News – What to do With a Guy Called Saddam?

Iraq

Red Cross to the US: Charge him, free him or break international law. The deadline is June 30th. See, POWs have to be released once the conflict they were caught in ends. That date is June 30th. That would include the other forty Saddam loyalists who were captured and remain confined indefinitely.

A suicide car bombing in the heart of Baghdad kills 13, including five civilian contractors who were in a passing convoy.

Israel/Palestine

Feeling safer after the potential of indictment for corruption has passed, Sharon can feel safe in pushing forward his pullout plan. Including with it the expropriation of further Palestinian land for the construction of more of the wall.

Zekariya Zubeidi, head of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin says that if the Israelis stay out of Jenin after the future removal of four nearby settlements, he’ll stop the attacks. Lets hope so. We’ll see at the end of 2005 as that’s when those settlements are set to be removed.

Afghanistan

The US military vows to keep the heat on militants and ensure elections in September for Afghanistan.

Saudi Arabia

Attacks are on the rise in Suadi Arabia. alQueda claims to have captured Paul Johnson, an American engineer, and killed Kenneth Scroggs as he parked his car. The US government is telling US citizens to keep a low profile in the country. They believe these attacks were extensively planned. Guess they don’t’ have quite enough heat on alQueda if they can extensively plan anything.

Iran

Mohamed ElBaradei has given Iran a deadline of months to finally come clean about it’s nuke program. Seems they haven’t been fully cooperating. Not unexpected.

Pakistan

After nabbing the nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Pakistani leaders believe there will be more arrest soon as they try to dismantle the network in their country.

US

Legislators try to pass Patriot Act II provisions by attaching them to unrelated must pass bills. It’s sad when such underhanded tricks are used.

The Bush campaign steps it up, as they’re obviously not penetrating with their message as much as they would like. Personally, I would consider it an embarrassment to have Kerry doing this well against Bush, all things considered.

Kerry prods Bush over stem cell research. No doubt there will be at least this sort of minor resurgence of the debate in the wake of Reagan’s funeral.

26 former diplomats and military officials(Some Reagan and Bush Sr. era appointees) are urging the American people to vote Bush out, saying his foreign policy has left us isolated.

Gas prices are still sluggishly slipping down, for three weeks so far. The national average is still a fraction over two bucks. Let’s hope this is a continuing trend.

General

Summary Judgment on Garfield is low, but then what do critics know? They say the same for Riddick, but I had a blast with it. There they go, expecting too much and being, of course, disappointed yet again. But perhaps that’s just what creator Jim Davis wants.

Last words on Ray Charles.

The National Enquirer is accurate? Wow. Perhaps I won’t be so quick to scoff next time I eye the cover in the checkout lane.

Today’s Papers notes that the investigation on Lt. Gen. William Boykin started seven months ago.. and still no report, the Bush Administration classifying 9/11 commission source material for 25 years, General Sanchez ordering a prisoner to be hidden from the Red Cross last fall and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Man has three 17-centimetre metal bars removed from stomach after drunken challenge

In what PR companies are calling a “publicity nightmare,” Nicole Kidman gets funky with 10-year-old boy in upcoming movie

Crocodile hunter faces $1m fine two years behind bars for playing with whales and penguins

Newgrounds: Poninjas Relinquished

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in his George Jetson car

Fark Photoshop Challenge: It’s graduation season, the time of year when young people the world over put on funny hats, then officially become unemployed. Cheer them up with some alternative headgear for their commencements

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: Unlikely PBS shows

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this pale blue dot