News – Stating the Obvious.. Again

North America

The Senate reports.. our ports aren’t secure. Obviously. The question is what are our government monkeys going to do about it and how soon? We know our security, in general, sucks. What we need to know is what will be done about it.

Michael Berg, father of Nick Berg who was beheaded in Iraq about two years ago, is running for Congress on a platform of seeking full withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

Ronnis Mason sues UPS claiming they refused to hire him over his beard, which has something to do with his religion.

The Supreme Court of Massachusetts decides that out of state gay couples can’t be married there. Personally, I agree with the decision, though not for the reasons Mitt Romney states(stemming the tide of gay marriage). It would encourage people to come to the state and settle rather than stepping in to get married, then running off.

Middle East

A car explosion outside of a Gaza mosque kills Khalil al-Quqa, leader of the Popular Resistance Committees. This followed a bombing perpetrated by al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Seems to me if Israel wanted to strike back in a targeted fashion, they would have hit al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Of course, when it comes to reprisals, Israel isn’t always smart in how they go about things.

Sadly, Hamas is defending the bombing noted above. They might call it resistance, but they must also know that defending these attacks makes peace talks a less likely thing. I’d have hoped they were smarter than that.

Conflicts between Turkish police and Kurdish protestors wrack the southeastern region of the country, with six recent deaths and 200 injuries. This unrest started after the funerals of for 14 members of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party killed by Turkish troops last weekend.

The predictable response has come in the wake of an essay produced by two professors, opining that the pro-Israel lobby exerts a dominant and damaging influence on US foreign policy. Rather than confronting and defeating the essay on rational grounds, the anti-Semite tag is tossed out. Personally, I do think there is an inordinate amount of influence over US policy exerted, in general, by Israel. It shows every time the US reacts to something Israel does, rarely with anything but support(open or tacit) no matter what they do. Case in point.

General

Apple at 30: Apple’s Finest Flip Flops. After all, the coverage can’t be all sunny. 😉 Also, a look back at Apple’s ads, past to present.

The Blogs examine Jill Carroll’s release, Rep. Cynthia McKinney and her battle with a Capitol Police Officer and Naomi Campbell’s assault on another of her assistants.

Is breastfeeding overrated?

Today’s Papers has a study showing that prayer doesn’t materially effect the rate of healing for sick people, a feature that draws on documents made public in the Zacarias Moussaoui trial to compare al-Qaida and the federal government’s respective management techniques, news that the Army will prohibit its soldiers from using privately purchased body armor and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Mother goes to open savings account for her toddler, discovers toddler already has two accounts and a driver’s license registration. Ahhh, they grow up so fast

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and a giant billboard has been constructed overnight and now hovers over your house. Welcome to Chambersburg, Pa. With pics

Japanese convenience stores give new meaning to “Open All Hours,” thanks to openly available adult mags and fapping off at the counter

Middle school makes half of the students pretend to be Jews, forces them into mock persecution throughout the day as part of “Holocaust” project. What could possibly go wrong?

That ABC exec who said Bush makes him “sick” also said they shouldn’t book Madeleine Albright on “Good Morning America” because she has “Jew shame”

Overreaction of the day: “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness,” quotes lawyer from Allen Ginsberg in response to mall putting up no parking signs

Today’s Toughness Award goes to woman who got shot by stray bullet while walking through rough neighborhood says she will not change her daily walking route just because she caught some lead

Poland, in an effort to make sure people blame the Germans instead them, want to change the name of Auschwitz to “Former Nazi German Concentration Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau”

Austria’s self-proclaimed 80-year-old “porn hunter” charged after trying to stick a fig leaf on naked Mozart’s statuesque junk. Throws another shrimp on the barbie

Eighty-year-old champion set to defend crown against upstart newcomer in world’s ultimate Q*Bert championship

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: Bad timing

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Cman41886, desperate for his first greenlight, decides to put himself up for photoshop

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: Car concepts “of the future” that turned out to be nothing like what we have today.