Today is a day for gardenning assuming it stays as warm as it was yesterday (it was 77 deg F / 25 deg C)… Got to get the beds level. Anyway, a brief news update, and then it's off to work on “What the modified can learn from Satan“, the new article (with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek title of course; it's not literal).
While the White House denies that Syria is next (more) even though it's been deluged with threats, the US is beginning an oil embargo against Syria (more), and Syria asks itself, “why us?” (more). The Washington Post reports that the whole “Saving Pfc. Jessica Lynch” affair was a staged Hollywood event designed to drum up morale at home and in the troops (more). I'll say again: there is so much disinformation coming out that you'd be doing youself a favor to absorb absolutely as much data as you can from as wide a range of first-hand sources as possible*.
But don't worry — according to Amnesty International, Iraq's people may be at risk, but the oil is well protected (more). While the US troops shield the oil pipelines and wells from any attack or seizure, looters destroyed and burned Iraq's National Library (more, more, more), wiping thousands of years of irreplaceable documents off the face of the earth forever. That combined with the destruction of the museums and archaeological sites represents an immeasurable loss for all humanity.
Update, 9AM: I should also point out that the artifacts above were not just stolen by the mob. Before (and after) the mob looters were going in, professionals went in and used explosives to blow open the safes. Not only that, but they picked off specific and valuable items, and ignored copies — something only art and antiquities experts would be able to do. This was a planned, professional “hit”. Draw your own conclusions as to where that art will end up.
Anyway, Iraq has fallen from forced order to unenforced chaos (more), and religious extremists are calling for, in apparent majority, rule by religious extremists — the Taliban in effect (more, more). Anti-US protests in Iraq grow larger every day (more, more, more), and the US miltiary are stepping in to block the media from covering these events (more).
Back in Afghanistan, chaos and violence continues to rule (more) and the Taliban are burning down Western schools (more). Oh, wait, didn't that war end in the liberation of the people of Afghanistan a year ago?
PS. Another WMD claim debunked (more).
*
If you take the key words (names, places, acts) from the stories I link to and type them into news.google, you should be able to find numerous references from recent articles, and of course a more general search can fill you in on the backstories.
