News – What of Israel?
Middle East
Thousands of rightist Israelis plan to match across the border with Gaza to Jewish settlements on Wednesday, while Israeli police vow to block them. I worry that this fighting might turn out bad for the Israelis. The last thing they need, as a people, is for a rift to form within their community.
Steven Vincent, a US reporter is found shot dead in Basra after being abducted, with his wife and their translator, by five gunmen. She is in a hospital in serious condition. Four days ago Steven wrote an opinion piece criticizing the rise of Shi’ite Islamist fundamentalism in Basra, published by the New York Times.
Conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is now officially Iran’s president and Saudis pledge their allegiance to King Abdullah, who succeeds King Fahd.
Speaking of which, Cheney will be leading a delegation to Saudi Arabia to pay respects to Fahd.
North America
Lots of Americans are concerned about the direction of US foreign policy. As well they should be concerned.
Bush gets his U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement. Now lets see if it does anything positive.
Rummy portrays the War on Terror as a struggle within the Muslim faith.
A study for the Texas Freedom Network says that a Bible study course offered in many U.S. public schools endorsed the Bible as the word of God, tried to persuade teachers and students to adopt a conservative Protestant viewpoint and implied the Bible outweighed the Constitution as the United States’ “founding document.” The report also notes factual and interpretive errors, such as saying Jesus was pierced by a sword on the cross when the bible says it was a spear.
A bit of good news from Canada, the passengers on a plane that rolled off the runway on landing all survive to tell their tales.
A brain dead woman kept on lie support for three months in Virginia gives birth to a baby girl</A..
Bloggers band together to bring attention to a daughter’s missing mother and help push the story onto the national news
General
Bloggers comment on disappearing Islamist websites, a California Supreme Court decision on how businesses must treat registered domestic partners, and Iran’s announcement that it’s resuming uranium enrichment.
Explainer notes how a planet is classified as such.
Today’s Papers has Iran footing the bill for an airport in Najaf(good or bad news?), an Iraqi general who died in American custody had been tortured by an Iraqi paramilitary unit with a CIA agent present, info on an unprecedented death of two teams of three Marines snipers.
Amusements
14-year-old dons Batman costume, invades home to fight drugs, find teenage girls. “It’s the first thrust of manhood, Robin.”
Naked man who chased his neighbours with a two-foot sword pleads guilty. There can be only one sentence
Estranged wife of Dodger pitcher Derek Lowe goes on LA radio to blame female TV anchor for marriage breakup
Jessica Simpson mistook guy for stuntman, smashed him over the head with pool cue
Michael Jackson may go into exile. And there will be much rejoicing
Regardless of how upset you are with the tax assessors, threatening them with anthrax is unlikely to reduce your bill
From the Hell Freezing Over Department: A two-button mouse from Apple
Taking one-stop shopping concept to new level, man gets married in same courtroom where he was sentenced to life for murder minutes before
Fark Photoshop Challenge: “My guild raided Orgrimmar and all I got was this lousy hauberk.” Photoshop a World of Warcraft or other MMORPG tourist souvenir
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this ducking batsman
Fark Photoshop Challenge: If a vampire was president of the United States… (Link goes to legendary past vampire presidents)</A