Norwegian students do a funny Prank. I thought it was cute. And the security guard *let* them. What a guy!

As we find out things like this: Russia spied on Blair for Saddam and this: Recently Imported French Luxury Goods Found, are interesting. I have a feeling that Russia AND France didn't want us to go into Iraq because of the embarrassing things we would find. This stuff ought to be trumpeted everywhere.

Another nail in the coffin of my registration as a Republican. These people are *driving* me to the Democratic party.

Republicans Want Terror Law Made Permanent

We are not doing ourselves any favors in the Arab world when we don't take extra special care towards one of the primary media mouthpieces to that world as evidenced by this attack on Al Jazeera's facilities in Bagdad. Some things you don't shoot at except with a camera (meaning, every tank commander in the area should have been *briefed* that under no circumstances should that place have been targeted.

But there is strang cognitive dissonance on Al Jazeera's english coverage. The article linked above is *so* different in tone than the article that open proclaims that the Iraqi government has fallen and that American soldiers are being greeted in Bagdad by celebrating Iraqi's proffering babies and flowers.

This article describing how a scientific study has shown that the Middle Ages were warmer than today brought to mind something that Wil McCarthy wrote quite some time ago. The evidence backs up McCarthy's assertions.

I guess it *does* take a rocket scientist...

Thomas Friedman in a New York Times Op-Ed describes the nuances of reaction in the Arab world to the war in Iraq. I hope somebody with some stroke in the administration is reading him.