News – Take That Job and Shove It

Americas

Unsurprisingly the State Department is having issues finding volunteers to work the US embassy in Iraq. Quite a telling thing when you have to give fat enticements and threats of dismissal to get people to take a posting. Personally I can understand why they don’t want to dip their fingers into that mess.

Shahid Malik, Britain’s first Muslim minister, was detained at a US airport by security officials and searched. This not being an isolated incident as the same happened to him last year as well. Could have been worse, but you’d expect that the official of a friendly government wouldn’t be treated in such a manner.

Slate starts into an area often considered off limits by some. The marriages of the presidential candidates. First on the block are Barack and Michelle Obama.

Blackwater sends out an SOS to get some assistance in their latest troubles with the government. In their email, one of the most amusing parts is the suggestion to tout their cost efficency. For that, I’d respond that money isn’t the only cost to be considered. Diplomatic costs are to be considered as well and, I would think, are of more issue than mere cash.

Michael J. Fox sits with Slate Founding Editor Michael Kinsley to talk about his foundation’s work to help find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

Middle East

US Forces will he handing over control of Karbala to Iraqi troops next week. The place has been relatively quiet, save for some factional strife that, of course, is played down.

One wonders what ‘serious consequences’ Iraq could possibly levy should Turkey ignore the warning from foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari.

A blame game over who screwed up more in Iraq opens between the US and UK. Allow Ren to fix it. You both royally screwed the pooch. Now fix it.

Speaking with members of the PKK.

Africa

Somali PM Ali Mohamed Ghedi steps down, ending the long running fued between him and President Abdullahi Ahmed Yusuf. A particular note is the apparent involvement of US pressure in this resignation. Of course, since clan issues played a part in this feud between them, it brings many concerns to light. In particular because Ghedi’s clan is prominent in Mogadishu, which could spell trouble.

Sudanese troops are forcibly(read at gunpoint) moving refuges from a camp in Nyala. They say they’re moving them to a safer camp due to tribal clashes. A UN official says that while there is some truth to that, the forced relocation was illegal and dangerous to do at night. Many are concerned with that term that has too often haunted the continent. Ethnic cleansing. Personally, I point no fingers, but we should remain carefully aware. Lack of watchfulness has allowed things like that to happen before and the leaders of Sudan aren’t choirboys.

Asia/Pacific

Nearly two million tickets for the 2008 Olympic games will be going on sale in China tomorrow. This will be the second batch, the first given out in a lottery, which saw all opening and closing ceremony seats snapped up.

Europe

Turkey assails more Kurdish rebels, knocking another leg out from under the hopes for a peaceful resolution. As usual both sides are presenting mixed accounts of just what is happening.

The strike by Air France cabin crews continues at least until later today, leaving air travelers in France in an uncertain position as many flights are cancelled.

Germany opens a holocaust museum at the site of the Belsen concentration camp. It focuses on the stories of those who died at the camp, which is an interesting angle to present.

General

Researchers find that smoking may be linked to an increased risk of psoriasis and may exasperate the situation in those that already have it. It’s thought that the toxins in cigarettes may retard parts of the immune system that are related to psoriasis.

More on the medical front, researchers in Belfast are concocting a ‘bone cement’ that could help the victims of spinal cord injuries.

Looks like Vinyl could be making a comeback in the music world. Kind of interesting how closely some can cling to this or that format.

The Blogs look at those new bunker buters ordered up by Bush and a new story to make people leery of Giuliani.

Today’s Papers has Iran looking to blunt US sanctions, a new FCC rule that could lower cable prices, Japanese consumers getting more Hummers and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Thieves try to explain to police why they were driving a stolen car, but stay quiet about the alligator foot they were carrying

Emo kids, emo parents, and now emo pastors. Let’s all looooove Britney Spears. (HUUUUGGGGSS)

Used car to drive to college: $4,000. Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism: $100,000. Inability to rotate a photo 90º for your newspaper’s website: priceless

Dallas police on the lookout for a fearsome criminal mastermind: a yogurt-eating bandit. “He thinks he’s unstoppable. He goes in, burglarizes the places, he has a snack, and then he leaves”

Newest Halloween craze: “Trunk or Treating” –Instead of going house to house trick or treating, kids go from trunk to trunk [blank stare]

Old and busted: tattoos. New hotness among idiots: branding. “”It was an incredible experience. There was smoke coming out of my arm and my burnt flesh smelled like a cross between chicken and bacon”

TV reporters with hidden cameras bring a computer with a $25 defect to various computer repair companies. Turns out that most of the “techs” range from $200 idiots to outright $2000 scammers

If you are parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transport, you might want to curb your impulse for speed

UK’s culture secretary, who scolded TV companies for faking footage, is caught photoshopping himself into publicity photos (with fail-worthy pic)

Woman dressed as piece of sushi wins Cardboard Tube Fighting Championship, defeating the likes of ninjas, robots and Count Sexula

California man eats 103 hamburgers in 8 minutes to win $10,000 dollars. God bless America

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this trigger happy youth, and his big ass machine gun

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this ecstatic baseball player

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Ultimate Photoshop Challenge: How many Fark cliches can you combine into one reasonably coherent pic