks is to drive right past, giving them no target to throw at? Or would you stop and respond to them with tear gas and stun grenades? There is no note that there was a mass protest, no note of there being any real reason to stop and respond with “crowd control means against stone throwers”. Honestly, I’d like to see some justification for this to have happened this way, rather than think that some Israeli border patrol had nothing better to do than stop and gas some girls for tossing some stones when they could have ignored them and driven by in a few moments. So if you have some proof that there was just cause behind this, note it to me.

Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of the wealth stolen from Jewis people by the Nazis has not been recovered. You can be sure that whoever could grab the gold and treasure did so and records were not kept. Thus it is likely most of it will never be recovered. It’s one of those unfortunate effects of war that are hard to avoid, that things will be lost and not recovered.

MASH in Iraq. A photo essay.

Africa

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, seen as one of the moderate leaders of the ousted UIC, surrenders to authorities. The question is.. what happens to him now?

Asia/Pacific

China faces criticism over weapon tests reportedly carried out in space. Perhaps China will spark an arms race in space. It would be a good time for them since the US is currently mired with far too many resources focused on Iraq.

Europe

Lt Gen Vladimir Popovkin, commander of Russia’s space forces, says that the US expanding their anti-missile defense system into Europe would be seen as an obvious threat to Russia. Interesting that the same in Alaska is not seen as a threat.

56 people are on trial in Paris for being part of a baby smuggling ring, delivering Bulgarian babies to French Roma(Gypsy) couples. One side note of this is that these folk are unable to adopt children under French law as France doesn’t allow roaming couples to adopt.

Americas

Not content with their current far reaching powers, the Defense Department comes out with new rules for detainees, codifying the ability to detain people based on hearsay or coerced testimony. Hey, I hear that DarkRen is all up in terrorism. Oops, now I can be detained. Fucking ludicrous. “I am satisfied that these rules provide rules and a basis on which you can conduct a fair trial,” said Brig Gen Thomas Hemingway, the Pentagon’s legal adviser on the tribunals. Somehow that doesn’t reassure me.

Left and right come together to put forward legislation that will prevent Bush from getting aggressive on Iran without congressional approval. Looks like these knuckleheads learned from 9/11 and Iraq that giving the prez a blank check on that front is asking for trouble. Same will go for every president and politician to come.

Now it’s official, Hilary is in the race of 2008. While amusing, this years race is likely to be the most costly yet in funds frittered away on disgusting political ads and other such wastes of air space.

Is the backing down on Bush’s domestic surveillance program a dodge rather than a coup for civil liberties?

General

A study dismisses the view that teen girls with unwanted pregnancies are less careful about contraception than older women. The same general proportion of older and younger women have children simply because they don’t’ bother with contraception.

Scientists say they’ve found the section of the brain that tells if a person will have a leaning toward selfishness or altruism. Personally, I’m equal parts selfish and altruistic, though my altruism is mostly focused toward those who I care deeply about.

Microsoft defends their digital rights management software in Vista. The DRM crap is one of the many reasons I prefer Macs for the time being. DRM is on that side as well, but it doesn’t reach as far as MS does with their crapware.

The Blogs look at the Senate’s new ethics package, Ayatollah Khamenei poking at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and what one could do with $1.2 trillion.

Today’s Papers has a look at possible tensions from Pelosi’s aggressive management style, that Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia is in favor of cutting off funds to rebuild Iraq, Theodore Kaczynski (the Unabomber) trying to get his writings sold as is rather than sanitized like the government wants and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Mark Fiore: The King of Oppositeland

<A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070120/ap_en_ce/crocodile_hunter_toys”>Soon to be seen in the Wal-Mart toy department: the Steve Irwin action figure. Evil stingray sold seperately. Crickey

Big Oil welcomes Texas’ contribution to the war on global warming: Putting a 18 lanes-wide big ass highway where a commuter train rail line was supposed to be built

A mentally ill man walks into a car dealership with $30k. The salesman refuses to sell him a car and gets help for the man. Just kidding. Actually the salesman sells him a car, gets him to sign it over and then it gets weird

81 year-old man gets visit from Secret Service, after his letter-to-the-editor referring to Saddamn Hussein said ‘they hung the wrong man’

Bad: Telling immigration service you are the prince of Sweden. Worse: getting arrested and spending the night in jail. Fark.com: you really ARE the prince of Sweden

Step #1 – Run personal errands instead of driving your bus route. Step #2 – Call the cops and say you were hijacked by some punk with a gun. Step #3 – Get away with it? No, get busted and wind up on FARK

Shop owner attempts to sue 4 homeless people for $1 million dollars

Study finds hopping on one leg 50 times a day can help women stave off osteoporosis, land Paul McCartney as their next husband

Sometimes even Google is too proud to ask for directions. Don’t forget to count the U-turns

What evangelical program has converted over 400,000 people through its ministry? Why, Karate for Christ, of course

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this garden troll-viking

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this gray-skinned guy

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop these two highly intelligent kids