Archive for July, 2008

In today’s NYTimes:

“Officials say the administration contracted out so much work in Iraq that companies like KBR were simply overwhelmed by the scale of the operations. Some of the electrical work, for example, was turned over to subcontractors, some of which hired unskilled Iraqis who were paid only a few dollars a day.

“Government officials responsible [...]

This is rather surprising: The Guardian, citing no-one, says the US will establish an interests section – a kind of mini-embasy – in Tehran, and is planning the announcement for next month.  Their reporter smells election-year politics, and I concur.  It might go some way to undercuting Obama’s main point that Bush (and by extension, [...]

It was peculiar listening to journalists call the exchange of remains today a “prisoner swap” — 200 dead bodies and 5 lives ones, in exchange for the “remains” of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser.  Not even their bodies, just bits and pieces.
Undoubtedly a sad day in Israel, and a joyous one in Lebanon.  But what [...]

Apparently so, say the Minneapolis police.
Who knew that a car can’t squish me into the curb?
That’s a comforting thought…if only I could trust the passive-aggressive, four-wheeled cows in this cit

Remember the combat outpost attacked a few days ago, and almost overrun?
This one?

It looks like we’ve been pushed out of that district in Nuristan, because US and Afghan troops are pulling out.  Carlotta Gall of the NYTimes (*heart!*) mentions this in the above-linked story:
“The American and Afghan army soldiers had moved into the base at [...]

No, not the kind that involves Christian religious officiators dumping water on your head.  This is more of the nautical kind, involving fashionable ladies and bottles of champagne.

Ships are built in two stages: first, the hull is put together on a slipway, then it is launched and towed to a dock to be “fitted out”, [...]

Is this really such a good idea?  Every time you mention Israel on the ‘net, you bring out all kinds of trolls.  Thank God for moderated comments.

So this morning, NPR ran a story about a new law gathering steam in the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) that would strip Israeli citizenship, identity papers, health and unemployment [...]