News – The Real Right Man for the Job?

Americas

Prospective nominee for defense secretary, Robert Gates, says he thinks the US isn’t winning the Iraq conflict. He also recognizes that the results there will shape the Middle East for years to come. The more I hear about this guy, the more I like him. Seems he might be the one to come in with a realistic view on the real ground situation, but also press for fixing it and perhaps squeezing out a positive outcome. A guy can hope, can’t he?

A BBC correspondent gets to check out the US National Counterterrorism Center. Interestingly they moved out all the workers, so as not to have any seen by the reporters. Only Vice Admiral Scott Redd is shown.

Bolton will be stepping down as US envoy to the UN. Just couldn’t win the support needed to keep his temporary appointment to the job. The Prez is disappointed in those who block Bolton and laments the disruption to diplomacy this will bring. Should have thought about that before you gambled on Bolton, Bush.

Is the heightened leaking from the White House a show of dissolving cohesion?

Brazil stops flights to three major airports after their air traffic control system fails.

Gwyneth Paltrow denies allegations she made anti-American remarks in a recent interview with a Portuguese newspaper.

More talk on a NASA moonbase. When? 2020. Of course, the presidential chair will pass hands to at least two, if not three or four other people before that year rolls around. So I’d not get my hopes up.

A mother has her son arrested for opening his Christmas presents early.

Middle East

Saddam shows up in court despite saying he’d no longer make a presence in his genocide hearings. I think he’s just screwing around with their heads, personally. What else has he got to do nowadays?

Was the true difficulty of the Iraq conflict shown to us in Nasiriya? Seems like it might have been a bit of poorly covered foreshadowing.

Confidence and patience is Hezbollah’s greatest weapon?

Africa

Minni Minnawi, a former rebel leader who became a presidential advisor after signing a peace deal, may quit Sudan’s government after a pro-government assault on a major town.

Photo Journal of a Talc Miner.

Asia/Pacific

The Fiji military enacts it’s bloodless coup. With the parliament dissolved, the police chief sacked and a caretaker PM set in place, a state of emergency is declared. Deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase urges the people to protest the coup peacefully. Some are and for now the situation is calm.

Europe

Spain looks into claims that Venezuela has allowed citizenship for four suspected ETA members.

Russia upgrades its nukes.

A Norwegian appeals court decides that stripping is a form of art and therefore exempt from the country’s value-added tax. Interesting. I suppose if you consider dancing an art, then you’d have to include stripping which involves dancing. It might not be your type of art or very good, but then not all art is very good, is it? I’ve heard some of these girls can do some amazing moves(actual acrobatic/gymnastic type stuff outside of the obvious eroticism) that take skill to pull off, so..

General

A major study concludes that long and short term use of mobile phones is not a factor for cancer risk.

Scientists say it might be possible to have a taste test to determine if someone has depression and which drugs are best to treat it. That’s thinking outside the box for sure.

A study discovers the existence of feline Alzheimer’s.

People who are left-handed have their brains wired to think faster than those who are right handed.

The Blogs look at the treatment of “enemy combatant” Jose Padilla, radio personality Dennis Prager and a new breed of “mobile journalists.”

Today’s Papers has note that spam has gotten worse in the last six months, a claim that Republicans in Congress are acting “like a retreating army” by “planting legislative land mines to make it harder for Democrats to govern” next year, Russian officials are imposing several restrictions on British detectives who are visiting the country to investigate the death of the former spy and more in the one page news.

Amusements

-RoG- counts down the top 10 most dangerous toys of 2006

World’s Smallest Twin Engine Airplane

Today’s “guy charged with DUI after driving a parade float drunk” story brought to you by Anderson, South Carolina

Gallery of kids hilariously terrified by Santa

Ignoring the millions of television commercials, magazine ads and billboards, new study says that websites are glamorizing anorexia and bulimia. Yep, there never was a problem before the Internet was invented

From the heart of Times Square: The world’s biggest bong

If you live in Florida and own a pair of binoculars, a lawn chair, and a walkie-talkie, the FAA could probably use your help

Campus safe-sex poster: “Whether you’re pitching or catching, wear a glove.” Campus feminist: “That’s the most degrading thing in history.” Someone really needs to get laid

<A HREF="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003314312_webbestiality20.html?fark”>Gross: Man caught farking the family dog. Worse: Wife caught him. Fark: She took pictures and called the cops

Good: Korean department store holds sweepstakes with three Ferraris as grand prize. Bad: After miscalculating odds, store discovers 440 winners want to claim their Ferrari. Fark: Winners agree to second drawing for Ferraris

Retard healed by Mel Gibson spitting in his eye. Now that he’s no longer retarded, he is being prosecuted by government

Georgia DOT decides to erase a couple small towns off the state map to make it less cluttered. And by a couple, I mean 515

Swedish border control officers busted for keeping “spank bank”

After dropping off a friend, woman stops by the sheriff’s office to drop off an unexploded mortar shell

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this little chugger.

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop a farker’s father’s 75th birthday

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: An action scene from “Fark: The Video Game”</A