October | December
It's a wonder the insurgency can withstand such an overwhelming assault of propaganda. "Living Despite Terrorism" -- why that could be the title of a James Bond film.U.S. Military Covertly Pays To Run Stories In Iraqi Press
The articles, written by U.S. military "information operations" troops, are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of a defense contractor, according to U.S. military officials and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times....Records and interviews indicate that the U.S. has paid Iraqi newspapers to run dozens of such articles, with headlines such as "Iraqis Insist on Living Despite Terrorism," since the effort began this year.
Obviously renewing the ban was necessary for the Vatican to avoid any late fees in excluding gays.Vatican Renews Ban On Gay Priests
The Vatican has published long-awaited guidelines which reaffirm that active homosexuals and "supporters of gay culture" may not become priests.... At least three years must pass between "overcoming [a] transitory problem" and ordination as a deacon, the rules say....The 18-paragraph document was published with little fanfare on Tuesday morning. The Vatican is not offering further explanation.
Bush Cancels NCAA Speech
President Bush, who was tentatively scheduled to speak Jan. 7 during the NCAA's centennial convention in Indianapolis, will not attend, association spokesman Bob Williams said today. In a phone call last week, the White House scheduling office told the NCAA the president would not be able to attend because of the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Samuel Alito, which starts Jan. 9, and the State of the Union Address, which is in late January....The annual NCAA convention attracts more than 1,500 people, including athletic directors, faculty representatives and school presidents.
![[George W Bush]](../images/gwb.jpg) |
"Wait -- I backed out of the sports thing? Not the black-voter thing? I can still back out of the black-voter thing, right? Please tell me I can still back out of the black-voter thing." |
But think of the lucky illegal alien nabbed by the border patrol wearing a uniform he made in Mexico. It's the kind of tearful reunion you normally only get to see on the Lifetime Channel.Mexican-Made Border Patrol Uniforms Raise Concerns
"It's embarrassing to be protecting the U.S.-Mexico border and be wearing a uniform made in Mexico," says T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a 6,500-member union....For more than a year, the shirts and pants worn by agents and inspectors with U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been made in Mexico. The uniforms are supplied by VF Solutions of Nashville, Tenn., which subcontracts its work to plants in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Dominican [Republic].
Sure, it's all peace and light at the Bosnia chapter of the Bruce Lee Fan Club -- until someone brings up that bounty on David Carradine.Bosnia Unveils Bruce Lee Bronze
[Mostar, Bosnia,] remains split with Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Serbs still deeply divided. Lee was chosen by organisers as a symbol of the fight against ethnic divisions."We will always be Muslims, Serbs or Croats," said Veselin Gatalo of the youth group Urban Movement Mostar. "But one thing we all have in common is Bruce Lee."
'Bomb Jazeera' Memo: Media Warned
The British government has warned news organizations against publishing details of a secret memo which one London tabloid newspaper said recounted discussions between Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush about bombing the headquarters of the Arabic news network Al-Jazeera.The Daily Mirror reported Tuesday that Blair talked Bush out of launching an air strike against Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Qatar -- a U.S. ally -- during an April 16, 2004 meeting at the White House. The White House called the report "outlandish," but Al-Jazeera urged the British government to either confirm or deny the report....
Downing Street spokesman Ian Gleeson said Tuesday that Blair's office would have no comment, because the memo the Daily Mirror cited was the subject of court action. Two men face trial under Britain's Official Secrets Act in connection with release of the memo...
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"I wouldn't have let Tony talk me out of bombing those al-Jazeera bastards if I'd known I was going to get so little credit for sparing them." |
With towns being renamed after consumer products and all, someone should rename a town "Phone" to see how far Russell Crowe can throw it to hit someone.Texas Town Trades Name For Satellite TV
A marketing opportunity for U.S. satellite television provider EchoStar Communications Corp., which announced yesterday that tiny Clark, Tex., has renamed itself DISH, Tex., after EchoStar's DISH Network.
On the bright side, God has left the residents of Dover with only one commandment to observe: La, la, la, I cannot hear thou.Pat Robertson Warns Pa. Town of Disaster
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson warned residents of a rural Pennsylvania town Thursday that disaster may strike there because they "voted God out of your city" by ousting school board members who favored teaching intelligent design...."I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected him from your city," Robertson said on the Christian Broadcasting Network's "700 Club."
It's also difficult to imagine the setback of missing out on the electoral Pokémon duels during the campaign-season.Student Council Loser Wins Big As Teen Mayor
[Michael] Sessions was too young to put his name on the ballot; he turned 18 after the filing deadline. So he registered to vote on his birthday, and the next week declared he would run a write-in campaign."I guess that's all the political obstacles you could really have in an election -- being 18, running against an incumbent and running as a write-in," Sessions' father, Scott Sessions, said.
Rising to the competition, Kodak has begun promotion of a disposable camera that releases a spring-loaded chipmunk with rabies.Taser To Offer Stun Gun Cameras
...to help better examine how Tasers are used, manufacturer Taser International Inc. has developed a Taser Cam, which company executives hope will illuminate why Tasers are needed -- and add another layer of accountability for any officer who would abuse the weapon....they'll cost around $400. Tasers generally run $800 to $1,000, depending on the model and order size.
The scientists say this is the oldest record of a sexual act since the discovery of Hugh Hefner's prom night photos.Indian Scientists Find Fossils In Sexual Union
Scientists say they have discovered two fossils fused together in sexual union for 65 million years.... The fossils are tiny swarm cells, a stage in the development of the fungus myxomycetes, also known as slime molds.
With Martian volcanoes ruled out, this leaves just Martian chili and Martian broccoli as the source of the gas.Volcanoes Ruled Out For Martian Methane
Methane breaks down when exposed to sunlight, so its discovery in the Martian atmosphere two years ago meant that something on the planet was continually producing more of the gas. Most astronomers suspected its presence was the result of a geological process...
http://www.newscientist.com/ article.ns? id=dn8256 &feedId=online- news_rss20
In related news, there are apparently people who press their asses to public toilets without regard for... residue.Home Depot Sued After Man Was Glued To Toilet
[Boulder, CO] His lawsuit, filed Friday, said Dougherty was recovering from heart bypass surgery at the time and thought he was having a heart attack. A store employee who heard him calling for help informed the head clerk via radio, but the head clerk "believed it to be a hoax..."The lawsuit said after about 15 minutes, store officials called for an ambulance.
http://rockymountainnews.com/ drmn/ local/ article/ 0,1299,DRMN_15_ 4208862,00.html
The $600,000 penalty includes the price of theater popcorn and soda for the 4 movies skipped.Movie Downloads Could Cost Racine [WI] Man Up To $600,000
The Motion Picture Association of America, on behalf of three major Hollywood studios, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Fred Lawrence, a 67-year-old retiree. The suit seeks as much as $600,000 in damages for downloading four movies over iMesh, an Internet file-sharing service...."First of all, like I say, I guess I'd have to plead being naïve about the whole thing," said Lawrence. He said his grandson, then 12, downloaded "The Incredibles," "I, Robot," "The Grudge," and "The Forgotten" in December, not knowing it was illegal.