Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at an astounding 11,261 Diggs (the most since the Report began), is a link to a... ahem... comparison between the iPhone and the Nokia E70. Now, I'm no fan of the iPhone, and I'm no prude, but there are better ways to compare products.

But that E70 does look nice...

UK and Russia Getting Heated Up

Things are getting heated between the UK and Russia over the Litvinenko affair. I can't imagine this going farther than the pending diplomatic breaks, but one never knows.

A Russian Diary, by Anna Politkovskaya, R.I.P.

Here's a short review of "A Russian Diary," by Anna Politkovskaya, one of 13 journalists who have been killed in Russian since Putin came to power. It sounds like a harrowing account of what it's like under Putin, and will be on my list of books to read.

Bush to Hold Another Worthless "Peace" Conference

This story requires so much suspension of disbelieve that it could be a Stephen King novel:

1. Bush has announced another in a long line of failed, worthless, counterproductive conferences between Israel (the only legitimate player), the Palestinian Authority (who's proven it corrupt nature), and "their Arab neighbors" (who don't want to solve the issue, because it gives them something to hold against Israel and the West).

2. He's also promised $190 million in "aid" to the Fatah government, who are essentially elected terrorists.

3. One of the goals of the conference will be to "review progress in building democratic institutions." I would expect this session to last, oh, about five minutes.

I pity Israel, I really do. After studying the history of the region, I find it a miracle (and, I'm an atheist) that the poor little country still exists. I know, I know, they receive plenty of aid from the US themselves, and I'm sure that helps. But as far as moral support: ours is a double-edged sword, in that we support their right to exist, but not their right to fully secure their existence.

What Happens After Just Now Being Considered

I'm really quite amazed at a quote in this MSNBC.com story about Iraq:

"Increasingly, the Washington debate over when U.S. forces should leave is centering on what would happen once they do."

That's really quite remarkable. If the debate is only now starting to center on what happens if we leave, then what was the debate about before?